Training & Nutrition - I hate hills

I'm 46-just returned to riding-enough that I splurged on a Jamis Aurora bike. I can ride hours on the flat, but uphill is killing me. I get winded, my heart rate climbs-I've been pushing my self to go a bit further uphill each time before gearing down, but it doesn't seem to get any easier. I am going further distances, but its labored.

Yet, after I come back down the hill (about 20 min of delightful coasting) my heart rate is back down, and I can ride a few more hours in the flat areas with no problem and get home, not really tired. My legs are holding up, its my breathing.

So what am I doing wrong on the hills? How can I build up my endurance? Do I just keep going a bit further up hill each time? I like the challenge of the hills

I think it was Greg LeMond who said: "It never gets easier, you just go faster." You will gradually go longer distances, and climg longer hills...but it will still be hard!

I would say first what kind of cassette cog ratio that you have in the back? I have a 12-23 for the road and a 12-27 for the hills. Secondly do you ride more than once a week. Third what kind of fitness shape are you in. I myself have been riding for 16 years consistantly so to me riding hills are not a problem. Not that they are ever easy but I would like to say that I am not suffering as much as when I was not in shape. And I'm 50 years old myself.

I'm 46-just returned to riding-enough that I splurged on a Jamis Aurora bike. I can ride hours on the flat, but uphill is killing me. I get winded, my heart rate climbs-I've been pushing my self to go a bit further uphill each time before gearing down, but it doesn't seem to get any easier. I am going further distances, but its labored.

Yet, after I come back down the hill (about 20 min of delightful coasting) my heart rate is back down, and I can ride a few more hours in the flat areas with no problem and get home, not really tired. My legs are holding up, its my breathing.

So what am I doing wrong on the hills? How can I build up my endurance? Do I just keep going a bit further up hill each time? I like the challenge of the hills


Aha you are breathing really hard. Breathing rates are caused by CO2 buildup in the blood. In people with healthy lungs the blood gets nearly 100% oxygen saturated as it goes through the lung's capillary beds so fast breathing rates are not caused by an lack of Oxygen, at least not in the blood. What is happening is you are pushing yourself up to your anaerobic threshold or even going anaerobic. This really does not have that much to do with endurance. Endurance is more about your ability to just go and go at a moderate pace and not the max power you can generate.

Well, you have several options on dealing with this. One you could go out and do this regularly and build up your maximum power but that is a pretty long term deal. Of course, if you are not in very good shape, eventually if you keep cycling regularly, it will happen. I remember the hills around my house getting flatter as I went from couch potato to fit rider.

However, the other fix is just gear down and slow down on the climb. You might need to stick some lower gears on your bike either by 1) using the low gears that you have or if you are using your lowest gears currently 2) swapping out your cassette for one with lower gears or if your current cassette already has lower gears 3) going to a triple chain ring.

Good luck.

I think the approach to hills is at least 60% mental. If you approach a hill with a negative attitude, you may well be beaten before you even start the climb. My approach to hills when I encounter them (which is frequently as I specifically look for them) is that I want to totally own them. Contrary to popular belief, arrogance isn't necessarily a bad thing.

As far as the improvement side of things goes, it's one of those things that can sneak up on you, and surprise you. You might do a particular hill for three months and notice no visible improvement on it, then one day all that practice will pay off at once, and you'll nail it. You just need to give yourself a chance - and the best way to improve on hills is to ride more of them.

Thanks, I can see that I'm making a few training mistakes.
I think instead of pushing myself to stay out of the "granny" gear I need to gear down sooner instead of pushing myself to the limit in a higher gear.
And as you all said, just keep biking the hills-going a bit further each time. On the positive side, the downhill coast is just going to get longer.
Because of my work schedule, I am doing a flat ride (20 km) after work, and only doing the hills on Sat. and Sun. I think I need to work at least one "hill" ride in during the week instead of leaving it to only the weekends.
Thanks again
American Sensei

I decided I like Hills better than headwinds! At least hills you can go down the other side, and coast. Winds- it never lets up, you have to keep pedaling, you can't coast. It sucks!

