Don't Mess with the Heat

I try and not repeat myself.  I really do.  I've been filling this space for over 30 years now and you would think that I would run out of ideas.  Somehow, something always comes up.

I try and not write too much about the bicycle anymore, not since the late great Jim Dykes told me to "get off that (expletive deleted) bike fetish."  I get ideas from a lot of places.  Sometimes it's you.

I do keep a record of what I have written about.  Mostly I just sit down and start writing what is on my heart.  My daughter tells me that I write like I talk and I suppose that's what I do--just sit down and start talking thru the keyboard.

But some topics bear repeating.  This is one of those.

Fall sports are in full swing with preseason practice going on for football, volleyball, and soccer and offseason workouts for a lot of other sports.

Folks, it's hot outside.  I don't want to argue with you about global warming but I just got back from Glacier National Park where the glaciers are rapidly disappearing. 

Our athletes are having to deal with that heat.  And it can be brutal outside. 

We are all conditioned to air-conditioning.  It's just always there.  But then it's Friday night and the humidity is high and our football teams don't have the option of running inside and getting cooled off in an air-conditioned room.  They've got to deal with the heat.

So how do they do that?  How do they avoid those early season cramps that plague so many?  How do they perform at a high level when conditions border on oppressive?

They condition for it.  They train in the heat.  They push themselves when what they want to do is to get in a cool room and rest.

They hydrate.  Every athlete out there hears that message every day.  Water and sports drinks.  Sports drinks and water.  You need both.

Hydrations is an all day thing.  You can't just drink when you're thirsty.  You've got to drink all day long. 

How do you tell if you are sufficiently hydrated?  You look at your urine.  It should be clear and pale yellow.  Anything else could mean problems.

Dehydration is not something to be messed with.  It can turn dangerous in a hurry. 

If you or somebody you are with is excessively red-faced, having labored breathing, nauseous, or seem dizzy or disoriented (not all of those--any ONE of them) assume that they are having trouble dealing with the heat and get them cooled off.  Quickly.

Wet them down.  Find ice bags.  Get them in shade.

It's a story worth repeating.