Half Ironman FAIL!! (long)

Ugh... I was supposed to do a half ironman today. Put on by a friend- not sanctioned and "official" but also free. ;) We set up our transition spots and got ready just like it were race day. We had a roving sag on the course to bring us water if needed (and it was needed). There aren't any HIM races anywhere close (within a day's drive) and it's about the time we needed to be doing the distances all together to test where we're at in the training and test the nutrition. There were 6 women doing it, all of us training for a full iron distance race in September.

I swam the distance with no problem. The swim actually felt good. Got to mile 21 on the bike and was starting to feel tingly (you know, the beginnings of heat exhaustion... sheesh) and was starting to get a horrid headache, so I figured I should cut my losses to save some for the run, so I turned around and rode back to transition. 42 miles- not exactly the 56 it should have been. The hills were simply outrageous. Crazy!! I don't train on hills, and it showed. I think I went up one hill at a blazing 4 mph. On my 19 lb carbon tri bike. Nice. :rolleyes:
Got to transition and the temps were already 105. Umm... I knew the run was going to be ugly. I made it 4 miles and nearly collapsed from the heat (welcome back tingles), so I stopped back at my car (it was three 4.3 mile loops) and called it quits.

I'm so discouraged. I feel like I'm more prepared than this. I just can't take this heat. This is day 25 in a row of over 100 degrees with no end in sight. We only usually have 10 a year- we're on 34 so far this year. I'm dying out here.

I have nothing to prove to anyone (I've done one Ironman before), but I wanted to prove to myself that I could handle the heat. I cannot. I'm whooped- mentally and physically. And very discouraged. I just have to hope in my heart of hearts that this heat wave will break and we will not be this hot in late September. Today made me question my decision to do the full, and consider switching to the half... but I'm trying to stay the course.

Am I the only one that cannot handle the heat? :(
Besides nutrition (which I have pretty much nailed down), what else do you do to combat the heat? I take electrolytes, drink enough (but not too much), use liquid nutrition supplemented by gu's and solid foods to get enough calories- and I still bonk in the heat.
I'm at a loss. I started having horrible heat headaches two summers ago and it's getting worse with each summer. I don't know how to make it go away. I'm wondering if it's perimenopausal? I'm having other symptoms with regard to that- maybe the headaches are hormonal?


Thanks for reading this way-too-long post. :)

On a side note- all 6 of us DNF'd. Nobody got further than 6 miles on the run. And two of those girls are crazy good triathletes. So at least I'm not alone in my heat suffering, but still...

I don't think you have anything to feel ashamed of, at all. You did so well in freak weather. The fact that no-one else finished tells you something too - I think you'd have to do sustained training somewhere where those temps are normal in order to stand any chance of finishing. Please don't let this put you off.

Heat is horrible. It stinks if one's not acclimated (which has been rough on those of us up North, since it's only just recently that we're getting days in the 80s), it sucks if one is living in an endless string of hot days. Maybe 6 weeks ago DH and I had planned on doing a ride of ~70 miles. Wouldn't have been a big deal, except that day ended up being suddenly in the low 90s with high humidity and wind. Felt like a convection oven. I started to get those chilly tingles by about 12 miles in, even though I had already guzzled a 24oz bottle of sport drink and taken some Endurolytes. My body totally freaked-out. So out ride ended up being half of the planned distance. So frustrating.

I suspect your fitness is better than you think. And you were wise to not push yourself into the hospital. Heat is nothing to mess with.

Give yourself a break! It's been 100+ for weeks! You could have gotten heat stroke. I'm really glad you were smart enough to stop when you did.

Now stop beating yourself up.

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Originally Posted by redrhodie

Give yourself a break! It's been 100+ for weeks! You could have gotten heat stroke. I'm really glad you were smart enough to stop when you did.

Now stop beating yourself up.

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See- that's why I love you guys. You'll be honest enough with me to tell me to shut it! ;)
Hours later I feel OK about it. I was just really disappointed with myself when I got home and needed to share with those who would understand.

