I think there’s also an element of training yourself mentally when the dew point or temperature gets into the uncomfortable range. If you run by pace, try the Temperature Calculator from RunnersConnect. If you run by power, use SuperPower Calculator for Sheets (SPCs) to adjust for environmental conditions (including elevation). You reduce the risk of injury (by not running harder than you should given the conditions).It’s so important to adjust targets based on the weather for these reasons: This ensures you’re running at the correct effort.Ī half marathon tempo workout isn’t training the right physiological system if it feels like a 10k effort. If the temperature or dew point is higher than your typical training conditions, you should adjust your power/pace targets accordingly. The last point is worth reiterating, especially for long runs or higher intensity efforts. Adjust power/pace targets based on the weather.Drink more water or sports drink per hour.So here are some other ways to help with cooling with higher dew points: A higher dew point means more moisture in the air which makes it harder for sweat to evaporate and create a cooling effect. Stay CoolĪs the dew point gets higher and more uncomfortable, it’s much harder for the body to cool itself. Note, the following also applies when running in hotter temperatures. With a little practice, it won’t take long before you’ll be able to tell how comfortable (or uncomfortable) a run will be from just the dew point. Higher temps with lower dew points can affect performance just like lower temps with higher dew points. The key is making note of the dew point ranges that feel comfortable and uncomfortable to you and making decisions based on those ranges.Īnd one disclaimer … a dew point in the comfortable range doesn’t mean performance is unaffected. If you live somewhere more hot and humid, the 60–64☏ (16–18☌) range might actually feel comfortable to you whereas someone used to cooler and drier conditions might consider it moderately uncomfortable. Since comfort is subjective, use the table above as a starting point. How it feels at various dew point ranges. No big lookup tables needed.Īll you need is this table (which is easily memorized) … Comfort Levels at Various Dew Points Dew Point (☏)Ĭomfort varies (At lower values, the air could be too dry for some.) It’s “portable.” You just need one number. This is why the dew point is so much more useful than humidity. Whereas a 50% humidity will feel different depending on the temperature. Unlike humidity, dew point is an absolute measure, not relative.Ī 50☏ (10☌) dew point will always feel comfortable outside regardless of the temperature or humidity. The dew point tells you how much moisture is in the air which easily translates into how it’ll feel outside. That’s what determines how muggy or humid the air will feel.Īnd that, my friend, is where the dew point swoops in and saves the day. What we really want to know before heading outside is the absolute, not relative amount of moisture in the air. The relative nature of humidity is what makes it hard to interpret. At the same humidity, the higher temperature means there’s more moisture in the air compared to a lower temperature. This explains why Example B above feels muggier. If it’s at 50%, the moisture “glass” is half full (or half empty? □□♂️).Īnd a critical characteristic of humidity is: The higher the temperature, the more moisture the air can hold. So when the humidity is at 100%, that means the air is saturated with moisture and can’t hold any more. Humidity tells you how much moisture is in the air relative to how much the air can hold. While I’ve been referring to relative humidity as just humidity, the two primary downsides above are because of the word “relative.” As you’ll learn later, that’s unnecessarily complicated compared to the dew point. It’s going to feel really muggy outside.” But that percentage alone doesn’t tell you anything useful.įor humidity to be helpful, you also need the temperature.īoth temperatures have the same humidity, but they feel drastically different.įor humidity to be useful, you need a lookup table that shows what it’ll feel like at different temperature/humidity pairs. You might see 100% humidity and think to yourself, “That stinks. What they’re really feeling is a higher dew point. When the temperature is hotter, it’s not uncommon for people to say the humidity is really high even though the actual percentage is relatively moderate. What runners interpret as high humidity isn’t always the case.įor example, 90☏ (32☌) at 60% humidity will feel pretty humid outside. Bonus #protip The Downsides of Humidity Humidity Can Be Deceptive
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |