Will I eventually acclimate to this heat???

[bboston88]

I went out on a 22 mile (very hilly) ride yesterday around 10am. Damn it was hot. Mid 90s in Atlanta. I went through about 4 water bottles (stole 2 from my husband). I can only carry 2 unless I stick one in my jersey. Is this just me needing to acclimate? I tried drinking beforehand as I have a tendency to dehydrate. Yikes!

[makbike]

IMO, it takes time to acclimate to hot and humid conditions. Unfortunately, it appears the 4-6 weeks we are often afforded to make this transition will not happen this year. Several riders on today's century commented how hard today's ride was simply because they did not have time to adjust to the hot/humid conditions we have been hit with this summer. We typically do not experience this type of weather until mid-July. Keep drinking before, during and after your rides.

[F8th637]

Haa haa check this link. Same topic! http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=24015

[OakLeaf]

Get a hydration pack. I can easily go through a two-liter Platypus plus both my water bottles on a 3-hour ride.

Unfortunately I don't have a way to carry water on my runs and I'm going to have to figure something out. I'm the gal who sweats out a liter an hour when it's 75 degrees F.

I hate having anything on my back when I ride too, but it beats the heck out of heat stroke.

[Bad JuJu]

+1 on the hydration pack.

Even once you're acclimated, you still need to carry and ingest plenty of fluids, and a hydration pack is the best bet for that. I also find that I feel better on hot rides if I replace electrolytes. If you don't like Gatorade, there are other 'lyte replacement fluids on the market. I carry water in my pack and Gatorade in my water bottle, and plan a stop at a convenience store if I think I'm going to need more than that.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

You are way better off going out at like 7 or 8 am instead of 10, especially if you are doing a hilly ride and the temps are going to hit the 90's during mid day.

[Aggie_Ama]

We really hate summer riding in Texas (hot & humid) because we can no longer afford not to start at sunrise. Last summer we hit the road at 6:45-7:00 if we were doing a long ride. I take a lot of naps after rides! :p

You will acclimate but I find it easier to adjust through the course of the ride. I cannot start out at 10 am since the sun gets really intense by about 10:30.

[Jolt]

Try being up here in MA, where we had a few days of 60-70 degree weather and then got hit with mid-90s and humid!!! The heat started yesterday and is expected to continue through Tuesday, and it's miserable. Any tips on how to acclimate as painlessly as possible? Usually at the beginning of the summer I can hardly stand to run when the temp hits about 75-80; biking is a bit better but still rough. However, I go a bit stir-crazy being stuck inside for too long, so staying holed up in the a/c for days on end is not an option!

[OakLeaf]

well one thing I swear by, even if I'm being a wuss and not exercising, is no A/C. I think you acclimate much quicker, and stay healthier in general, if you're not going back and forth between heat and cold all the time. Of course if you work in AC that's unavoidable, but at home we do have a choice.

Come August I'll start the back-and-forth with DH about it again :rolleyes: but for now we're in agreement that the windows stay open.

Jolt, I think most of the East has had the same as you. It's really pretty much normal for Ohio.

[Crankin]

Sorry, I can't live without AC! The hot and humid weather makes me feel miserable... and sometimes it makes my asthma start, which I never usually have.
Who wants to feel gross in their own house? I don't mind sweating at all when I am exercising nor do I mind getting "dirty," but I want to be be comfortable, able to breath, and not have my hair standing up on end when I'm at home! Now, I agree, most people and stores keep the AC too cold. I just want the humidity taken out of the air and a temperature of about 78.

Jolt, we went out at around 7-7:30 yesterday and it was fine.We were done by 9:30 and then I chilled in the AC and went to the pond to swim.

[violette]

I rode 60km on the weekend in about 30c and I didn't think I was going to make it; and I had 2 water bottle with me.

[tulip]

It's been 100 in North Carolina for the last few days, and it's just too hot to ride after 9am. I grew up in this heat, but when it gets this hot, it's just not healthy to ride. Ride early in the morning if you can.

[katluvr]

As I live in HOT and HUMID Florida I definitely think the key is to getting an EARLY start. Most of our friends think we are crazy for getting up at 5 AM on the weeken days to get stared early. (OK, sometime we drive to a place that has hills or a good trail so that takes an extra hour). So plan is to be on the bike between 7 & 7:30. Lots of hydration. And freeze your bottles and if a long ride, plan a circuit so you can stop mid way to get fresh frozen bottles from cooler.
Also look for routes that are more shaded.

