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Recently, the weather has been getting cooler, and Wuyan Zu has fully felt the chill of autumn. In just over ten days, it will be the autumn equinox, which means that the southern regions will alsosay goodbye to the scorching heat.
Whether it's cool or crisp, in short, the beautiful autumn is coming our way. Although the midday sun is still strong, we can already feel a slight chill in the mornings and evenings, and might even need to wear a light jacket.
This also means that the best season for running has arrived. The summer heat is unbearable, making running quite painful and significantly slowing down the pace. Winter is very cold, making breathing difficult. Only spring and autumn have pleasant climates and suitable temperatures, making running comfortable and enjoyable. So, are you ready to go all out and break your personal best?
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Why does running in autumn feel particularly comfortable?
The state of people while running is greatly influenced by the environment. Among the environmental factors, temperature and humidity have the most significant impact on running.
Environmental Temperature
Temperature has a huge impact on running performance. Humans are warm-blooded animals, maintaining a normal body temperature between 36.5-37.2 degrees Celsius. A temperature above 37.2 degrees indicates a pathological state, leading to metabolic and physiological dysfunction.In addition to physiological and pathological factors, body temperature is also greatly affected by environmental temperature.
The higher the temperature, the smaller the temperature difference between the body and the external environment, which is not conducive to heat conduction and lowering body temperature. Therefore, running in a high-temperature environment requires most of the blood to be transported to the skin surface to dissipate heat, reducing blood flow to the muscles, decreasing muscle performance, and increasing the accumulation of lactic acid metabolites. Thus, running at the same pace in a high-temperature environment is more strenuous.
The most suitable temperature for a marathon is around 6-8 degrees Celsius. It may seem too low, but that's the ideal range. Of course, running a marathon at 10-15 degrees is also good, but above 15 degrees, it starts to get quite hot, and above 20 degrees, performance significantly declines.
A temperature of around 20 degrees is somewhat hot for a marathon because the race is long, and excessive sweating can reduce effective circulating blood volume, causing heat dissipation issues. For regular running, which usually lasts just over an hour, the amount of sweat does not significantly affect body function, making a temperature of around 20 degrees very suitable for running training and fitness.
Environmental Humidity
Air humidity also greatly affects running performance. High humidity hinders sweating, reducing endurance performance, while low humidity makes people feel thirsty easily.
Studies have shown that at temperatures of 30-32 degrees Celsius and relative humidity above 80%, the body operates relatively strenuously. The most suitable conditions for exercise are a humidity of 50%-65% combined with a temperature of around 20 degrees.
Currently, in the northern regions, although the temperature is very good, the air humidity has already started to drop, making the air quite dry and causing skin dryness.
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Faster pace in autumn doesn't mean you've become stronger
In summer, most people experience a pace drop of 20-30 seconds per kilometer, or a significant increase in heart rate at the same speed. In autumn, your pace may improve by 15-30 seconds compared to summer.
Simply put, at the same heart rate, you can run faster without feeling very tired because the comfortable autumn weather minimizes the negative impact of the climate on your pace, allowing you to perform at your best. This is what we call the 'right time' in the phrase 'right time, right place, right people'.
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Only by persisting in training during summer can you reap the rewards in autumn
In fact, in the comfortable autumn, if you feel you are running faster and more easily, it's hard to say whether your endurance has improved or if the weather is helping you, or perhaps it's a combination of both.
How can you distinguish whether the improvement in pace is due to training or the weather? It's simple: check if you have maintained a relatively scientific and systematic training regimen during the summer.
If you didn't run much during the summer or were inconsistent, then the slight improvement in your pace now is likely due to the weather rather than an increase in your ability.
However, if you persisted in running during the summer, enduring the heat and maintaining your training, every drop of sweat you shed in the summer will provide powerful motivation for your smooth running in the autumn.
Indeed, systematic summer training can lead to a transformative change in runners by the time autumn arrives, showing significant endurance improvement. Coupled with the cool weather, runners will feel they are running faster and more easily, with a lower heart rate at the same pace or an improved pace at the same heart rate.
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The crisp autumn weather will make you want to run more
When a runner's motivation to run is strong, they will be more focused and engaged, making the run feel relatively easier. If the motivation is weak and the run is just to complete a task or log miles, it will feel more painful. Therefore, running motivation greatly affects running performance.
The blue sky, white clouds, bright sunshine, and crisp autumn weather will greatly enhance your motivation to run. You will thoroughly enjoy running in such beautiful weather, and the strong motivation will make you feel in great shape.
For those who love running, the season doesn't matter. Those who haven't yet developed a running habit might start running more now. Don't waste the beautiful autumn; run freely and enjoy the best running season of the year!