posted Mar 20, 2008

I have suffered from cramp in the past, often due to dehydration in high temperatures. Obviously electrolytes help prevent cramp. Energy drinks often have electrolytes in them but I would recommend taking a pure electrolyte drink regularly before, during and after each stage - perhaps 400 / 500 ml every two hours when riding. (They don't have much carbohydrate content so need supplementing). You can buy them in tablet form which you drop in water. I haven't suffered cramp / dehydration since using them even in hot conditions.

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posted Mar 20, 2008

The heat is one of the two things that concern me most about the race, and like yourselves, we're not flying out until next week (Tuesday evening) so acclimatisation won't be great. I'm hoping that a couple of extra bottles of fluid each day will get us through, but very interesting to hear the amount of liquid you were sweating out in the test. Did you get any information on replacing salts/other fluids to cope with the re-hydration?

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posted Mar 20, 2008

Matt, it was great to meet you and hopefully 'help' you a little before the Epic! I have a sneaky feeling, though, that your experience in the chamber was a bit of a rude awakening.

I hope you get loads of positive comments and maybe more advice on all aspects of training and preparation. Anyway, great article and all the best in the event itself - you're gonna need it!!!!

And when you're back, and if you need something similar again, give me a call.

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posted Mar 20, 2008

mad dogs and englishmen in the midday sun. Riding in temps like that can be quite unpleasant even if you are used to them. Remember to get water on your legs as this can reduce can reduce the chance of cramping. What i have done in simular situations is take ice from the drink coolers put it in my socks, helps prevent your feet from swelling, in my shorts both groin and thighs and then neck. Maybe even have something covering your neck and ears that you can soak regularly, foreign legion style. Oh, and electrolyte pills.

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posted Mar 20, 2008

A bit of a wake-up call for you Matt - but a great idea. Acclimatising to working in the heat will help you stay out of trouble. The Cape will be drier, so the sweat will evaporate rather than acumulate, and you may not realise how much you are losing. Don't get too bogged down trying to calculate how much energy / fluid / electrolytes to take in: trust your body - it's surprisingly well adapted to exertion in the heat. Aim to have a litre an hour on tap, and drink if you are thirsty. If you feel bloated, stop. Don't drink to cool down - pour water on your head instead. Urine output is a good guide to adequate hydration - drink more if you don't need to go every couple of hours. Electrolyte loss in sweat is low in the acclimatised, and you will easily replace this in normal eating after the race. Eat, or you will simply fall over after about three hours, all weak and shaky. And do take the sun seriously, if you haven't been warned already. If you burn on day one it will blight the rest of the week.

And have a fabulous time - I'm jealous! Looking forward to hearing how it all turns out.

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posted Mar 20, 2008

If anyone has read Michael Hutchinson's book on his training for the hour record, he also did some sessions in his blinding hot kitchen and turned on some other kitchen appliances to make it even hotter, apparently. I don't know what that did for him or his training, but if I remember correctly, he did mention that it is easier to ride in hotter temperatures than colder ones, so at least you've got that on your side good luck with it, think of all of us in the cold while you're out there.

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