vomiting on the bike

[defspace]

physiologically, what's going on when I vomit on the bike during/after a very hard effort? What's triggering that?

I've heard people say that when lactic acid concentrations get really high, your body thinks it has been poisoned and tries to get rid of the poison by vomiting.

When I google, I get lots of stuff about "be sure to hydrate during your workout!" I know that's not what's going on here.

Anyway, anyone know? I'm just kinda curious.

[Too Tall]

That is not normal. You sure you don't want to talk about this with your doc?

FWIIW I've only ever seen ONE "sporting event" where puking is "normal" at indoor rowing competitions where you are going full on for 5-7 mins. It's not even "normal" there it's just something that happens during races....NOT in (cough) training. You are training right?

[JoB]

What do you eat before exercise?
I would speak with my doc. stomach contents are very acidic and can corrode the esophagus when they come back up too often.
I have a hunch that some of us can push themselves harder than others, and those pushers are the ones that throw up. Is this you?

take a look at this: The impact of physical exerci... [Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009] - PubMed - NCBI

Point of clarification: lactate is generally your friend, not the enemy - it acts as a buffer for acid (hydrogen ions) produced during intense exercise and actually prevents a decrease in blood and tissue pH.

physiologically, what's going on when I vomit on the bike during/after a very hard effort? What's triggering that?

I've heard people say that when lactic acid concentrations get really high, your body thinks it has been poisoned and tries to get rid of the poison by vomiting.

When I google, I get lots of stuff about "be sure to hydrate during your workout!" I know that's not what's going on here.

Anyway, anyone know? I'm just kinda curious.

[Wisco]

Definitely not normal.

I would describe your symptoms to your primary care physician who is likely to send you to a Gastroenterologist who may perform an "upper endoscopy". That involves inserting a camera at the end of a tube into your mouth to look at your esophagus and stomach. Lot's of potential issues here, all of which may require this speciality medical evaluation.

Good luck.

[mjbabcock]

FWIIW I've only ever seen ONE "sporting event" where puking is "normal"

Ever seen Beer Pong?

[joosttx]

Can happen when you are out of shape. Basically blood from your stomach is diverted to other places to deliver the extra O2 and remove the extra waste from excercise. At least this is how I understand it.

It happen to me when I started weight training specifically when I did squats.

[PJN]

Full bore puke? Or just dry heaving?

I dry heave all the damn time after hard efforts.

[j44ke]

When I thought I could be a runner, this was not uncommon among people I was running with after a hard effort, distance runners especially who sprinted the last 200m of a 10,000m race. It was one of the factors (other than being bog slow) that convinced me I couldn't be a runner. Whatever the bodily chemistry of the event, it definitely correlated with hard or extreme effort.

[devlin]

When I first went into A grade I puked a few times in the sprint. That was in my very early 20's . Haven't done it since. Have had then dry heaves a couple of times last year doing some short steep hill interval training. Not sure of the mechanism for it but have only experienced it when I"ve pushed beyond what I initially thought my limit was.

[BShow]

I was a runner in high school, college and competed for a number of years post collegiately. In those circles, it wasn't uncommon for people to yak after a race or a hard workout. Granted, it was mostly dry heaving, since not many people would eat anything significant before running. The bike is a bit different in that regard... There's much less impact and jostling. I find that I can eat more substantial stuff before a ride or bike race than I would ever dream of eating before even the easiest run. It did always baffle me though, when people pushed themselves "to the point of puking." I couldnt relate to it at all.

In my hundreds, maybe thousands of races and hard efforts, I only ever puked twice and I can explain both of them...

The first time, was just after an 800m race - which for those that aren't familiar - is just shy of an all out sprint for two laps on an outdoor track. It was foolish for me to be on the track that day. I was sick as a dog, but it was the conference championships and I knew that I could still help my team. So I ran. And puked on the side of the track a few seconds after I crossed the line. Simultaneously gasping for air and heaving is not a pleasant experience.

The second time, was my own undoing. After practice one Friday, coach told me I was sidelined for tomorrow's home indoor meet. I think I was being punished for skipping out on the AD mandated study hall - though I he never told me that directly. He told me instead to meet him at 6am in the fieldhouse. He wanted me to go after the 600m school record, which was a soft 1:20.1. The meet wasnt a particularly important and while I'd always rather race, chasing a school record wasnt a bad alternative. Looking back, I believe that the punishment was mostly to keep me from partying the Friday night before. But it didnt work... As usual, I went hard. It was Friday night after all and I was in college, why wouldnt I?

The 5:30 alarm came woefully early. I walked into the field house at 5:58am and I'm reasonably certain that I was still legally intoxicated. I trotted around the eerily empty field house until I was more or less warmed up and ready to get it over with. I laced up my spikes, did a few striders and approached the line. Coach was standing there, stopwatch in hand, glaring into my glassy eyes. I toed the line, He counted down quietly and I was off. Balls to the wall for three laps.

