Okay - I was unable to coordinate my schedule with any of the rides this weekend so I went to the Murfreesboro greenway yesterday afternoon with a goal of riding a solid 3 hours. I did accomplish this, but I have a question about something that happened during the last 30 minutes of my ride.

Obviously, getting close to the end of my ride I was feeling a normal amount of fatigue but then I experienced head to toe goosebumps. Considering it was in excess of 80 degrees, I did not think this could possibly be normal; however, I otherwise felt fine - no headache, no dizziness, no shakiness, no nausea, no confusion, no feeling that I absolutely had to stop right that second and sit down. I drank water and Powerade frequently throughout my ride (sipping, not guzzling), and consumed one Clif bar and two energy gels.

In hindsight, it might not have been such a good idea to start a ride at 1:30 on an 80+ degree day, but on the other hand I have got to be able to handle the heat or else accept that I will not be meeting my goals for this year.

So my question is this...if I want to go to Clarksville for a metric century on Memorial Day weekend and back for a full century in September, what can I do now in a safe way that will help me get used to riding in hot weather conditions...and also, in the future, what should I do if I break out in goosebumps again (I just slowed way down and finished my ride...once I decreased my intensity level, the goosebumps went away)?

Any thoughts?

I think you were just excited about riding so well!!! Or it could be the result of sweat cooling down your skin.
But I think you were smart to stop when you were in question. Better safe than injured!!!

Susan

Hahaha...yes, perhaps it was an indication of my general excitement more so than a symptom of anything bad! But I'd rather know what to look for so I don't end up in the hospital! Since it can get so hot around here, I figure a discussion about heat safety might not be a bad idea anyway.

It was probably nothing, but hydration begins days before you do any ride. Don't wait to just chug a ton of water 'during' the ride. It's kinda too late. It might cool you down (mostly if you just pour it over your head), but may not do much to cool your system down since it's only playing catchup with what you've lost already.

If it's increasingly hot out, make sure in the days preceeding (and just regularly) to drink lots of water. The idea is to (when you urinate) to see a clear stream at least once or twice during the day.

How many ounces of fluid did you consume while riding? And to David's point about hydration before the ride, besides the amount of water you drank the day before, how much caffeine, soda, sodium and or alcohol did you consume the day before?

Goosebumps usually indicate the onset of heat sickness. It's when you stop sweating and get chilled that it's an indicator that you made be heading that way.

For a 3 hour intense ride in the heat I would have consumed a minimum 48 ounces of HEED and maybe 24 ounces of water plus a snack. But a salty snack. It's just a preference and a trick I learned when training for marathons.

I didn't ride saturday for the very reason David B stated. My diet was crap Friday. I didn't get my water in and I had alcohol with dinner. The other factor is that we have been riding in 60 degree weather and then suddenly jump to 80 doesn't give you time to acclimate.

Kellee

Thanks for all the input. I carry two bottles with me that together contains 50 oz. I fill these three quarters with Powerade and top it off with water (I find full strength sports drinks taste too sweet by the end of a long ride). Drinking water on a daily basis is no problem - I drink at least 64-96 oz of plain water daily, coffee only on my way to work, club soda (no sodium variety) with lemon if I want something carbonated, no other sodas, decaff herbal tea if I get cold at work.

I didn't think about it, but I did go out with a girlfriend Saturday evening and we split a bottle of wine so maybe this played into my issue.

Salty snack? What kind of salty snack?!

A salty snack like some of those peanut butter crackers you find in the vending machines or at any gas station. I find the really dry snacks hard to eat on a hot day. Cliff ShotBlocks are usually my thing.

I'd probably knock the powerade ratio to 1/2 instead of 3/4. You really don't need much more than that, especially if you are drinking a lot on a hot day, and you need even less on a cool day. Just make sure you get a good meal in a few hours before you start your ride, and follow a general rule of intaking about 100 calories of 'something' every 45 minutes at least, depending on your level of effort.

A package of peanut butter crackers are my favorite. I like the peanut butter and honey on plain crackers. I put them in a zip lock and eat them as I go. I also don't like gatorade and prefer HEED (high electrolyte energy drink). Moab sells one bottle powder packets that you can mix and try. It doesn't have as much sugar as gatorade.

Hope all of this helps. See you Saturday at the kick off ride. I have other new rider friends who plan to join us.

A couple more tips - On a hot day I drink at least 16 oz. of water before the ride (allowing time to go to the bathroom). I also use a Camelback most of the year but ESPECIALLY on really hot days. Having COLD water so easily accessible is huge when you are out a long time in the heat. I generally drink a lot more with the Camelback than without.