Lack of fitness, fluid or ?

[Tai]

Went on a 13 km walk in Cleland Conv. Park SA with The Fiend of the Heysen Trial on Sunday. Temperature was nice, between 15 to 22oC. Carried about 6.5kg in my pack. Drank about 300ml water, have a small chocolate bar, 2 lollies and a glucose tablet on the way. Found myself pretty stressed towards the last bit of the walk, i.e. I was huffing and puffing and need to stop frequently on the last climb. Lost 350g on the 4 hrs walk.

Was sweating a lot and find it very hot while walking uphill , but no problem when on flat.

Beside carrying less, improving my fittness level, should i have drank more water, eat more, use my ventolin or just walk slower to avoid such situation in future ?

Managed to regain the 350g by eating like a pig in the past 24hrs

[jakeyarwood]

You probably ate more than enough for a hike of that length. Cant comment on the ventolin unfortunately. However I'd say due to the excessive sweating you were probably loosing a lot more fluids than you were taking in, hence the exhaustion. I've heard you can sweat between 1.5-2L an hour if you're exerting yourself - this is dependent on conditions too, i.e hiking in full sun, uphill, etc obviously add to the loss of fluids. In future, I'd say you definitely ought to drink way more water and maybe mix said water with an electrolyte formula before hitting the trail. I guess hiking with a bunch of folk can get you set on a pace you're not best suited to sometimes, and whilst pushing yourself feels good you may be better off keeping things a little slower next time around and see how you go. Rest stops are also a great aid! You'll figure out all the nuances soon enough though and of course, as you get fitter things become less strenuous

[Hallu]

Sunny uphill sections can be killers if the UV index is high, even if it's only 20° C. If it's not that, maybe you haven't eaten or drunk enough BEFORE the hike. If you've felt that hungry afterwards, clearly you hadn't eaten enough before. I do 7 to 9h hikes regularly. I can do them with skipping breakfast, but it's a lot harder. If it's a 5h walk with only 800 m elevation gain I have no trouble, but for a 1000 m + elevation gain hike, breakfast is essential.

[devoswitch]

To be honest maybe you need some food with a little more substance. The only thing you ate was nearly pure sugar. It's going to give you a fairly short lived burst of energy and then send you into a crashing spiral down, probably right when you needed it. It will also make you fairly dehydrated and only 300ml of water going in is not going to make a difference. Just my 2c

[highercountry]

Lose weight, get fit, drink more, eat better and you'll knock over a 13km walk in half that time and barely raise a sweat.
The 350 grams you lost was only water, not fat.

[jakeyarwood]

As noted above, better food is definitely something to bear in mind too. Nutrition often gets overlooked on the trail as filling the calorie void seems to take first place which can sometimes be problematic - the highs/lows of overly sugary food is a good example. If you need any pointers on this front then I'd be happy to speak a little about the snacks I opt for on trail

[Strider]

Sounds like a fairly normal walk to to me. I'm hardly the fittest person, though even when in better condition I still struggle with steep hills. On multiday walks I find things get easier as the trip progresses, and come the end of the walk I often feel like o could turn around and do it again!

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[benjabimon]

Walking up hill isn't exactly easy, so it sounds normal There's a chance that the exercise may have triggered your asthma, but fingers crossed it was not that, because that would suck. Do you have a regular GP that is aware of your health and its history?

I would echo what everyone else has said as well. Definitely drink more water, and eat better food to keep you going. Do not focus too much on your weight, it has been known to drive people insane. Focus more on getting increasingly comfortable with walking long distances, fitness and weight loss should follow (but it should not be your number one reason for getting outside).

Also only carry less if this does not mean that you are compromising on your safety.

[north-north-west]

300ml over 13km is not enough. There may be other factors as well, including fitness, but that one is definite.

