heat illness

[TsPoet]

I've never tolerated heat very well.
Sunday, the high was 68 F. Yesterday 98. Today, I tried to do a 10 mi TT - 100 F on a frontage road off a highway, no shade. My time at 7.25 miles was 4:48 below the same TT route 3 weeks ago, going strong, feeling good.
Then it hit - or rather went - suddenly lost the oatmeal I'd eaten 1.5 hr before. Felt like I was gonna die.
This is the first TT under 15 miles that I've carried water (someone told me not to, so I haven't been). Today I brought water because of the heat. 1.5 hr before I ate 1/2 cup of oatmeal - which is what I've been doing for the last month for these things.

So, was it the heat? Was it drinking water? Was it drinking warm water? I put some ice in the water, but I was using a drinking tube/resevoir system and the water in the tube always gets hot. Was it using a drinking tube?
Are there too many possibilities?
Anyone else have heat issues? What do you do?
Help, I'd hate to not be able to ride - Summers here average 95-105 degrees.
It's been over an hour and I'm still sweating so bad I've got stinging eyes and I feel very hot faced.
Sue

[KSH]

Not sure.

But, I would ALWAYS carry water for 15 miles in heat like that.

Be safe out there. Stay hydrated.

[SadieKate]

The first ride in really hot weather after a sudden temperature change always makes me sick, nauseated and dizzy, if I'm not careful. If I had raced on the first hot day of the year I would have vomited also.

[Dianyla]

Hot weather also raises your heartrate by about 10 bpm, which means you're more likely to hit your max heartrate. That's when you puke - the vasovagal response from staying at a very high heartrate. :eek:

As for the extra-salty sweat, this is part of acclimation. Once you're acclimated to the warmer season your sweat will be more diluted.

Drink fluids, remember to take electrolytes, and just take it easy until you are more used to the heat. It never does get comfortable, but it will get a little better.

[mellic]

Sounds like dehydration and heat exhaustion to me. We get temperatures over 85 for about 3 months of the year, and honestly the best thing to do is avoid training during the hot part of the day. Train either early morning or whack on some lights and go out at night. Some days here it gets so hot (around 115) that I train on the wind trainer under the airconditioner.

Heat exhaustion/stroke is an awful feeling and when it does happen I would recommend going for a cold shower and drinking plenty of water.

[hirakukibou]

I have issues with heat too. For one thing, I don't sweat much and overheat. I carry a small spritzer bottle with water in it to spray myself when I get too hot. And I agree with the other posts, it's important to stay hydrated in the heat. Heat stroke can be dangerous.

[mtkitchn]

I'm one of those who doesn't do well with the heat. Thanks for bringing up the issue since it's my first full year riding and I am not sure yet how to deal with the summers either. Am looking for some good tips.

[bikerchick68]

count me in this too... I suffer in the heat... but I'm not a racer, so I just slow down and drink lots... I also use E-caps in the summer... started that last year and it seems to help...

[Aggie_Ama]

Sounds like dehydration/over heating. Last year DH and I set off on a 56 mile ride with two bottles of water each. It got to 95 that day (in late April). I remember stopping at a gas station around mile 40 miles for gatorade and eating a Luna Bar. The last 8 miles were miserable, in hind sight I probably should have a called a friend when we stopped at the store. I got home and was so hot I laid in bed with a cool towel on my face and felt as though I would vomit for about an hour. I have never felt so terrible. I had been drinking before I was thirsty and hydrating prior to riding.

My best suggestion is to ride in the morning or late evening. The late evenings here are quite bad for heat, so I would keep those rides short. Other than that, rest in shade when you can. This won't help with a TT though. I may try the water bottle/spritzer.

[RoadRaven]

One of the first things to be affected by dehydration is our brains - which is why we get headaches (often the first sign we have that we need a glass of water) and various other symptoms to the point where we find it hard to think, hard to respond, and hard to be rational...

Def, do as the others have already said - stay hydrated, take more water than you think you'll need and sip at it often rather than huge swigs occasionally.

[Lenusik]

Yes, join the club. I am also from Phoenix and it is already over 100F. Bring as much water as you need. I usually take one standard bottle per every 10 miles and I usually do not drink too much because of a small body weight. But definitely take salt! Salt tablets may be very helpful I discovered Clif Bar Shot blocks: http://www.clifbar.com/eat/shot_blok.cfm?location=shot
They are outstanding! And they really taste good. Try them out as well.

[KSH]

I also find that it's helpful in HOT weather... to carry COLD water.

My Camelbac is an excellent insulator. I fill it up with ice and water... and it stays cool for hours. It's amazing!

I also have an insulated water bottle. It works pretty good. I try to drink that first though, as it cools off quicker.

During the summer I ride in humidity and 95-100F weather. I haven't had any issues yet. I just make sure that I drink and drink.

[TsPoet]

thanks,
I'll bring more and cooler water. I'll probably buy one of those tube insulators for the resevoir. On regular rides, I just blow the water back into the body of the resevoir to keep it cool, but the insulator would be easier.
Also, got hot here fast, I'll take some time to adjust to it.

Sue

[kelownagirl]

This thread is interesting to me too - I can't stand the heat and dh loves it. I need to be able to tolerate it better so it's good to hear that it might get easier. My question - what are e-caps?

barb

[tulip]

drink lots of water throughout the day, not just on your ride. And don't forget to continue drinking lots on the days that you don't ride.

Have you thought about moving??

[Bike Goddess]

Kelowna- Just look on Google for E-Caps. They are electrolytes and help replace what you lose from sweat. Highly recommended.

I also suggest that you have some table salt with you (I take packets from the fast food places)

[rocknrollgirl]

Hi all,
A few weeks back we did a 6 hour adventure race. It was in the mid 70's and humid. My husband, the tower of strength, got dehydrated during the race. A big surprise, but we are very careful about hydrating. Sparing you details, suffice it to say the last hour of the race was moderately unpleasant.

SO, afterward, I ask the EMT guys for some salt tablets to give to him, and they said that giving sodium chloride, table salt is a big NO NO, that it was a balance of potassium and sodium that was needed. They told us absolutely not to use them.

I do not tolerate heat at all, and we live in an area of the country that is very hot and very humid 5-6 months of the year. I always, always use a Camelback with cytomax or gatorade in the summer, no matter how short the ride. And ride early or late, that will help too.
Now if you want to go mt biking in the winter...I'm your girl!!!

Don't know if this will help, but since I have suffered so much in the past, I thought I would pass it along.
Good Luck,
Ruth

[betagirl]

When it's hot out, I bring 1 bottle with water and 1 with cytomax or gatorade or whatever has electrolytes in it and I like the taste of at the time :) I use the water to cool off mostly, but try to keep some in reserve to drink if I run out of gatorade. Depending on how far I'm going before I can refill, I'll use the water on my head and neck to cool off if I get too hot.

I'll take heat any day over this dang cold we've been having around here though!

[jobob]

I use the water to cool off mostly, but try to keep some in reserve to drink if I run out of gatorade. Depending on how far I'm going before I can refill, I'll use the water on my head and neck to cool off if I get too hot. Just don't do what I did last weekend, and accidentally reach for the cytomax bottle instead of the water bottle when you douse yourself. :p

Lucky for me the cytomax bottle was nearly empty at the time

[betagirl]

LOL, oh yeah I've been close to doing that! Mmmmm, sticky. :D