90+ Degree Training

Heck, at least you don't have the kind of humidity we have in GA. Sure we sweat here, but it doesn't evaporate and cool us off.

Here are the things I've found that help:
Be well hydrated before you exercise.
Exercise in shady areas -- makes a huge difference.
Stop for water often.
Soak your head with water at each stop.
Don't expect to push yourself as hard as usual.
Pay attention to your body -- if you get dizzy or feel little cold shivers, you're having heat problems.
Do what you can in the gym.
Wear the proper clothing.
Pay attention to air quality. Heat and bad air quality are a double whammy.

When I played soccer in those kinds of conditions, the soccer moms would provide us with bandanas soaked in ice water -- that was great!

Move north

Drink lots of water and don't move to Texas. It's kind of weird drinking an entire gallon of water and never having to pee......

go to the gym where it's air conditioned like the rest of the wimps ;)

madeye,
extreme wimp

We get a little heat and humidity here in Orlando as well. I just make sure I start early and drink lots of gatorade. I do some runs on the treadmill to avoid getting caught without something to drink.

Here in Memphis as well as the entire SE, in addition to 90+ degree temps we have to contend with high humidity most of the time. Some days it might as well be raining its so humid. That being said, I have found that working out early in the morning when the temp. isn't as high seems to be the best way to deal with the heat on a regular basis. Also, going after dark can help although its not always guaranteed. Drink plenty of water before, during and after, wear a light colored, mesh hat(breathable) and light colored clothing, and take a break if needed. I have seen those cold wraps that you stick in the freezer or frig to keep them cold and wear them around your neck to keep you cooler but i've never personally used one. Hope this helps and hang in there!

Barely 60 degrees here in Minnesota at the moment. I want some heat.

Ian

You must live in a cool part of LA. It is 106 in Woodland Hills. Did my run at 5:00 AM when it was an awesome 65 degrees. Actually saw 3 other runners and 2 walkers. Usually its just me and the wonderful smells of the San Fernando Valley :-(

must be nice in minnesota... it's barely 50 degrees here in wisconsin...

We have plenty of hot humid air we could send you, just send us some cool in exchange.

On a 70-mile ride two weeks ago, I filled and drained my 70-oz Camelback four times and didn't pee once.

I'm in Chatsworth which is only 5 minutes away from you. So mb it's actually hotter

I workout on my lunchbreak, mb I'll start getting up earlier. Man I love my sleep

When preparing for my race this past weekend, I drank mostly sports drinks the night before. I not only wanted water, but salt in my system prior to the race. I've been making my own sports drink from the recipe I found here: http://www.davidhays.net/running/sportsdrink.html

I swear it helped. And I put in a heaping teaspoon of salt rather than the 0.75 tsp it calls for.

Anybody ever try Glycerol for hyperhydrating during the heat?

gatorade isn't actually very good for you...the sugars aren't good to replenish (they resemble white sugar) - your body has to spend energy to use them
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t105845.html
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/ultramentor/gatorade.html

the second link goes more into the science of it.

-- edited to add more links --

http://www.stlbiking.com/Hydration.htm
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/gatorade.htm

the vandebuilt link speaks more favorably of gatorade, but the only reference links are to gatorade and coca-cola's websites, so you will have to judge for yourself.

i personally don't drink gatorade unless i have no other choice, and then i water it down, a lot...ymmv

make up your own mind, but be sure to educate yourself, and then practice with your choice. prior to racing, find out what they will have on the course, and if they don't have what you are used to, either try adding some to your regimen, or pack your own ;) i have better luck with plain water, and eat http://www.organicfoodbar.com/ on my long workouts or races

/joshua

Edited by ntranc3d 2004-08-11 7:17 PM

I just moved from San Diego to New Orleans in January! I would tade for that weather any day. Granted your 90+ degrees is a shock to your system from the weather you are used to, but believe me you still got it pretty darn good. I agree with the comments above. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate...and not just the day of your workouts! Early workouts seem to work much better than late workouts. Hope this helps! good lucK!

To each his own. I know gu or gels don't work for me while others swear by them. I've ridden about 5000 miles this year, much of that on the weekend, and gatorade does right by my stomach (no bonks either). I guess the moral is to try a lot of things in training and find out what works with your stomach and what doesn't. For goodness sake, make sure you don't try something new on race day. The Chicago marathon a few years ago is where I first learned of my gel issues. Not a pretty last couple of miles :-)

I am the heaviest sweater that I have ever met (once lost 16 lbs of fluids in one day while drinking as much as possible) and living in South Central Texas doesn't help one bit. Lucky for me, my dad is the team physician for a major college sports program so I get access to the most current info on hydration. As far as Gatorade being bad for you, HELL NO!!! It is probably the best thing to drink during and after exertion that most of the public has access to. They do make something called Gatorade Endurance that is better when you are doing heavy sweating for longer than one hour, but I've never seen it for sale anywhere, I just get it from my dad. Something that everyone can do is drink tomato juice after you finish your exercise or if you have a long break between exercises. It has a high sodium content to replentish your electrolytes and it is easy on the stomach. I've been doing this for the entire summer and it has helped with rehydration. During exercise, Gatorade, bananas, oranges, and electrolyte gels work best for me. If your stomach can handle it, my dad also recommends banana bread. Good luck! And keep up with the amount of weight you lose in fluids during each exercise session so you know how much you need to drink/eat to get as close as possible to your previous weight.

Amen 12th man! I with you until the tomato juice. That's where my stomach revolts....

I can see the gatorade and fresh fruits, but tomato juice?? UHHH talk about something thick and needing water to wash it down! Don't worry about the stomach, my taste buds would revolt and it would never make it that far!

I too live in Texas (Dallas) where we got more than our fair share of hot triaining days. I tend to run real early on the weekdays, and when I am forced to run or ride in hotter conditions, I swear by Cytomax. It is a much better electrolyte replacement than Gatorade, and much easier on my stomach. Comparing Gatorade to Cytomax is like comparing Converse All Stars to Asics Gel-Keyanos. Yeah, you can run in both, but the latter is made for the serious athlete.

Bro-

Ya'll are going to hate me for this, but I had to delay my bike ride from this morning till noon today because it was too cold here in Atlanta! How crazy is that for August?

You mean I can't get my salt from french fries?? That would taste better.

Summer training is difficult. I'm out of the door 5-5:30 for the bike, swim from 6-7 and run inside on a dreadmill or up early for a run. I haven't acclimated very well to training in the heat. It is miserable and this time of year we have a little humidity, which is a killer.

My only advice, start early, hydrate well, wear sunscreen and remember this too shall pass!