WNeal

2010 Reminder


The Heat Is ON (Heat Exaustion)
This will be in the next 10/10ths newsletter but it is hot now so I though it would post it up for everyone.

Summer is upon us and so far has been fairly warm and humid. Drivers sitting in their cars in the hot pit and driving on the track can easily lose a pound of water or two in a single session. (Note that a pound of water is equivalent to about a Pint.). YES, it is very possible. I have dealt with many heat related injuries over my career as a Cincinnati Fire Fighter and Paramedic and know that it can happen quickly. Although most people suffer the effects, the outcome is usually good, but most people are not driving at 120 – 150 MPH either. On track symptom of heat exhaustion can be devastating to you and other drivers around you.

You should know the symptoms before you get on the track.
Heat exhaustion is one of the heat-related syndromes, which range in serverity from mild heat cramps to heat exhaustion to potentially life threatending heatstroke.

Signs and symptoms include things such as:
• Feeling faint or dizzy
• Nausea
• Heavy Sweating
• Rapd, weak heartbeat
• Low blood pressure
• Cool, moist, pale skin
• Heat cramps
• Headache
• Fatique
• Dark colored urine (yes, you should pay attention to this)

If you suspect heat exhaustion:
• Get out of the sun and into a shady or air conditioned location.
• Lay the person down and elevate the legs and feet slightly.
• Loosen or remove the person’s clothing.
• Drink cool water.
• Cool down by spraying or sponging cool water on your body.
• DO NOT underestimate the effects. Heat exhaustion can quickly progress to heat stroke.
• If you do not see improvement quickly call 911.

Note that many folks simply disregard the symptoms and do not act on them in time. It is very important for all drivers to pay attention to this in the paddock and watch your buddies for the effects. Don’t hesitate to say something to another driver if you suspect it. Offer them a bottled water etc. and encourage them to drink. Water is your friend. I have been told “gas is your friend” , but not in this case.

How to avoid heat exhaustion at the track:
• Drink plenty of WATER. (A minimum of 1 pint before each session)
• Take that driving suit off between sessions.
• Get some shade time while in the paddock.
o (Even if your car needs work, make sure you take a moment to rest and get some fluids.
• If you notice you have not gone to the restroom all morning, it is because you are not getting enough fluids, you need to drink something.
• PAY ATTENTION to the symptoms and act on them as needed. It is better to give up the fight and win the battle on another day. Don’t go out on the track if you are not feelling well !!!!!


I encourage everyone to discuss this at the next driver meeting you attend.

Bimota Guy

Buy a cool shirt. Best few hundred bucks you can spend!

www.coolshirt.net

WNeal

Not affiliated with above poster

*C7*

Bill, thank you very much for the important reminder.......

rasrboy

Good stuff Bill,

Not to highjack the thread but Here's a little something I would like to share with everyone.

I have my homemade in-car water bottle system that cost me $10.00 to make and it works wonders. Some people laugh at my contraption but I ain't the one with cotton mount when I climb out of the car.

I went to Dick's Sporting goods and bought a large water bottle holder
($8.00) with zipper that you would mount on a bicycle. I mounted that to my rollbar on drivers left and bought one of those monstor size bottles of water at the gas station. I drilled a 1/4" hole in the center of the cap. Then I drilled a 1/8" hole on the side for it to vent. Went to Home depot and bought a 1/4" clear flexible hose in the plumbing section in a 2' length for .80 cents or so.

Put water bottle in holder and zip it up with cap and tubed shoved down inside & strap in, Then I route the clear water tube over my harness and up the bottom of my helmet. When I'm all tight I bite the tube at the 1 minute to go signal. Plus, I can still talk on the radio's at the same time while racing. Hot damm, I can do two things at a once.

When I hit a straight away and have a quick moment, I suck down some good old H20 and let me tell you it refreshes me and keeps me on my toes. If you don't have a roll bar, you get the idea and maybe you can fab something up in that same area.

Aaron

WNeal

I know another driver that has done something similar and it works very well for him.

CHJ In Virginia

Dehydration is a very real problem especially in July and August. If you are not urinating between every run group, you are not drinking enough fluids. Pee often and Pee Clear !!! Drink cool or even ambient temperature water or sports electrolyte drinks - not coke, coffee, red bull or other caffinated drinks. Warmer fluids are absorbed into your system more quickly, it takes almost 1/2 hour before a drink is fully absorbed into your system.

BuckeyeZ06

On April 16th I went on a short 3-mile run without hydrating. The temps were not too bad, but the humidity was high. On top of not drinking water, the only liquids I had that day were caffienated.

Needless to say I got hit hard. I became dizzy, enough that I had to sit down on the driveway. I got up once and fell down, hard. I did this five more times, twice using my forehead as a leading instrument (no, I didn't dent the cement).

I eventually crawled back in to the house and lied down, two minutes before my wife came home. Good thing she didn't see my sprawled on the driveway, she'd of had a cow.

She saw me lying on the guest room bed and asked if I was OK. I said yes, but when I went to the bathroom, collapse #7 occured.

Next thing I know paramedics are checking me out; I was unconscious for a good 15 minutes. They took my blood pressure and it got as low as 60/40. Not good.

I was taken to emergeancy and spent the night in the hospital for observation. At 46 years of age and in a high stress job (investment firm president), they don't take chances. I think every test available on the heart was done, and I passed with flying colors.

The cause of all this? Dehydration.

Just because it isn't hot out doesn't mean you can't be dehydrated. Drink lots of water. My pro athlete clients tell me half you body weight i ounces. Me, that's 95 fluid ounces.

And yes, you do pee alot.

johninar

Great advice everyone.

