When you cant stay hydrated...
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C3 H6 O3 ACID
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When you cant stay hydrated...
So I did a fairly long ride, for me, today (53miles) and felt at times that I wasnt staying hydrated.
Minimal perspiration, cotton mouth at one point. I have two bottles. When I set out at 630 I had one filled with powerade and one with water. Total ride I refilled 3 times. Also stopped towards the end and grabbed two more powerades, slammed down one right away and put one in the water bottle.
It's extremely hot in FL and I got done with the ride around 10:30, took 2 rests and stopped once to help a guy fix a flat.
My question...is what do you use/take with you to avoid dehydrating? What do you bring to keep you fueled...that doesnt upset your stomach? Also...any tips on trying to avoid leg cramps? The last 4 miles I felt my legs getting ready to cramp severely...stood up leaving a red light and they almost locked.
I know I should have started hydrating last night...but didnt think we were going to be riding that far.
Thanks for the advice.
Minimal perspiration, cotton mouth at one point. I have two bottles. When I set out at 630 I had one filled with powerade and one with water. Total ride I refilled 3 times. Also stopped towards the end and grabbed two more powerades, slammed down one right away and put one in the water bottle.
It's extremely hot in FL and I got done with the ride around 10:30, took 2 rests and stopped once to help a guy fix a flat.
My question...is what do you use/take with you to avoid dehydrating? What do you bring to keep you fueled...that doesnt upset your stomach? Also...any tips on trying to avoid leg cramps? The last 4 miles I felt my legs getting ready to cramp severely...stood up leaving a red light and they almost locked.
I know I should have started hydrating last night...but didnt think we were going to be riding that far.
Thanks for the advice.
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I dont have an answer for you but have to ask where Old Peoplesville is. I thought that was Sarasota.
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If you're cramping due to lack of electrolytes, drinking plain water will make cramping worse. If sports drinks give you upset stomachs, they have tablets/pills that would replenish the electrolytes.
Drink before you're thirsty, especially on hot days.
Drink before you're thirsty, especially on hot days.
Last edited by revolator; 06-26-10 at 05:48 PM.
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You can only carry so much water. Therefore you need to be creative about your refills.
I carry 2 bottles - both with a 50/50 gatorade/water mixture. Once those run out after about 40 miles, then strategic stops at convenience stores help with refills of water (no gatorade on the refills).
I carry 2 bottles - both with a 50/50 gatorade/water mixture. Once those run out after about 40 miles, then strategic stops at convenience stores help with refills of water (no gatorade on the refills).
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im also currently in a hot area (Fort stewart GA). heat injuries are no joke . if i know im going for a morning ride i start my hydration the night before as well as drinking a good amount just before bed . ill just munch on some special K in the morning and i should be ready to ride . i also like to bring power gels and power bars, powergels are easy to eat on the move and after the one hour mark depending how i feel ill take a break to munch on a powerbar and hydrate . according to what ive learned in the army in high heat i try to drink a quart an hour if i am riding hard.just making sure u dont sweat out all your salts and electrolytes is the key.
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News to me. I'm going to need to see some references on that.
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#9
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a good tip is to not "slam" fluids when you're on the bike. sip a little bit much more often, thats a more effective strategy.
also, powerade is really not a great on-bike hydration choice, too much sugar IMO. hammer nutrition and others make an electrolyte replacement drink mix and a host of other cycling specific products are available to better suit your needs. i cant drink too much gatoraid/poweraid, it winds up giving me sugar headaches.
being properly hydrated ahead of time is of course a plus, but i rode for a few hours this morning with a pretty massive hangover and was pretty dehydrated, and i'm OK
also, powerade is really not a great on-bike hydration choice, too much sugar IMO. hammer nutrition and others make an electrolyte replacement drink mix and a host of other cycling specific products are available to better suit your needs. i cant drink too much gatoraid/poweraid, it winds up giving me sugar headaches.
being properly hydrated ahead of time is of course a plus, but i rode for a few hours this morning with a pretty massive hangover and was pretty dehydrated, and i'm OK
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I said earlier that if I knew I was going to be going that far...I would have begun my hydration regime last night. The powerade was the only thing that the store I stopped at had (it was a liquor store!)
