Extra fuel for extra hot days?

[itsalldownhill]

I just went on an "easy" bike ride - 6 miles out, 6 miles back, but the heat index here is 105 and of course I went at noon (I was headed into the bike shop for an adjustment on the bike...and meant to go earlier...but couldn't go later...so...yea).

When I started out my legs felt more leaden than usual. I was a little worried. I drank a ton, and headed to the shop...on the way back, I almost felt like I needed fuel. Normally, I don't feel like this on anything less than a 20 mile ride, but on this one...I just felt...de-fueled. I drank plenty of water (emptied both of my sportbottles). Made it back in record time, thanks to the adjustment that was performed on my bike, but man was I starving and feeling a bit on the weak side.

Does your need for fuel increase the hotter it is? Or was I just dehydrated and didn't know it?

[Owlie]

Did you eat lunch or a snack beforehand? That may have been your problem, combined with dehydration. I do need to take extra shot blocks and/or Gatorade for electrolyte replacement (as well as lots of extra water!) in hot weather. Since it's so humid, you just keep sweating and it doesn't do anything.

I also get something like potato chips after I ride.

[Melalvai]

I sure ate a ton yesterday. Total distance was 17 miles, nothing longer than 5 miles at a stretch, with ac and water in between. Still I was ravenous. I knew I mainly needed salt and the olives tasted exactly right. I could have eaten the entire jar easily.

[OakLeaf]

I've never noticed calories to be an issue. But increased core temperature does increase your heart rate, so I suppose something has to fuel that.

I'm not sure what you mean by feeling "de-fueled." When I need calories on a ride, I get muscle fatigue. Is that what you mean? Maybe you were overheated - did you take your temperature? Maybe dehydrated - did you weigh yourself or note the volume and color of your urine? Maybe mildly hyponatremic - what's your salt intake like?

I'm a firm believer that you CAN acclimate to heat, but be careful and gradual and smart about it.

[ny biker]

I'm a firm believer that you CAN acclimate to heat, but be careful and gradual and smart about it.

No matter how much I ride on hot days, and no matter how acclimated I get in terms of efficient sweating, I will never be able to ride at noon when the heat index is 105 without feeling weak and desperately in need of finding shade immediately or I will completely freak out. Everyone has a limit, and for most people it is probably when forecasters are predicting "deadly heat," like they are this week.

When temps are hot but not as bad as this week, I find a noticeable improvement in my energy levels when I increase my salt intake.

And if I'm riding at noon, I need to have a big breakfast at the very least, possibly also a snack pre-ride depending on how long I'll be riding.

So I'd say it could be combination of things. But mostly, stay out of the sun between 11 and 3 on really hot days.

[blue_angel]

Maybe if you drank one bottle of gatorade to water in a 1:1 ratio (e.g. one bottle of water, one bottle of gatorade) you'd feel better. You'd get some calories/carbs, plus the electrolytes, which are particularly important in super hot weather. It's hard to hydrate properly in extreme temps like that, and gatorade (or something like it) will really help.

[rubysoho]

I know what you mean. I didn't feel "warmed up" for my ride until I was 2/3 of the way done (on a 20 mile ride!). Everything felt slow and heavy and not effortless at all. At the end it turned out I had shaved 4 minutes off a time recorded over a month ago, but it was still not a fun ride. The last 5 miles felt better than the rest.

What I did was eat about an hour before the ride (I normally eat 2 hours before so wondering if this didn't help...) and drank a lot of water. I made sure to drink water often on the ride. Then once I got back I ate some crackers and drank Hammer Recoverite. Today I am feeling pretty good and thinking about going out even though it is even hotter today. Tomorrow is supposed to be even worse!

[ny biker]

I just went on an "easy" bike ride - 6 miles out, 6 miles back, but the heat index here is 105 and of course I went at noon (I was headed into the bike shop for an adjustment on the bike...and meant to go earlier...but couldn't go later...so...yea).

When I started out my legs felt more leaden than usual. I was a little worried. I drank a ton, and headed to the shop...on the way back, I almost felt like I needed fuel. Normally, I don't feel like this on anything less than a 20 mile ride, but on this one...I just felt...de-fueled. I drank plenty of water (emptied both of my sportbottles). Made it back in record time, thanks to the adjustment that was performed on my bike, but man was I starving and feeling a bit on the weak side.

Does your need for fuel increase the hotter it is? Or was I just dehydrated and didn't know it?

Thinking more about this, when did you eat breakfast, what did you eat, and when do you usually eat lunch? I would start there.

[itsalldownhill]

Thank you all for such helpful thoughts!

I had eaten about 2 hours before. I didn't weigh myself that morning, but my urine had been fine.

I'm not sure what you mean by feeling "de-fueled." When I need calories on a ride, I get muscle fatigue. Is that what you mean? Maybe you were overheated - did you take your temperature? Maybe dehydrated - did you weigh yourself or note the volume and color of your urine? Maybe mildly hyponatremic - what's your salt intake like?

Yep - just muscle fatigue and overall weakness...to me, it feels different than dehydration (something I'm fairly experienced with!). Now, the salt intake issue is entirely possible. I just looked up the hyponatremic (that's a heckofaword) symptoms and I have been bloaty ever since my 43 mile ride and had gained over 5 lbs in water weight. This wasn't atypical enough of me to worry about it (my weight fluctuates HUGE amounts and has since I was a teenager - usually 10 lbs at a time), but...could it be an indicator? Quite possible. I don't eat much with salt (I'm not an added salt person) and since I don't eat snack or junk foods...well...

