Long rides / races & health effects

[davenoeljones]

Hey,
Bit of quick background, I'm 6'2, 79kgs, road riding for 2 or 3 years, generally race in B grade, probably average 250kms per week. Don't smoke but enjoy post ride beers etc.

So...... I'm training for K2 (200km road race) here in NZ in 3 and a bit weeks so naturally my miles have been stepping up.

Two things I have noticed from training rides of around 130 - 140km+:

1. The next day my heart beat has a slight irregularity to it, following day it is fine. This isn't new to me, a small amount of caffeine will do the same thing. But I can go out for a quick fire 60km high intensity session and next day my heart is fine. Heart rate on the rides acts normally, averaging 145, peaking 180.
2. It is sometimes difficult to eat post ride, due to a burning / stinging sensation on the roof of my mouth.....only when the food is in my mouth.....stop eating and within 10 - 20 seconds it is gone. I'm thinking this might be dehydration??

Any thoughts on the above? Thinking as it is my heart, it is fairly important so will get professional advice......but will need to wait till next Monday post Sunday's 150km ride.

[bigfriendlyvegan]

Overtraining?

[Meditator]

What would be a good reason for waiting until the race is over. If it was me, i'd probably want to find out beforehand. After you are going to ride 200km is that right?

I say this cause it sounds like stress. but i'm not a doctor and i have never heard of this before but i have known someone on a long hard trek start experiencing arrhythmia - irregular heart beat and it was decided she should turn back rather than continue. I think you should be acting more cautiously rather than carrying on without doing anything to find out what might be going on.

I do not think this is dehydration.

It doesn't sound like you haven't been doing enough training for this ride though. Yes you might be able to do the ride but it is putting your body under great strain by the sounds of it.

[greyhoundtom]

First of all see a doctor ASAP about the irregular heartbeat.

However the symptoms can, as you have mentioned, be due to an electrolyte imbalance and dehydration, particularly when it involves low potassium levels.

This brings us back to what you are drinking, and how often on the longer rides to maintain, not only hydration, but also electrolyte levels.

While a few cold beers is nice after a hard ride, it does nothing to combat dehydration, and in fact can aggravate the condition.

The pain in the mouth can also be due to dehydration, as this can make it difficult for the salivary glands to produce saliva.