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Ontop of your water bottles, maybe have a camel back? I know many call them tacky, but if it makes the ride better then why not? Will give you so more fluids before you need a refill.
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OP's drinking a lot of stuff. Shouldn't have any problem staying hydrated; with that load I'd be peeing every few miles.
#14
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I'll start with the infamous "I once read..." statement... I once read that you wake up dehydrated and if you don't hydrate before your ride, you'll be behind you're entire ride. Using that advice, whenever I have a long ride planned (> 50), I give myself at least an hour before I need to leave the house and the first thing I do is drink water and/or gatorade. If I have to pee (and hopefully crap) just before I leave I know I did well. Once on the bike, it's sips every 10 minutes...and on my last 50 miler, I refilled two bottles 3 times at gas stations.
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#15
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i will also add that just because you have the cotton mouth thing going on doesnt necessarily mean you're dehydrated, if its hot out and you're a mouth breather, you're going to have a dry mouth.
#16
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One thing that I discovered long ago is that different people sweat different amounts, and how much fluid someone else uses doesn't help me much. It's not like I intentionally sweat a lot and can just cut back to a reasonable amount if I want to.
First off, get more fluid on that bike one way or another. I've got a trunk bag, and can carry two-32 oz bottles in there, plus 2- 24 oz bottles in the bottle holders, and I can go through that in 30 miles.
I'm still experimenting on the cramping/nutrition/stomach part of it. Last 200k I did, I made it through, but didn't feel like eating much during the ride, either, and probably needed to. But, no cramps, either. I used some Endurolytes and some Nuun tablets, and had quite a bit of plain water and some soda pop along in there, too.
First off, get more fluid on that bike one way or another. I've got a trunk bag, and can carry two-32 oz bottles in there, plus 2- 24 oz bottles in the bottle holders, and I can go through that in 30 miles.
I'm still experimenting on the cramping/nutrition/stomach part of it. Last 200k I did, I made it through, but didn't feel like eating much during the ride, either, and probably needed to. But, no cramps, either. I used some Endurolytes and some Nuun tablets, and had quite a bit of plain water and some soda pop along in there, too.
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#17
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How would you consider your fitness level? As we become more fit /accustomed to working at higher levels, our bodies tend to use food/water resources more efficiently.
One thing about hydrating early- I start days in advance. I once got to ride in the back of the meat wagon due to dehydration + effed up potassium levels on a 70 degree day. I was sucking IV bags dry in the ER as soon as they plugged them in. I charted all the food I ate , amount of coffee (and microbrews) and water consumed in the prior week. It was no shock that I was chronically dehydrated in the previous days. Now before a hard/hot ride I load up on water, potassium, magnesium, etc. a few days in advance.
One thing about hydrating early- I start days in advance. I once got to ride in the back of the meat wagon due to dehydration + effed up potassium levels on a 70 degree day. I was sucking IV bags dry in the ER as soon as they plugged them in. I charted all the food I ate , amount of coffee (and microbrews) and water consumed in the prior week. It was no shock that I was chronically dehydrated in the previous days. Now before a hard/hot ride I load up on water, potassium, magnesium, etc. a few days in advance.
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The biggest thing is being hydrated before you go out and ride. It's pretty wild how much faster it hits you riding if you aren't properly hydrating during the day. Also, there are some various cycling/endurance specific drink mixes that are specifically designed to help replenish electrolytes, among other things. You have to play around a bit to see what works for you. I always carry 1 bottle of mix and 1 of water on long rides and hard rides in the summer. Also, it may sound simple, but I use bigger bottles in the summer or on long rides. The standard cycling bottle is kind of small, and there are a lot of other bottles that are 20-30% larger than the standard LBS bottle that fit just fine in the cages. IF worst comes to worst, and you don't mind totally fredding out, you can always take a small camelbak or get a triathlong style seat mount that holds two bottles to carry extra fluids on longer rides where the refill status is uncertain or doubtful.
