I’m hoping all of you very knowledgeable, experienced triathletes have some advice for a first time IM’er. Given that the weather forecast for Louisville is probably not going to be that different from the heat & humidity we are all hearing about, please, please, please share any tactics/techniques/magic you have to best deal with this type of weather.
I’ve trained in the heat as much as you can given our weather in Indiana & have done marathons & shorter tris in the heat. However, this will be a whole new experience & I want to do anything I can to avoid heat issues.
I think that my main concern is trying to go into the run as comfortably as possible. On the bike, I currently use 2 electrolytes per hour & about 24 oz of water & 12 oz of GuO2 per hour. It’s taken all summer to find something that works well for my stomach & I hate to deviate too much from that.
I’m in this to finish & plan on going slower on the bike & run to help keep “cool”. Is there anything else that can be done? My concern is overheating…I tend to heat up easily & sweat like a pig…& not like one of those cute little pigs…
This is my “last” big concern before IM & I’d like to put it to rest. Anyone? Anything? Please?
Relax, for sure. Have faith in your training. You sound like you will be fine on the bike. On the run, be sure to take advantage of the wet sponges - put one under a hat, on top of your shoulders/under your tri suit, or down the shorts! The run has some shade, along with a few sections of the bike (the out and back of route 1694 is pretty shaded). 42 is mostly open though, and that is road you spend the most time on. Don’t forget the sunscreen - helps some.
make sure you drink a lot, even when you aren’t thirsty, drink! Also, make sure you are taking salt pills or endurolytes to replenish the salt you will lose
This si coming from experiance. Living in south Texas, I get dehydrated almost daily it seems like!
I think this is a concern from everyone doing IMLou including myself. It sounds like you got your nutrition dialed in. You’ll be ready to rock and roll. I’ve done 7 IM’s and IMW 05’ was by far the worst (mid 90’s, wind, High Humidity). I don’t want to scare you, but I think the DNF rate was almost 20%!!! My wife had the digital recorded out at various spots on the run course and in every scene that I DEATH MARCH by you can here ambulances everywhere. It was crazy. People were strung out everywhere. If it’s going to be in the upper 90’s with high humidity my game plan is going to change real quick from setting a PR to just surviving. One thing that helped me a lot at IMW was taking about a 1 min break at** every** aid station (bike and run) and dumping a few bottles/sponges over my head. This seemed to help a ton. Another thing I did (may or may not of helped) was not wear a wetsuit. I swam the day before in it and I felt like I was on fire so I opted to go without it. It felt so good to to not wear it. Lets hope for just average temps the 26th!!!
Deinitely hit the sponges at every possible aid station, and shove one in every place possible. And if someone on the course has the lawn sprinklers or a hose going onto the pavement, get wet from that as well.
Nutrition is part of surviving the roast. The other is taking every opportunity you get to keep your body temperature down.
Thanks! The Wisconsin stories were what got me a little nervous about this. I know I won’t be alone dealing w/ the weather. Let’s hope that Louisville get this out of it’s system in the next couple of weeks!
I saw a product some years ago that was a neck wrap that you would freeze and it was supposed to cool your jugular thus cooling the blood that was flowing throughout the body.
I know they make those hand warmers that you crack open and they heat for like 3 hours. I wonder if they have anything like that which would stay cool.
I may just pack a cooler of ice in my special run needs because I have a horrible time in the heat.
Are you to take your shirt off if it’s really bad, does anyone know?
same boat buddy. Spent a lot of the day thinking about it. Ordered some infinit. now I’m done thinking about it. I’m going to start slow and then ease off the pace a little. I’m going to stop at aid stations and get cold. I’m going to put ice in my shorts, shirt, pockets, shoes, hat, hands, mouth ears, and nose. I am going to lie to myself like crazy, “wow, I can’t believe it’s only 75…when’s it gonna get hot?”. I am going to be dripping with sunscreen and will have a volunteer reapply at every opportunity. Every kind soul with a hose will become my best friend. I will pitch in for your water bill.
Let’s be in it together. What are you going to be wearing? I’ll have on a Desoto TTT jersey and either an aia tri visor or timex hat. let’s exchange race numbers when the time comes and get hyped up.
I’m not sure who wrote about it (AC?), but tossing water on your body may make you warmer as it disrupts your body’s natural system. Of course, for many, the mental aspects are beneficial.