This time of year the heat does get trying. I much rather ride in heat than run. I have a 1/2 marthon planned for Nov. That means logging lots of miles in Aug., Sept ("hot as hades" month) and even Oct (can remain very toasty!).
In 2 weeks I'll be biking in Rhode Island...hopefully it will be freshenly cool compared to here!

[BarbaraAlys]

All last summer I was riding after work, about 5PM, with temps as high as 103, but the humidity here is very low (most locals will not say so, but when 60% is considered hight, that seems low to me who grew up on the east coast).

You do acclimate, but you have to give yourself time. Also, I find that i really have to keep hydrated all the time, not just on the bike. I usually drink between 3/4 to 1 gallon of water a day, not counting my ride water. I don't use an electrolite substitute, but I don't seem to need it for most rides.

Barbara

[bluebug32]

I've found that adding Elite drops (electrolytes) to plain water is a good insurance policy for hot weather. They also make tablets. I like it because the drops don't taste like anything, so it's easy to drink. Other than that, I find an extra bottle full of water to dump over your head quite effective.

[Geonz]

I agree with the AC comment, though I had to use mine yesterday 'cause my dehumidifier died and things get moldy pretty fast. I am not cut out for heat ... but if I suck it up and endure, I'm not too functional for a couple of days (but I have to shower before bed so I can fall asleep before I finish evaporating) and things get better.
Alas, work is very AC... so I'm not sure how well I'll do this summer. MOstly... I avoid the heat of the day and slow down.

[kfergos]

Try being up here in MA, where we had a few days of 60-70 degree weather and then got hit with mid-90s and humid!!!

Too true! Going from long pants and sleeves to as little clothing as possible is crazy -- I can't get over the amount of SWEATING that goes on in 95-degree humid weather. Does everybody else get caked with grit, dirt, bugs, pollen, etc. on arms & legs in the really hot sweaty, sunblock-y weather?

And some people like riding in the heat! :eek:

[Aggie_Ama]

Here's a few things I find helpful to survive summer riding:

water over your head
ice in the sports bra
electrolytes
being just a little crazy. :)

[GLC1968]

Here's a few things I find helpful to survive summer riding:

water over your head
ice in the sports bra
electrolytes
being just a little crazy. :)


Ditto this!

Add:


having these temps 24/7 - so there is no choice. I found I had to adapt, or just not ride (which was not an option). ;)
drenching a buff with water and wearing that on your head under your helmet keeps you cooler longer than just wet hair.

[sundial]

I went out on a 22 mile (very hilly) ride yesterday around 10am. Damn it was hot. Mid 90s in Atlanta. I went through about 4 water bottles (stole 2 from my husband). I can only carry 2 unless I stick one in my jersey. Is this just me needing to acclimate? I tried drinking beforehand as I have a tendency to dehydrate. Yikes!

Don't ya just love humidity? It will zap all your energy and make you curse Mother Nature.

I ride with a Camelbak (with Elite added to my water) when the temps start rising. I also carry 2 "shower bottles" in my cages so I can douse my jersey when I need to cool off a little. We ride in open areas with no trees for shade and we are pretty cautious about staying hydrated. Is there a chance you can set your clock to be out by 5:30 a.m. to ride? There's enough light by then and little traffic. You also wont encounter the heat coming up from the asphalt that adds to your misery.

[Tuckervill]

All this talk about acclimating....I'm curious about what biological process or factors we might be talking about here?

Maybe it's just a matter of changing our minds?

I abhor humidity, but I don't mind riding my bike in it, because there's always a breeze on my face when I ride. Running, walking, on the other hand--not enough breeze to get any evaporation. In the car in the summer time I have to have the AC vents pointed right on my face or I wilt (until the car cools off--and not so bad now that I don't wear make-up--but if "I got my hair did" it better be COLD in the car before I get in).

With AC in the house only on my bottom floor, I've learned to sleep in a almost hot room. So if it's mind over matter, and I'm wondering what we're talking about when we wonder about acclimating?

Karen

[sundial]

With AC in the house only on my bottom floor, I've learned to sleep in a almost hot room.

Oh my, I would melt! http://bestsmileys.com/fainting/1.gif

[Jolt]

Ugh...riding to the Y this afternoon (I was filling in as a lifeguard) was *#@!# miserable!!! It was about 95 degrees and humid--yuck! Biking is definitely better than running in this heat, but still pretty rough. About the only thing that seems to help is to get totally soaking wet before getting on the bike.