Thanks for the kick in the pants! :p


eek Zoom-Zoom. Glad you wound up being OK.
I have just never had this much trouble with the heat before and it's kinda demoralizing. I grew up in the AZ desert, for Pete's Sake! Shouldn't heat be in my blood? ;)

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Originally Posted by Tri Girl

See- that's why I love you guys. You'll be honest enough with me to tell me to shut it! ;)
Hours later I feel OK about it. I was just really disappointed with myself when I got home and needed to share with those who would understand.

Thanks for the kick in the pants! :p

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You're welcome. :) There will be better days to do this. Next time, you'll kick a$$.

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Originally Posted by Tri Girl

I have just never had this much trouble with the heat before and it's kinda demoralizing. I grew up in the AZ desert, for Pete's Sake! Shouldn't heat be in my blood? ;)

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Maybe...but your ancestors weren't trying to do HIMs in heat! ;)

I wonder if I could ever acclimate to heat the way folks who have lived in warm climates all their lives do. We usually only get 2-3 months/year with temps much over 70 or so (but we can literally have snow any time from about October through April). I melt on hot days. And as much as I hate going out in the cold, once I'm out I do pretty well. My ancestors were Vikings and Scots--it's no wonder I'm so much more tolerant to Winter weather than Summer.

No one truly acclimates to the heat. I am in Orlando, moved here in February from South Florida( Ft. Lauderdale). The heat in Orlando feels about 10 degrees above south Fl b/c you don't have the ocean breeze and I don't do well at all.

I had a couple days off of work last week and was going to ride early but had to wait until after the repair guy came out( washing machine broke down). I ended up getting on the bike around 11 and by 12 I felt like I was going to pass out. I got stopped at a light and had to pour water on my head, fully unzip jersey and soft pedal for a while- had to cut workout short and skip last interval.

I have grown up in Florida and used to work outdoors full time(taught horseback riding for a few years) and I still am not acclimated to the heat.

Don't be discouraged by it! and don't let it get to you, just know it is hot and we aren't meant to do that much in that type of weather.

Also... last month we went to Nationals in Augusta for the SO to race in the elite men. He raced in France last year, has his UCI license,etc. He DNFed from the crit, with only 10 laps to go, due to heat exhaustion- his eyes were sort of yellow, he couldn't stand or make a sentence for a while, tingles,etc.

EVERYONE has issues with the heat and that is why we all are crazy and wake up at 5:30am to get it done before 10am-lol!!

so don't be discouraged, be proud that you did as much as you did

Heat sucks. I lived in AZ for 16 years and I don't know how I survived. Well, I never went outside to exercise at all.
Today was 85 and the humidity is starting to edge up. We went out at 3:00 and rode just under 20 and I felt like I had done a century. Tomorrow is going to be 90, but we are doing a beach ride, with a swim/beach stop in the middle. I hope i feel better!

One more on the don't feel bad bandwagon. Heat bad. I've ended up with IVs in my arm twice because of overheating and dehydration. Once was on the AIDS ride, years ago, and once was a few years ago at Wildflower, after the Olympic course. Be glad you didn't end up sick.

One thing I've heard is to start hydrating like you would during the race a few days ahead of time, or at least the day before.

Also...

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On a side note- all 6 of us DNF'd. Nobody got further than 6 miles on the run. And two of those girls are crazy good triathletes.

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There's your answer. It was just too dang hot.

Don't feel bad. I wound up with an IV drip after walking to the school bookstore and blacking out in it. Heat is hard--you did well to do that much.

+1 on what everyone else said. If none of you completed your planned workout, that tells you a lot.

I'm not sure what your weather's been, but here, it's been so variable that no one has been able to acclimate to heat. If it stays hot between now and your race day you should be fine. If you don't get a chance to consistently work out in those temperatures though, that's when you just can't acclimate.

