coping with heat and humidity

[OakLeaf]

+1 on the electrolytes. That's the one thing I wasn't hearing in your post - that, and just simple acclimation.

Your symptoms sound like I feel when I'm hyponatremic, except it doesn't give me migraines. When I'm sweating out 2 liters an hour I'm losing a lottalotta salt, too. I think I've read that your body can only absorb 1 liter an hour, so it's important to continue hydrating after the ride, but you said you did that. But the more I'm sweating, the greater proportion of my drinks need to be sports drinks. On a normal to cool weekend, I'll have one bottle of sports drink to every three of plain water. When it's hot and humid and sweat is running off my body, on a long ride I need it to be every other bottle. If you can't take the sugar and you don't want artificial sweeteners, try Emergen-C powder.

Especially if you continue feeling worse, drink 3 liters of sports drink. I'm serious. That almost always does the trick for me.

But if you're not acclimated to the heat yet, it's going to take a few rides. Once you're properly rehydrated and have your electrolytes in balance, in the recent thread about heat acclimation, someone posted a link to a study. According to that study, the best way to acclimate is to just do it, but if it's taking too much out of you, working out in AC does help, so maybe alternate outdoor workouts with gym workouts until you're fully acclimated.

I don't know anything about IBS, but I would think that that would make you prone to dehydration too, so anything that will increase fluid absorption through your intestines is good - and I think balanced sugar/electrolyte drinks fall into that category, don't they?

[bmccasland]

Thanks for all the hints. I did have a bottle of electrolyte stuff - made by crystal lite. Maybe not the best, but powerade / gatoraid upsets my stomach. I'll have to look into getting the Cyclomax and Recoverite - thanks Jiffer. I've seen the Emergen-C in my local grocery, so I know I can get that, and I've used it before.... hummm to counteract regular bouts of heat exhaustion when I used to work in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, in the summer. Am I a glutten for punishment or what? Will add the three things to my shopping list, and see what I find first.

I've lived here 6 years, and been biking through the summers for the past 4. So I'm sort of used to the heat and humidity. What's it like to ride in humidity less than 50%? I forgot.

I was thrilled to be able to hang with the big boys. It's been a long struggle to get my lungs to cooperate (EIA). Fortunately most of these guys don't do the weekly rides after work, so I won't be punishing myself to the same level. And one of the best riders does the weekly rides, will put in whatever pace you want, no matter which direction the wind is blowing. So if we want to be punished at 20, he'll do 20; and if I'm having trouble and need to pace at 16, he's slowed down, let me hide behind him until I recover, then pulls me at something faster. Too bad John is married...