stevelewis

Title says it all. I have been riding since 2014. Doing 150-200mi per week. For last 3 weeks or so I've having this issue where my legs and basically whole body feel super overheated for hours after a ride. Ice pack helps some but relief is temporary. What's going on?? It's freaking me out and thinking I should see doc?

Thanks

DougRNS

Dehydration? When I was new to cycling I would have what I called a "hot core" after longer intense rides. It went away after I drank properly. Going to the doc is always a good idea.

stevelewis

Thanks for reply. I'll try drink more water during and after rides. The only issue with doc is that sometimes medical professionals just look at me funny as if they are thinking "well, then don't ride your bike dummy!"

Masque

Weigh yourself before and after each ride; if you're drinking enough, you'll be the same weight. You want to be the same weight. Given that you're in Cali, you may need to drink a lot. (And you might also want to take in a lot of fluids on your rides, as well.)

Also make sure you're replacing electrolytes on your rides. I like Ultima as I prefer my electrolytes separate from my calories (and I don't like sticky things, which putting sugar in my bottles invariably causes), but it doesn't really matter what you're drinking as long as you're making up for what summertime exercise takes out of you.

jwalther

If you're experiencing a dehydration problem, you need to worry about sufficient fluid intake BEFORE your ride, not during or after.

memebag

It isn't possible to drink enough before a long hot ride to not worry about hydration during the ride.

WhyFi

I don't think that he's saying that you can drink enough up-front to neglect drinking in-ride, I think that he's saying that you need to make sure that you're not already at a defect at the start. I find that I need to front-load my water intake on a long ride, too - even if I drink a 12oz+ before going out the door, I usually go through my first bottle pretty quickly, after which my consumption slows considerably.

OP - ask your doctor, not random cyclists on the 'net.

memebag

I guess I've never been dehydrated before a ride started. Off the bike, I drink when I'm thirsty so I'm always hydrated. On the bike I drink before I'm thirsty.

FBinNY 

Given the timing, it might be as simple that summer heat is making it harder for you to stay cool enough. Drinking more may help, but high humidity can make it much harder to adequately cool through evaporation.

If drinking more doesn't solve the problem you might try taking it a bit easier on hot days, or take a cool shower when you get home.

In Cozumel, I'd often get overheated if outside all day. I solve it by jumping into the pool and chilling out (literally and figuratively) for as much as an hour when I get home.

BTW you want to pay attention to the heat index, or THI, which factors both temperature and humidity to give a truer sense of how effectively you can stay cool when riding.

bonz50

it is not uncommon for me, after a hot ride, to come home and cool down with a beer then jump in a cool shower to defunk and cool off and even after the "cool down" I'm still getting beads of sweat on my brow for another hour or two. I don't find it odd myself, I've always thought it was simply my body was still jacked up after the ride

garciawork

I take a looong time to cool down from anything that isn't sitting, basically. Just walking a bit overheats me. After a ride, I am warm and more prone to sweating until the next morning. Just how my body is wired, unfortunately. OTOH, when I ride with a friend of mine on a hot day and we get back, I will be drenched, and his helmet will be basically dry. He also drinks extra hot coffee when its 100+ degrees and notices no ill effects. Lucky bastard.

canklecat

There are lots of studies online but most repeat the same information. The main thing is it takes time, often weeks to adapt. So if we start carefully adapting to heat in late spring or early summer, we'll just be reaching our peak adaptation ... right about the time summer is over. (For that reason some athletes train for hot weather competitions by preparing wearing warm clothing and working out in heated rooms, if they live and train in cooler climates.)

Some studies -- not just anecdotes and opinions -- indicate that pre-cooling can help. This can include wearing an ice vest before and after hot weather activity.

I've been using a more methodical approach to adapting to heat this summer, since often the only opportunities I have to ride are at midday or late afternoon when the heat index is over 100F. I think my hottest ride was at 108F this summer. So far, so good. But most of my rides are 20-50 miles, recently combined with HIIT when I have only an hour or so to ride. I know a local rider who often rides two or more centuries a week, even through summer midday heat. And a 70 y/o friend rides about 20-40 miles a day, including at midday, wearing full length sleeves and leggings, often black rather than white. He reminds me of the Sherif Ali character played by Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia -- all black robes in the desert. Adaptation.

