Racing when it's hot and humid

A Faster Masters member wrote to us

Can you please direct me to any materials you have created addressing singles (1x) racing strategies for masters and grand masters (I am 69) when faced with hot and humid weather conditions? I am not looking for materials about hydration, heat stroke, sunscreen, etc., but rather materials focused on pacing, stroke rate progression and throttling, power vs stroke rate in hot/humid conditions, etc. I have a 1000 meter sprint race coming up later this month when I expect less than ideal conditions (in terms of humidity and heat).

Great question. I’m not a physiologist but here are my ideas

Remember it’s the same for everyone in the race. 

You still have to prime your muscles by warming up. And so you could choose to do more warm up on the land in the shade in order to minimise the amount of time out on the water in your boat. 

I would race the same as normal. Same rate. Same power. Don’t try throttling back unless you are far in front and have to race another race eg to qualify for the next round of the race. 

You have to go out planning to do your best. Expect to have to race the full 1k. But you can change the race plan during the race. Review where you are at 250-500m and adjust your race plan accordingly. 

Hazards

You ask about pacing and i spent a lot of time thinking about this. It is possible to adjust your stroke rate and boat speed very very subtly so that you are just 1% below your race pace effort. I know this because I use a technique like this in my half-way push in sprint racing. However I'm reluctant to counsel you to do this because you risk underperforming and being too conservative in your race effort.

If you are very experienced and can genuinely change your boat speed by a tiny amount e.g. moving from rate 26 to rate 25.5 and boat speed changes by less than 2 seconds per 500 - then do it. But only do this after you've got past the start and are into the main body of the race. I would only do it if I was ahead of the field. You cannot control the race strategies of other rowers, only your own. And if you don't got out hard, they can get ahead and you risk not being able to catch them up.

The main things to prepare for are to 

1. manage your recovery between races. By staying out of the sun and rehydrating. Listen to my podcast on fuelling for multiple races. 
2. minimise the amount of time you are outside in full sunshine. 

When I raced at Seville when it was hot I scooped lake water using my hat and poured it over my head to cool down while waiting before the start. If the water quality is poor at your regatta you could take a second water bottle with ice water and a sponge to wet your face head and neck to cool down while on the water waiting for the start. Then tip out the water before the race starts so you aren’t carrying extra weight. 

Your hands

Make sure the handle rubber grips on your blades are clean and washed with detergent. You don’t want them becoming greasy when your hands sweat. 

Secondly after applying sun screen wash your hands. As that can make your hands slippery and sweaty, which is not desirable. 

Refuelling and hydration

If it’s a multiple day regatta take weigh scales with you to check you aren’t losing weight by getting dehydrated. 

Electrolytes are important for sodium replacement. Check the colour of your pee, that it isn’t going dark yellow. 

Keep your core body temperature as controlled as possible. You don’t want it to rise too much. Stay in the shade and sitting down with weight off your feet.  

Race well!