coping with heat and humidity

[bmccasland]

Help!!!

I was completely done in by my ride friday morning. We did an office ride as part of the fun for our Official Office Picnic - there were 7 of us wearing the team kit for an out and back on the levee. I managed to hang with the big boys for most of the first half - see ride report on the friday June 27 thread.

Anyway, I thought I did all the right things for recovery. Except perhaps drink some chocolate milk. I tried to stay hydrated, although I have to admit, when I'm trying to hang on at 20 mph, I have a real hard time drinking, breathing, and keeping up all at the same time.

Went to the office picnic after a shower, continued to drink water, had 1/2 a beer (I have a low tolerance for alcohol), and ate pretty good - grilled fish with corn/bean/salsa on the side, fresh fruit. OK I'll admit to the chocolate chip cookies (2), and a few handfuls of chips. It was warm and muggy... but as the day wore on, I felt worse, and more tired than ever. A threatening thunderstorm got me home at 2, feeling worse than ever. Migraine brought on by the heat exhaustion too boot. So I spent the rest of friday afternoon and evening feeling very miserable and useless. Considered going to an ER for better drugs. Woke up this morning with a residual headache, and very tired. Finally managed to get out of bed, and hold down breakfast late morning. I still don't feel back to "normal". Good thing it's currently raining, so I don't have to take Nala for her afternoon walk. I just don't have the energy for it.

So, my question after all this.... how do I cope with the summers? I thought I had it down, but apparently not. Do I hang up my shoes until the weather cools off??
Or am I just paying the price for riding hard after only weekly rides, and a bad bought of irritable bowel issues?

I want to ride my bike, lordy knows I need something to work of office stress... but I don't want to be totally miserable and useless for hours/days either.

[Dogmama]

Help!!!

Or am I just paying the price for riding hard after only weekly rides, and a bad bought of irritable bowel issues?

Hmmm, wondering if IBS is the cause of your woes? Sounds like the way I feel when I'm battling a case of IBS - tired, headachey, etc.

[Geonz]

Sounds like a toxic mix ... but I wouldn't hang up the *shoes* - perhaps one of the other ingredients...

[sundial]

I tried to stay hydrated, although I have to admit, when I'm trying to hang on at 20 mph, I have a real hard time drinking, breathing, and keeping up all at the same time.

Good grief, woman! No wonder you're pooped. You put your system into overload. One thing came to mind--electrolytes that you lost in the process. Do you have any Elite or any electrolyte replacement tablets you can add to your water next time you have a hard ride? The humidity is fast approaching heat exhaustion levels around here and I tend to cycle during the hottest part of the day. I know, kinda dumb. I found that even with a Camelbak I found it's best to take more breaks and to ease the exertion level a little. And I do seem more fatigued on those kind of days than when the humidity is over 53 %.

Hope you feel better soon and next time you ride with the big boys, wear the disco shiny shorts so they'll slow down, lol!

[7rider]

High exersion rides in hot, sticky weather often bring on post ride migraines for me.
I find a little Vitamin I pre-ride (um, that's Ibuprofen), an electrolyte drink in the waterbottles, and a high-protein drink (I've been doing a 10 ounce gulp of Accelerade) post ride help.
Other than that, a lot of food and drink (and a nap if I can swing it) help me get on the right track again.

[Zen]

Not to mention this weather's got my hair looking like...
..............................

[sundial]

Lol! :d

[SlowButSteady]

days than when the humidity is over 53 %.

lol...I'd die for days with the humidity less than 90%

You "ride with the big girls" in a climate that is less than hospitable. Everyone has an off day every once in a while. Sometimes the translate into an off weekend.

I find that many times what I consider high stakes weekends turn into crappy ones for me and when I want to do ten billion things, I end up lounging in bed for the weekend. Like last weekend, I spent 7 hours in heavy traffic driving to the beach with cramps so bad I considered dialing 9-1-1 to come with a chopper to pick me up. I spent the rest of the long weekend shell shocked

Maybe it's your body trying to tell you "hey, gimme a break."

Don't hang up your shoes!

[Jiffer]

Don't hang up the cycling shoes!!!

I agree with the other posts. I think it was a combination of things. I think you probably over did it and didn't fill your body with what it needed. Electrolytes are a good thing to think about. My husband is big on getting the right "stuff" for your body and, after researching and trying different things, he gets Cytomax Lite. We get it in powder form and mix it into our sports bottles with water. You might want to look into that or something else. We like the taste. Not too sweet and no after taste. You should drink a sports bottle full every hour, probably more in extra heat and humidity ... even if you don't feel thirsty.

What you eat and drink before your ride is important too. You have to figure out what works for you and stick with it. I usually eat a banana and/or toast with peanut butter.

Also, your recovery is very important. We take Recoverite within 30 minutes of hard rides. It helps your muscles recover quicker, but also helps replace lost electrolytes along with some other things. I looked up some info on it and found something relating to stomach distress.

Unlike most recovery products that contain simple sugars, maltodextrin provides a large volume of easily digested and rapidly assimilated carbohydrate, vital for preventing stomach distress and promoting full, efficient restoration of muscle glycogen.

I know that headaches are a common symptom of dehydration, so you probably did dehydrate yourself on your ride. Also, when you push your body harder than its used to, it's going to want rest. It's very common to feel very sleepy after exerting yourself when you go past what you are used to. Your body is screaming for rest (literally sleep) so it can recover. I read in a book recently that said if it's possible, you should schedule in a nap after a hard ride.

If you want to do more crazy 20 mph rides like that (I'm totally jealous, by the way!), you might want to work on building up to it.

I live in California where it's rare to have a humid day. Yet, last summer we went through a crazy heat wave with a lot of humidity. Dh and I did our longest training ride for a century on our tandem in that sort of weather.... 110 when we finished I think. We were pouring water over our heads constantly to keep our bodies cool. That might help as well with the heat and humidity part of it.

I'm not sure I agree with the Ibuprofen idea. I took some before a long ride because the muscles in my back had been bothering me on long rides. I tried to cut it off at the pass. However, I ended up bonking on that ride and my husband thinks Ibuprofen might have been part of the reason. (Also pushing myself past my limits to keep up with my friends didn't help either!) I don't remember what he said about Ibuprofen, but he's read a lot about it because he "used" to take a ton of it and he tends to think it's not the best idea to have right before exerting yourself if you can help it.

Hope my thoughts are helpful. Keep riding your bike!!!

[berkeley]

That's pretty much how I feel when I get really dehydrated.

Definitely need to take in more electrolytes. I like emergen-c and I've also found the Airborne tablets to help.