Dealing with the heat

[Rollinlucky]

OMG, how I would love to have your weather. I live in south Texas where the wind is always blowing , the heat index is above 100, and the humidity is usually around 90% or higher.( I think I just described what it's like in h*ll). I just started riding serioulsy in October and the weather was great, getting into summer now and I think I'll be spending a lot of time on the indoor trainer.

[OakLeaf]

Sounds like an ad for cheap-@ss sports drinks, to me. There are a lot of ways to replace electrolytes.

I can't have anything with fructose when I run or ride. Doesn't matter if it's some nasty Gatorade with HFCS, honey, or an orange.

For the marathon, when I knew I'd be relying on water stations instead of packing my own electrolyte replacement, I taught myself to swallow Endurolytes capsules on the run. Not so hard once I got the hang of it - tried several methods, wound up with tucking them under my tongue until I get water into my mouth.

If you're supplying your own electrolyte replacement, you can bring whatever combo you like - the lowest-budget option would be to mix some salt with whatever else you want, and add a calcium/magnesium supplement pill if you need that (I definitely need calcium/magnesium if it's going to be long or hot, or even middle-distance if it's intense).

[marni]

OMG, how I would love to have your weather. I live in south Texas where the wind is always blowing , the heat index is above 100, and the humidity is usually around 90% or higher.( I think I just described what it's like in h*ll). I just started riding serioulsy in October and the weather was great, getting into summer now and I think I'll be spending a lot of time on the indoor trainer.

I rode south and west of Houston so I also ride in heat, humidity and headwinds. Today's heat index was 105.

I have discovered Craft brand sleeveless wicking shirts as an under layer for my jerseys. The craft under layer soaks up the sweat, keeps the jersey from being clammy against my skin, encourages cooling evaporation and covers me decently enough so that I can strip down my jersey during a break and cool off. I also ride with arm coolers, which are white, sun resistant, Uv shielding , wicking and prevent me getting sunburned.

I ride early and get off of the road before noon.

I ride somewhat shorter and harder distances, take a good break at the halfway point and step down and stretch during the ride.

I carry two bottles, one of water that is just for dumping and the other with FRS. I carry extra tubes of FRS powder and stop in gas stations and convenience stores to refill the water as needed.

I keep an eye on the weather and on the sky and will call a ride if the weather looks chancy. I have spent far too many times crouching in a ditch with my bike in a ditch across the road in the middle of a thunderstorm. I would rather do that than try to ride in the wet and danger of lightning.

I also ride all summer long , even in the dog days of August, but cut my daily rides from 40-50 to 25-40 or start at the butt crack of dawn to get the miles in.

I am also very careful to hydrate and stretch after the ride, plus take a cool shower.

After a while feeling like you just rode through a shower of warm spit get to feel almost normal.

marni

[OakLeaf]

My criticism was directed at the link, not at you. Mixing your own is a good option and one of the ones I mentioned.

The link specifically instructs the reader to train themselves to drink whatever will be offered at their event. Which means (1) buying some of it themselves, (2) drinking a lot of it in a probably futile attempt to make their gut tolerate something it just won't tolerate, and (3) consuming it at the event.

Maybe I'm just extra sensitive to viral marketing and product placement. But I can't see why a nutritionist would advise athletes to drink something that they know makes them sick, unless it was at the urging of a sponsor.

[tiva]

On the pickle juice thread, where consensus seemed to be that acids help reduce cramping, someone suggested switchel, an old summer drink that farmers used to drink in very hot weather.

To one pint of water, I add 2 T of apple cider vinegar (Braggs), 1 T of molasses, 1-2 t of powdered ginger, and a pinch of salt. I think it's delicious, and it seems to help a bit with the heat and cramps.

I also make a sports drink with 2 T of lemon juice (which contains a lot of potassium), 1 T of sweetener (we have bees, so I often use honey), and a pinch of salt--but the switchel tastes better.

[dlolide]

I rode south and west of Houston so I also ride in heat, humidity and headwinds. Today's heat index was 105.

I have discovered Craft brand sleeveless wicking shirts as an under layer for my jerseys. The craft under layer soaks up the sweat, keeps the jersey from being clammy against my skin, encourages cooling evaporation and covers me decently enough so that I can strip down my jersey during a break and cool off. I also ride with arm coolers, which are white, sun resistant, Uv shielding , wicking and prevent me getting sunburned.

I ride early and get off of the road before noon.

I ride somewhat shorter and harder distances, take a good break at the halfway point and step down and stretch during the ride.

I carry two bottles, one of water that is just for dumping and the other with FRS. I carry extra tubes of FRS powder and stop in gas stations and convenience stores to refill the water as needed.

I keep an eye on the weather and on the sky and will call a ride if the weather looks chancy. I have spent far too many times crouching in a ditch with my bike in a ditch across the road in the middle of a thunderstorm. I would rather do that than try to ride in the wet and danger of lightning.

