2 years ago, I collapsed after a 10 mile running race, they said I had heat exhaustion. It took me over a month to recover, every time I would try to train I would start seeing stars and get really dizzy. It finally went away and I was able to complete an Olympic distance tri 2 months later, but not the best time ever. I have noticed since, that I do not do well in the heat. Yesterday my fiance and I went riding at 11:30a and it was in the low 90's with high hummidity, all was fine until we tried climbing this 2 mile long hill. I had to stop because I felt sick and started hyperventilating. I slowed my breathing down by sitting down on the side of the road. My fiance pured cold water on my neck and head to cool me off. After a few minutes I felt better, still a little dizzy and felt sick to my stomach, but well enough to get back on the bike and go back down the hill. We road on flat roads for awhile and did ok. However, I noticed when we stopped (we had to wait for geese to cross the road) I started to feel dizzy and sick again. We decided to head back to the truck and go home. After a stop at the local market for a sandwhich, I felt much better.
So here is my questions, what happened? Can my body just not handle the heat? I am thinking about doing IMKY (I live here) next year, but not sure how an end of Aug. race with 90* temps and hummidity would go over. If it is all heat related, can I train my body to get used to it? If so any suggestions?
Thanks to all!
JLV, Hope you are feeling
JLV,
Hope you are feeling better now. You already know what to do, the last sentence in the first paragraph is your answer. Nutrition plays a critical role in how the body reacts to training/ racing/ heat/ humidity and cold etc. You do not describe in your note what you eat/drink during your activities, can you provide some detail?
I live in Charlotte, NC and like KY it gets pretty hot here as well. After I get out of the water (if I am racing), I wait 10-15 minutes to get adjusted to the transition before I ingest anything (water or food). I then take on some water and then hammer gel. At that point, I drink ever 15 minutes and eat. If the race is a half IM or longer then my setup is usually like this; profile bottle filled with water, (dual bottle holder behind the seat), one another filled with water and the other filled with perpetuem. In my bento box, I have my hammer gel and edurolytes.
The bodies digestive track starts shutting down after a couple of hours of racing and it can only take on food/drink in small increments, that is why I try to eat every 15 minutes. Just like developing a training plan you should develop an eating plan while racing or training. See what works for you and what doesn't but don't be afraid to experiment. Once you have found what works, stick with it!
In short the body can handle the heat.
Best of luck
Brad
Granted, it might be an old
Granted, it might be an old wives tale, but I've heard that once you've had a heat stroke/heat exhaustion you are more prone to them in the future. If you want to do an IM, do a cool weather one where you will also be training in cool weather. Scheduling is important. I assume KY is really, really hot and humid in the summer, so the KY IM and other Fall IMs are out if you susceptible to heat exhaustion. You might think about an early spring IM (which are mostly overseas) or as late as June (IM CDA) so you can train in Jan, Feb, March, April, and May when it is cooler. I live in Dallas and I won't do Summer (LP) or Fall (Wisc) ones any more because, for example, it hit 101 yesterday and it will stay that way through September-ish.
Hard to give a meaningful
Hard to give a meaningful answer without knowing if and how you've aclimitized yourself to those conditions. Do you regularly train in heat? I live and train in Miami and on South Beach. I find that I can only train/race well in June, July and August if I keep training continuously through the spring so my body gets GRADUALLY used to the "twin 90s" (90 degrees w/90% humidity) that arrive in summer. I make it a point to run 6 miles at noon at least twice a week. If I were to not do so, but then suddenly one day decide to train at that time of day, I wouldn't make it.
Ideal to do Florida or the
Ideal to do Florida or the newly rescheduled Arizona (both in November) because you train through the summer heat but race in cool weather.
Like bradaellis said, it
Like bradaellis said, it would help to know what you ate and drank. I've always guessed how much fluid I should replace, which isn't good. When training in the heat, it's a really good idea to know what your sweat rate is. Simply weighting yourself before and after a hard workout will tell you.
After getting my sweat rate nailed down, I plan on using trial and error to find out what products work for replacing sodium, carbs, etc... Unless Gatorade calls me soon so they can put me in a lab to analyze my sweat and pee to find the best formula for me.
thanks everyone. To answer
thanks everyone. To answer your questions, this is what I ate the mroning before the bike ride on Sunday:
1 cup of coffee
a bowl of frosted mini wheats
a water bottle of water on the way
during the ride:
gatorade and water every 15 minutes or so, give or take
I got sick early on during hte ride, we hadn't been out but for 45 min or so.
As for training, I usually run after work, so around 4:30 so its still hot.
I dont have much to add to
I dont have much to add to what everyone has said but to say that there is hope. I was laid out for about a month last summer due to heat exhaustion/dehydration on a long run. Barely could train at all for a good month, and was slow and blah for a couple after that.
However, a year later now i am training in 90+ heat again and not being bothered by it at all. So, it does come back. Just gotta be patient.
-Alan
I've also heard that once
I've also heard that once you get heat exhaustion it is easier to get it again, so be careful. Might be a good thing to talk to a doctor about. And a good thing to be very cautious with. Slowly slowly aclimate to it, making sure to get in fluids and calories and electrolytes, and just see how it goes. If the heat starts to become something you can handle, sure, pick IMKY. If not, accept that you will need to travel to have a good experience. And for most of us, tris are about the experience -- of training and of racing. If you feel horrible for most of the training and racing, it won't be worth it.