I crossed the line and proceeded straight to the 55gallon drum a few meters away. I heaved my guts out for several minutes. I don't believe that coach said a word to me before quietly leaving the field house. Matter of fact, I think the only words he said that mornig were three, two, one, go. I finally collected myself and went straight back to my bed.

I can't say that the punishment made much of an impression at the time, but it sure is a memory that I'll never forget.

So those are the two times I've puked after an effort. As I've said though, as a runner I used to see it all the time in practice and races alike. It's pretty rare for me to see this at cycling events though.

[theflashunc]

Whenever it's happened to me -- and only once or twice in the two decades I've been riding -- have always been due to too hard an effort too soon after eating the wrong kind of stuff.

Gas station nutrition + hill sprint = barftown.

[Tom]

I learned that it is smart to wear your Goretex pants when working the finishing chutes at the local 5K race, especially on hot and humid days.

Personally, the only times I've felt sick when running or riding is when I actually was sick. I think it has to do with exactly how hard one is capable of pushing themselves. That being said, I agree with everybody above - if this is happening outside of competition get yourself to a doc right away.

[BShow]

I learned that it is smart to wear your Goretex pants when working the finishing chutes at the local 5K race, especially on hot and humid days.

Personally, the only times I've felt sick when running or riding is when I actually was sick. I think it has to do with exactly how hard one is capable of pushing themselves. That being said, I agree with everybody above - if this is happening outside of competition get yourself to a doc right away.

I had a kid puke on my hands at a winter series race that I was working. Not cool. I ended up "washing" my hands in a slushy mud puddle.

[defspace]

That is not normal...You are training right?

Yikes, you guys have me worried now. I am training. I'm a cat2 so I figure I'm in not-terrible shape.

Full bore puke? Or just dry heaving?

I dry heave all the time. I'll puke maybe 3-4 times in a season, almost always in racing. Usually it's something like a leadout, the final sprint, something all-out.

What do you eat before exercise?

I have a hunch that some of us can push themselves harder than others, and those pushers are the ones that throw up. Is this you?

In this case, a sandwich 2-3 hours before a crit and a sleeve of shotblocks 45 minutes beforehand. I certainly hope that I'm a pusher rather than someone with a goofy GI system.

[Matthew Strongin]

Whenever it's happened to me -- and only once or twice in the two decades I've been riding -- have always been due to too hard an effort too soon after eating the wrong kind of stuff.

Gas station nutrition + hill sprint = barftown.

Same here. Mine was sprint drills after a pizza party. Bad. Idea.

[dgaddis]

The second time, was my own undoing. After practice one Friday, coach told me I was sidelined for tomorrow's home indoor meet. I think I was being punished for skipping out on the AD mandated study hall - though I he never told me that directly. He told me instead to meet him at 6am in the fieldhouse. He wanted me to go after the 600m school record, which was a soft 1:20.1.....I don't believe that coach said a word to me before quietly leaving the field house. Matter of fact, I think the only words he said that mornig were three, two, one, go. I finally collected myself and went straight back to my bed.

So. Did you get the record?

I've never puked on the bike, but have felt like I might after a 3ish mile MTB TT. ~11mins of going as hard and fast as possible around a twisty bit of singletrack.

[thomas]

[QUOTE=dgaddis;596078]So. Did you get the record?QUOTE]

Yeah, come one. What's the ending?

[stnphoto]

This is not at all uncommon and I don't think you need to be worried. When I was doing Krav Maga training 3-4 times a week it was unusual for someone not to vomit after fighting for fifteen minutes. I have a very prominent gag reflex (the dentist hates me) and I still dry heave after extended time in my peak heart rate zone. I am careful to sip small quantities of water or Scratch during exertion so I don't get too dry-mouthed or phlemy-feeling in the back of my throat. If I wait too long though, I will throw up.

[DOOFUS]

I have never zorked from intervals

the guys I know who have (and brag about it) usually are dehydrated or they're trying to rush fitness by jumping into fairly high intensity stuff too early

* hydrate properly

* build a proper aerobic base before moving on to VO2

* save the 1-2 minute zone 6 crap for peaking, after you already have 5 months of training in your legs

[BShow]

So. Did you get the record?

Doesnt really matter. Practice races aren't recorded in any record books anyway... which clearly illustrates my naivety at the time, thinking that it would count. I just did what coach asked, I guess. Even if I broke the record by a mile, it wouldnt be recorded anywhere... Which all of the sudden I now realize (16 years later) what my punishment was meant to be: A school record that will never be in the books.

For the vsalon record book (which, in a few minutes will be set in interweb stone); I missed the school record that morning by 0.2x.

I've never puked on the bike, but have felt like I might after a 3ish mile MTB TT. ~11mins of going as hard and fast as possible around a twisty bit of singletrack.

I think the vomiting has to do a lot with intensity of the effort. (and/or drinking heavily beforehand)