I am conditioning my body to perform efficiently under duress. That's what I tell myself over and over again as I plow through the dense, hot air that currently makes up the lower portion of our atmosphere. Today's run was actually not that bad, so I suppose I might be adapting to these miserable conditions. I don't think it's dangerous to be running out there as long as I'm making sure to stay hydrated, but I don't feel compelled to keep up any particular pace. I figure that even a slow run in high heat and humidity will make me stronger and tougher. Besides, there just no way to know what kind of race day conditions I might need to be prepared for.
Today's New York Times has an article about recent advances in what we know about the physiology of distance running in onerous conditions. Beijing is expected to be a particularly terrible place for a marathon, not just because of the heat and humidity, but also because of the extreme levels of air pollutants there. One exercise physiologist who visited Beijing measured the air quality and found high levels of carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, "all of which can inflame and constrict the air passages in the lungs and set off asthma attacks even in people who have never had them." So how do you train for that?
I don't think I'm ever going to have to worry myself too much about marathon-racing conditions in Beijing, but it's just another set of variables to throw into the endurance training matrix. I think it was the Bronx half marathon three years ago that saw runners really suffering through the distance and ending up with times far slower than the heat index would have predicted. It turned out that smoke and chemicals from forest fires up in Canada had screwed with the air quality all down the northeastern seaboard.
The article did have some other interesting tidbits about how marathoners can maximize their performances, even in less than ideal conditions. Apparently glycerin is a much better hydrant than water or sports drinks because it allows you to stockpile fluids without increasing your blood volume, but I don't know if you can just go out and easily buy that. Also, and of course we all know this, grazing is better than gorging. Athletes who consume their calories steadily throughout the day (rather than eating fewer, bigger meals) lose body fat and perform much better in anaerobic stress tests. This is definitely an area where I can improve, since I often put off my first meal of the day until two or three 'o clock and then don't eat dinner until eight or nine. Plus it's a good excuse to go buy snacks and energy bars, which I usually consider a splurge. On that note, I think I'll go find me some lunch.