So, today I got up early, ate breakfast 1 hour before leaving. I won't do that again, because I felt "urpy" (like I might possibly throw up) the whole way. I think I need 2 hours before, or something lighter (I ate greek yogurt with oatmeal mixed in, but that might have been too heavy for my stomach).

I drank 24 oz of water with Camelbak's "elixer" in it also. That might not have been enough time (I think I need at least 2 hours pre-ride). I didn't have coffee (usually 2 hours before). I also took some Clif shots with me, even though it was just an hour long ride.

After the first big hill, I had 3 clif shots and drank about half of my first water bottle. The hill seemed to go okay, but the muscle fatigue was greater than normal after it (hence the stopping for the shots). I noticed the lack of coffee as my motivation was severely lacking *laughing* I kept having to talk myself into riding farther and usually it's the opposite (I have to moderate myself otherwise I'll overtrain). By the end of the ride, I actually felt okay and could have gone farther, but I had to pick up my car. It was 92 degrees when I rolled into the parking lot after the ride at 9 am.

So now I'm not sure what the heck is going on. It's like my muscles are not getting what they need for the first 10 miles of a ride. It should not take me 10 miles to warm up!! I remember this feeling from when I ran cross-country (years ago) and it would take me a mile run before I could race. A mile or two I expect....10...not so much. I haven't been riding long enough or far enough to consider that a "warmup" Someday!

This only seems to have become a problem since the heat index went up to unbearable. So I'm assuming it's related, but it could very well not be...I'm open to that possibility as well. I'll up my salt intake and see if that helps....

[itsalldownhill]

You know, Muirenn, I'm not sure...I've never worried about my hydration in my adult life (I ran xc when I was a teen, and then have spent the majority of my adult life being a general slug after having children), so I may well not be well hydrated all the time. I'll pay closer attention to that and see if that helps. I generally eat pretty healthily, but do admit to being a coffee and diet soda drinker, which probably doesn't do wonders for my hydration levels. Will do a little more experimenting today...

[Catrin]

I was going to start a related thread - but I had a similar situation last night. I ate as I normally do prior to an evening ride - I had a roasted chicken wrap at home. My Camelbak had Heed/ice in it (I have a smaller one that I reserve for this purpose).

Energy wise I felt fine, but as the OP said, I felt "urpy" for the first 9.5 or so of my 15 mile ride. I was riding in a fairly shaded park and wasn't pushing things overly hard. After 9 miles I almost went home - the large nature park I ride in during the week is across from my apartment - but decided to take one more lap and my stomach finally settled down.

In the end my time was better than usual even though I had tried to take it easy - avg spd. was a PB of 14.7. I do seem to remember having the same symptoms last summer on very hot days - though it wasn't THIS hot.

So for those who ride after dinner on weather like this - do you change your usual pre-ride dinner for lighter fare? I hydrated all day yesterday, as well as before and after my ride. I felt fine afterwards.

[grey]

We had a rider turn back yesterday because she just didn't think she was going to make it - this was in the first three miles of a 30 mile ride. I noticed a number of the rest of our group had difficulty getting going also. I don't know what their routines are exactly (I do know they all eat 90 minutes before a ride though), but I can tell you mine, and how I felt - and I felt so "off" that I wasn't sure I wanted to ride (that's not me! I want to ride ALL THE TIME!).

Usually, I get up at 5:30, have a couple of eggs and a slice of toast, and probably a fresh fruit smoothie before a 7am ride. Yesterday I didn't want all of that, all I had was the smoothie. On the ride, I felt like it hadn't settled yet, and like I was in a struggle for energy. The energy issue could be unrelated (ah la a certain phase of the moon is about to arrive, I'm always tired for a few days around THAT). It was about 5 miles before I started to enjoy riding.

Temp was just over 90 before too long, and humidity at 65%. Usually my first bottle contains Nunn or Camelbak tabs and the second is just water, USUALLY that keeps me going just fine.

I also avoid caffeine, sugar, etc. to help prepare myself for the next ride. I drink 2-3 liters of water per day, and fresh herb tea (I grow herbs in my yard). Post-ride if I sweated profusely (whoever said women don't sweat never met a woman who rides a bike) I'll make another smoothie and eat dinner leftovers in the fridge.

Lately though, it seems I need an extra meal for every 10 miles I ride. I ate five times after the 50 miler, and 3 times after yesterday's 30. This does not do good things for my grocery bill... vegetarianism may have something to do with that, meat tends to hang around a lot longer than veggies.

[ny biker]

Hot weather always sucks the energy out of me. I don't think it's abnormal to feel weak when it's so hot -- your body wants you to stop moving, because it's working hard to keep you alive.

Extreme weather also affects your ability to digest food -- your blood is busy doing other things.

Don't ride at noon on a crazy hot day. If you have problems riding when the weather is not so extreme, then you might have a problem.

[Catrin]

...
Extreme weather also affects your ability to digest food -- your blood is busy doing other things...

This makes perfect sense! So in such weather I need to eat longer than 30-45 minutes before I get on the bike...I honestly didn't think of that. I am NOT riding tonight, it is even hotter than yesterday...plus I am going to a TDF watching party that my LBS throws every year