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Sweating more than two liters an hour is unlikely.
OP you should weigh yourself before and after the rides to see whats going on.
OP you should weigh yourself before and after the rides to see whats going on.
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My question...is what do you use/take with you to avoid dehydrating? What do you bring to keep you fueled...that doesnt upset your stomach? Also...any tips on trying to avoid leg cramps? The last 4 miles I felt my legs getting ready to cramp severely...stood up leaving a red light and they almost locked.
One comment, be sure you are not drinking any alcohol the day before your ride. I mean zero, especially if you are over 50.
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Uh, yeah he's right. There are no salts in H2O. What little additives are picked up from the rusting pipes, chlorine or floride are insufficient to replace the loss of electrolytes when cycling. That's why they give salt pills to folks exposed to sun that are sweating alot. Also, if you are taking a diuretic, you will also recieve a scrip for potassium tablets, to replace the electrolytes.
Drinking plain water when your cramping might help, but if you've lost a lot of electrolytes it's not going to help much.
Drinking plain water when your cramping might help, but if you've lost a lot of electrolytes it's not going to help much.
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#22
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I once read that you wake up dehydrated and if you don't hydrate before your ride, you'll be behind you're entire ride. Using that advice, whenever I have a long ride planned (> 50), I give myself at least an hour before I need to leave the house and the first thing I do is drink water and/or gatorade.
^ ^ ^
I do the same thing. And on occasions where I didn't, I paid the price.
If your pee is yellow right before your ride, you're screwed. If you get real thirsty 15 minutes into your ride, you're screwed.
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Uh, yeah he's right. There are no salts in H2O. What little additives are picked up from the rusting pipes, chlorine or floride are insufficient to replace the loss of electrolytes when cycling. That's why they give salt pills to folks exposed to sun that are sweating alot. Also, if you are taking a diuretic, you will also recieve a scrip for potassium tablets, to replace the electrolytes.
Drinking plain water when your cramping might help, but if you've lost a lot of electrolytes it's not going to help much.
Drinking plain water when your cramping might help, but if you've lost a lot of electrolytes it's not going to help much.
References?
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Uh, yeah he's right. There are no salts in H2O. What little additives are picked up from the rusting pipes, chlorine or floride are insufficient to replace the loss of electrolytes when cycling. That's why they give salt pills to folks exposed to sun that are sweating alot. Also, if you are taking a diuretic, you will also recieve a scrip for potassium tablets, to replace the electrolytes.
Drinking plain water when your cramping might help, but if you've lost a lot of electrolytes it's not going to help much.
Drinking plain water when your cramping might help, but if you've lost a lot of electrolytes it's not going to help much.
My personal mix is half Gatorade + half water + one Enduralyte capsule (broken open & emptied into the drink), or even two Enduralyte capsules. You have to figure out what works for you, but the salt levels in Gatorade & Powerade are typically too low.
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You want to be careful drinking too much plain water or other beverages which don't contain electrolytes without consuming electrolytes from some other source or you will develop hyponatremia, and believe me ... speaking as one who has been there ... you do not want to develop hyponatremia.
Note that hyponatremia is less about drinking too much ... and is more about consuming too few electrolytes.
Scroll down through the site index of this website, you will find articles on hyponatremia
https://www.ultracycling.com/siteindex.html
Note that hyponatremia is less about drinking too much ... and is more about consuming too few electrolytes.
Scroll down through the site index of this website, you will find articles on hyponatremia
https://www.ultracycling.com/siteindex.html
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