26/06/2024
For the last 2-3 months the weather at home as been much cooler than normal. Only last week I was wearing long bib shorts on a long ride because it was only 8degs. A good 10 degrees short of what it normally is this time of year. It was touching 30degs in the afternoon sun on Saturday which I haven’t been exposed to since last year.
After the initial settle period after the swim I could tell my power output was relatively low and Heart rate was coming up very quickly after small surges. I was also feeling really sapped and winded super quick on small hills etc.
I was drinking reasonably well and had a reasonable amount of sodium in my bottles so hydration was not a major concern for me. As it was a freshwater swim but I still had salt stains visible from the picture you can tell I was sweating and evaporation was taking place. But the dry heat just kept coming.
On reflection I estimate my average wattage on a fairly steady course was 50w low of what I’d expect. On a bad day let’s call it 40w off.
On the final lap I finished my bottles so collected an extra bottle of water from the aid station. The top wasn’t screwed on properly so most of it went all over my face and legs. It had come from a cooler so it was pretty icy. I actually nearly jumped a bit from the chill. The strange thing was that I instantly felt my breathing was doing more and strength came back into my legs. I was suddenly 30w up and felt like I could be aggressive again rather than hang on and chew up the kms.
Long story short is heat makes a difference, being heat ready or acclimated can be done effectively, but needs to be done. Hydration alone is only one issue, often core temp is separate. Cooling with a simple splash over the head and neck works! Done again every lap or opportunity id have taken water on and simply used it as a cooling strategy. A little bit of experience goes a long way in being proactive. Lesson learned.