As far as the uphills are concerned - that's an issue for a lot of walkers, myself included. While it may sound counter-intuitive, frequent rests are not good overall. When walking uphill, you need to find a pace you can maintain without stopping, even if this is a crawl. You will find that, no matter how slow you are moving, by keeping moving you will get up quicker and easier (getting moving again after a stop is harder than keeping going) and also develop fitness quicker.
Sure, sometimes you have to have a break (photo ops, drink/snack, medical issues, sheer exhaustion . . . ), but try to minimise it.

Try to add some protein to your walking food. Sugar hits are good in moderation, but protein and complex carbs rather than the sugar are a lot healthier and better in the long run.

[Tai]

Many thanks for the input.

I did have a bacon(one rash), steak(small) and sausage (half) in a bread roll + small coffee for breakfast before the walk. Did not feel hungry during the walk. Therefore did not eat my packed lunch. I think the Aarn Lite freedom pack with two front pocket might have increased my core body temperature a bit.

It usually took me 1.5 hrs to walk 6-7km on the flat( in the city) carrying a 5 kg pack. But i do carry an umbralla to avoid the sun (yes that funny women is me) i.e. I dont handle heat well, i wilt.

I am 5ft2 and have maintained body weight of 45.5 kg for decades, so dont think weight is an issue. I think i am among the shortest in the walking group = short legs = feeling i have to increase my pace at times just to catch up.

With the huffing and puffing and having to look when i put my foot most of the time, dont really have time to enjoy the scenary as much, i suppose this comes with walking with a large group but on the other hand i dont have to worried about getting lost and the organisers/leaders were more than helpful, many thanks to them,

Took small sips of water during the walk as i was trying to avoid having to look for a bush toilette, but did not feel that thirsty, just hot, hot hot. Others in the walk, some in their seventies were cool as a cumcumber, i think they perspire while i sweat like a pig. Could have sworn my ears are sweating too, even though i dont think that is possible. Towards the end of the walk i was just trying to get some air in, no thought about water or food at all and dont really care that i am the last in the walk.

With my next End to End walk will drink more fluid (750 ml or more of sport drinks if i sweat as much ) carry less weight using a 18L day pack (ttl less than 3 kg total) and will carry an umbralla if its hot. Daughter reckon ventolin is a must.

Going to Tassie with the girls and son-in-law end April for a test run. Temperature should be around 0 to 8 oC by then. Will be interesting to see if i can carry a heavier load from Ronny Creek up to Marion Lookout and survive to walk the overland track in future. The children are there as the pack mule just in case i dont make it.

Life is not perfect but good enough

[benjabimon]

Oh yeah, you can definitely sweat in your ears. I killed a pair of headphones at the gym once from sweating too much. I am so gross

Also please bear in mind that most sports drinks contain a buttload of sugar, or something similar that can be easily converted by your body into glucose (spiking your blood sugar just the same).

[wayno]

more water with around half a gram of sodium or quarter of a teaspoon of salt per litre of water

[north-north-west]

I am 5ft2 and have maintained body weight of 45.5 kg for decades, so dont think weight is an issue. I think i am among the shortest in the walking group = short legs = feeling i have to increase my pace at times just to catch up.

OK, I know where you're coming from, feeling more comfortable with a group who can take you where you want to go, but the group is at fault here and you're letting them get away with it.
Group pace must ALWAYS be set to that of the slowest, least capable walker. Yes, I know a lot of people don't like to think of themselves like that, but you have to be brutally honest with yourself. If you're struggling to keep up then the group is travelling too fast. Make sure they know this. Put aside any feelings of guilt at inconveniencing them, or of inferiority at being unable to keep up. If they aren't willing to slow down to accommodate your relative lack of pace, then they aren't the right group for you to walk with.

It can be a very difficult lesson to learn and to fully accept, but it is vital. Some of us are, for varying reasons, slower. Some of us, for varying reasons, don't handle warm conditions as well. Or dry conditions. Or whatever. You have to accept that, and make sure your walking companions both understand and accept it.

End of tough love lecture. Hope you can get sorted on this.

[wayno]

thers no such thing as "too slow" its a failure of group leadership that doesnt set the pace of the group to the slowest person. putting the slowest person up the front of the group behind someone experienced who will walk at their pace is a common practice in a well led group..

