"feelin' hot hot hot"!

[Brandi]

I just got back from Delaware on a job and I have to say..... For all of you who live in the hot and humid... I am sorry! I worked 10 days in the heat and humidity and it was awful! I almost tossed my lunch one day. It was like being under a blanket in a sauna! And some of you ride in this stuff! I will say this, after my face stopped breaking out, i had a really nice glow on my skin and didn't need lotion. I am off to Ohio next week (which i am sure will be about the same) and then dry Pueblo Colorado (yea!!!).

[esther231]

Thanks. We need all the sympathy we can get.

I can't believe this weather. I got my bike last Sunday and I have yet to ride it when it's under 92 degrees out. I'm trusting it'll be easier at 82 degrees.

But can't say for sure yet.

[withm]

Brandi - I am prob the only TE member in Delaware and you never said you were coming here? Boo hiss. Where were you? and why? And yes, it's been HOT! LOL!

There is a sand sculpture contest next weekend in Rehoboth Beach. Just read about it and I immediately thought of you.

[Bikingmomof3]

When I lived in Wyoming, we always said, "at least it is a dry heat", which at the time did not help me feel better. Now I live in HUMID and HOT Ohio and long for the years of dry heat. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 104!

[rheidis73]

YES! Humidity and heat suck to ride in! True about lotion, I always seem to have smooth skin...

[tulip]

<whispers> I think I'm starting to like riding in this heat and humidity...shhhh.

[Nanci]

I like it too, luckily!

[mimitabby]

okay, i escaped from New Jersey when i was 18 and have lived in Seattle longer than i have lived anywhere else. (so i know what hot and humid is like, and i couldn't bear it when i was 18...!)

Tell me; What is to LIKE about hot and humid? when your body can't cool down?
please explain, oh exotic tropical flowers?
I wilt in the hot sun!

[Nanci]

You just don't feel all dried out. The air feels good to breathe (except on hills when the humidity is in the 80's and 90's in the morning.) My skin feels good. Heat makes me relax. When I'm cold, like starting at 76F, I feel all hunched up and closed in, trying to stay warm! It doesn't _hurt_ to be hot like it hurts to be cold. Now I don't like broiling in the sun, at 90F or hotter, but in the shade- it's fine. One disadvantage to really hot temps (here in FLorida, 85-95- we really don't get hotter than that usually) is it's harder to find foods that appeal to me while riding, so I eat a lot of Jelly Belly Sport Beans and chips and Gatorade whereas if it's colder, I eat more milk and real food. I don't have to take off layers and layers as it warms up- I just start out in what I am wearing all day. I like being warm enough to enjoy riding from the minute I get on the bike, without having to warm up to get comfortable.

I've lived out west for a year with no humidity- I was miserable. It's too hot out there.

[mimitabby]

You just don't feel all dried out. The air feels good to breathe (except on hills when the humidity is in the 80's and 90's in the morning.) My skin feels good. Heat makes me relax. When I'm cold, like starting at 76F, I feel all hunched up and closed in, trying to stay warm! It doesn't _hurt_ to be hot like it hurts to be cold. Now I don't like broiling in the sun, at 90F or hotter, but in the shade- it's fine. One disadvantage to really hot temps (here in FLorida, 85-95- we really don't get hotter than that usually) is it's harder to find foods that appeal to me while riding, so I eat a lot of Jelly Belly Sport Beans and chips and Gatorade whereas if it's colder, I eat more milk and real food. I don't have to take off layers and layers as it warms up- I just start out in what I am wearing all day. I like being warm enough to enjoy riding from the minute I get on the bike, without having to warm up to get comfortable.

I've lived out west for a year with no humidity- I was miserable. It's too hot out there.
ah, okay, you have limits.. You wouldn't like it here because it is usually below 76 degrees. :) (or below 60 degrees for that matter!)
Here in Seattle we layer for EVERY activity!

[Nanci]

In our house last night, we had the thermostat set for 74 or something, (but the AC has to work really hard after sundown to get it down there, usually sometime around midnight) and it was 76 when we were watching TV, and I was wearing a LS shirt and slippers and _still had to get under a blanket. Brrr!!

I pretty much don't use the AC in my truck all summer, unless I have to talk on the phone with the windows up.

Nanci

[li10up]

I was going through my log book this weekend and saw an entry for one of my rides early in the year. I was talking about the "perfect" weather we had...my note said it was in the low 50's. Big difference from the 95+ weather we've been having of late.

[Geonz]

Gosh, when it gets warm, my body acts like a cello left to get warped and out of tune. Things cool down and everythign tunes up, aligns correctly, and wants to get moving in breathless harmony with the breezes and rhythms of the spirit of the universe.
Warm... it's like everything spreads out and separates. I try to do something and all the parts are colliding and I just want to lay down, except that's miserable, too. (Sometimes doing something helps - if the sweat can keep up.)
Our heat index is stuck at 110 - temp went up but the humidity dropped a little. I'm glad to be inside. (With a long-sleeved shirt on. When it's hot I can't adjust to the a.c. either.)

[Selkie]

I don't mind it, either. We get it bad here in DC (right, Tulip?). Today when I was riding, the sweat was literally pouring off me on the downhills. Better than having to wear wool socks with those chemical foot warmers, in addition to putting the chemical hand warmers in my gloves AND still being cold!!

[GLC1968]

I grew up in the north and I always hated being hot. My friends were stunned when I moved to FL and then stayed there for 7 years! :eek: I'm the girl that always preferred winter (the theory is that it's because it was 27 degrees below zero the day I was born ... not counting windchill!). I loathe the heat and humidity. I moved from FL to NC and while we have nice fall and winter here...the summers can be truly dreadful. I will say that I am actually learning how to adapt my body. It takes a lot of effort and careful planning, but yesterday, I had a breakthrough.

