Summer Running Tips: Trust the Process, Not the Pace

May 23
3 min read

If you're training for a fall half or full marathon, you're probably already eyeing your race day forecast and dreaming of crisp autumn air. But right now? It’s getting hot. It’s so humid. And your “easy” pace suddenly feels like a fiery slog through a swamp. And workouts?? You're hitting 9/10 effort on paces that used to be a walk in the park!

Every summer, I hear the same worries from runners:

"Am I losing fitness?"
"Why does every run feel so hard?"
"Shouldn’t I be faster by now?"
"Why does my goal pace feel impossible???"

So let’s talk about it: how to trust your training when the summer heat is cooking your confidence.

1. You're Not Losing Fitness. You’re Just Hot.

Running in the heat isn’t just uncomfortable, it physiologically changes how your body functions.

When it’s hot and humid:

Your heart rate is higher at any given pace
Your sweat rate increases (and with it, your risk of dehydration)
Your body prioritizes cooling over performance

Translation? You feel slower because your body is working harder just to keep you safe. This doesn’t mean you’re regressing. It means your body is smart (by keeping you from, you know, dying of heatstroke)

👉 Coach tip: Use Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE), not pace, to guide your runs. If it feels like a 3/10 easy effort but your watch says you’re moving at turtle speed? Good. Stay there. That's your body's honest effort in the heat.

2. Summer Training: A Different Kind of Adaptation

Training through summer heat doesn’t exactly mimic altitude training—but it does trigger its own set of beneficial adaptations.

When you run in hot conditions, your body works overtime to regulate temperature. In response, you develop heat adaptations like:

Increased plasma volume, which supports better cardiovascular function and sweating efficiency
Improved thermoregulation, so your body can cool itself more effectively
Lower core temperature threshold for sweating, meaning your body starts cooling sooner
Reduced heart rate and perceived effort at a given pace over time

These adaptations improve your body’s efficiency and resilience. While they’re not the same as altitude-induced changes (like increased red blood cell production), heat adaptations can still lead to noticeable performance improvements—especially once cooler weather returns.

🔥 Coach insight: Heat training builds durability. You might not be gaining red blood cells, but you are teaching your body how to handle more stress—safely and efficiently.

3. Let Go of the Summer Pace Trap

Paces from your spring race? Yeah, you can’t use those as your summer benchmarks. Not because you’re slower, but because those paces don’t reflect current conditions. Training smart means adapting, not pushing to hit unrealistic numbers.

👉 Coach tip: Be kind to yourself. Track effort, not ego. And don’t let a hot tempo run mess with your head, heat-adjusted calculators exist for a reason.

4. Hydration & Fueling Are Non-Negotiable in Summer Running

If you’re dragging through summer runs, it may not be your fitness, it might be your hydration. Or lack of carbs. Or both.

You’re losing more sodium and fluid than usual.
You need more carbs to support higher effort levels (& fun fact: you burn more glycogen in the heat than in cooler temps at the same effort!)

👉 Coach tip: Sip early, sip often. Use electrolytes!! Fuel every run over 75 minutes, and consider small-carb boosts on runs over 45 minutes if they feel disproportionately tough.

5. What Matters Most Is Showing Up (Not Showing Off)

Consistency is king. It’s not about “winning” your summer long runs, it’s about stacking those sweaty miles so your body adapts. Yes, your long runs might be slower. Yes, some runs will suck. And yes, that’s still progress.

👉 Coach tip: You’re not training for July. You’re training for October (...or September, or November). Keep showing up, and your future self will thank you.