Originally Posted by
terrymorse
Electrolyte requirement — especially sodium — goes
way up on long and hot rides.
The last time I did
Climb to Kaiser was on the hottest day of the year, in an already hot part of California. My computer recorded 120F near the end of the ride.
My ride time was a little under 9 hours, and even though I was drinking Gatorade from the aid stations, it wasn't enough. I ended up in the Clovis emergency department with
hyponatremia. Unpleasant and dangerous.
I remember that story. I think you said you got a little relief from eating the salt on your skin? One of my club mates did RAAM solo for the first time when he was about 60 and suffered hyponatremia and had to be hospitalized. He gained about 15 pounds of water weight and couldn't put his shoes on. DNF.
The next year he came back and became the first over 60 finisher in the race. He learned a lot by failing.