All spring and into the early part of the summer, I would time my rides for mid-day to begin adapting to the heat. As the summer got into full swing, I moved them slowly earlier and earlier (the weekend rides). I'm riding my first century on Aug 12th, so I knew I had to learn to get used to the heat! Yesterday we rode our longest ride so far (78 miles) and while the first 50 were down right FUN, the last 25 were pretty miserable. By the time we'd gone 50 miles, it was about 12 noon and getting HOTTER. I made it through to the end, and felt pretty damn good about myself. The most amazing part (to me, anyway) is that I was able to keep my body cool enough to keep my 'leg hives' at bay. I get hives on my thighs from the heat and yesterday, none!! :cool:

I would LOVE to live somewhere with drier weather, but I have learned that I can adapt my body to my riding conditions if I work hard enough at it! :D

[makbike]

Call me crazy but I love to ride when it is hot and humid. I would much rather out in this weather than when it is cold. Don't get me wrong I too love winter, the snow, etc but once the temps drop below 55 I'm forced to ride indoors on my trainer. Riding in the hot, humid conditions which invade the Ohio Valley from July - Sept is wonderful. One simply has to make sure they stay hydrated and that they pace themselves while riding.

[Kano]

Things I don't miss about humidity:

NOT drying after showering.

Unmanageably wavy hair

NOT drying after showering

mold

mildew

being constantly sticky

DRIPPING with sweat

Never mind dripping -- RUNNING sweat

NOT drying after showering!!!!!



Not long after moving to Boise, small daughter, who's now very tall, and I got off a plane in Minnesota. INSTANTLY, our noses felt like we were trying to breathe through them with them pinched shut, and dear small daugthter looked up at me and asked, "How do people breathe here???????"

And that wasn't a humid day, in Minnesota terms!

Karen in Boise

[pyxichick]

Whenever I get off a plane and come back to MN I notice the humidity, too.

It's interesting how some people prefer hot and some cold. I wonder if we have slightly different body temps and that's why.

I was just wondering the other day if there is such a thing as heat induced asthma, because I definitely have a harder time breathing when it's above 80 degrees or so.

I also feel like you can always put on more layers if you're cold, but there's nothing to do if you're hot. And the main reason I prefer cooler weather: no bugs in my eyes!

Kate :D

[bikerHen]

I just got back from a week in North Carolina. This was my first introduction to real humidity. :eek: I got up early and rode every morning as soon as it was light, but the humidity was still around 85% everyday. It was so bad one morning my glasses were fogged up the whole ride.

I rode a bike my sister pulled out of her shed; it was too small, the chain made enough noise so every dog was out waiting for me, and it weigh a ton. But I was so happy to have a set of wheels, I didn't care. Except the part about the dogs. I have never seen so many dogs waiting to chase me. I turned down one road and there was a pack of dogs waiting in the middle of the road. :eek:

More power to you ladies who live with humidity! bikerHen

PS: Humidity really does make your skin feel nice. :rolleyes:

[Kano]

I was just wondering the other day if there is such a thing as heat induced asthma, because I definitely have a harder time breathing when it's above 80 degrees or so.

First, gross alert:

I think our boogers swell when we get into the humidity. Heat isn't so much the issue, cuz it takes longer for it to be too hot to breathe in a desert! Well, that's my experience anyway!



I also feel like you can always put on more layers if you're cold, but there's nothing to do if you're hot. And the main reason I prefer cooler weather: no bugs in my eyes!

Kate :D

Oh, you're right, Kate! No bugs in cold weather! Hmmm, skeeter on my monitor! And yes, I'd just as soon add layers, since I run out of layers to take off....

Karen in Boise

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Supposed to hit 100 degrees with very high humidity and blasting sun both today and tomorrow- I think I'm going to take a break and catch up on my work and obligations instead of trying to ride today or tomorrow. Will be back on my new bike on Thursday. (well, I "might" see if I can get a quick ride in before dark, if it has coolded off enough)

[tulip]

I don't mind it, either. We get it bad here in DC (right, Tulip?). Today when I was riding, the sweat was literally pouring off me on the downhills. Better than having to wear wool socks with those chemical foot warmers, in addition to putting the chemical hand warmers in my gloves AND still being cold!!

Well, I kindof like riding in the cold, too. This year's coldest ride was 19F in February, looks like this year's hottest will be tomorrow at 100F or so. Today I'm off the hook because I had a filling replaced at the dentist this morning. Even though the novacaine will wear off by the time I head for home, riding in the heat and humidity requires one to be 100% healthy and not on some nerve-altering drugs like novacaine. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

[Selkie]

Tulip -- I can't believe it! You are the tough gal and you let novacaine keep you off your bike? haha. Just kidding. Smart move, as it was hellacious when the sun was out. I just got back and out of the shower. My face is still beet red from getting in my miles (105 heat index), but I encountered only a handful of folks on the trail. Therefore, I will NOT complain.

[tulip]

They had to give me a double shot of novacaine (dentist said that people with high metabolisms have to have more for some reason, in any case, I could feel the dentist at work in there at first (before she started drilling!)).

Today I did ride to work. I normally drink about half a water bottle on my 14 mile commute, but today I drank 2 for good measure. We'll see about tonight...I might bum a ride from a coworker who lives near me. I don't need to be a hero or anything.

At some point I'll figure out how to post pictures and I'll post a picture of my February snow ride with my folding bike with studded snow tires. It was great fun, and the picture will cool us all off!