So there is a common heat management trick us handcyclists use in competition to keep our core heat lower since heat exhaustion is very easy for us. Most don't know that when you have a spinal cord injury you don't sweat below your injury level so for me, that means I don't sweat below the middle of my chest. Us competitive handcyclists will pack a nylon stocking with ice and stuff it in our jersey before we roll out to the staging line. Since it's usually wicked hot at RRR in July I'm thinking the same trick could be used if I use two stockings tied together and draped around my neck with the ice sitting lower at chest level. My Tech Air 5 air bag system would keep it in place. I'm riding the track day on Friday so I'll give it a try. Just thought I'd share the idea in case anyone else struggles with the heat.
If you have an RV/Fridge or cooler cold as hell, cold gel packs might work and keep you from having the ice melt and make your suit/undersuit, etc even wetter. I"ve also put my back protector in my cooler or fridge between races/sessions to make it cold. Every little bit helps.
This weekend during the 4hr at RRR, I had a xl shirt sitting in the cold water at the bottom of the cooler. Just before I went out on track I had my wife put it on me. Lasted about 30 minutes and worked great.
It's hot and dry out here in the Southwest for most of our races and track days. We start hydrating DAYS before an event and don't forget your salt pills! and we also take a spray bottle of water (doesn't even need to be cold) and use it to soak our undershirt, face, hair, and thankful passers by between rounds.
You drink plenty of hydrating liquids. Before you know you'll be sweating. You don't think water just goes down your throat and out of your pores immediately, right? Hard to tell without a {snark} font.
so its like "carb loading but with electrolytes"?? Can you be "overhydrated"? And this process can be done days in advance... huh?
Seriously? You are overthinking this. If you are planning on a high level of heat and physical exertion, slamming a bottle of water just before you put on your helmet isn't enough.
Here in CA we just dump a little water down the back of the suit and on the chest and it cools you right quick. The downside is its bone dry after 10 min on track.
or maybe youre under explaining this process that happens days before such an activity? I just need to guzzle water days before I plan on riding in high temp/humidity at an elevated pace?
Since you seem to need extra instruction on hydration, let me help. Majority of people do not hydrate properly on a regular basis. Depending on the temperature and workload in your environment most people should drink roughly 1 gallon of water per day as a base line and increase as temp/humidity/and energy output increase. For instance I probably drink 2 bottles of water a day and mostly sweet tea. So.... Properly hydrating would be to reduce the amount of sweet tea I drink and increase the amount of water I intake for several days prior and during the event. This would be hydrating. Is that enough of an explanation?
I have heard that one ounce of water per pound of body weight per day is the "normal" hydration level for kidney function, blood production, cell regeneration, etc. Either way, hydrated or not, in humid climates it doesn't matter. Your sweating function doesn't work as efficiently and you can overheat. That's where those cool packs really kick ass. Also keep in mind that the human body can only absorb about 1 liter of water per hour and it is possible to sweat many times that amount.
I will tell you that in humid climates it definitely matters. Honestly in my experience it matters more. I need significantly more water down here in Southeast GA than I ever did in Iraq where it was hotter with nearly no humidity. But nobodies bodies work the same. If you are from Colorado and come to Roebling for a race you definitely wont be acclimated to the humidity. The cool pack idea is pretty awesome though. I used a shirt that was in the bottom of my cooler. When I got on the bike I put it on soaking wet and it worked awesome. The water intake varies by body weight like you said. The 1 gallon per day is a general coverage term. In EMT school they used it as a baseline and you altered it based off body weight, climate, etc.
You & @Cooter! seem to be asserting you need a "volume" of water which is incorrect... Ive seen this parroted repeatedly at track days as well. Maybe because the orgs dont want to explain what the process is about. The provider typically has a buffet of useless consumer shit like sports drinks with bromides, corn syrup, & other high sugar nonessentials to get you dependent on guzzling that garbage for more $$$. Its like Brawdo. Hydration is more than drinking water... its an actual strategy that needs to be tailored to the individual & not "pee color" charts or wild generalizations. And the whole parrot line of "hydrating" days before an activity with water, like we have a reserve tank, is hilarious. The variability is immense between 2 people of the same weight... let alone body type or athletic ability or any number of other factors like environment, alcohol or caffiene intake.
My experience is from 22 years in the Army deploying to to high heat parts of the world and training in really humid conditions, and medical training. I've never heard a track or race org say anything other than the words hydrate and never seen a track day provider with a buffet of Gatorade and other crap. I've been on track since 1999. In my reply to Saiyan66 above you will see where I said that no 2 bodies work the same, that body mass matters, and that acclimation to the environment matter too. Its not about just drinking a ton of water its also about changing your hydration habits. Which I mentioned above. You keep telling us that we are wrong but you haven't explained what is right yet.
Take a breath, re-read my first post. It's good advise, backed by science, the medical community, and the track day organizers you keep ignoring. Whether you choose to do it, or agree with it... is up to you. Have a day.
The importance of replacing lost electrolytes should not be underestimated. If you hydrate sufficiently, you'll sweat a lot and lose salts. I've found that if I keep my water intake high but don't take in electrolytes, I get muscle cramps. Gatorade cut 50/50 with water is ok but there are much better things to drink. I'm partial to Tailwind endurance powder but there are other equally acceptable options. https://tailwindnutrition.com/.