I've always wanted to try and improve my climbing. However, since last year at this time I lost about 10 pounds, some of it from illness over the winter. Boy, does it make a difference, when you carry less weight up a hill. Of course, that's why the best climbers are always little skinny guys like Simoni. Well,I now weigh what he does. However, if you're not a little skinny guy, you have to be hugely strong like Eddy Merckx.

Sunday went out and climbed the hill-got down in the granny gear earlier-only grimaced for a short time when the guy 10 yrs older than me PASSED me on the hill! Also made a point to drink water and take my time, end result was yes it took me longer but I went farther and felt better. And there is such a charge when...you....get...to...the........ .. ..TOP. Fantastic View of Osaka as well!
Thanks for the help
American Sensei

Sunday went out and climbed the hill-got down in the granny gear earlier-only grimaced for a short time when the guy 10 yrs older than me PASSED me on the hill! Also made a point to drink water and take my time, end result was yes it took me longer but I went farther and felt better. And there is such a charge when...you....get...to...the........ .. ..TOP. Fantastic View of Osaka as well!
Thanks for the help
American Sensei

Yeah, hills really suck. I have been riding again for about a year and a half now and when I first started I couldn't get up the hill to our house. I'd ride a couple a 100 or 200 feet and have to stop because I was so winded.

This past saturday I went riding with my husband who conned me into going up a very steep local hill, one I had never climbed before--I'm betting that this is a 18%+ grade. For the first time he went straight up it and I got up it by riding up the hill and at each cross street on my side I rode across hill for a house or two slowly and then back slowly to go back up the hill again; I never got off my bike or stopped moving. HooRAY!

You may always hate hills, but you can learn to conquer them. Use that granny and slow down, and the speed will come, maybe slowly but it will come if you keep trying to go up those hills. I am now able to gear up for portions of the hills around here, but since I have osteoarthritic knees I generally granny up them. I figure if I am going 4-6 miles an hour up a hill it's faster than I could walk it comfortably--and my legs are much, much stronger.

And remember, if you never do something, you can never become better at doing it! Also, I've found that the strength you build upthe hills helps your power on the flats. Keep at it and have fun.

P.S. I just turned 48 this year--I know you can do it. . .

Someone once sent me a private message asking about how to improve their hill climbing. Here's my response.



Climbing is definately something that needs to develop alongside basic flatland endurance. Most likely, you'll be going anearobic as you start hitting the climb. The trick is to delay this process as it really wears down your body. The longer you can remain aerobic through the climb, the better. You really have to condition your body to do this. Also climbing works different muscle groups so don't be surprised to find that you can pedal all day long on the flats but as soon as you hit hills, you're all of a sudden winded. The only real way to train for climbing is to... well... climb.

One thing I've always suggested is to turn it into a routine on a hill you know. Go back to a familiar hill that's not too steep and climb it over and over. Make it a part of your normal riding routine or just simply go there to climb that hill. Experiment. This does several things.

It eliminates the intimidation factour of the unknown. You know what the hill is like. You've ridden it before.
Gives you a baseline for comparison so that you can not only gauge your current progress but future progress.
Provides you with "markers" for your body so that you can know when to shift. When to stand up and get out of the pedals, what your cadence should be, how your body should be positioned, etc...
Gives you a sense of accomplishment. "I beat that hill." "This time I got THAT far up... next time, I'm going for THAT point."


Once you've conquered that one hill and have developed a certain technique or rhythm for tackling a "generic" hill... move onto other hills. Experiment some more by adding smaller hill into your rides to "break up your ride". This now tries to train your body to recover from hills. You'll now learn how to modify your technique to adapt to other types of hills.

Of course not everything will work for everyone but I've always been taught this and this is what I usually tell others who are beginning to ride. I hope this helps.

Great advice! I've been following it somewhat-I have "THE HILL" that I am working on-trying to reduce my time each week. I found out a long time ago I work well with "rewards" I've decided if I can cut my time to the top by 10 min. I deserve a new "cycling" item-be it shorts, jersey, computer.

Cycling vacation?

I think someone here deserves a smilie sticker on her hill climbing score card.

Someone once sent me a private message asking about how to improve their hill climbing. Here's my response.

Geeze, khuon, great advice. Mebbe I'll just print this out and give it to all the people who think I am crazy not only to ride a bike on the road but to climb the hills around here too!


