I’ve notice that if I take salt tabs lately I have trouble getting my heart rate down. Is this a sign that I don’t need them or should I look for something that has less potassium? I should also mention that this only happens when I run off the bike after a long 80+ mile ride. On the bike I drink Gatorade Endurance and eat EFS liquishot which both have electrolytes.
I’ll chime in since no one else has. How do you know it’s the salt tabs? I take them occassionally, like today I did a 112mi ride + 6mi run and took them the last half of the bike. I couldn’t detect a noticeable increase in HR and here’s my hour by hour data.
Hour 1: TSS=47.1, IF=.686, NP=182, VI=1.04, AHR=141
Hour 2: TSS=50.4, IF=.732, NP=194, VI=1.03, AHR=145
Hour 3: TSS=55.8, IF=.747, NP=198, VI=1.03, AHR=139
Hour 4: TSS=46.4, IF=.751, NP=199, VI=1.04, AHR=138
Hour 5: TSS=32.9, IF=.608, NP=161, VI=1.19, AHR=125
Hour 6: TSS=44.3, IF=.693, NP=184, VI=1.05, AHR=138
Hour 7: TSS=38.6, IF=.676, NP=179, VI=1.04, AHR=138
It could just be heart rate drift (http://www.tri-ecoach.com/art24.htm) which goes back to how do you know it’s the salt tabs.
The reason I think it’s the tabs is because on cooler days that I have trained similar distance and I don’t take them I don’t seem to have this problem. It only seems to be on the hot days. I think it could be a combo of the salt tabs and simply not drinking enough fluids when I am riding. Yesterday when I was done riding and getting ready to run I took a 22oz run bottle with Gatorade Endurance in it. I sucked the whole thing down in 6 miles and didnt have any GI issues or cramping at all which is very weird. I usually don’t even drink water if it’s under 10 miles. When I was done I slammed about 12oz of water and a 20oz Mtn dew. I was definitly pretty dehydrated but I am thinking the tabs may have made it worse since the sodium is trying to absorb water but I didnt have that much in my system for it to absorb. So I am thinking if I just drink more fluids on the bike and skip the tabs I may be better off.
Why do you think that it’s the salt tablets and not the higher temperatures on the days that you take the tablets that results in a higher heart rate?
Try biting the salt tabs open. If it tastes good, swallow it. It it tastes nasty, don’t. It works extremely well as a way to listen to your body on whether or not you need it.
Why do you think that it’s the salt tablets and not the higher temperatures on the days that you take the tablets that results in a higher heart rate?
I have been noticing lately that in the heat, I have much less ability to cool myslf (thus resulting in the higher HR’s). I went for a run last Sunday at night (7 miler) did the whole thing no problem, long slow distance at around 9:20 pace (not a runner here). Went for same run day before yesterday at about 4:00. At about the 4 mile mark I knew I was in trouble, at 5 mile, it was over, I walked the last 2 miles. I maintained the same 9:20 pace the whole time. Only difference in two runs was temperature.
The way I would best describe it is it felt like I had a really bad sunburn over 100% of my body, I could not cool off. After about 1.5 miles of walking, I finally cooled off enough to run again (but saw no need). I was very hydrated, never felt thirsty, never stopped sweating, just could not cool myself.
I am not a light runner, I am 5’6" 152 lbs. I am very low body fat (definitely single digits), so I don’t have much weight to lose, I think this body style is just the hand that I have been dealt. I have always been told that the amount of heat that the body can disipate is a function of body weight/height. I can not wait for temps to get back into the 70’s so I can really test myself and see what improvement I have made over last year.
Sorry for the hijack, I am just agreeing that the issue may not be the salt.