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Heat Map

For the majority of us here in the UK, this has been an exceptional summer in terms of heat - and I've certainly found myself craving the coolness of early morning. But this isn't one of those clickbait articles that gives you ten top tips to cope with the heat, because I hope that most of you are able to use your common sense.

Instead, I thought I would try to illustrate the subtle change in our training behaviour at different times of year. I was curious to see how we've all coped with the heat, and how the summer data contrasts with the colder months. Work, family and and personal preferences influence our choices - but does the season have a noticeable effect?

See a larger version of this graph (opens in a new window)

In a typical month, Fetchies log in excess of 300,000 miles of running - and there's been no noticeable dip in July. I looked at this data over the course of 12 months to determine the most popular time of day to run. The black line on the graph represents the year-round figures, and shows two peaks, at 9am and 6pm, with a smaller bump representing the lunchtime crew.

I then pulled out the data for January (shown in frosty blue), and July (shown in hot white). The difference is clear. July runners take advantage of the cooler temperature and longer daylight hours, outstripping January right up 'til the 8am slot. From then until 5pm, January rules the roost, before the evening brings a slightly cooler environment to get out.

Back to that lovely clickbait then! What are your top tips for staying cool in the summer? Leave your comments below, and if you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends.



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Leave a comment...

  • JFDI, and remember how miserable it was marathon training through the blizzards in February before complaining.

    Also accept that global warming is very real.
  • Who are (the nutters ;-) ) running at 5am and 6am in Jan?
    (I'm one of the nutters that tend to run ar 12 or 1 regardless of recent heatwaves)
    Couple of questions though ...

    - is there a significant non-UK mileage (eg I used to do a lot of my miles in Ca, 8 hours behind UK time)

    - any difference between weekdays and weekends? (when races and that parkrun thing may cause the 9/10am peak?)
    um
  • Run faster to get out of the heat quicker.... ;-)
  • I use the heat as resistance training! It's nice, though hard. Funny some of the people I know who complain about the heat right now are the same people I have known to pay to go on hot weather running camps.
  • My 145 mile run starting at 6am might have helped skew the figures :)
  • Wear shorts
  • Dont wear shorts, but wear sunscreen
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