. . . I found out a long time ago I work well with "rewards" I've decided if I can cut my time to the top by 10 min. I deserve a new "cycling" item-be it shorts, jersey, computer.

Cycling vacation?

This method works with most anything you apply it too, if you use the right rewards! Some people call it bribery or coercion, but I say call it whatever as long as it works. I guess if your glass is half full you call it a reward and if your glass is half empty you call it bribery-coercion!

Cycling vacation sounds good to me.

My next big reward is gonna be a new, lightweight bike, done out to fit me exactly. . .and then a cycling vacation!

Good luck and keep up the good work!

rhythm, rhythm, rhythm.

i use little mental tricks to keep my pace steady. this is absurd, but this is the best one i've found so far:

i visualize my legs as pistons - up/down, up/down, up/down. i also move my body slightly with each pedal stroke and fall into a pattern as best i can. sometimes i count each stroke and try to keep a steady tempo that way.

keeping upright on the bike will allow you to breath easier, so make sure you're not too crunched over.

Work at a sustainable rate, and pick a gear to suit. If you have to ride more slowly, then so be it. My climbing cadence (pedalling rate) is a bit slower than flat riding, but still quite fast. I alternate sitting and standing. When Im sitting, I spin my legs in circles.
There is no substitute for actually climbing hills. No amount of flat-riding will make you a better climber.

Low gears definitely help.

I used to abhorr hills, and being raised in a flat city didn't help with my training. Anyway, my touring bike has a low of 22/32 (that's 18,5 gear-inches), which I use sometimes when riding alone, but quite often with the kids.

With low low gears, hills are slow, hills may be warm and hills may require a lot of water, but hills aren't more painful than riding on flat terrain. I just spin at 60 rpm (instead of 80-90 on the flats)... and I eat kilometres very slowly, but smell a lot more flowers. Everyone passes me when going uphill, but who cares!

Please be sure it's the bike and not the equipment riding it. I, like many women over 40, have a mitral valve with just a little murmur. Only time it ever bothers me is on *&$#@ hills. Not dangerous but it does make a difference especially with the shortness of breath with the increased lactic acid build-up.

Been there, done that. I just turned 49 and have been riding for three years now. I still don't like hills, but I find that I can climb them easier and a little faster than when I first started. Less weight does help and that comes with proper diet and more exercise. I use a push/pull technique, pushing down with one leg at the same time pulling up with the other. Quirky, but it works. Yes, I use granny gears too and not ashamed to do so. Good luck on your riding and you will get there. :)

I hated hills, and I sucked on hills...UNTIL I decided to embrace them and love them. Once a week, I have a hill climb day where I visit our local training hill-3/4 mile at a ridiculous gradient. Sometimes, I climb it for 2 hours: I use the coast down as recovery and immediately climb it again. Sometimes I aim for a certain amount of "climbs." The hill feels shorter and I can definitely feel the difference in perceived exertion.

I've also incorportated some gym work: squats, dead lifts, lunges, leg presses, and core and upper body.

Don't forget to stand to get your cadence back up (another skill I've been working on.) Really, just learn to love the hill and let your brain wonder. Soon, there'll be no better feeling than the intense hill climb.

This is a great thread and inspiring for us "older" riders.
Someone mentioned that the approach to hills is 60% mental and I believe this is true. I find that if I keep looking up at the hill and telling myself how difficult it's going to be, I seem to run out of energy sooner and the climb seems to take forever. If I refrain from focusing on the hill itself ,concentrate instead on my spin, and stop repeating negative thoghts to myself, I'm up and over faster and with less exertion. While I'm never going to love hills, I'm less intimadated than I was when I first got my bike and am making steady progress. I'm sure this will be the case for you also.

I'm getting to like hills more this year. I've lost about 15 lbs (mostly due to illness over the winter and a very stressful year) and now that I'm lighter and have less of a load, it's easier. Hills that seemed really tough last year are suprisingly easy this year. A friend of mine said I'm turning into one of those skinny climber types. Well, I have to be good at something since I can't sprint for s***!

I'm getting to like hills more this year. I've lost about 15 lbs (mostly due to illness over the winter and a very stressful year) and now that I'm lighter and have less of a load, it's easier. Hills that seemed really tough last year are suprisingly easy this year. A friend of mine said I'm turning into one of those skinny climber types. Well, I have to be good at something since I can't sprint for s***!