Good for you for knowing when to say when, and not trying to push past your limits. As the saying goes, any workout that you can walk away from is a good one...

one of the strongest riders I know is a man from Phoenix. I asked him, how do you do it? He said, "I don't... I ride in the early morning before it gets too hot. . . " and he'll cancel the ride if it's just going to be too hot, because it's not worth it to him to risk his health for a ride. Sounds to me like you did the right thing. I wilt when it gets over 80!

thanks everyone.

Talked to the friend who organized it and we're going to try it again in about 3 weeks. This time we'll start the ride at first light (6 am) and be done running by noon- then we'll swim last. It'll just be a mixed-up triathlon with the coolest part of the event being in the hottest part of the day. ;)
There's always a next time. :)

This is my 50th fun filled summer in Tucson :rolleyes: When it's over 100 degrees, it's too hot to ride or run. Period. I've been active outdoors ever since I was a tadpole and trust me - you don't acclimate to 100+ degrees. Desert animals know this. If I were to take a walk, it would be eerily quiet right now.

Once you get heatstroke, you can become extremely sensitive to heat. You did the exact right thing. So did your friends.

so I'm coming to understand that you just don't really acclimate to crazy heat? Ok, I can be at peace with that. I just have never really had issues with the heat before last summer and this summer, so I was starting to feel kinda wimpy- like I should be able to handle it.
Dogmama- thanks. I grew up in Yuma and never remember the heat being so hard on me. Of course, perhaps my memory has faded and the summers were much worse than I remember. Of course, I was only ever swimming competitively in the summers, not running or riding (with good sense, apparently). ;)

Thanks again, everyone . Will try it again and hopefully the weather will settle down a skosh!
And to think I was griping and complaining about the 2 blizzards (one week apart) that we had in late January when it was 20 below zero. I shall never complain about the winter again... until next year. ;)

I never complain about winter. I hated the desert heat, and I am glad to know that I am not the only desert rat who did not go outside to exercise in the summer! I always assumed the cycling season in AZ went from October or November through March. Makes more sense to me.

I don't know ... I think you can acclimate, but only if you have consistent exposure. It wasn't an issue for me as recently as last year, though I haven't been able to yet this year.

My first husband served in the Air Force in Thailand, and he talks about coming home to Ohio in August, 85° and 70% humidity, and needing a blanket because he was so cold.

But the bottom line is that you and your friends aren't acclimated, and there's nothing wrong or weak about that. You obviously made the right decision and you should be comfortable with that IMO.

I can't run in the heat either - I melt. I did an OLY yesterday and it was 90 deg when I started on the run, was already warm from the bike and felt like I was in slow motion on the run (my time proved it too :) )

I'm not sure if its possible to acclimate to the heat or not, I think if its consistant perhaps you get used to it, but with decreased performance still.

Think its impossible in the NE as its never consistant, we can get 3 days in the 90's then it will be 60 deg :-)

Not much to add that hasn't been said. As a Floridian...it's tough this time of year. Today I started my run at 6:30 (knew I would be out there 2 1/2 to 3 hours). I felt better today because I started earlier AND I think the humidity was a smidge better. (I know 6:30 is not super early, but it is my day off after working all weekend!) My goal was to be able to do my long runs w/ an 11 min mile avg in this heat. (I can do 10 min miles when cooler). I know the heat slows me terribly and if you don't respect it...it will get you. I must admit I think the heat & humidity started earlier here this year. And I don't think I handle it as well as when I was a few years younger. It has really gotten to me last couple of years.
Occassionally I see someone running at 12 noon or even 2 or 3, it is SO hot and the sun is so strong. I really think those people are crazy or fools for not being smart enough to run at more appropriate times of the day. Then again, maybe it is their only time to run or the heat doesn't kill them.
Did you see the article in Runner's World about drinking an icy beverage before run to cool your core. My problem is I need my coffee in the AM!:p

K

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Originally Posted by katluvr

My problem is I need my coffee in the AM!:p

K

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The only thing I really miss about not drinking coffee is the coffee ices. YUMMMM those are so good!