[Arutha]

I thought maybe someone here could help me. I have been getting headaches and feeling really hot, beginning about 2 hours after a long ride. Not sure why it is delayed. Any idea what it could be or how to stop it? I thought maybe de-hydration but headaches doesn't seem to be a symptom of it. Heat exhaustion seems closer to my symptoms. Today I rode around 4 hours and drank 20oz of gatoraide and probably 30-40 ounces of water and had fluids before starting the ride. Last year I normally drank a good bit less and never had a problem so I am looking for any suggestions anyone may have.

Thanks.

 

[Arutha]

Oh. I am not experiencing any cramps either if that makes a difference.

 

[Westy]

Still sounds like dehydration to me. Of course it depends on the temp and how hard you are riding but a 4 hour ride I would go through 100oz-200oz of water/gatoraid. I do not think heat exhaustion can caused a delayed raction but dehydration will. A good way to tell if you are dehydrated is to check the color of your piss. Yellow bad, the clearer the better. If you are not pissing at all that is real bad. Exercise produces byproducts and toxins that are removed in your urine. If you are not pissing this stuff is building up in your body and will make you feel bad, cause headaches.

 

[Serial Midget]

I lean towards dehydration and sodium depletetion. I base this on 4 hours of activity in warm weather and only 20 oz of replacement drink. Just drinking water us not enough - you have to make sure you body can absorb it. Sports drinks have added sodium and electrolytes that help your body absord and retain water.

Aside from that - 50 to 60 ounces of water in 4 hours is not enough. I go through 100 ounces in that time in moderate weather - warm weather requires more.

Lack of muscle cramps at 4 hours is not unusual - I only get muscle cramps under serious physical efforts, most recently on about mile 28 of a 50K trail run - about 5 hours into a 5 and a half hour effort.

 

[Will_Jekyll]

weigh yourself without clothes before and after the ride. If you way less after the ride you have not drank enough water. Each pound lost is 8oz of water.

 

[Arutha]

Thanks for your help. I will force myself to drink alot more during rides and see if that helps. I might even just put Gatoraide in my camelbak instead of water since I know I lose alot of salt.

 

[geargrrl]

another thought is to stay well hydrated all the time... If I know I'm going riding I'll drink a lot of water the whole day. By the time you **feel** thirsty you are all ready very dehydrated. This means you need to drink water not pop, not coffee or beer both of whihc have a diuretic effect. How much you pee is a good sign, and whether your pee is yellow or clear is another good way to tell if you are getting enough to drink. Recovery drinks are good(I"m partial to cytomax) but you should take water also.

geargrrl

 

[Topaz]

Originally posted by Will_Jekyll
weigh yourself without clothes before and after the ride. If you way less after the ride you have not drank enough water. Each pound lost is 8oz of water.

Is this really a realistic gauge? I rarely weight the same after a ride as before and I drink plenty of liquids. Keep in mind that racers usually finish a ride somewhat dehydrated.

BTW for a hard 4-4.5hr ride I usually have 100oz in the camelback and an extra water bottle on the bike (can only fit 1). I also finish my ride 1-2lbs under my start weight. Oh, and I drink a large glass right before I head out.

 

[Will_Jekyll]

Originally posted by Topaz
Is this really a realistic gauge? I rarely weight the same after a ride as before and I drink plenty of liquids. Keep in mind that racers usually finish a ride somewhat dehydrated.

BTW for a hard 4-4.5hr ride I usually have 100oz in the camelback and an extra water bottle on the bike (can only fit 1). I also finish my ride 1-2lbs under my start weight. Oh, and I drink a large glass right before I head out.

It's not always possible to dirnk as much water as you are sweating and exhaling that's why it's important to drink plenty of water before and after riding.

 

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by Will_Jekyll
weigh yourself without clothes before and after the ride. If you way less after the ride you have not drank enough water. Each pound lost is 8oz of water.

how did you come up with this formula?

 

[Will_Jekyll]

Originally posted by The Toninator
how did you come up with this formula?

I read it in a book.

 

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by Will_Jekyll
I read it in a book.

i dont really understand what is says. I would be interested in seeing the whole a whole exerpt.

 

[strack]

Originally posted by Will_Jekyll
weigh yourself without clothes before and after the ride. If you way less after the ride you have not drank enough water. Each pound lost is 8oz of water.

Is that supposed to be based on the weight of water? Because a gallon of water (128 oz) weighs 8 lbs. Therefore, 16 fluid oz of water weighs 1 lb.

 

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by strack
Is that supposed to be based on the weight of water? Because a gallon of water (128 oz) weighs 8 lbs. Therefore, 16 fluid oz of water weighs 1 lb.

that's what i was trying to understand. Along with fluid your body is also buring cals, fat etc so there is also weight loss related to those too.

 

[Will_Jekyll]

I'm not really sure how he came up with that number, but he regularly references medical studies through the book so I'm sure he got it from somewhere other than old maids tale. I will try to find the paragraph I got it from for you tonight if I have time.

 

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by Will_Jekyll
I'm not really sure how he came up with that number, but he regularly references medical studies through the book so I'm sure he got it from somewhere other than old maids tale. I will try to find the paragraph I got it from for you tonight if I have time.

do you have a scanner? i'd like to see as much of it as you can post.
thankst

 

[Will_Jekyll]

Originally posted by The Toninator
do you have a scanner? i'd like to see as much of it as you can post.
thankst

You can take a look at the book at Barnes & Noble if you want to see more. It's under the sports section "Nutrition for Peak Performance" published by Bicyling Magazine

 

[DoctorNo]

a generic way to know if you hydrated right is it drink until you gotta pee and drink some more
i had that prob when i was in the army and it worked out for me

 

[Scotty]

I have had personal experience with this. I had the same symptoms after riding one night last summer. My temp was around 104 or something so I went to the hospital. They treated me for heat exhaustion and deydration, however my primary care doctor and cardiologist couldn't explain what happened. No one could tell me for sure what it was. They both said that dehydration was unlikely because I normally drink almost a gallon of water before my ride throughout the day and then at least 80-100 additional ounces during a 3 hour ride. In any case they told me to take it easy in extreme heat. Sometimes you don't realize how hard you are pushing yourself until the ride is over. Another theory from my doctor was that I may have had a slight case of the flu and the exercise and heat intensivied it. If you are still having these symptoms you may want to take a little break from riding and go see your doctor.