I've got to stop looking on HOW FAR AWAY the top of the hill seems and just concentrate on moving my feet, pushing down, pulling up....getting...the ...bike...up....the ...hill. And suddenly I look up-and I'm there!
American Sensei

For the last 3 years, all I've ridden is a flat railtrail, though a darn long one. I've worked on building up distance and have neglected hills. Big time. This goes along with a fear of cars more than hills, so no hills. I know if I am ever going to be a "real" cyclist (especially a touring one, which I aspire to) I've got to get over my "hill phobia". This thread has helped me a lot...I wonder how much of the challenge is mental vs. physical. Thanks guys!

I remember the hills around my house getting flatter as I went from couch potato to fit rider.

I love this quote, 'cause it's true. :)

You want to build lung capacity? You want to be able to go up hills. Start by blowing up balloons. Hundreds and hundreds of them. Get the cheap small ones that are hard to blowup.

You want to build lung capacity? You want to be able to go up hills. Start by blowing up balloons. Hundreds and hundreds of them. Get the cheap small ones that are hard to blowup.

Why is that one scene with Julie Haggerty and the autopilot (****) from the movie Airplane is popping into my head? Okay... maybe I'm just a perv. :D

man that was a funny movie.

on the note of the thread though i used to hate hills. i have started to get a better schedule getting out on tuesday, thursday, saturday. only been doing it for a few weeks and now i am loving it. i used to like cycling now i LOVE it. like man i am going up hill and flying past people and i just get more motivated the more i ride. i cant wait to get my allez so i can really fly:)

I picked the wrong week to quit making pithy Airplane references...

Another useful technique is to count pedal strokes in threes:
1 2 3
LF RF LF (LF= Left foot)
This avoids the temptaion, if you count 1, 2, 1, 2, of pressing down harder on the "1", and so makes your pedalling strokes smoother and more even.

If you are trying a new hill which is both long and hard work, focus on short distance targets, next lampost, next porcupine pizza, etc. This turns the hill into a less fearsome beast.

Also, try using a gear which enables you to keep, more or less, to the same kind of pedalling tempo/cadence that you use on the flat (which assumes that your cadence on the flat is in the region of 90rpm (one complete revolution of one foot)

Hey! I think it's wonderful that you are out there crankin it!

[QUOTE=atbman]Another useful technique is to count pedal strokes in threes:
1 2 3
LF RF LF (LF= Left foot)
This avoids the temptaion, if you count 1, 2, 1, 2, of pressing down harder on the "1", and so makes your pedalling strokes smoother and more even.

If you are trying a new hill which is both long and hard work, focus on short distance targets, next lampost, next porcupine pizza, etc. This turns the hill into a less fearsome beast.
QUOTE]

yea actually i do a mix of both. i generally count to ten rather than 3 just cause it is still a short number but i can cover more distance in that time. i pick a point ahead i feel i can get to during that time and crank it out. once there i am like i am good i can make it there now and i keep going till i am at the top. usually the last count going over the top of the hill is the hardest part but at that point i just push it cause i am like i am there cant stop now. :D

[QUOTE=atbman]Another useful technique is to count pedal strokes in threes:
1 2 3
LF RF LF (LF= Left foot)
This avoids the temptaion, if you count 1, 2, 1, 2, of pressing down harder on the "1", and so makes your pedalling strokes smoother and more even.

If you are trying a new hill which is both long and hard work, focus on short distance targets, next lampost, next porcupine pizza, etc. This turns the hill into a less fearsome beast.
QUOTE]

yea actually i do a mix of both. i generally count to ten rather than 3 just cause it is still a short number but i can cover more distance in that time. i pick a point ahead i feel i can get to during that time and crank it out. once there i am like i am good i can make it there now and i keep going till i am at the top. usually the last count going over the top of the hill is the hardest part but at that point i just push it cause i am like i am there cant stop now. :D
use an odd number 9 or 11 rather than ten. this way your legs will alternate between evens and odds each full count(of 9 say) and it helps to avoid a semi-concious tendancy to push harder with one leg. 1r-2L-3r-4L-5r-6L-7r-8L-9r-1L-2r-3L-4r-etc. See right leg is odds than the left leg is odds. If I've over explained I appologise I'm a bit tired and just want to make sure my points are clearish.

