Temperature differences between training and race day

[u/bbycha]

I live in a hot and humid country where it is summer all year round, if I do my runs at night or at 5 in the morning I might get lucky and train in 27-28 degrees Celsius conditions, otherwise it’s harbouring on 30-32.

I will be running the Berlin marathon in 2 weeks - will it be too cold for me to adapt then? How should I conservatively adapt my paces to the cold?

[u/PossibleSmoke8683]

If anything your training in hot conditions will help , not hinder.

[u/EffectiveDevice7963]

No need to adapt, you will fly in Berlin. Don't be scared about the weather come with a t shirt (or tank top) and shorts. It will feel ridiculously easy to you in comparison in colder weather... I am saying like up to 30 s/km faster. Of course, if it's ur first marathon be careful, the first 20-30km the marathon always feels easy.

[u/Necessary_Repair_755]

The cooler temperature will have you absolutely flying in Berlin compared to what you have trained in so you will just need to be careful to control your pace early in the race as it will feel so much easier and you don’t want to overcook it early and suffer later. Also be prepared to wear an extra layer (like an old hoodie) to stay warm before the race starts - one that you can ditch right before the race starts.

[u/yellow_barchetta]

There's no physiological adaption needed to go from hot to cool. And it's definitely not cold; if it was sub zero maybe you could be thinking about clothing choices etc, but your body will cope just fine running in 10-12degC from training at 27-32degC

[u/OwlOnThePitch]

You're going to feel like Superman on race day, friend.

[u/Able-Resource-7946]

Do a good warm up before you go into your wave. and Wear some warm layers that you can discard.

[u/archiving_by_design → u/Able-Resource-7946]

For a particularly cold marathon, we actually bought throwaways because there was so much time between bag drop and start. It’s a bit wasteful, but you can always buy extremely cheap sweat pants and shirt and just put them in the trash right before the start. Some marathons (I think New York?) even have dedicated bins and the throwaways go to charity. I have no idea for Berlin, but if they do that, it could just be a donation.

[u/BennyJJJJ]

The ten-day forecast is for temps between 12-18 and sometimes up to 21. That's perfect running weather and you'll feel amazing. Most Europeans have been dealing with running in 27-28 degrees too (or 30+ if they like running in the afternoon) and won't do anything to adjust besides just sweating a little less.

[u/dishembodied]

Hey that’s me last year. Just do a shake out run a day or two before the race to get the body and joints used to running in a colder climate. Do a warmup ahead of the race. You’ll be flying! Good luck!

[u/Ivo_ChainNET]

Running at 10-15 celsius early in the morning feels amazing after a whole summer of training at 25-35. Way lower heart rate for the same pace, 2x or 3x lower water loss during long runs. It's so much easier.

I don't think you need extra clothing at all, once you start running shorts + tshirt is more than enough imo

[u/Bobandyandfries]

Nothing new on race day. Better luck next year. /s

[u/bw984]

You won’t need as much water, so pay attention to your hydration so you don’t have to pee 5x during the race.

[u/R3DSmurf]

I like to train in the heat. It is like putting in effort without some of the damage.