If it’s nasty hot (I was a Moo survivor), I’ll probably change into wicking running shorts/tank for the ran rather than tri gear. Much more tolerable (for me) when I’m full of sweat.
Question about tossing water on yourself…I notice (or think - could be completely mental) that when i dump water on myself it’s great initially, but then as my clothes stay wet (even when they’re just drenched in sweat), it almost feels like they hold the heat in. Am I crazy or does anyone else experience this?
I wear UnderArmor shorts & a long sports bra-type shirt, supposedly “wicking”, (ok, I now wicking doesn’t apply when we’re talking cups & cups of water) but they just get wet & stick to me & almost seem hot after they’re soaked.
Is it cooler to wear a loose singlet w/ a sports bra vs a tight shirt?
Also, once wet, they really seem to chafe! Any way to avoid this?
I’m no expert, no did hear this advise on NBC this morning with all the heat warnings across the country. Sweat is the body means of releasing heat from your body. Pouring water on you or wearing soaked clothes reduces your body’s ability to release it.
My guess is a Doc or expert will chime in for their 2 cents.
Now, perhaps putting ice under your cap might do something to lower your temp, but figure that also a short term solution. Thoughts? Was it Alex T who wore latex gloves filled with ice at Kona in 2005?
Certain materials seem to hold water more than others. I have a pair of synthetic shorts that are wicking, but hold the water like a sponge. Other pairs seem to let it 'pass through". Not all are created equal in this regard. After all, there are winter wicking garments so wicking does not equal anything other than wicking. I think what you might be looking for in a fabric is something thin and airy. Maybe mesh-y.
I have been racing in the De Soto skin cooler jersey this year and while I can’t confirm that I am cooler than normal, I can tell you that there’s no perceptible difference in skin feeling whether I have the zipper up or down…which tells me that it’s not making me hotter… That jersey seems like the best possible choice for a racer on a hot sunny day.
I am a big believer in the dousing theory. It does not inhibit your body from perspiring…it aids your bodies cooling process -greatly, in fact. It can act like “peeling off a layer of heat” from your skin. If it’s like this in LV and you don’t douse…you very will might not finish.
The longer runs for me this year have been all about dousing and electrolyte pills. It’s hot here in Columbus, but always a few degrees cooler than Louisville.
Took this suggestion from another forum and it works great for me in the heat:
put a ziplock bag in your T2 bag and then stash it in a pocket when you head out for the run. As you run through aid stations, you can have them fill it up with ice.
Put bag under your hat.
Dump water when melts, repeat at another aid station down the road.
Also…is there any merit to the color of your shirt? Does a black top (what I currently wear…maybe part of the problem) attract heat more than white? I’ve run out of excuses to shop this summer, so this may give me one…
A friend and I have taken to wetting our hats and then sticking them in the freezer for 5 minutes or so before running in the heat. They stay cold quite a long time and the melting water drips everywhere. It’s great.
This will be my second IM but living in St. Louis MO (home of 100 deg. and 99% humidity), I train in this crap all the time…the days I suffer are when I feel comfy in the morning and by the afternoon it gets HOT! Take away message: start drinking and taking Enduralytes (or your choice of electrolyte replacement) EARLY…don’t wait until you begin to feel the heat at all…at that point you are already behind and since IM is a long day and it will only get hotter, you need to keep your fluid stores as close to full as possible.
I did an overmileage bike ride this past weekend in 98 degree heat and developed this plan for coping with the heat…
-right out of the swim I am going to drink…drink …drink as much as my tummy can take without sloshing.
-the first half of the bike ride will be where I take in most of my “solid” calories (gel and Power bar) leaving mostly fluid calories for later when I get hotter.
-plan on drinking way more plain water than I normally do in races to hopefully avoid stomach issues that can start at the beginning of dehydration.
-last part of the bike will be a larger percentage of water vs. energy drink.
all fluids on the run…walk into aid stations to make sure I get fluids in me not on me!
Lastly, I will take whatever the day brings…if I have to go slow, so it is but if I follow this plan I shold be able to run most (if not all) of the marathon…
Sounds like a good plan. Pretty much what I was going to do as well. I’m also racing without my bike computer or watch so I don’t push myself to chase numbers.