[mimitabby]

All this talk about acclimating....I'm curious about what biological process or factors we might be talking about here?


Karen

no, i think it's real. Raleighdon did a bunch of travelling a few years ago, from here (cool Seattle) to both New Orleans and Florida.
He went on some gungho rides on both ends and had trouble. Your blood "thins" apparently in hot weather. it takes a couple weeks to get used to the opposite extreme. At least in his case.

[OakLeaf]

All this talk about acclimating....I'm curious about what biological process or factors we might be talking about here?

I can't be more specific, but what we learned in aerobics instructor training is that your body learns to sweat more profusely while conserving electrolytes. When heat stroke isn't threatening, the biological priority is to conserve water, so you sweat less, and when a body isn't adapted to the heat, you're not sweating enough to cool you adequately. Next, you start sweating more but also sweating out a lot of electrolytes. When you're fully adapted, you're sweating a higher proportion of water.

[salsabike]

Not everyone adapts equally well. My sister has always done well in humid heat. I grew up in the same humid heat and never could function well in it. There are some individual, physiological tolerance ranges--we're not all built exactly the same.

[crazybikinchic]

the cycling coach that I train with in the winter and for the HHH sets the air at 80 degrees year round. He does this so that we are acclimated to the warmer weather in the spring and for the 100 degree weather for the HHH.

[Blueberry]

I'm not acclimating this year - at least not well. It's still 100+ degrees for the heat index (and in the 90's actual temperature) and it's after 8:30.

CA

[littlegrasshopp]

CA in NC, I'm right here with you. We just got our upstairs A/C fixed. It was over 100 IN OUR HOUSE yesterday. I couldn't get my hair to dry! They say it will rain and bring up to the low 90's by wednesday. Who knew we'd be excited about low 90's!

[Blueberry]

Ouch! I can't even imagine being without AC in this. UGH! Ours went out last July and was about 3 days getting a new unit installed. And our house is really old, and most of the windows don't work. Sending cool thoughts:)
CA

[littlegrasshopp]

all is cool and happy in our house now! But last night it took until almost 9:30 before the temp was below 90 outside. That is crazy!!!

[OakLeaf]

y'know... this is largely my wounded pride speaking :rolleyes: and I think a lot of it is just a reflection on the geo-demographics of this board... but in part I'm posting this out of concern for inexperienced riders here...

I can't help contrasting this thread with the one about altitude sickness - and even the one about lightning.

Heat related illness kills and injures hundreds of people every year - where only a handful are struck by lightning, and really is it possible to die of altitude sickness? Yet on this thread, we have comments like "get over it" and "it's mind over matter"...

Heat related illness is not only real, it's very dangerous.

So here's a quick reminder from the Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-heat-exhaustion/FA00020) website:


Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion often begin suddenly, sometimes after excessive exercise, heavy perspiration and inadequate fluid intake. Signs and symptoms resemble those of shock and may include:

* Feeling faint or dizzy
* Nausea
* Heavy sweating
* Rapid, weak heartbeat
* Low blood pressure
* Cool, moist, pale skin
* Low-grade fever
* Heat cramps
* Headache
* Fatigue
* Dark-colored urine

If you suspect heat exhaustion:

* Get the person out of the sun and into a shady or air-conditioned location.
* Lay the person down and elevate the legs and feet slightly.
* Loosen or remove the person's clothing.
* Have the person drink cool water.
* Cool the person by spraying or sponging him or her with cool water and fanning.
* Monitor the person carefully. Heat exhaustion can quickly become heatstroke.

If fever greater than 102 F (38.9 C), fainting, confusion or seizures occur, dial 911 or call for emergency medical assistance.

I might add that early symptoms for me include suddenly stopping sweating; a sensation of cold chills; and dizziness that manifests itself more visually than mentally (it seems like everything's swirling with a lot of floaters).

Okay, rant off.

[Aggie_Ama]

Oakleaf- It is possible to die of altitude sickness but I think it is more danger for hardcore climbers.

Very good point about heat, I would feel it is the biggest natural enemy for cyclists. Even as an avid cyclist and native Texan I have had heat exhaustion. I had all the symptoms above and it was not pretty.

