The majority of athletes consider heat to be their enemy. It depletes you, it slows you down, it burns your skin, it makes training and racing downright miserable. In other words, this is the perfect opportunity to turn someone else's problem into your advantage.

Training in the heat, done properly, brings additional adaptations for your Fitness that will unlock performance on race day. Several studies have shown that training in the heat two or three times per week for 20 to 90 minutes, will create several beneficial training effects.

• Decreased heart rate
• Improved exercise economy
• Lower core temperature at sweat onset
• Increased plasma volume (Plasma is the liquid component in your blood. If the volume is increased, you can send blood to cool your skin without compromising the supply carrying oxygen to your muscles.)