BT Forum

Hi all.

This past weekend, I did an Olympic (3:19:xx) in the heat. My swim was okay, my bike was pretty conservative but solid, but - as usual - things fell apart on the run. I really don't do well running...add heat and it's worse.

So, here's the set up: 3 to 2 hours before the race, I drank one 16 oz cup of coffee and a bagel with peanut butter. 30 minutes before the swim, I sipped water and had a shot of Hammer Perpetuem (1 scoop, thinned with water). On the bike, I had ~16 oz of HEED (1 scoop in a 24 oz bottle, that I didn't finish), ~4 oz water and one Gu, and about 3-4 Endurolytes. The run was a 2 lap run, and I alternated b/t water and HEED at the 3 water tables. My stomach was bothering me on the second lap, so I really couldn't choke down another gel.

None of that is really "unusual" for me in my training in terms of drinking or food for each individual leg. What was unusual was how my stomach reacted.

By the end of the race, my guts started making noises. After seeing friends through the awards, I packed up the truck for the hour+ drive home, and the guts were rumbling and churning like a volcano. I almost didn't make it home without pulling off the road. I got to the house, ran inside, and just in time, the - well, the bowels opened up and it was ugly.

I did an Oly in June where it was much cooler and did not have this problem. Last September, I did a HIM in the heat - and I did have this same issue - about 2 hours post-race and all h---- breaks loose. Was it the heat that does it to me? My SO thinks I ate too much before the race - but with a 3 hour wait, I needed something of substance. I did the same basic routine in June, and it worked fine (sans the Perpetuem, b/c I didn't have so long a wait).

I'm just wondering if my body reacts to the heat - and I wonder what I can do to prevent this from happening again (short of not racing in the heat, which is hard to predict). Any ideas? Thanks.