This is a great thread and inspiring for us "older" riders.
Someone mentioned that the approach to hills is 60% mental and I believe this is true. I find that if I keep looking up at the hill and telling myself how difficult it's going to be, I seem to run out of energy sooner and the climb seems to take forever. If I refrain from focusing on the hill itself ,concentrate instead on my spin, and stop repeating negative thoghts to myself, I'm up and over faster and with less exertion. While I'm never going to love hills, I'm less intimadated than I was when I first got my bike and am making steady progress. I'm sure this will be the case for you also.

I am not big on hillls but they sure make me feel like I accomplished something when I make it to the top. Like "seacycle" I find it easier to not focus on the top of the hill. I tend to duck my head and focus about three feet infront of me with occasional glances further ahead to keep track of my hubby who is my riding buddy.

I have tried the up/down piston method for a rythmn but I also use weird tunes like "put one foot in front of the other and soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor". It's silly but it comes out of one of my favorite Christmas specials from childhood that I share with my kids ~The Year without a Santa Claus. Kris Kringle teaches the Winter Warlock that he's not too old to do something new.

Like I said, silly, but it works for me.

I like to count when I climb but it's not as sophisticated as the other ways mentioned. I count every time a leg goes down and depending upon how big the hill is I'll count to a certain number, stand for another number of downstrokes and then back in the saddle counting to the first number again - repeating this until I'm at the top. I also concentrate on breathing while I am counting forcing me to breathe slow and in a controlled manner. I also concentrate on pedaling complete circles thus enabling me to utilize all my leg muscles. And very importantly....NEVER LOOK AT THE TOP OF THE HILL while riding. If you concentrate on pedaling and breathing you'll be up there before you know it.

If you are shifting to your granny gear make sure you do it at the right time or you will end up losing your momentum.

Another suggestion to help with bettering your cardio... Get an indoor trainer and purchase some Spinerval videos or dvds and add that once or twice to your training.

Hang in there...

When I count, I sometimes count breaths rather than pedal strokes; dunno why, but it seems to make the hill disappear faster sometimes. I also set landmarks (that signpost, that tree, etc.), esp. as prospective shift points.

I was going to post a simple response but now I want thank everyone for their helpful hints. I've learned more from this post then I would have thought. The thing I have found most useful for me is to take a few seconds in the approach of the hill and make a plan. What gear am I going to use...what cadence do I want. When do I want to start breathing deeper. Once I start my climb I rarle look a more than few feet ahead of me just the occasional glance for safety. I set little goals "just make it 10 more feet...that 10 feet wasn't bad do another...etd" Most of the time when I crest the hill I'm surprised to be over the top because I'm concentrating on my pedaling. Let us know how any of these tips work for you...I'm going to try some tonight and I'm buying a little bag of balloons!

I also want to thank everyone for their helpful input. I too am a hill-hater, because (and this really sucks) they make me throw up. So I knew I was doing something wrong. And the fact that I have a triple makes it even more humiliating, because with that I should be able to rip-ass up those hills. But from all this I've learned I'm not breathing properly and going anaerobic, which in turn makes me nauseous, which in turn makes me hurl. And of course, hurling really weakens you, to the place where you just can't go anymore.

As an example, I recently tried doing a century ride that contained s**tloads of hills. And I mean long, STEEP hills--we're talking Cat 2 or 1 climbs. Now this was pretty stupid of me, as I'd never attempted a century before, but I had done a few metrics, so I thought I could pull it off. But I didn't realize how hilly the course was going to be. So I managed the first couple climbs, but when I got to mile 48, I started feeling just awful and seriously thought about abandoning. But I determined to try to at least get to the halfway mark of 50, and let me tell you, those last two miles were the longest ones of my life, especially as I had already barfed a couple times. I managed to make it to 50 miles, but then everything happened. I threw up so much that I passed out and had to be taken to the ER, where I had to have two IVs because of severe dehydration.