I also ride all summer long , even in the dog days of August, but cut my daily rides from 40-50 to 25-40 or start at the butt crack of dawn to get the miles in.

I am also very careful to hydrate and stretch after the ride, plus take a cool shower.

After a while feeling like you just rode through a shower of warm spit get to feel almost normal.

marni

Hello there,

I live in Dallas. I was looking into getting the arm coolers/sun sleeves. Could you tell me if you like them? Do they keep you cool or are they more to prevent sunburn?

Thanks.

[marni]

Hello there,

I live in Dallas. I was looking into getting the arm coolers/sun sleeves. Could you tell me if you like them? Do they keep you cool or are they more to prevent sunburn?

Thanks.

I absolutely love them and don't often ride without them. While they are marginally warmer when you first start out, as soon as my arms start sweating they begin wicking and then they are cooler. They also keep the sun off so my arms rarely feel hot- you know that stingy hot burn that you get on your skin under black shorts or on bare arms so I would have to say yes to both questions. I wear them consistently enough that I rarely put sun screen on my arms, which in turn helps with the perception of coolness.

Since I mostly ride sleeveless in the summer, and the arm coolers don't meet the edge of my jersey sleeves, I do end up with an interesting little wedge of farmers tan, sort of like a cap sleeve shadow on my upper arm as it rounds into the shoulder.

I got my arm coolers at trisports.com as they were suggested to me by a tri athelete friend but I'm sure there are other types around as well.

hth
marni

[lattae]

Fill the bladder 1/2 to 2/3 full of water. Then blow air through the hose to fill it up like a balloon. Lay it down in the freezer and just store it there until you are ready to ride. When you want to ride, top it off with cold water, put it in the pack and off you go. The cap may be hard to open if it's frozen shut - just run some hot water over the cap until you can dislodge it. It won't be enough to melt the giant ice cube in the bladder.

Topping it off insures the hose is not blocked by ice, and gives you water to drink right away. The big block of ice melts slowly, and delivers cold water for up to 3 hours at 80-90o temps. The pack may seem stiff when you first put it on, but the edges start to melt, and it conforms to your back. After a few minutes you don't even know it's there.

Oakleaf also mentioned my favorite tip - after you take a drink from the hose, blow air back into the bladder. Otherwise the water in the hose gets awfully warm. If I forget to blow the water back up the hose, I will usually spit it out. Drinking warm water is one of those gross things I can not consume on a bike ride.

When you get home, give the bladder a good rinse, wash the bite valve and rinse well (you don't want a soapy gulp of water on your next ride). Fill the bladder 1/2 way or more with water (I use filtered water from Brita pitcher) and back into the freezer until the next ride.

I only put water in the bladder - never mixed stuff - keeps everything easier to clean. Use water bottles for your mixes.

Keeping the bladder in the freezer also keeps it free from mold or nasty bugs, and you don't have to worry about drying it thoroughly.

I've been using this systemn for years - works great. I have the "Rogue" model, holds 70 oz. I rarely drink it all but on a few rides I have replenished the reservoir (metrics in 90o+ - who ever thought that was a good idea?)

Thanks for the tip about filling the camelbak with water. I've tried that on my last two rides and it has worked out great. We've had 95+ temps with awful humidity and it's great to have really cold water to drink. I have a polar water bottle that I freeze also with Hammer heed and it's ready to go the next morning also. I don't have any problems cleaning my water bottles, I use a denture tablet in water and let it soak and it will be sanitized for the next ride. I also clean my camelbak with the denture tabs also and does a wonderful job. Think I learned that tip from the forums.

[PamNY]

TE has arm coolers.

[Catrin]

Thanks for the tip about filling the camelbak with water. I've tried that on my last two rides and it has worked out great. We've had 95+ temps with awful humidity and it's great to have really cold water to drink. I have a polar water bottle that I freeze also with Hammer heed and it's ready to go the next morning also. I don't have any problems cleaning my water bottles, I use a denture tablet in water and let it soak and it will be sanitized for the next ride. I also clean my camelbak with the denture tabs also and does a wonderful job. Think I learned that tip from the forums.

I have had ice water in my camelbak since reading about it here. It really makes things more simple to put it in the freezer. I probably need to clean the mouthpiece more than I do though....

I can finally drink from my 'bak while riding as well

[lattae]

I've been using the Hammer Endurolytes also and they seem to help me feel better by the end of the ride. I've been stopping off @the tennis court restroom at the local high school and discovered that its air conditioned so that has really helped me to cool off. I can't do 40-50 miles in this heat without stopping and washing off with cold water and cooling my body down. We sometimes stop at the local coffee shop and grab a cold frappacino which helps us survive the heat/humidity. I've learned also when we have the heat advisory that its just plain miserable to ride unless I take precautions and cool off halfway. I'm becoming more 'delicate or high maintenance' in this heat