I use those soft gel cold packs on my neck before a ride. And I drink cold water with electrolytes before a ride. Usually very dilute, one packet or tablet in 24 oz water, rather than the usual 8-12 oz dilution recommended. Works for me. Others might need the more concentrated drinks.

I have only one insulated Polar bottle and keep it in the freezer half-filed with water. Before a ride I top it off with water and a packet of DripDrop, Emergen-C, Propel, or a NUUN tablet. All seem to work well for me. I save that bottle for last.

The non-insulated bottles usually contain 1/3 ice, the rest with plain water. I drink those first. If the water gets unpleasantly warm before I finish it, I save it for splashing myself during a ride.

While NUUN tablets work well I've pretty much switched to the little Mylar packets of DripDrop, unless I can only find Emergen-C or Propel. Those stay dry in the saddle bag or a jersey pocket, and tuck easily into any small niche. So during a long ride I can refill with water and electrolytes if I'm out longer than the usual pair of 24 oz bottles last.

Besides feeling better during and after rides while drinking electrolytes, I'm also sweating more profusely and a lot of salty residue accumulates. Weird because I've never sweated much during hot weather activity, let alone leaving a white frosty crust on my bandannas and clothing. But I also used to feel drained by the heat, so I probably needed more electrolytes all along. But I tended to avoid salt, even on food.

I'm also wearing long sleeves more often this summer, mostly to minimize sun damage. I've been sunburned too often in my life from carelessness, so now my arms look much older than the rest of my skin. Long sleeve cycling jerseys are pricey so I've been wearing Champion long sleeve tee-shirts, which are UV rated as well as being good winter baselayers. The white has been most comfortable, but the hi-vis yellow and orange are good too. Yesterday I wore the white long sleeve under a short sleeve cycling jersey because I needed the back pockets. Didn't feel too hot despite the double layers, although I was sweating profusely. Felt fine after a one-hour high intensity training ride in late morning when the heat index was over 90F due to high humidity.

seypat

I happens to me after most any long duration of exercise. Cycling, running, swimming, etc. I also live in the Southeast, so I get prickly heat as well. No cotton clothes for me. Everything is tech/moisture wicking.

I think the hot core is just the body absorbing the fluids and repairing itself. For me, it might last over a day. Swimming pools, cold showers don't help. My body will swell up as well. During the hot core period, I might not be able to use the belt hole I've been using. I might have to go to the next size. It can be tough to get to sleep during those periods. I am currently training for a fall marathon. The long runs on Saturday morning are in the double digits now. After the run, I come home take a shower and lay around on the couch. By about 4, the body is heated up. I usually have to sleep most of Saturday night without any cover. Sunday morning I take a bike ride followed by a decent swim. That swim doesn't really cool it off. Get up for work on Monday and the heat is gone. The body is also back to normal size. What is interesting is how much your weight will fluctuate during this time. Get up and weigh yourself at night during these periods. It is a rollercoaster up and down weight wise, at least for me. Same thing happens on just a long stand alone swim. I still get the hot core. No spooning with the wife either. She doesn't like the oven effect. If any frisky business is to be conducted, there must be good spacing with minimal contact points.

WhyFi

Studies show that most adults, particularly in the US, iirc (our diets are great!) are chronically dehydrated. If you tend to avoid a lot of diuretics, you may not be one of them. Other than the morning caffeine, my intake is pretty good in that regard, but I typically ride first thing in the morning, so I usually need a little catch-up.

FBinNY 

I understand how being hot can make you cranky, but try not to take it out on the family.

I sympathize with your excessive sweating. In Cozumel, I'll go for a relatively short easy ride, then drop in at the hospital where Deb works. As I walk in the folks in reception look up and ask me if it's raining.

