Tinea Versicolor example on chest
A typical run in Taipei starts at 5am for me. The sun is rising and its already 30C on it’s way to 36C. As consistent as the sunrise and the temperature, the amount of sweating has become a part of the training process. It turns out that hot and humid sweat are also a ripe environment for anything living, including little creatures on my back.
Within 5 minutes I’m soaked. Stopping for a quick break or stretching at the end of a run results in a puddle around my feet. I’ve never lost weight through sweat at this rate before. The basic breakdown is 2kg per hour of running as a maximum before dehydration and heat stroke become a potential issue, I consistently loose upwards of 4kg.
When it’s hot, our body tends to overheat. The body uses an amazing system of radiation using perspiration to transfer body heat through the skin. Our core heats up, the heart pumps extra blood to the skin carrying the body heat with it. Sweating results in evaporation and thus the transfer of the heat from the body into the air. It’s a really “cool” system. Unfortunately the extra work for the heart to get the blood to the skin requires energy. Rather than the energy going into our running efforts it’s lost in this cooling process. When there’s no more water in your body to sweat the entire system shuts down forcing us to stop running. When you stop sweating in the middle of a race you’re in trouble.
Dehydration results in a loss in running performance as well as slows down the recovery process. The average person can digest between 720 and 840 ml of fluid per hour. Any more than that just ends up sitting in your stomach waiting for your system to make room. In effect its just added weight coming along for the ride.
Tinea Versicolor - spaghetti and meatballs
In this sweaty training environment I’ve made a new friend called “Pityriasis Versicolor” or “Tinea Versicolor” or “Sweat Fungus”. The results are mild itching and spots on the skin, in my case on my back. Apparently a common condition that the local dermatologist refers to as “meat balls and spaghetti” based on what it looks like under the microscope. A hot, wet surface for hours at a time in a climate where everything grows at an astonishing rate, a ripe environment for little creatures to move into my body parts – yikes!
The solution is to stop sweating, not really an option considering my desire to train. The alternative is a constant application of antifungal cream and regular showers followed by complete drying. It’s not a big deal but certainly adds colour or rather little spots to my ongoing story of running adventures. Anybody want a big hug from a sweaty runner?
Tags: Doctors, Moving to Taipei
Thanks for the link! I put you on my blogroll too. Good luck training in that heat! NYC isn’t much better right now either.
My pleasure Karla, in the whole Interweb thingy apparently cross linking is a good thing. More importantly your writing is a treat to read, I look forward to following your adventures.