Heat Index, humidity, and temperature are all words that any fall sport coach learns quickly when they start their careers. You sneak a glimpse at the general two-week temperature projections and the "real feel" hoping for future good numbers that allow for optimal training and practice.
This week most of the state has been hit by record humidity causing practice changes for all sports. This especially hits cross country where most schools lack the ability to really go inside for practice. The hallways of schools are just not really good on runners' legs and feet.
As a coach, I am lucky enough to be able to have morning practice during the summer when there is very little worry about the heat index. This is by far my favorite time to have practice. I am not always a fan of getting up early, but it is worth it no question. But the moment school starts, and we switch to 3:30pm practice, the worry sets in and stays until early October. Practice at 3:30pm is preferred because the students are already at school, and they go straight to practice. Practice ends and everyone gets to go home. My runners get to go home and eat dinner with their families. As a coach and parent myself, this is very important to me.
But this week has brought us to night practices, starting after 7:00 PM when the heat index has finally started to dip into the sub-100 range. This change is hard because team members have regular weekly night things scheduled. They are forced to miss practice and to the fault of no one, their training progression is affected. The quality and lengths of workouts have to be adjusted as well.
In the end changes have to be made because safety is the most important thing. I feel like I say that word probably too much at practice daily, but it beyond important as we have been tasked with taking care of the young people of our teams.
All of this leads to my big question: What is your favorite time of day to have practice as a coach, runner, or parent? Send me an email at kytrackxc@gmail.com and I will add your thoughts below.