Triathletes Beat the Heat
by Sally Drake, USAT Level II Coach
A question came up from a member of the St. Louis Triathlon Club:
"A
few weeks ago during the heat wave I continued my long course training
unabated, yet as carefully as possible: early morning workouts, lots of
water, plenty of electrolytes, and rest. But I couldn't avoid the heat
completely. Half way through the week and for a whole week after the
temps cooled down I felt awful. I was very sensitive to more heat, had
GI upset,and poor appetite and thirst. All signs seemed to point to
heat problems. I thought I was doing myself a favor by including some
heat acclimatization into my training, as many of my races are in hot
weather! Did I forget something? Was this a bad idea? Do you have
anysuggestions on how to recognize symptoms before they become
problems? I'm concerned about my upcoming races!"
The
athlete most likely over-trained in the heat and was experiencing the
effects of heat exhaustion. Heat exhaustion can develop after several
days of exposure to high temperatures and unbalanced or inadequate
replacement of fluids and electrolytes. This can be avoided with a
careful approach to training and adjusting to hot temperatures.
Race
season is in full force and local St. Louis athletes are facing
blasting heatand suffocating humidity. The summer sun can prove to be a
challenge just walking from your car to your house! Training for
endurance events such as triathlon or running races will test even the
toughest athletes when the temps exceed 90 degrees with humidity. So,
how can you train effectively and safely in these difficult conditions,
and what if it is like this on race day? Here is some information and a
few suggestions.
Get Out There
Triathletes
are tough, but many turn to the air conditioning and treadmill or spin
bike when the heat is extreme. It is important to acclimate to the heat
slowly, soan option would be to do half of the run indoors and half of
it outside, eventually completing your entire run outside. Waiting until
race day to experience working out in hot conditions will most likely
prove to be detrimental in your results. So, get used to it! This will
prevent you from serious health risks brought on by the heat: increased
fatigue, muscle cramps,nausea, shortness of breath, and feeling faint.
Every athlete takes the heat differently, you will find out how
sensitive you are and can improve your performance in higher temps with
the proper approach.
The Window of Time toAcclimate
To
achieve the benefits heat acclimation, you don't need to suffer through
months of misery! The common laboratory based heat acclimation
protocols have athletes spend 7-10 days for about 1 hour a day in a heat
chamber. The important thingis, this duration should match the time of
the race as possible, longer is not better here. Important to note: the
effects of training in the heat will decayin 1-3 weeks. So, you will be
doing your heat training during your taper. If itis a very important
race and you are living in cooler temps than what you will find on the
race venue, consider traveling to the race several days before to train
in the same heat and humidity that you will be racing in.
We are all in it thereTogether
Studies
have shown that a hot and humid environment can affect even elite
athletes. Also, the effect of heat on performance is different for each
sport. There isless effect from heat on the bike than the run, for
example. Much data exists showing a link between performance and ambient
temperature. Suggestions from various authors claim
performance impairments of between 1.6 and 3% in marathon (so again,
differenton the bike) times for every 10 degrees above 55 degrees
Fahrenheit. On raceday, we are all out there together, all struggling
with the same weather conditions. So, it may be slowing you down, but
everyone else on the course is slower as well. Bill Henderson, M.D.,
explains what happens to our bodies in the heat:
"When
we exercise, we produce a great deal ofheat. One of the principle ways
that we get rid of this excess heat is through sweating (evaporative
heat loss), as well as conduction and radiation of heatfrom our skin. To
achieve this, our bodies have to send a considerable amount of blood to
the skin. This blood is therefore not available to perfuse working
muscles and deliver oxygen to them. So a portion of our blood volume is
essentially no longer able to participate in oxygen delivery and energy
formation in our exercising muscles. The greater the amount of heat that
we need to dissipate, the greater the proportion of blood that is
diverted to the skin (up to a point - this can't increase forever). What
is necessary for cooling isn't the hemoglobin (the red blood cells in
blood) but the plasma,which is essentially water with a number of
different proteins and electrolytes in it. However, your body can't
separate the red cells (which are the oxygen carriers) from the plasma -
they all go along for the ride to the skin."
Start with Small Bouts
If
an athlete has not been training in heat, it is safest to begin with
short sessions and work up to your race duration. Training for 15
minutes in the heatand finishing your workout inside is acceptable to
start out, adding several minutes to the hot portion until you work up
to the needed duration. Also, just doing this once in a while will not
benefit the athlete on race day. Benefits of heat acclimation are lost
very quickly when an athlete stops exercising in hot and humid
conditions. Generally, with each two days of abstaining from heat
exposure, one day of acclimation is lost.
Train at the Proper Time
A
busy schedule tends to lead to training in the afternoon or evening
after along day at work. This is when the heat is at it's peak, so
making changes inyour schedule to train in the early morning, running
before the sun comes up.This will allow you to slowly acclimate to the
humidity, working up to yourrace distance. It is also wise to practice
this at the time of day that you will be racing. So, if you are doing a
half ironman for example, do your long runlate in the morning or early
afternoon.
Nutrition Adjustments
While
training in the heat for a race, practicing nutrition is crucial. This
is the time that you will learn what you need to do on race day. In the
heat and humidity, more fluids are needed along with electrolytes. There
are products available to provide insurance against electrolyte
imbalance, such as sport drinks and salt capsules containing sodium.
In
conclusion, triathletes need to understand the conditions that may be
faced onrace day and train appropriately for those conditions. Heat,
humidity, rough or cold water, wetsuit or non-wetsuit, hills, flats, etc. Train as you will race!
Warning Signs (fromwww.bt.cdc.gov)
The warning signs of heatexhaustion include the following:
-
Heavy sweating
-
Paleness
-
Muscle cramps
-
Tiredness
-
Weakness
-
Dizziness
-
Headache
-
Nauseaor vomiting
-
Fainting
The
skin may be cool and moist. The pulse rate will be fast and weak, and
breathing will be fast and shallow. If heat exhaustion is untreated, it
may progress to heat stroke. See medical attention if symptoms worsen or
last longer than one hour.
What steps can be taken tocool the body during heat exhaustion?
-
Drink cool, nonalcoholic beverages
-
Rest
-
Take a cool shower, bath, or sponge bath
-
Seek an air-conditioned environment.
-
Wear lightweight clothing.