So the first sensible thing I learned from all this is not to do a century until I've actually ridden 100 miles during training. And secondly, all these good ideas for controlling the breathing and pedaling,etc., will also help. For a while I actually considered giving up on hills altogether, figuring I just couldn't do them because I was physically wrong for them or something (I'm actually more of a sprinter--hell on flat rides), but all this info has given me new hope. Besides, I know I'll never get better at them unless I keep practicing.
So thanks again!

I decided I like Hills better than headwinds! At least hills you can go down the other side, and coast. Winds- it never lets up, you have to keep pedaling, you can't coast. It sucks!

I've always wanted to try and improve my climbing. However, since last year at this time I lost about 10 pounds, some of it from illness over the winter. Boy, does it make a difference, when you carry less weight up a hill. Of course, that's why the best climbers are always little skinny guys like Simoni. Well,I now weigh what he does. However, if you're not a little skinny guy, you have to be hugely strong like Eddy Merckx.

I LOVE HILLS...Give me a hill to a strong head wind any day! I used to hate the hills too, but now I love them...hell I look forward to them. It's like the other dude said, mostly mental. They don't last forever. What's really cool is when you are out staking a new route in the car and think, woo, this will be a killer. Then you get out there and you are like, this is totally do-able. I'm a big indoor cycling fan too, I take a spinning class four days a week and mercy, you can really go balls to the walls if you wanna. A great work-out. Don't get me wrong...I ache to ride and come the weekend it's all about me and my bike...but with a husband and a kid, weekdays it's easier to head to the gym.

How do you decide when to stand and when to spin? That's always my problem, and how many gears do you have to shift? I find if I'm spinning, it's too easy when I stand and I need to gear up (down?) to have some resistance to push against.

Hill climbing...

From an east coast rider - Try to pick a gear that you can pedal at a decent cadence (90 rpm or so) and remain seated. If you start to bog down, downshift or stand if you are near the top. Riding a tripple does not make you faster...just gives you more low gears to chose from. The longer the hill the more important to stay seated. Short steep hills can be powered over by standing.

Practice, practice, practice! loose weight! The lighter you are the better you climb (should be a no-brainer).

The more hills you climb and the harder you climb them, the lighter you will get.

I seem to always be going up the Queensboro Bridge (about a 1 mile climb) against the wind. I don't know what it is...Always when I was out too late the night before, too.

I do better if I think about other things than how much my legs are burning and how heavy I'm breathing. I look out over Manhattan and look at the boats in the river, things like that, anything to forget that I'm climbing. Seems to work for me. (I know that biking a bridge is nil compared to a mountain, but hey, it's all I've got.)

i think some of it is mental.. i climbed oak glen this past weekend which of part of the breathless agony ride here in california.. i almost didn't go cuz the websites talking about it say how horrible it is..

ya know what.. i did it in an hour! i climbed at about 4 mph most of the way.. but i paced myself and was at the top before i knew it! i could have gone further!

i've only been riding 6 weeks... and yes.. i LOVED the downhill!

so my advice: pace yourself and don't try to go fast.. just plan on making it to the top!

How do you decide when to stand and when to spin? That's always my problem, and how many gears do you have to shift? I find if I'm spinning, it's too easy when I stand and I need to gear up (down?) to have some resistance to push against.
Go for an inbetween gear so you can grind rather than a fast spin and still have some resistance for standing. As for when to do which, I sit untill it burns so bad I can't possibly keep sitting then I go a couple more revolutions pulling up on the pedals then I stand and go untill I feel like I can sit again, using the standing as a rest basically.(standing uses different muscles) I pick one gear as I have friction shifters and a pre-hyperglide cogset so quick shifting is difficult on hills.

As for pukeing, drink a little more and drink long before your thirsty, dehydration can cause this, low salt can also contribute to dehydration.
If you start to feel even slightly queasy pull over right then, drink a few ounces, slap some water on your head and clothes, and sit in the shade on the ground with your knees up and helmet off untill you cool down(5-15 minutes), one of the signs of heat exhaustion, and more extreme heat stroke, is a sick queasy feeling.
The third culprit is Hyponatremia which is low blood salt caused by sweating for long periods(or successive short periods) and drinking only low sodium fluids like water or soft drinks, it is just as dangerous as dehydration and has killed people and put others into comas.

Table 1 provides an example of typical electrolyte loss.