[Xplora]

Follow the excellent suggestions above but if symptoms persist then please see your doctor. There may be a medical reason for this.

[Tai]

Hi all,
Hi all,

The organisers did all the right things and could not have made it any clearer that everyone should walk at his/her own pace. U have leaders that walked up and down the group checking and asking how everyone is coping. There was at least one or two leaders at the end of the track making sure that no one was left behind and if a walker stopped, they stopped too. The whole group stopped at each junction along the trial for everone to catch up, than start again together.

I had two persons with me as i struggle up the last few climbs. My bag was taken off and told to take a glucose tablet even thought i said i was fine ( and stupid ). Thus i was able to slowly, very slowly, finished the walk, all thanks to the organiser.

The fault was on me, not the organiser of the walk. In fact I was really impressed by the way they run the whole thing.

U will always have the odd unfit and the " are we there yet" kind of walker in any walk and sad to say i am it in this walk.

Looking forward to my next walk with the group.

Will prepare better, carry less weight, drink more and carry my umbralla if necessary on my next walk with the group.

[wayno]

theres other options like break the group up into more defined fitness levels rather than let it get into a strung out state where people are more likely to go missing

[drakkar]

You should be aiming in the 300ml/hour mark. Possibly slightly less.

Sports drinks are not good! The typical store brought ones have as much sugar as coke, which is almost better for you in fatigue situations and definetely for recovery.

Make up some trail mix and half a small handful every 15 minutes and wash it down with a couple mouthfuls of water.

Post having a large meal with lots of colours and a good balance of fats/carbs/protein and 8hrs sleep afterwards is just as important.

[wayno]

in hot weather you could easily sweat anywhere from half a litre to a couple of litres an hour.

[GPSGuided]

In other words, it'd be almost impossible to not get into fluid deficit on a longer day.

[wayno]

In other words, it'd be almost impossible to not get into fluid deficit on a longer day.

yes, if you dont stop long enough and drink enough to catch up on the deficit of fluid that can be brought about by sweating. you can only absorb a litre of water an hour. and if you dont take enough sodium with it you ay be be peeing out some of that water as well

[paul_gee]

My advice - just keep doing it. Every hike with get easier and easier and you'll be able to go further and further.

My 'big trip prep' always begins on the flat in the city too. I walk to work as it is - 4km each way, with a light pack containing lunch, change of clothes, etc. In prep mode I will start by introducing more weight to my day pack, upping my pace a little, and gathering the data in an iPhone app like Map My Walk. I will then start carrying my 45L pack and adding more and more weight to it. My weekends, in prep mode, usually comprise a couple of hikes up in Cleland, Belair, or Morialta. Sometimes cycling up their.

[Tai]

Hi all,

Went to Cradle over the long weekend. Reached Kitchen Hut going through Marion Lookout with no issue. Weather was perfect, made frequent stops and refuel twice before Marion Lookout, return via Horse Track

Walked about 6.5 km in 6.5 hrs ( Waldheim - Dove Lake - Marion Lookout -Crater Peak - Waldheim )

Worn a marino top and pair of shorts carrying about 7.5 kg - no excessive sweating or heat stress.

Total fluid intake is 2 x 600ml water. Snacks on the way : one banana, one apple, 2 slices of yummy rich home made cake by my sister, 2 rice crackers, 4 sour jelly bear and a bit of chocolate. Found the energy boost from the cakes very helpful.

Lunch (salami and cheese salad roll and one banana) at Kitchen Hut sitting on my Helinox sunset chair, life is good

Did not eat anything on the return trip via Horse Track, only some water.

Daughter reckon i need more training before the Overland Track

All in all it was a very good trip.

[clance]

Hmmm sounds like a heat/energy substrate issue, imo you would do well to drink more, and maybe 500ml/hr minimum, with a real food snack every 2/3hrs. If fit and conditioned you could run that whole distance with little water in less than 2hrs but if not so fit it will take longer and require more fluid/fuel. Time and distance are both important factors to consider for fuel requirements

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