Long Ride - Felt Yucky

Alright ladies, I need your help! Been riding for a year, rode a 43 mile ride yesterday in our first humid 90 degree day yesterday. Here goes. I ate oatmeal with milk and bananas for breakfast with a glass of water. Took a break at mile 15, got chill bumps (which has happend before), ate 1/2 of a Peanut Butter Cliff Bar. Rode another 15 miles and had a NutraGrain bar. In the last 10 miles of this ride, I started feeling yucky! My quads started to cramp and my stomach didn't feel that great either. Was able to recoup and finished the ride but when I was done, my stomach was cramping horribly. I had a Camelbak that I sucked dry and I carried a water bottle with G2 Gatorade in it. What am I doing wrong? I feel like such a wimp!

I know that I cannot eat heavy items like Clif Bars during a ride. They just lay in my stomach and I don't think we can convert those carbs to something useable by our muscles easily. I use Clif Shot Blocks, which are lightweight and I seem to get energy from them faster. There are other carb replacements that are more digestible than the bars you have been using. On longer rides, I drink a Cytomax mixture with my water. Again, it's the idea of getting the carbs in a more digestible form so that your body can use them faster.

If you were getting chills at your first stop, you were ALREADY experiencing the beginnings of heat exhaustion. You're lucky you didn't have more serious consequences.

Never ignore chills. Stop, get in a cool bath if one's available, or soak your clothes and cover yourself with damp paper towels if you can't take a bath. Drink ice water. Call someone to come pick you up. If you absolutely must continue riding (must, as in, everyone you know with a car is in the hospital and there's no public transit near you), then wait at least an hour for your core temperature to come down, keep replacing fluids and electrolytes, wait until a cooler part of the day if that's possible, and then return SLOWLY.

You didn't say what kind of conditions you are acclimated to, but if your weather has been anything like ours, you're probably not acclimated to the heat at all. It takes some time, at least a couple of weeks of consistent exercise in the heat. This time of year in most places - and it seems especially acute this year - the temperature is so variable that it's hard to get acclimated to anything.

It also doesn't sound like you were replacing enough electrolytes, if all you had was one diet Gatorade. You didn't say how much water was in your Camelbak. Everyone's different and it takes trial and error, but it's something to be aware of.

Finally - the most minor point, but it may have contributed to your cramps - diet drinks don't sit well with a lot of people, particularly during exercise.

Everyone is different, but one liter per hour no matter what, even if you don't feel like it (ESPECIALLY if you don't feel like it!). More if it's hot, humid, or you're thirsty.

My goal: never feel yucky!

Cramping quads and cramping gut? SERIOUS electrolyte depletion. Look into Nunn tablets and Endurolyte caps

You can die from that.

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Originally Posted by Zen

You can die from that.

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Uh, that's another goal of mine.

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Originally Posted by Pur-Pee

...rode a 43 mile ride yesterday in our first humid 90 degree day yesterday....

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Pur-pee, my initial impression was that you experienced heat stress. :(

When the humidity has reached a certain level the body cannot continue to cool it efficiently and starts sending signals that it's overloaded--like chills. In very humid weather it's wise to slow down, drink lots, and take several breaks in the shade. Eating frequent large snacks may actually work against you and may add to your misery. :( (In very humid days I carry an extra water bottle to douse me when I can't get cool.) It may take you longer to recover from this ride and it's best to listen to your body and give it what it needs--lots of rest and fluids. Put on your jammies, lay on the couch, and read or watch t.v. :)

Yes indeed, heat issue. Yesterday I did a mere 22 mile ride, but at 80-85F with some hills, lots of sun, and no breeze. I drank plenty of water with electrolytes, and started out with oatmeal and fruit too. but after the ride at home I felt kind of weak and vaguely nauseous. I know it was the heat that did it. I actually had to recuperate and take it easy today- I still feel a bit off from it! I'm 56 now and I think as I get older the heat during bike rides may effect me more often.

Bleecker, I believe it does take longer to get acclimated to the weather as we get older.

Several years ago I used to ride in 100 F weather with high humidity. Last year I couldn't stand to feel the sun on my head, even briefly. I cycle with a cap under my helmet to wick the perspiration and to keep my head cooler.
But even then there are days I can't even stand the thought of cycling in hot weather. (No Hotter-N-Hell for me! :p )

Today would have been perfect day for a ride but I got home late this afternoon and knowing that it would be my first "hot" ride, I decided against it. I knew my recovery would take awhile and I wanted to be able to sleep tonight. :o

Thank you for all of your responses! I am wonderning if maybe I had some heat some dehydration issues. I probably did not drink enough water the day before the ride. We started at about 9:15 and it was humid. One thing I did forget to mention was that it was very, very breezy. I will also definitely try the Nuun tablets in my water bottles and still have my Camelbak with water. I still learning what to hydrate and nurish for these rides. I also read somewhere that pretzels are a good cycling snack. Had not heard that before but I'm liking it!

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Originally Posted by sundial

Pur-pee, my initial impression was that you experienced heat stress. :(

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I would say it was both (heat and electrolytes).

The pretzels were probably suggested for salt but otherwise it's like eating a piece of bread.
I like Payday Bars. Sugar, salt and yum!

When I'm looking for yum, I head for Snickers.

Snickers satisfies, alright but not good to carry in heat :o
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...colate_kid.jpg

Personally, I cannot drink gatorade in any form at any time without experienceing stomach ache and vague nausea, so I ride with nunn tablets or tubes of FRS powder, one bottle of eithher nuun or FRS and one bottle of plain water frozen solid. As hot as it gets around here, the frozen bottle is usually melted by the time I've done 15 miles or the first hour, but is still marginally cool. I mix up a tube oftablet of stuuff and then stop to refill the first with plain water. I do like to keep one bottle of plain water so I can dump it over my head if it gets too hot.

Apropos of this, the most recent bicycling magazine had an article about the new training regimine for the team radio shack which includes ice pack made of panty hose stuffed down the jerseys.

Remeber to hydrate when in doubt and train into the heat gradually- start earlier, finish earlier, even if it means a shorter distance.

marni

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Originally Posted by marni

Apropos of this, the most recent bicycling magazine had an article about the new training regimine for the team radio shack which includes ice pack made of panty hose stuffed down the jerseys.

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I find that a small ziploc bag filled with ice placed in the back pocket of my jersey is the BEST thing to cool me down fast on a hot day. Gives me instant shivers, in a good way. And since the bag is sealed you can just keep it there while the ice melts.

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Originally Posted by Zen

Cramping quads and cramping gut? SERIOUS electrolyte depletion. Look into Nunn tablets and Endurolyte caps

You can die from that.

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Co-sign on the Nuun. Nuun has completely eliminated calf cramps for me. I routinely ride in 100+ degree temps in the summer.

I haven't read all of the replies yet, so I apologize if this has been asked/answered already, but was this ride a significant increase in duration, distance, or effort from your riding recently? Was heat the only factor different from your normal riding?

DH and I had done some shorter distances and a 20 and a 26 miler recently. So the 43 miler was the most I have done so far this year. I have been riding for about a year. I did the MS 150 last year and rode both days. I have never really had this feeling before. Last year during a 60 mile ride nonsupported, I do think I bonked but that was a little different from this. Did not have any trouble on the MS ride either day.