ELECTORLYTES LOST THROUGH SWEAT (Lost & Consumed) 4 LITERS
(of sweat loss)
SODIUM 3220 mg
CHLORIDE 3550 mg
POTASSIUM 1253 mg
CALCIUM 240 mg
MAGNESIUM 97 mg
* Assumes that each liter of sweat for Endurance Athletes contains 35 mEq/L Na+, 25 mEq/L Cl-, 8 mEq/L K+, 3 mEq/LCa2+ and 2 mEq/L Mg2+. While endurance athletes actually lose less sodium and chloride per liter of sweat than non-enduranceathletes (as one of the benefits of high aerobic fitness), they lose more sweat per hour than non-endurance athletes, hence their increased need for electrolytes. This equation represents a mean amount. Some athletes may lose more or less in their sweat.



Hyponatremia is a disorder in fluid-electrolyte balance that results in abnormally low plasma sodium concentration (<135 mmol/L; normal = 138-142 mmol/L). A sustained decrease in plasma sodium concentration disrupts the osmotic balance across the blood-brain barrier, resulting in a rapid influx of water into the brain. This causes brain swelling and a cascade of increasingly severe neurological responses (confusion, seizure, coma) that can culminate in death from rupture of the brainstem.

The lower and faster blood sodium falls, the greater the risk of life-threatening consequences. A decrease in plasma sodium concentration to 125-135 mmol/L usually results in little more than gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating and nausea. Below 125 mmol/L, the symptoms become more severe and include confusion, throbbing headache, wheezy breathing, swollen hands and feet, unusual fatigue, and incoordination. When plasma sodium concentration drops below 120 mmol/L, seizure, coma, and death become more likely. However, some athletes have survived hyponatremia of <115 mmol/L, while others have died at >120 mmol/L.



With some mild cases of hyponatremia, an athlete might experience nothing more than fatigue, apathy, slight nausea, and a headache. These symptoms are not uncommon during hot-weather events. Severe hyponatremia, leading to incoordination, confusion, and seizure, is a dangerous threat to any athlete - its seriousness and likelihood should not be underestimated.When an athlete competes or trains in a hot environment, maintaining fluid and sodium balance is a challenge. This is also true for laborers or military and service personnel (e.g., firefighters) who sweat considerably while working. Simply adding salt to the diet (or eating high-salt foods) can help to prevent a sodium deficit and maintain or restore hydration. Even sports drinks and other beverages with a low concentration of sodium can help maintain a higher plasma sodium level (Vrijens & Rehrer, 1999). Examples of good sodium and chloride sources include the following:

* Salt: 1/4 teaspoon (or 1.5 grams) has 590 mg of sodium.

* Salted pretzels (483 mg sodium/stick)

* Tomato juice (882 mg sodium/cup)

* Sodium-containing sport drinks (e.g. Gatorade contains 110 mg sodium/8 oz)

* Chicken noodle soup (1107 mg sodium/cup - 8 oz)

* Tomato sauce (1481 mg sodium/cup)

* Cheddar cheese/shredded (701 mg sodium/cup)

* Pepperoni pizza (817 mg sodium/slice)

However, rather than just relying on salting foods or choosing salt-containing dietary items (which can lead to considerable uncertainty regarding how much salt is ingested), it is often more effective to follow a more specific plan. For many serious athletes, this could involve consuming a selected volume of a salt-containing beverage such as a sports drink at regular intervals (e.g., 2-3 times a day), along with other fluids and foods throughout a training or competition period. Compared to drinking plain water, this ensures additional fluid intake and better fluid retention because of the salt content of the drink. When an athlete has to compete several times during the day and sweat losses are great, a sports drink should be consumed between events or matches in addition to an appropriate amount of other fluid and food that can be tolerated and rapidly digested. For those athletes who are especially prone to heat cramps, it may be helpful to add additional salt, e.g., 1/2 teaspoon/32 oz, to the sports drink; this is a convenient and reasonably palatable way to get at least an additional 1180 milligrams of sodium. For these people, salt pills work too, but it is important to have adequate fluid intake at the same time. Specifically, salt pills are likely to be more effective and better tolerated if the pills are ground up and mixed with an appropriate amount of fluid prior to consumption (e.g., 2-3 tablets per liter of fluid).

Ohio gezaymas, sensei!

