Can't hydrate enough!

[Veronica]

When it's 106 degrees out!

Two good friends of mine got married last month and had a gathering last night and a bike ride today to celebrate. We started at a Park and Ride in Marinwood, rode out Lucas Valley, Nicassio, etc. to the Bovine Bakery and back.

I was actually doing okay for the first 40 miles, but the last 7 miles, I was definitely feeling the effects of dehydration and maybe the beginning of heat stroke. With two miles to go, we got off the bikes and sat in the shade for ten minutes. I knew something was wrong for sure when my heart rate wouldn't drop below 130, even while sitting down. My resting pulse is about 42 BPM and my HR usually drops pretty quickly..

We got back to the Park and Ride and I was feeling lightheaded and the blood was rushing through my ears. I sat in the truck while Thom put the bikes away.

Because it was so hot, I was drinking every 5 minutes on the ride, but it just wasn't enough for me. Thom kept squirting me with his water. I'm still feeling a little funny - lost two pounds on the ride! I haven't been this light since I was 19!

If it is still this hot in two weeks, my coach has said that I will not be riding the Mount Tam Double. I agree, I don't think it would be a healthy thing. So start doing cooling dances. I need to do Tam, because the only other double that leaves me is Knoxville. I plan to do the Knoxville staff ride, but I'd really like to have my 3 in before the awards breakfast, which takes place before the Knoxville staff ride. AND... it's good to have a "safety" double.

V.

[yellow]

Your coach is a smart man. NO ONE should be riding their bike when it's 106.

[Running Mommy]

Yeah the heat is brutal on all my nor cal friends. I guess I'm used to it. I go out in 106 all the time and drink about a liter an hour and feel fine. But my friends up there suffered from some heat exhaustion yesterday. You folks just aren't used to it I'm afraid. I guess there is something to be said for heat acclimatization. Be careful out there!! I guess it's been hot everywhere lately!! sheesh!!
Tho I must say that in this heat even I don't go much over 30-40 miles.

[Brandy]

I hear ya. On our ride yesterday the temps were over 100 degrees and I went through six 28 oz water bottles, plus extra sips from the gallon bottles while I was refilling and a 32 oz. diet soda at lunch.

[Veronica]

Yeah I kind of fiigure it was not being acclimated. After Nova Scotia, I'm more use to riding in the rain! Usually, I do better than Thom in the heat, but he's been riding his motorcycle back and forth to work and we speculate that helped him to acclimate.

I really hope it gets cooler though and soon. I plan to ride bits of the course this week.

V.

[Brandy]

But my friends up there suffered from some heat exhaustion yesterday. You folks just aren't used to it I'm afraid. I guess there is something to be said for heat acclimatization. Be careful out there!! I guess it's been hot everywhere lately!! sheesh!!
Tho I must say that in this heat even I don't go much over 30-40 miles.

Okay...can the onset be delayed by a day, because I feel like poop today. We did 62 miles in the heat yesterday and I felt okay at the end of the ride, but today I am absolutely wiped out. I actually tried to go to the gym today and walked in and someone told me I looked really tired...even though I got seven hours of sleep. I walked into the weight room and followed Tiff around talking to her, I couldn't work out!

[Running Mommy]

YEP Brandy!! You absolutely WILL feel like poop the day AFTER you suffer from any sort of heat illness.
I think this heat has caught alot of my CA friends and family off guard. Even for those who live in the warmer areas of CA, it's still been Arizona hot!!
Don't forget to up your salt consumption in the heat as well. I think that alone may be the undoing of alot of people.
Take care and HYDRATE well in the next few days!
Denise

[Brandy]

Thanks Denise, I'll have to remember that about the salt. I definitely sweated most of it out of my body, I was a human salt lick by the end of the ride!

[dachshund]

Veronica,
It's just really difficult to get hydrated when it's that hot. If you're not used to it, I'm not sure it's possible to drink enough. I had a similar experience last Sunday. I didn't notice my heart rate climbing, but my symptoms were a slight headache and feeling like my brain was stuck in slow motion. It took me two hours to feel normal after I got home.