I don't know which is worse, telling them yes, they'll get drenched going home, or no, it's just me.

seypat

I would definitely agree with this. The coaches on the Marathon team want you hydrating hard a day or 2 before and up to any long duration. For the run on Saturday, I started hydrating hard this morning. The rule of thumb is your pee should be light yellow like diluted lemonade. Your fluid/electrolyte intake/loss is all based on your weight and how much you sweat. Here is the link to the nutritional clinic presentation that we get each year on MTT for the runners. It is for registered users only, but as long as you just take a look it shouldn't be a problem. Just don't download it, please.

https://marathontrainingteam.com/asse...linic-2017.pdf

garciawork

Whoops! Fixed, SWEATING

FBinNY 

You should have left it alone. Sometimes the typos are far better than the intended post.

memebag

I find that very hard to believe. Americans seem like the most hydrated people in the history of the planet. I see them carrying 1 liter bottles of water with them through cities as if they were on a desert expedition. And they don't even use the metric system!

When I try to find these studies all I get is a bunch of junk and sites calling it junk.

WhyFi

Okay, you've convinced me - hydration is just one of the ways that Americans lead exceedingly healthy lives.

kbarch

What do you mean "super overheated?" Hot to the touch?
You indicate that the distance you ride hasn't changed significantly, but what about other changes in your riding patterns? Do you warm up and cool down the same way you always have? Are you on the flats as much or climbing more or less? Are you riding at the same time of day, same relation to mealtimes, etc.? Taking the same refreshments? Preparing yourself the same way? Has your diet changed?
What do I know - go see a doctor if you're really concerned.

seypat

Edit: I fixed the link.

Here is an article on the subject.

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/he...on/21best.html

Kevindale

The hydration focus here is, I think, a red herring. Good studies have shown that the amount of hydration doesn't affect heat tolerance. Further, you're not describing symptoms of being dehydrated. And since you've been riding for 3 years, and you're a high-mileage rider, I have to assume you have hydration figured out.

From what you describe, I think your riding is likely causing you to notice a problem that is unrelated to cycling. To get a better handle on that, what, if anything, changed 3 weeks ago with your riding? Did you go from riding at 6 AM to noon? Did you move from Alaska to Louisiana? I suspect the answer here is not much changed with your riding, but your body is reacting differently to the riding.

Are there any other symptoms? Is your core temperature actually higher (during a ride, post ride, and at baseline)? Our bodies are very sensitive to being overheated, and a hard long ride can easily put one's core temperature up to the range where the body starts shutting down (a bit over 103 degrees Fahrenheit). A major symptom when this happens is a profound lack of energy - you'd feel this when you're riding if it happened. This is why I suspect you're not actually getting overheated, because you haven't mentioned something that would be very obvious. As soon as you stop the intense muscle activity of riding, your core should start to cool (unless you're in an extremely high temperature environment), so if you're not noticing being overheated while riding, it shouldn't be an issue afterwards. This seems like something that isn't a typical riding-in-summer-heat issue.

I suppose hyperthyroidism might cause this sense of being hot. Are you have trouble sleeping, tremors, wt. loss, sweating? Anxiety can cause similar symptoms. Or you may have some other medical issue that is being aggravated by your riding. My suggestion is to think about what other symptoms or changes might have started to occur recently, and also to think about what if anything has changed in your life in the last month or so. Make an appt. with your primary physician. In the meantime, perhaps back off the mileage by maybe 50% for a week or two.

stevelewis

Kevindale thanks so much for this reply...
Yes, I've been having trouble sleeping and I've been sweating more than usual.

And the weather is certainly warmer now than say 2 months ago but I don't remember these symptoms last year...
When I say I feel overheated i mean my skin/muscles feel very hot. It is a very unpleasant sensation. I have intermittent chills also, strangely. I sweat like crazy. My forehead feels like it's burning. I feel tired but I'm restless. This feeling doesn't really start until about 20 mins after I get home from ride.

I'll make doc appointment...

seypat

Another article talking about getting the shivers as well. This is what happens to my wife:

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com...t-run-shivers/