Spin, spin!
Do not look at the top of the hill. Climb it in increments: up to the next telephone post, up to that big tree, up to that . . you get the idea and . . .to the top of the hill.
Am 71 years old, still average 100+ miles a week. Old is a state of mind!
You can do it, sensei!

. . . i climbed oak glen this past weekend . . .
ya know what.. i did it in an hour! i climbed at about 4 mph most of the way.. but i paced myself and was at the top before i knew it! i could have gone further!


Oak Glen--I love it up there 'round apple time. What with your words of good cheer, maybe I'll go up there with my hubby and kids, have Hubby (or my oldest, if hubby wants to ride too) drop me at the bottom of the hill (about where the road to the turkey farm is) and ride up there and meet them.

I usually am climing about 4.5 mph, slow but steady and I am getting so I can hang in there for quite a while.

Maybe a climb to Mt Baldy Village is in my future this winter?

Congratulations!

I just discovered something interesting. I had a double that I just traded for a triple. I know, I know, triples are looked down upon. So, here's the deal. When I was on a double, I could go down to a really low gear. Now, on the triple, I'm too embarrassed to use the 'granny' gear, so I'm actually working harder on the middle ring than people are on a double. What's up with that???

A couple of other tips for hills that I have found helpful...
1. Scoot way back on your seat to give more leverage for your pedaling.
2. Try to build up as much speed as you can at the base of the hill for momentum to get you at least partway up the hill. This works best with little "roller coaster" sections where you have many hills in a row.
3. Don't look too far up the hill - it can be discouraging. Just look at the road a few yards just ahead of your bike. Get engrossed in what you see on the shoulder. Imagine that you are really on the flats, it's just windy. Any little trick to help psyche yourself out that "this is not a hill, I repeat, it is not a hill".
4. Concentrate on just spinning your way to the top, initially. Use that granny to build your confidence. Gradually move up to slightly higher gears if you need to.
5. Try to do some standing if you can. This can be tricky since you may want to be in a harder gear for standing, but an easier one for sitting. Trying to switch gears on the hills is tough; I would imagine most of us just live with whatever gear we're in rather than risk trying to change gears under load.
You seem to be on the right track, Sensei, especially with the idea of searching out hills and making yourself do them for extra practice. I have a stretch of road near me that has several ugly but not too long hills. Everytime I come to the intersection and want to go another route, I try to take the one with the hills just because I need to. I know it has made me stronger. Plus, the downhills are always worth it!

Oak Glen--I love it up there 'round apple time. What with your words of good cheer, maybe I'll go up there with my hubby and kids, have Hubby (or my oldest, if hubby wants to ride too) drop me at the bottom of the hill (about where the road to the turkey farm is) and ride up there and meet them.

I usually am climing about 4.5 mph, slow but steady and I am getting so I can hang in there for quite a while.

Maybe a climb to Mt Baldy Village is in my future this winter?

Congratulations!

we parked at the bottom... in the parking lot of some market and restaurant (and right near a gas station i used prior to getting started! lol!)

i can't wait til apple season..i will climb up and have a slice of homemade fresh apple pie! it's VERY pretty up there!

this past saturday we climbed up forest falls! WOWSER! the first part reminded me of the oak glen climb.. but then once i crossed the bridge (just past the Y that goes to forest falls vs angelus oak) it got nasty! at least for me! it was steep in some parts.. hubby kept saying "we're almost to the top" and finally i snapped: "i don't believe you anymore! you've been saying that for 5 miles" lol! and that time we WERE almost to the top!

coming back down was fun but cool near the top still (some nasty clouds were coming in by that time!) but once we hit the Y it was sunny and warm again!

now i'll have to try GMR!

Some people just aren't good climbers. Simple as that. There are pro riders who can sprint at 43 mph but get dropped the second the road goes uphill.

In my racing days I could drop 90% of all recreational riders while on the flats and I could hold my own in a bunch sprint. I routinely did weekly rides with Cat 2 and Cat 3 racers but I was not a good climber. I was usually the last one up most climbs. I never learned to love or embrace the stupid hills.

My point is not to sweat it. While trying to improve your weaknesses, make sure you focus on your strengths and understand that there are going to be things that are just plain difficult and no fun for you.