If you don’t follow The Run S.M.A.R.T. Project, you should. It is one of the more informative running sites there is.
Yesterday, they posted a great tool to help you “Get Your Temperature Adjustment” – basically, you enter a race distance and time. Then, you click “Advanced Features” and you can enter wind, temperature or altitude. Then, you hit “calculate” and the tool gives you an equivalent time.
Here is an example:
I enter a 5k time of 17:00. Then I set the temperature at 85 degrees – it is summer after all! I hit calculate and it lets me know that this temperature would slow me down by approximately 13 seconds per mile, resulting in a final time of 17:41.
Here is another example:
I enter a 5k time of 17:00. I set the altitude at 5,200 feet. I hit calculate and it lets me know that this altitude would slow me down by approximately 10 seconds per mile, resulting in a final time of 17:34.
While this may provide post-race entertainment, I think it is extremely useful for planning purposes. I use the McMillan Calculator all the time, and it does a great job of keeping me on pace, making sure I don’t go out too fast, etc. The “temperature adjustment” calculator will be an excellent supplement to that. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
