I am training for my first half IM and experienced some minor heat illness symptoms in my last long brick. What can I do other than acclimation training to avoid problems on race day. Will sat tablets help avoid heat illness?
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Re: heat prep [cmjenkins]
[ In reply to ]
After five years of training in Florida, I can say for certain that at least 10 years of training in Florida is required to learn heat endurance. Will let you know more in five years.
I have not really seen the effect of improved heat performance by aclimating to it at all. For me at least it is a myth. I haven't tried salt tablets, but I will give them a try this year. I am not expecting much.
I do seem to have been helped by low HR run training. It teaches your body to run at a semi-reasonable pace with a low level of effort. That is what you want to do when the heat problems start. It used to be that slowing one minute per mile didn't really make much difference in how I felt. I needed to walk to recover. Now I can cut the pace and hold on better when heat and other problems start.
Hope this helps.
I have not really seen the effect of improved heat performance by aclimating to it at all. For me at least it is a myth. I haven't tried salt tablets, but I will give them a try this year. I am not expecting much.
I do seem to have been helped by low HR run training. It teaches your body to run at a semi-reasonable pace with a low level of effort. That is what you want to do when the heat problems start. It used to be that slowing one minute per mile didn't really make much difference in how I felt. I needed to walk to recover. Now I can cut the pace and hold on better when heat and other problems start.
Hope this helps.
Re: heat prep [ajfranke]
[ In reply to ]
I have not really seen the effect of improved heat performance by aclimating to it at all. For me at least it is a myth.
You're right, it is a myth. What some call "acclimatization" is nothing more than learning how to deal with it. It is not like altitude in which your body activily creates more red blood cells in reaction to lack of oxygen. While your sweat glands can develop a certain capacity to conserve sodium, it is not an open-ended adaption. Also, you can only sweat so much (depending on the amount of water in the body!), and if the sweat doesn't cool you, it does more harm than good. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance are the key problems, so that is where to start. Heat is semi-independent of those (you can become dehydrated on a cool day too!) but does speeds things up. Proper hydration and electrolyte replacement will help you go faster, but that doesn't mean you will go FAST!
Everyone has a different physilogical reaction to these stresses, so you have to learn what works for you. that means a lot of trial and error before you find the key.
Good luck1
"My strategy is to start out slow and then peter-out altogether" Walt Stack
You're right, it is a myth. What some call "acclimatization" is nothing more than learning how to deal with it. It is not like altitude in which your body activily creates more red blood cells in reaction to lack of oxygen. While your sweat glands can develop a certain capacity to conserve sodium, it is not an open-ended adaption. Also, you can only sweat so much (depending on the amount of water in the body!), and if the sweat doesn't cool you, it does more harm than good. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance are the key problems, so that is where to start. Heat is semi-independent of those (you can become dehydrated on a cool day too!) but does speeds things up. Proper hydration and electrolyte replacement will help you go faster, but that doesn't mean you will go FAST!
Everyone has a different physilogical reaction to these stresses, so you have to learn what works for you. that means a lot of trial and error before you find the key.
Good luck1
"My strategy is to start out slow and then peter-out altogether" Walt Stack
I agree, there is no such thing as acclimation. I live in Texas and have trained for an IM during the summer here. It blows.
I've learned to prepare better, by hydrating more and using electrolyte tabs. But the most important thing I've learned is when to pull the plug on a training session or race BEFORE I get into trouble. Been there, done that (4 IV bags at Gulf Coast one year).
MC
I've learned to prepare better, by hydrating more and using electrolyte tabs. But the most important thing I've learned is when to pull the plug on a training session or race BEFORE I get into trouble. Been there, done that (4 IV bags at Gulf Coast one year).
MC