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Bloating with low blood sodium is extremely dangerous by Lulu Wescher Lulu Weschler is physical therapist, ultra cyclist and regular contributor to UltraCycling. Introduction A potentially very dangerous situation in endurance athletes is low blood sodium. During an ultra event, an athlete may drink plenty of water, but not replace the sodium lost in sweat. If the athlete starts retaining water (bloating), then the decrease of sodium in the body and the increase in fluid will result in a too low concentration of sodium in the blood. Bloating with low blood sodium is extremely dangerous because it can lead to [...]

Maintaining proper electrolyte levels in endurance athletes is critical to performance. by Kevin Setnes and Karl King Kevin Setnes is an ultra runner, regular contributor to Ultra Running magazine and coach. Karl King developed SUCCEED products for endurance athletes. For more information, go to suceedscaps.com Introduction Recent debates about the need for electrolytes raise many interesting questions and points. Too much or too little? What is right for you? Are there dangers to watch out for? These are valid questions; but there aren't any yes or no answers. Fact: Maintaining proper electrolyte levels in endurance athletes is critical to performance. [...]

A Case Study by John Hughes John Hughes is a former director of the WUCA, has been certified by the NSCA as a personal trainer and by USA Cycling as a coach. Learn about Hughes’ coaching at www.coach-hughes.com. The Problem Rider A, who lives in Southern California writes: I am 53 years old and this year I started having problems with heat exhaustion on rides. This problem has caused me to bail on five rides. The problem has occurred at temperatures from 72 to 104 degrees. I start to get a headache followed by disorientation, nausea then vomiting. I cool [...]

How to Prevent, Break and Flush Muscle Cramps. by Lulu Weschler Weschler is a Contributing Editor to UltraCycling, a physical therapist and ultra cyclist. A muscle cramp is a muscle contracting when you didn't tell it to, and staying contracted to an exquisitely painful extent when you are begging it to stop. Cramping has happened to many a rider and wrecked more than a few performances. Many of us have learned from experience that: If you get a calf cramp at night, when you're in bed, you leap out and stand up to make the cramp go away. Generally, a [...]