I know at summer rides here in Texas we often see people who ride frequently sagging or worse being hooked up to IVs for fluids, taken by ambulance to be tended to for heat related illness. Be careful out there guys and learn what works for you.

[Tuckervill]

I never said it was mind over matter. I wondered aloud what actual biological process we were talking about, and questioned whether it could be mind over matter.

No one was talking about serious heat related symptoms, which is definitely a biological process. They were talking about just not liking the heat.

Karen

[Crankin]

I agree, Oakleaf. I often feel like I'm seen as a wimp because I cannot live without AC on the type of days we are having now (97 degrees, 90% humidity). I felt very sick at school yesterday, with no AC and now I'm just sick. If it's drier, I can tolerate a little bit of a high temperature, but I have to be careful.
And yes, my altitude sickness was VERY real. I want to go on a X country ski trip out west and I searched for 2 years to find a place that had good snow and is only at 2,000 feet! When I lived in AZ I would feel it as soon as I got north of Prescott. Every trip to Sedona and Flagstaff was ruined. I know if I lived there, I would acclimate, but it's definitely not in my mind.
Of course, I don't ride a century every weekend, either. To me, it's an accomplishment I do once a year.

[bboston88]

Ok, misery loves company I guess! I think the problem is we don't seem to have seasons anymore. Just one or two weeks of nice temps then BOOM. We're in the 90s with serious humidity. Damn climate change.

I wouldn't have chosen to go at 10am, it was a scheduled group ride. I'll go solo if need be from now on. And possibly a camelback. I didn't want to pull out a camelback on a group ride for fear of looking like a dork (I know that heatstoke isn't cool though!).

I like the ice in sports bra and wet buff ideas a lot. Last night I rode and it was nearly 100 but the sun was setting so I didn't really have a problem.

[mimitabby]

one more thing about heat exhaustion. there's an article in the NYTimes about it;
here's an excerpt; it's scary stuff!


"But I wasn’t fine. By the end of the run I had collapsed with heatstroke and had fallen unconscious. The athletic trainers quickly submerged me in a tub of ice to lower my body temperature, and I spent the next week in a hospital, lucky to be alive. Later my coach visited me, angry at himself for letting me continue my run. But I had no memory of our earlier exchange. “You were so convincing,'’ he told me.

Athletic researchers say one of the most frustrating aspects of heat illness is that the sufferer is often completely unaware of his or her own symptoms.

“Your cognitive ability and your capacity to make a rational decision is indeed compromised,'’ said Michael F. Bergeron, director of the environmental physiology laboratory at the Medical College of Georgia. “You hear all the time that the athletes themselves didn’t know enough to stop and didn’t want to stop and have no memory of what happened.'’

[BarbaraAlys]

You wrote:

I didn't want to pull out a camelback on a group ride for fear of looking like a dork (I know that heatstoke isn't cool though!).


I won't ride without my camelback. If anyone has any problem with it, they have never said so, and I would't care if they did. I find that being able to sip on the camelback at any time means i drink WAY more water than I would otherwise. This is true in hiking, and I assume is true in bikeing, though I wouldn't really know as I've not figure out how you get your bottle in and out while on the bike...think of what a dork I would look like falling over because I could not get my bottle!...lol

Don't worry about the dork factor.

Barbara

[GLC1968]

I have suffered from dangerous levels of both heat exposure and altitude sickness in my lifetime (though not always on a bike). They are both very, very real and can be very, very dangerous.

I'm a northern girl and I don't handle heat well, never have. I moved to Florida in 1997 and was miserable for the 7 years I lived there. I spent the summers indoors in A/C. When we moved to NC and I started biking, everything changed, but it was gradual. NC summers were hotter than FL summers (in FL, we were close enough to the coast to have our temps reduced - it rarely got above 90). The difference was that in NC, I wanted to bike in the summer which meant being outside. We would do all the 'stay cool' tricks but I would still suffer (when DH was fine). I would break out in awful (and ugly) hives when my core temp would get too high. Until I learned how to read the signs, I couldn't control it. Once I did figure it out, I still found that some temps were just too extreme. I did acclimate though. Knowing that I'd signed up for a century in mid-August, I purposely tried to ride at mid-day for my training rides so that I could get used to the heat. I was careful, but I made it happen. When the ride came, I was ready. By the end of that summer, I was comfortable riding long rides in 95+ heat and that still amazes me (and anyone who knows me!).

