Sudden increase in excessive sweating

Thanks, Ben, as always, for all your feedback. I hope the rivers are not being temperamental anymore.

I went to the doctor yesterday, and all my lab work results are perfect. The doctor said I need to drink way more water and take vitamins, and iron.
It made me feel so much better, and when I was thinking about the last weekend workout it actually started to make sense for me. I did 70 miles ride on the bike, where I never rode more than 35 (so I doubled...) and run 12 miles on the following day (except the HM few weeks ago, my longest runs were ~4 miles couple of times per week). Now that I looked at it it's basically HIM distance, with Sprint training..... No wonder my body was completely not ready for that kind of workout and effort.

Since sweating is the way our body cools down, when I doubled my workout (without proper preparation), and with extreme weather (almost 90 degrees and high humidity), that was the response. It had to cool down. I also admit I was pushing too hard (riding with friends - I told them I cannot ride as fast as them, but then just kept pushing).

Advice to self: take it easy on the training, slow down, drink wayyy more water and stuff.

Edited by marysia83 2017-07-26 9:22 AM

Could well just be a humidity issue, but no harm in getting it checked out if you're worried.

I sweat a crazy amount here in Saigon. Sometimes I am drinking up to 36 ounces of water an hour on a ride or run and still end up a bit dehydrated. In the sprint (hottest and most humid time of year), my shoes are usually sloshing with sweat by 30 minutes in. The more intense the effort, the hotter I get and the more I sweat. If I don't turn on the AC, I am getting up at 4:30 AM, sitting at the kitchen table with a pre-run iced coffee and granola bar, and sweat is already dripping down my back! I can work up a decent sweat just brushing my teeth at that time of year. Typically sweating a lot but with low sodium concentration (your sweat doesn't taste very salty) is an adaptation to training/living in hot and humid conditions. I wondered about thyroid because I do sweat so much, I'm quite thin even without much training, and Mom had some issues with it, but have had that tested and in fact it is normal---I just have a high sweat rate!

I also find that my sweat rate varies a bit with time of month--my coach had shared some research suggesting that women may have somewhat different fluid and electrolyte needs depending on hormone levels during their cycles. Could be a factor as well.

Edited by Hot Runner 2017-07-26 11:38 AM

Another thing I've found helpful in really hot/humid conditions--modify workouts so you are not doing sustained hard efforts for too long without an "easier" break in between. For example, in a cooler climate I might ride for 30-60 minutes steady at HIM race power (repeated 2-3X over a longer ride), or do a 30-60 minute tempo run, sometimes accelerating as I go. Those kinds of workouts here tend to end at best with me no longer able to hit the target paces and becoming overheated and nauseous; at worst with major dehydration and exhaustion that can last for several days after.

Over the years, I've learned that those kind of workouts are counterproductive in very hot/humid conditions. Instead, I tend to do shorter, slightly more intense intervals with some breaks in between, like 8-12 minutes at race pace/effort or a bit faster, with 4-6 minutes of easier running/riding in between. "Easier" can range from low/mid Zone 2 ("normal" steady run/ride pace) when it's not too hot, to barely faster than a walk (and occasionally a bit of walking if my HR is really high) when conditions are really extreme. I would suggest walking if your HR is getting much out of Z2 on the easier stretches of a long run. Heart rate is a good training tool in hot conditions, because it's a pretty strong indicator of body temps, hydration, and general stress on your system. The easier stretches let your core temperature drop a bit, which cuts down a bit on sweating/fluid loss, and also makes it easier to drink enough and absorb the fluids and electrolytes. This kind of training seems to be just as effective as longer pickups at a slightly easier pace, and seems to require less prolonged recovery.