What was this? Heat exhaustion??

[lil mermaid]

I live outside of Houston. The summers here, as you are probably aware, are very hot and humid. We are also under a heat advisory right now - it has been hotter than usual for the past couple of weeks.

This morning, I went out for an easy five mile run with a friend. To try to beat the heat as much as possible, we met at 5:30 am. It was still hot - around 79 degrees, and very humid.

Well, we did our five miles, at a very slow pace (I am slow - but this pace was slow even for me!) Still, I felt kind of yucky for the whole run. I had some stomach cramps, but that isn't unusual for me when I run early in the morning. They were pretty minor. No muscle/leg or calf cramps. I had my fuel belt and drank lots of water and finished off with 8 oz of G2 Gatorade. Didn't feel that great.

I got home and plunked myself down in front of the computer to upload my data from my Garmin. Then I started to feel lightheaded and things got a bit blurry. I went to lie down, and my husband checked my blood pressure which was very low - something like 84/56. In addition, my feet were a bit swollen. I just felt horrible - nausea and headachy.

After I had some orange juice and took a cool shower, I felt a bit better. Still, I felt "wrong" for about 2 hours.

I feel almost back to normal now, but have a bit of a headache.

So, what do you think this was???

 

[mkymsehi]

Possibly some slight heat exhaustion. Did you take your temperature when you got home?

Did you eat breakfast before your run? Could be some electrolyte imbalance.

Be sure to hydrate the day before a run. You should be peeing clear or light straw yellow. If it's darker than that, you need more fluids.

When out on the road, consider a wet bandana around your neck. Wet your hair and hat/visor, and even soak your shirt with water.

If it happens again, check in with your doctor.

 

[lil mermaid]

Thanks for the advice, Jeff. I didn't take my temp when I got home.

You know, usually I am really good about making sure that I keep hydrated all the time, especially when I know that I am going to be running the next day. But the day before this happened, after I ran I was out and about all day - and didn't drink enough water. Clearly, this contributed to my problem!

Also, I usually drink a huge glass of water an hour before a run, and also eat a packet of instant oatmeal and half a banana. This particular morning, I didn't eat the oatmeal, just the banana.

Anyway, thanks again.

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Hope today you are feeling better. Please be careful and if you feel anything unusual get the doc's advice. Make your next steps a bit less distance and see how you feel.

 

[tiberius]

Hey there lil mermaid, I am in your area, too.

It was definitely a rough morning today, and I think saying it was 79 degrees may have been generous.

I think Jeff was on the mark with his comments. In weather like this I make sure to take in electrolytes with Gatorade instead of only water. Today I even took some Endurolyte capsules for my 6 mile run, which I normally save for long 25k + trail runs.

You also need to be aware that it's possible to take in too much water, and I think that might have been the cause of your feet swelling (although that could have also been from the low blood pressure). Mostly I'd tell you to be careful out there in the rough weather, follow reasonable running precautions, and maybe try to run with others (as you did today) in case you have problems while out on the run.

I hope you are felling better tomorrow.

 

[ultramickeymouse]

Jeff is spot on. I also agree with Endurolytes from the start of a run/walk to prevent issues starting.