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The Planted Runner

this will slow you more than heat

Published 22 days ago • 4 min read

"But it's a dry heat," my father always says about the brutally hot climate in his hometown of Pheonix, Arizona.

And I know what you are thinking: when it's 114F (45C) it doesn't matter if it's dry or not, it's just HOT!

But besides the humidity, there's something else that affects how you feel (and run) in the heat.

And it doesn't have anything to do with the weather or even how much you've adapted to it.

It's how well you tolerate uncertainty.

(I know, you weren't expecting me to say that, but stay with me.)

Very few runners ask me, "How do I run well in the heat?"

Instead, they ask, "Should I still do my workout?" "Should I slow down?" "Should I move my long run?" "What heart rate is too high?"

They're asking for heat training tips, but what they're really want is certainty.

The problem is that summer running doesn't offer much of it.

The weather changes. Your body responds differently from one day to the next. A pace that felt comfortable last week can feel impossible today.

The heat is part of the challenge.

The uncertainty is the other part.

That's why the runners who handle summer best aren't necessarily the ones who tolerate heat the best. They're the ones who get comfortable making good decisions when they don't feel good, without knowing exactly how the run will unfold.

Sure, learning how to adjust your running in the heat is a must and you can click below to learn more. But don't forget, you need to train your brain too.

from the team

"Could I dream and potentially achieve a sub two-hour half marathon?"

Amanda wrote that to me after her last race.

A few years ago, running under two hours wasn't a dream. It was normal.

Then life happened.

She had kids. She moved halfway around the world. Training in the heat and humidity became her new reality.

But her fall race will be cool and flat. Should she dare to dream she can get back there?

If you know anything about me, you know I love big goals and I'm not one to tell anyone they can't achieve what they want (in running or in life).

But even I can't tell Amanda for certain what she will achieve this fall. No one can.

But what I can do is give her all the tools she needs along with an inspiring, supportive community of runners who have done the exact same thing.

One of my favorite things about coaching the PR Team is watching runners borrow confidence from each other.

Until one day, they don't have to borrow it anymore.

That's the kind of work we do in the PR Team every day.

*team names changed for privacy

planted practice

Each week, I'd like to challenge you to one small action that I'm calling your Planted Practice.

You don't change the way you think by reading something cool in a newsletter. You change with small, daily work, just like training your body.

Each Planted Practice is deceptively simple, but might just be more powerful than you think.

This week's challenge:

Before every run, notice one thing you cannot control. Some examples are weather, fatigue, how someone else is running.

Then ask yourself: What can I control instead?

You can write in a notebook or just keep it in your mind as you run. Focusing on what you can control gives you a powerful sense of agency.

There's a reason this works. Your brain is constantly trying to predict what's coming next. When it can't, uncertainty feels uncomfortable and your attention naturally gets pulled toward potential threats. By intentionally directing your attention to your next controllable action, you interrupt that cycle and give your brain a job it can actually solve.

Expect to finish the week feeling a little more capable of handling the unknown.

What you practice becomes stronger.

*extra credit: post about it on social and tag me!

#plantedpractice

podcast

In 2026, no one needs to hire a running coach to write a training plan.

So the deeper question is, how does the work of a human running coach go beyond what a large language model can iterate? What is the intrinsic human value of what we do to help runners around the world?

I’m going to be exploring that a lot in my work coming up and to help me out, I’m talking to another running coach and voice you might recognize, Matt Chittim of the Rambling Runner Podcast.

And the conversation gets interesting.

You’ll learn:

  • How AI is changing the profession
  • How masters runners can change their relationship with running, and
  • What Matt is doing now with knee surgery coming up.

I was recently a guest on The Rambling Runner so if you haven’t checked out that conversation, please do that right after this one.

inspo

"The root of suffering is resisting the certainty that no matter what the circumstances, uncertainty is all we truly have."

—Pema Chödrön

Have a great run today,

Coach Claire

Thank you for being a part of the Planted Runner community!

My mission is to help runners just like you reach goals they never dreamed possible through science-backed training and plant-based nutrition.

Since 2016, I've helped thousands of every day runners become fitter, faster, and stronger with truly customized training and coaching.

I also love to share what I have learned from my own journey starting as a non-runner to a 2:58 marathoner at age 42, as well what I have learned coaching runners, completely FREE. I do that every week in this newsletter and on the Planted Runner Podcast.

I'm so glad you're here and my inbox is always open. Feel free to reply with questions or feedback!

If that's not for you, ​unsubscribe here​, completely guilt-free!

To change your email or preferences ​manage your profile​.

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246

The Planted Runner

Claire Bartholic

Coach Claire has helped hundreds of real runners chase their dreams and conquer what they never thought possible. Her coaching philosophy combines science-based training, plant-based running nutrition, and proven mindset techniques to unlock every runner's true potential. She's a certified vegan running coach, sports nutrition specialist, mom, and borderline obsessive plant lover. As an athlete herself, she went from a 4:02 first marathon all the way to a 2:58 finishing time at the age of 42, entirely plant-based. She coaches vegan, plant-based, and plant-curious runners to achieve the same dramatic success, from those on a walk-run program, general fitness, up to high-level athletes

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