Its over 100 degrees – time to do some serious hill climbing on my bike so I can sweat! Finally, its been so gloomy, grey and foggy this summer – about time we got some heat. I have a very efficient and finely tuned cooling system, in other words, I sweat profusely!
Hydration
When exercising on hot days like this, hydration is key! Most people think about drinking water when they start to get warm and thirsty, this is WAY too late. When its hot like this, you need to be fully hydrated before you set foot outside. Whats fully hydrated? When you have to pee every 15 minutes and its completely clear. I knew I was going to be biking at 3pm so I started seriously hydrating at 1pm. In this two hours I drank 4-5 liters of water, remember though I weigh 240lbs – that much water could kill a person who was small (say 80lbs). Once exercising vigorously at near max cardio capacity, its tough enough to breathe let alone drink water. I dont even bother wasting time sipping water up the hill. My hill climbing bike ride will last 2hrs and I will drink two bike-bottles of water at the halfway point but that amount of water just wets my dusty throat and doesnt come close to replacing the water I will have perspired away. After the ride I will probably drink another 4 liters of water to re-hydrate.
If you dont hydrate for your health, then do it for performance. Dehydration can decrease your strength by 10%, who wants that?
OK, time to hit the hills!