Running at Hallett in the summer is tough. We see 95-105+ June through August. Since I'm pushing 60, I make sure I drink G2 (alternating with water) after every session. One thing I have noticed that constant hydration has helped me with headaches I was experiencing. After supplementing my water with G2 I stopped getting headaches. I am going to rig a water bottle as I get cotton mouth big time. Thanks for the tips.

0Randy@DRM

This is very important!!!! I normally don't drink a bunch of water. Between my wife and I, we took down a case in 2 days. That is 6 bottles each a day. It was 75 and sunny.

Randy

Slalom4me

In addition - if you recognize you are in trouble, ask for assistance
or at least let someone else know and have them stay with you or
periodically check up on you. Don't go off in a corner by yourself.

.

yakisoba

The bad thing is, once I'm thirsty, I find it's too late and other symptoms follow unless I get cool, get water and sit tight. I simply drink water as part of the after session ritual. I bought a big cooler that I stage at the pits, rather than a zillion plastic bottles. Green racer that's me.

Another thing to consider is that if you are running time trials, or qualifying, there may not be a reason to run all session. For me, in NASA time trial, I'll get my best lap early, and remaining laps are in traffic. I can conserve the car and me if I come in early. There are a host of reasons not to, but the heat of summer can be a compelling reason to make that hot lap on lap #3 and come on in.

It's a time management issue if you're a one-man show at the track. You have to do all the maintenance on the car, but also MUST do the maintenance on the finicky bit of meat that turns the steering wheel. Do that part first, THEN take care of the ride. IMO, of course.

Red Gump

water down the gatorade, it's too much sugar by itself. I try to start at race day with bananas, seems to help. potassium I think.

0Randy@DRM

Good man, I tried to do that this weekend. But some how the mold got to my 5 gallon cooler. I almost throw up after opening it up

Bimota Guy

So you don't think a cool shirt (or similar product) is a good idea?

fatbillybob

Well I say the hell with green. I have been known to get in my tow vehicle and start the engine and run the A/C. Water is critical but you have to get cool too. Now I'm older and smarter and bench race when it to too hot to be out there. Know your limits! It is no fun to be out there is you feel like crap anyway and your performance will suck so just stay home or go fishing.

Oh, best water supplement I have used is called Emercen-C. Viper racers told me about the stuff and it makes a huge difference. It comes from costco in many flavors and has no sugar in it but all the other good stuff. Eat light like bananas and save the gut bomb for dinnertime.

Olitho

My routine:

• Start drinking water the night before a warm or hot day.
• Drink a glass when you wake up.
• Drink water while driving to the track. Pull over and pee. You will need to if you are doing this right.
• Keep drinking all day while on the track.
• Down a bottle of water just before getting in the car.
• Drink when you get out of the car.

If you do this I doubt you will have any problems. You will still feel hot, but your body temp will be normal. I also don't normally go into air-conditioned places. I stay out of the sun, but keeping myself in the warm environment keeps all my sweat glands running. Going into cool rooms shuts them off and you over heat when you return to the environment of the car.

I learned while running and racing bicycles, start hydrating early and a lot... hours before you need it. If you exert yourself and sweat when it is hot and then start drinking, it is too late. You can never catch up. When I was racing bikes I could train or race when well hydrated and I was not overly thirsty when I returned. I would recover quickly, too. If I did not hydrate early and then started taking on fluids when sweating, I could never get enough. The whole rest of the day I would still be feeling thirsty and tired.

A factoid I learned later while in Death Valley when it was about 118 degrees; on a warning brochure it said "...at rest in the shade in 110 degree temperatures your body will sweat off fluids faster than your stomach liner can absorb the fluids."

I have been on grid a few times in temps over 105 and once at Buttonwillow when it was 111. I don't wear a cool suit and I do fine, at least once we start driving. Suited up and sitting on grid can be miserable, but it all goes away when we start moving.

Drink early and drink often. That is all there is to it.

longdaddy

i often see people at HPDE drinking coffee and energy drinks between sessions. as someone already said, not a great idea, esp. on a hot day

worldsaway

I do autox, and attended two events this weekend, both out of town. Started changing tires at 10 am, temps near 100 degrees, drove 1.5 hours to grand bay, Al ,event ran from 3pm till 11pm. Left at 6am for two hour drive to new orleans, working a corner at 100 degrees, by the second heat I could hardly drive. All this is to say that at 50, the heat really affects me, and we all probably don't realize the effect until it too late. I know in the future I'll hydrate better. Ed

meldog21

I agree with Ollie. You need a "routine." On another thread recently someone gave me a hard time for trailering my car to the track. I didn't want to argue, but I explained that I bring too much gear for just taking the car. Some of those items I bring are canopies, 2 fans, extension cords, generator(for tracks without electr) and a big cooler of water and drinks.

My routine:

Do not drink alcohol the night before even if you are hanging out at the hotel with your buddies. Get a good spot under available shade at the track or under a canopy. As soon as I'm set up in the morning I start drinking water or gatorade before the drivers meeting. After each session I put my helmet and gear on one fan and change into shorts and Tivas. I sit down in the shade with the other fan on me. If my routine is disturbed because I have to work on the car, help with someone else's car, or coach someone, I still down a water or gatorade between every session.

I have also run at Buttonwillow and Thunderhill @ 105 degrees, including on motorcycles while wearing leathers. When it's that hot no matter how much you drink you will be peeing dark by the end of the day. If you don't take the proper precautions you can become a causualty. At the track that means you could hurt yourself and possibly others too.

Be smart, have a routine and supplies. Be safe and have fun!

Dog