Rudi Riet
AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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Loving this dialogue - really! Emphases below are mine.
Some of us are more efficient at digesting and metabolizing proteins than others. Yes, the differences are relatively small in the grand scheme of things, but they are there. For those of us who are more efficient at metabolizing proteins than carbs (note: it's typically complex carbs that cause issue with me, rather than simple ones) we learn to handle core cooling.
I know that I need to increase my water intake all the time as I'm a heavy sweat machine (there's a reason I opted for the third set of bottle bosses on my Moots). I prefer that liquid to be cold on really hot days in order to account for core cooling.
Sometimes I'm out on long rides when it's stupid hot and I need to adapt. I recall overheating once in the first year of the Garrett County Gran Fondo, a year when miles 85-105 of the 125+ mile course were bathed in 90-92°F heat with a dew point above 70°F. The organizers hadn't planned water stops properly this year, and between Westernport and Deer Park there were three long, drawn out climbs with a lot of sun exposure.
I ran out of water around mile 90 because it was so hot and I was trying to keep my core cool (I'd left Westernport with two full 28 ounce bidons). Luckily, the organizers announced that there was a Deer Park (the bottled water company) spring spigot around mile 95, a community landmark where locals fill bottles of their cold spring water.
That place was an oasis to me! The spigot was placed around 1.5 meters above the ground, so it was possible to get your head under the water. I spent at least 4 minutes under the tap to cool myself off. I was not alone in this regard. I ended up drinking at least two bidons at that stop (one plain water, one with diluted Hammer HEED) and felt like a new man.
Note that the following year, which was much cooler with spotty showers for the first half of the ride, I improved my time by over 2.5 hours. That's the difference between extreme heat and Goldilocks/unicorn conditions. And since then when I've done long-distance events in the heat, I've been better prepared.
The highlighted bit is spot on: know your body, know your limits.
Yes, there are absolute limits of what the human body can withstand - that's not in dispute. But saying "don't eat this or that" with broad brushstrokes isn't helpful. In real life when there's a goal of improving physical performance, the minutia matter. For some the advice to cut out proteins and fats will work like a charm. For others it won't.
What is indisputable: salts/electrolytes, hydration, and simple carbs are crucial for handling the heat. And if you want to be truly safe: stay where it's cool if you can.
All good, my friend.
We're not that different.
None of us can drink and absorb 3 liters of fluid per hour. But we can all lose it faster than 2l/hour. None of us can ingest 400kcal/hr of carbs without an IV drip. But we can burn it faster. So we all need both protein and fat on 2hour+ rides. We are also none of us efficient at digesting proteins. And that inefficiency results in - bad core cooling.
So am I telling anyone to change their diet? Or am I telling them to not ride, particularly if they are required to ingest protein, particularly if they don't carry a giant tub of ice water to cool themselves as they digest that protein?
Some of us are more efficient at digesting and metabolizing proteins than others. Yes, the differences are relatively small in the grand scheme of things, but they are there. For those of us who are more efficient at metabolizing proteins than carbs (note: it's typically complex carbs that cause issue with me, rather than simple ones) we learn to handle core cooling.
I know that I need to increase my water intake all the time as I'm a heavy sweat machine (there's a reason I opted for the third set of bottle bosses on my Moots). I prefer that liquid to be cold on really hot days in order to account for core cooling.
Sometimes I'm out on long rides when it's stupid hot and I need to adapt. I recall overheating once in the first year of the Garrett County Gran Fondo, a year when miles 85-105 of the 125+ mile course were bathed in 90-92°F heat with a dew point above 70°F. The organizers hadn't planned water stops properly this year, and between Westernport and Deer Park there were three long, drawn out climbs with a lot of sun exposure.
I ran out of water around mile 90 because it was so hot and I was trying to keep my core cool (I'd left Westernport with two full 28 ounce bidons). Luckily, the organizers announced that there was a Deer Park (the bottled water company) spring spigot around mile 95, a community landmark where locals fill bottles of their cold spring water.
That place was an oasis to me! The spigot was placed around 1.5 meters above the ground, so it was possible to get your head under the water. I spent at least 4 minutes under the tap to cool myself off. I was not alone in this regard. I ended up drinking at least two bidons at that stop (one plain water, one with diluted Hammer HEED) and felt like a new man.
Note that the following year, which was much cooler with spotty showers for the first half of the ride, I improved my time by over 2.5 hours. That's the difference between extreme heat and Goldilocks/unicorn conditions. And since then when I've done long-distance events in the heat, I've been better prepared.
The heat is the rock. The ride is the hard place. My easy logical takeaway is that, if your metabolism doesn't let you jump, don't do go there. And no matter how individual your metabolism is, your jump isn't comparable to a cricket's.
And there is no adapting to that, no matter how much time one spends at 85F.
But hey, go ahead, beat me down for not taking medical histories to know that you're a) not 10' tall, b) not skiing 60MP boots. We are all individual, sure.
The highlighted bit is spot on: know your body, know your limits.
Yes, there are absolute limits of what the human body can withstand - that's not in dispute. But saying "don't eat this or that" with broad brushstrokes isn't helpful. In real life when there's a goal of improving physical performance, the minutia matter. For some the advice to cut out proteins and fats will work like a charm. For others it won't.
What is indisputable: salts/electrolytes, hydration, and simple carbs are crucial for handling the heat. And if you want to be truly safe: stay where it's cool if you can.
All good, my friend.
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