We moved here to OR and it's been cold and rainy (even by OR standards!). We had a weekend last month where it was over 90 and sunny DH and I jumped at the chance to ride. We saw NO other cyclists on routes that are normally quite busy. NONE. No one here wanted to ride in that heat and here we were excited about it! Now it's taking me months to get used to riding in 50 degree temps. I never thought I'd say it, but this northern girl is used to southern temperatures! ;)

Plus, there is something to relativity, too. Think about mid-winter when you get a freak 60 degree day. It feels like a heat wave and you want to put on short sleeves and shorts, right? What if you got that same day in mid-August? It would feel down right chilly and you'd be pulling out long pants, right? That's because your body has acclimated to the season's temps and anything out of the ordinary feels extreme. Of course, with weather conditions the way they have been lately, it's really hard to judge this. 90+ temps in May? 40's in June? Seriously...no wonder we are all having trouble adjusting! :eek:

[sundial]

I won't ride without my camelback. I find that being able to sip on the camelback at any time means i drink WAY more water than I would otherwise.
Barbara

And another perk: whilst you enjoy a refreshing drink from your Camelbak, fellow cyclists are scrambling to find a water faucet or a convenience store to replenish their diminishing water supply. :p

[ny biker]

Personally I can't wear a camelback while I'm riding because it exacerbates neck and shoulder pain and having that thing on my back makes me way too hot. Instead I use 2 water bottles when I'm riding. I plan my rides so that there will be someplace to refill them long before they are both empty. I don't like to ride more than 25 miles without a rest stop anyway.

I generally don't have much trouble with hot weather in the morning or late afternoon/evening. My problem is between noon and 3:00 when the sun is hottest. It's harder to find shady spots when the sun is at it's high point and the roads turn into blast furnaces with the heat reflecting off them. So I do my best to avoid riding during that part of the day when it's super hot out. If I do get caught out in early afternoon I look for shady areas where I can stop and rest, and if needed I take off my helmet and pour water over my head to help cool down.

Also for me clothing color is extremely important. I have to wear light colors to reflect the sun. I cannot understand how people can wear dark colors when they're riding on a hot sunny day. Same for helmets - I avoid dark ones.

[indysteel]

one more thing about heat exhaustion. there's an article in the NYTimes about it;
here's an excerpt; it's scary stuff!


"But I wasn’t fine. By the end of the run I had collapsed with heatstroke and had fallen unconscious. The athletic trainers quickly submerged me in a tub of ice to lower my body temperature, and I spent the next week in a hospital, lucky to be alive. Later my coach visited me, angry at himself for letting me continue my run. But I had no memory of our earlier exchange. “You were so convincing,'’ he told me.

Athletic researchers say one of the most frustrating aspects of heat illness is that the sufferer is often completely unaware of his or her own symptoms.

“Your cognitive ability and your capacity to make a rational decision is indeed compromised,'’ said Michael F. Bergeron, director of the environmental physiology laboratory at the Medical College of Georgia. “You hear all the time that the athletes themselves didn’t know enough to stop and didn’t want to stop and have no memory of what happened.'’

Here's the link to the full article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/a-common-symptom-of-heat-illness-denial/

[indysteel]

All this talk about acclimating....I'm curious about what biological process or factors we might be talking about here?


Here's more than you may have ever wanted to know about heat acclimation:

http://www.sportsci.org/encyc/heataccl/heataccl.html

[tulip]

freeze your filled-up camelback the night before a ride (cool on the back) and take along a couple of water bottles to drink while the camelback thaws out.

[OakLeaf]

Here's more than you may have ever wanted to know about heat acclimation:

http://www.sportsci.org/encyc/heataccl/heataccl.html

wow, great link, thanks!

so the bottom line is: there's nothing that'll acclimate us better than just getting out and doing it - albeit CAREFULLY - but going to the air conditioned gym and working out is better than laying around in the heat. I really worried that teaching aerobics in the AC was ruining my acclimation, but I guess that's not the case. I'm glad for that!

[redrhodie]

Yes, you will eventually acclimate to the heat, and as soon as you do, it will snow.

Now ask me about the cold.

[indysteel]

Yes, you will eventually acclimate to the heat, and as soon as you do, it will snow.

Now ask me about the cold.

LOL! Thanks for the laugh.

[sundial]

freeze your filled-up camelback the night before a ride (cool on the back) and take along a couple of water bottles to drink while the camelback thaws out.

That may be in the very near future with this climbing heat index. :p