Goosebumps

We've talked about this before, but the heat exhaustion thing is for real. The first time I was really aware of what it was came during my last trip to Brown Cty. It was a hot day, but it's summer in Ky, so you expect it, right? The humidity was stifling and I was on a borrowed bike, meaning I was working harder than I'd expected. At the end I was off the back and totally on empty. I turned around to head for the car and ran across some folks from home. Concerned, they pointed out the goosebumps on my arms and legs and made sure that I was okay. I really didn't get the connection until then.

Once at home, i started researching heat exhaustion and how to prevent it. I read articles, talked to endurance racing friends and tried to plan ahead. I started taking the electrolyte tabs and really focusing on staying hydrated. My hope was that a good plan would overcome the heat. The biggest factor is e humidity, or so it seems. A great example is the post regarding last Saturdays "big ride". 60 miles of road and trail on a hard tail 29er. The difference? Temps never got extreme, nor did the humidity. This weekend with record setting temps on Sat, I was stuck riding in the middle of the day. The ride from chez segal to the park was fine but really hot,99 degree hot. By the time the papist and I got thru golf course loop, my heart rate was maxing and things were decompensating rapidly. We rode another 30-40 minutes and called it. I had goosebumps jumping off my arms and legs and felt like death. Okay, that was the hottest part of a record setting day. Maybe its just the heat right? Ive always said, turn your oven on to the " feels like" , say 110 and then crawl in. Hot, right? Maybe its just the amazing heat.

Sunday am, not a scorcher in temp, but humid and then some " fasties" as mr Wilson calls them, hijacked the ride and the group really picked up the pace. Jacklegs sprang up everywhere around me and on Pendelton I thought my heart was going to pop. Cramps set in and I soft pedaled it back while trying to drink my way thru both goosebumps and the aforementioned cramps. I finally got recovered enough to keep a decent pace and stopped at Heine Bros to chat w jeff, Ray and Billy. We talked about strategies for Fools Gold and how to try to manage thru the heat and how to pre hydrate to prevent the symptoms. For me the thing will be to ride my own race and not try to hang with the group with which I rode down to Ga. Starting the race with a ten mile climb means checking the ego at the door and riding to keep the heart rate in a good zone. If I go to hard early, I won't be able to recover enough for a fitty mile race.

Thankfully, I started tapering the minute that I got home. I'm very good at the taper, it's my main event. I've been pushing it pretty hard for the last few weeks and maybe a few days of easy spin and good nutrition can help right the ship. A cool race day wouldn't kill anybody either, right?

I'm excited about the race, and with under a week to go it's time to prepare the body for the upcoming test. Just have to follow the schedule and see what comes.