Metric century in the 90+ degree heat/Recovery

[Polyglot]

Originally Posted by regularguy412

Once you have heat exhaustion or heat stroke, you are always more susceptible thereafter. Ask me how I know.

I hear you all too well! Last year I suffered 6 heat strokes. The first one was very mild and was solely characterized by heart rate all of a sudden going up (to high 160's) without any exertion and then taking its time to come down. I pulled over and waited for 10 minutes till the heart rate was back below 140, downed a full water bottle and then rode in the rest of the way keeping my heart rate below 150.

The second time, about 3 weeks later, I was leading a group of women, pulling for about 30 out of the first 35 miles, at an average of about 17 mph, feeling great, eating and drinking normally, when all of a sudden I bonked. When I say I bonked, I mean I hit a brick wall like I have never experienced in my life, and when I checked my heart rate it read in the high 170's. One of the women on the ride is a nurse practitioner in a cardiac clinic and she insisted that I stop and stayed with me, while one of the other riders went to get a car to pick me up. Went to see my physician and then a cardiologist later the same day. 9 hours later my heart rate was still at 90 (my resting heart rate is normally in the 50's).

This led to 6 months of difficulty, plus a month with a heart monitor... In the end, the doctors have suggested that the first heat stroke was likely tied to a reaction to a strong dose of steroids that I had taken for poison ivy and that subsequently I never gave my body the chance to recover fully. The cardiologist said to avoid any day where temperature was above 85 °F and to keep rides shorter than an hour and half.

Heat strokes are very insidious. Let you body recover. A full year after the first heat stroke, and more than 6 months after the last one, I still don't think that I have fully recovered and I remain very careful.

[cmg]

In that kind of heat always take a bottle of electrolytes and a bottle of water. When you finish the bottle of electrolytes drop a NUUN tablet in the next refill. Also consider taking salt tablets prior and during the ride.

[marsh]

We go to Ocean City/Dewey area every summer. My riding is usually finished before 10AM and ends with a jump in the water. It's too damn hot to be out there in the middle of the day.

[shovelhd]

Electrolytes, plain water, and for longer rides, food are all important. I did 94 miles last Sunday in high 80's, low 90's, and went through about 1.5 large bottles per hour. Where I screwed up was taking on too much electrolyte and not enough plain water and real food. I wound up bonking at the 75 mile point. I never lost my legs or lungs but I was nauseous and light headed. I saw a few things on the road that weren't there. I was fine after some cheddar cheese when I got home. Even very experienced cyclists get fooled by the weather, so be careful out there.

[AngryScientist]

perhaps obvious, but the condition you start the ride in has a pretty big effect as well.

i rode this past Sunday in 90 degree weather recovering from a pretty serious hangover and well into the dehydrated zone. 35 miles in that heat and i was a mess when i got home. killer headache and dead tired.

on any other day when i had slept well the night before, had a good starting electrolyte balance and was hydrated, those miles in the heat would have been an absolute non-issue.

[chunkylover53]

Get some endurolyte or saltstick pills, take a couple every hour or so. I'm a heavy sweater, and I find this makes a huge difference - don't feel as drained after ride, no headaches etc. I find pills work much better than nuun, or electrolyte pills. That, and lots of fluid.

[El Chaba]

On the Eastern Shore of MD (and Delaware) it's humid....AND, you spend the vast majority of your time in the sun....These are important factors beyond the temperature for heat prostration...

[Mikej]

All of the replies sound great, but its really a matter of getting your body used to that temp / humidity / pace. You went out on a ride you haven't ramped up training for and it was in high heat / humidity. Even if you had ridden a couple metrics in say AZ or Cali, you would still be hit with the humidity, but especially the dew point, which really reduces your bodies ability to cool off. So to cool off, blood is sent to the extremities and brain and kind of shuts down blood to the stomach and once you hit that and feel a bit queezy, that's where I find there is no coming back. More rides in the heat / humidity would be my best guess for avoiding this. I hope, cuz its what I'm going through right now for MTB racing. It was 55 degrees for weeks and then BAM its 88 and super humid...didn't work out for me.

[saf-t]

Originally Posted by josephr

+100

Just like any longer distance ride, you also have to train for the heat and plan accordingly.

here's a good article about heat acclimatization...

http://hprc-online.org/environment/t...search-summary

The hardest part about heat related illnesses during human performance as that many of the 'warning signs' like elevated breathing, sweating, etc...you're already doing those from your physical exertion.

Just from your comment though about being completely drained the next day, it sounds like your body got a little hotter than you think and may have been on the path towards heat exhaustion which is just a hair away from heat stoke. There's plenty of articles on the web about stages/signs of heat related stress. It may be an easy read, but experiencing these signs and knowing when you've actually reached a point of 'too much' is something only you can gauge and seriously, don't feel rushed/take longer breaks and, especially, don't be scared to call a ride home.

There's no 'magic beans' for recovery from heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

THIS. I see heat-related incidents every year in the spring when it suddenly gets hot and folks aren't used to it. No difference between work or play- you need to make sure your body is acclimatized to the temperature when expending energy.

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillnes...ng_workers.pdf

[ptourkin]

We're going to have 90-100 temps for our 400k this weekend. I'm drinking more and taking on a little more sodium and refined carbs today and tomorrow and then I'll just get in extra water early in the brevet and try to take in 2 bottles an hour, which probably won't happen. I put electrolytes in one bottle but also supplement with Salt Stick tablets.

At some point, you just have to manage expectations in the heat. Tone it down until you feel okay and then go when it cools off.

[shovelhd]

I'm doing a brewery tour century on Saturday. Ride, stop, eat, drink dehydrating fluids, repeat...I'm carrying water only and consuming a lot of it.

[CunegoFan]

Originally Posted by skiezo

So this past sunday 5 of us old guys went to the eastern shore of MD and did a metric. We chose that location as it is relatively flat and a nice salt breeze. It was in the mid 80s when we started and ended in the mid 90s.
All of us are in our early 50s. The first 45/50 km were great. Nice 7 to 10mph salt breeze from our 9:00 off the bay. Averaged 15 mph for the first 50km and dropped to 11.7 the last leg. The last 12 or so km all but one bonked but pushed through.We went through 8 water bottles and 2 bottles of electrolytes.
We still feel like sh)t. What type of recovery do you guys do in a situation like this?
I have been drinking water and coconut water and eating plant based protein and complex carbs. Still a bit weak and disconnected 24 hrs after.

Brian

Super Gulp sized Slurpee from 7-11 is hard to beat afterward.

[91Bear]

Originally Posted by regularguy412

Once you have heat exhaustion or heat stroke, you are always more susceptible thereafter. Ask me how I know.

This is my experience too. Got heat exhaustion the first time I rode the Hotter'n Hell Hundred in 1990 at age 22. Finished it the next year.
Got heat exhaustion the two other times I tried the century. I could finish the shorter distances but the century was always too long and too hot.

[muz]

Tomorrow I am riding the Terrible Two double century, 18,000ft climbing, and highs are expected to be over 100F on the exposed climbs. Sunday's high is 109F, so we are getting off easy! It will be a struggle.

[RudAwkning]

Originally Posted by muz

Tomorrow I am riding the Terrible Two double century, 18,000ft climbing, and highs are expected to be over 100F on the exposed climbs. Sunday's high is 109F, so we are getting off easy! It will be a struggle.

Is it T2 time already?! I've got a wedding to attend tomorrow. Incidentally, the groom is a 12 hour finisher. I'm glad to see they've gone back to the old Trinity course. Good luck!