Acclimatizing to the heat

[ny biker]

So that's why my face was so red during my ride on Saturday...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...U_graphic.html

[PamNY]

Thanks! That is interesting. I know getting acclimated happens -- but never knew how (and cycling in the muggy heat this week reminded me I'm not acclimated yet).

I wonder how they measured Salazar's sweat.

[zoom-zoom]

Yup, lots of red-faced people. I don't get red when I overheat, I get pale...which usually precedes chills. I have to be really careful when it first gets hot fast. I sweat hard, but it tends to be really humid in MI, so my sweat is of little use, other than to dehydrate me.

My kiddo was so rosy-faced, today. He looked so healthy and happy.

[OakLeaf]

I wonder how they measured Salazar's sweat.

Considering it was in 1984 and during the marathon I'm sure they just compared before and after weight and subtracted what he took in. I doubt they were even sophisticated enough to take into account the water that had been bound to glycogen in his body before the race... AFAIK the only way to measure sweat rate directly is to enclose the athlete and actually capture the sweat. Not real practical during a competition.

[lovelygamer]

This is a great article for people like me who are new at exposure to long workouts outside. I am very careful to make sure I have plenty of water along but I also have exercise induced asthma so heat can really make me struggle.

[Catrin]

Saturday I rode with Winding Road in temps that increased very quickly, and she noted that my color kept changing and not just my face - face, arms, and legs (I didn't know they did that), kept getting redder, and redder and... While I knew I was getting overheated I didn't FEEL all that hot What I got for just having ice water in my pack and not Heed - a few shot blocks here and there just isn't enough for that type of weather.

Thanks for the article, it is good to better understand the process.

[Jiffer]

I have noticed that it seems even small changes in temperature rising can affect my rides. I don't often get dehydrated, but have learned to be extra cautious of my hydration when I'm used to riding in maybe the 70s and it's going to be in the low 80's all of a sudden. Low 80's doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but when my body is not used to it, my body doesn't like it!

[azfiddle]

Thanks, very interesting article!

[ny biker]

Well, I just took a walk to a nearby LBS, about 15 minutes away. Sun is out, temps in the low 80s but low humidity. It seemed a bit warm in the sun, and the A/C felt good when I walked into the store.

A few minutes later I was in a corner of the store (not near the door where the A/C was higher), talking to a sales guy about shoe insoles, and I started to sweat. A lot.

So, was it a hot flash or am I just so acclimatized to the heat that I start to sweat at a lower core temp than usual?

[zoom-zoom]

I feel like crap, today. Maybe a week ago it was in the 50s, then it was 90 on Monday. Today it is back in the 50s. I don't tolerate these swings in temp well at all.