If you consider you're out there riding on top of reflected heat, with a plastic thing on your head, wearing thin clothing... I imagine that a long ride could be done, but it might require long stretches of sitting in the shade guzzling water.

I really hate this heat, it's 80 degrees at 7:00 in the morning.
-Amy

[maillotpois]

Hmmm, a "safety double" - wherever could you have gotten that idea??

At least for Tam, you'd be starting before light so get most of the long climbing out of the way before it gets hot. But it is very hard to stay hydrated in this heat. I did SAG for the TNT ride in Napa Saturday and it was brutal. We've never sagged that many folks up Ink Grade or in from a ride. Mike felt a bit nauseated.

If it is THAT hot, all I can get down is plain water and endurolytes. Thank heaven for endurolytes..... Ice in the bra, ice in the helmet, ice in the jersey pockets - that all helps, too!

Unrelated question (well, not really) - do they actually recognize people who do the triple crown at that awards breakfast? I didn't think they did. I know they do acknowledge Hall of Famers and Stage Race folks. Just wondering. I know you want to go and be done with the 3 doubles before you do, but it may not be that important?

[snapdragen]

After I had heat exhaustion, I was told I would be more susceptible to it in the future. Does anyone know if this is true, or was I being told an "old wives tale"?

[yellow]

After I had heat exhaustion, I was told I would be more susceptible to it in the future. Does anyone know if this is true, or was I being told an "old wives tale"?

I think there's some truth to thermostats getting buggered up. I had some severe cold damage to my hands (not quite frostbite) and after that my thermostat changed dramatically, for heat and cold. Have you also noticed a difference in cold tolerance? I do OK with the heat now as long as I allow myself to go a little slower and to get acclimated to it (didn't even THINK about it before). I've done several long rides in the 90-100F range this summer and am doing OK. But as MP notes, I think the Endurolytes have really saved my hiney.

[dachshund]

After I had heat exhaustion, I was told I would be more susceptible to it in the future. Does anyone know if this is true, or was I being told an "old wives tale"?

Yes, it's true. I got a bad case of it on a century ride, and for a couple of years afterwards got sick from the heat pretty quickly. I remember reading about it to confirm my suspicion. It felt like my internal thermostat was damaged - I couldn't handle heat at all, nevermind doing 50 miles in 100+ degrees.

That was 20 years ago, and since then I've learned to over-hydrate. And I have moved to a hotter climate, so I can handle heat much better now.

[Veronica]

Hmmm, a "safety double" - wherever could you have gotten that idea??

Unrelated question (well, not really) - do they actually recognize people who do the triple crown at that awards breakfast? I didn't think they did. I know they do acknowledge Hall of Famers and Stage Race folks. Just wondering. I know you want to go and be done with the 3 doubles before you do, but it may not be that important?

You know just where I got that idea! From you MP - the Legend!

Somewhere I read that first time winners were recognized, but now I can't find it. In the past years' pictures they do show the first timers though.

I was just looking at the CalTripleCrown website. I could do the Solvang Fall and that would give me 5 for the year, assuming I finish Tam and Knoxville that is.

V.

[maillotpois]

I was just giving you a hard time...!

I don't think they recognize first timers, but I could be wrong. I just don't want you planning your events around this and being disappointed, etc. if it turns out it is no big deal or beating yourself up if you don't get them all in before then.

The more doubles the better, no doubt, though. So give Tam a try - and I would even suggest starting the ride even if it is still hot, because once you get the sustained climbing of Tam out of the way then you're over closer to the coast and it will generally be cooler there. Your ride this weekend had plenty of rollers, but it did not have too much climbing, so factor that in with the heat - how tough would it have been with Marshall, Tam, Coleman, Red Hill/D St./Petaluma in this weather? Yikes! That would NOT be good - but hopefully it will be better in 2 weeks, and like I said, just start it and see how the day goes. I hear there's plenty of roving SAG to bring you in if you decide you want to stop!

I was kicking around the idea of Bass Lake (supposed to be super fun and HARD!!) and Solvang to give me 5 for the year, but I won't be back on the bike in time for Bass Lake according to Dr. Lung whom I saw this morning. (Not his name, but his specialty and I like the idea of a big lung sitting behind the desk talking to me.)