This post has nothing to do with cycling, but it easily could. It has nothing to do with yesterday's post. It has to do with hydration, or lack thereof. I won't use the term "dehydration" because that has a specific medical definition. No, my trip to the ER yesterday was caused by ignoring what I know needs to be done prior to exercise. As the title suggests, this wasn't the first time lack of hydration sent me to the hospital. So, when I experienced symptoms yesterday I knew I'd screwed up, but also knew what to do. You can skip to the last paragraph if you just want my cycling hydration recommendations.
My regular morning routine has me waking up at some ungodly hour, usually between 3:30 and 4:00, going to the kitchen, taking a thyroid pill and drinking 12 ounces of water. This routine was initiated after my first trip to the ER, about ten years ago. Yesterday I was wide awake at 1:30, tossed and turned until 2:30, then got out of bed and wrote yesterday's blog. Because I was up so early, I took the pill, but only drank enough water to get it down. Then I blogged. That took me to 4:15, which was when I started to get ready to go to the gym. Before leaving I had ten grams of protein drink, about 5 ounces.
At the gym, my warm-up was on the chest machine, followed by pecs. Three sets of 65 lbs by 12 reps. I got a little twinge in my left pec after the third set. I didn't think anything about it since I was working on pecs. I did two additional shoulder exercises, and my left shoulder was tighter than I thought it should. But that's the one where I destroyed the AC joint ligaments, so I shrugged it off. The next set was lateral raises, only ten pounds. After just one rep, I put the weights back on the rack and sat down. The left chest pain returned. I took my pulse and it was weak. Realization dawned.
I picked up my coat and water bottle and headed toward the door. After about ten steps I stopped to sit down at one of the machines. The weakness subsided and after a few minutes I stood up. It returned, so I sat down, then, remembering previous instructions, laid down and put my feet up. That helped. But when I sat up, I knew I couldn't stand. At that time, I motioned one of the other guys over and asked if they would go to the front and have them call 911.
The EMTs were very fast in arriving. They did their thing, being very thorough and professional. I was happy to go to the ER because I wanted verification that I hadn't actually had a heart episode and nothing was damaged. The other patrons were very good in not gawking. I give St. David's Round Rock ER high marks. A bunch of tests confirmed I'd done no damage. Take a few days off.
In my experience, lack of hydration actually occurs the day prior to poor performance. Yes, you should be consuming at minimum 16 ounces of water, or supplement, per hour of cycling. Drink up, whether or not you feel like it. Of course, in hot weather or heavy exercise, drink more. I find that if I'm only cycling for an hour, draining a 20 oz. water bottle isn't a problem. It is in the three-hour-plus rides, when I use my Camelbak, that I fall short. I weigh every morning. If you have an unexplained drop in weight, like a pound or pound and a half, that is most likely water weight that needs to be replaced ASAP. If your HR is ten or so beats high relative to the effort you are putting out, you need more water and probably electrolytes. If you have an unexplained headache, drink water. Most people take an aspirin with water. Probably the water is all they need. Be cognizant of all of the diuretics you consume (caffeinated drinks, alcohol, chocolate) and offset that with water. Better to pee more than leave your body under hydrated. Perhaps TMI, but I monitor urine color. Anything other than clear or pale yellow will dictate one or more glasses of water. And, just as important, include electrolytes. Potassium and sodium facilitate absorbing water into the system. I was in serious trouble after hiking the Grand Canyon even though I drank enough water. I hadn't included salt. My companions were traumatized and as luck would have it, our vehicle was being followed by an ambulance. On non-cycling days I consume about 36 ounces of water. This is less than what is suggested, but seems like enough. Food and other liquids make up the rest of what is needed. Lack of hydration in younger folks will probably just be manifested in a lackluster performance, but eventually the body will take more drastic measures. Make daily water consumption a priority routine.
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