AQUABIKE RACE REPORT; USAT MULTISPORT FESTIVAL IRVING, TX 2023

 Race Report

The Aquabike (1500m swim and 40 K bike) was the third and last race of the festival for me.  They had individual medley relay and relay races on Sunday, but I completed my last race on Saturday.  I could have gone back to spectate, but the weather was pretty chilly and raining all day so I skipped it.  

Saturday afternoon at about 2PM, my wave jumped in at the Lake Carolyn Pier and held on for a wave start.  We had a very big wave so the start was pretty choppy, with lots of flapping arms and splashing at the outset.  I tried to slow my start a bit because the last two races, I had started out too fast and pushed my HR too high and risked a panic attack.  So I decided to swim long and strong strokes for the whole course.  I also decided to use my wetsuit that day.  While the water temp was 71F and I knew I'd be fine, I decided from looking at my first two races (with and without) that I was about 20-25 sec faster per 100 with the wetsuit, and that made it worth it.  I could end up 6-10 minutes faster with it; so removal time would leave me with a net gain of a few minutes.  I felt good on the swim, but I did have some feelings of, "Can I actually do this?" at about 600 m.  This was the longest OWS I had done in 3 years, pre-cancer.  I had done mile long continuous pool swim before this race, but that was it.  I had been working mostly on sprints and intervals to try to regain my 100 yd pace.  I'm still hovering between 1:50 and 1:40 per 100 yd pace most days.  That means I'll be slower in OWS for me.  Some may be faster, but I know I have to spot more to stay straight, and sometimes I have to slow for cramping and goggle fogging.  

At about 800 m, I was swimming comfortably but the calf cramps started so I had to flex my foot, which also slows my pace a bit.  I stopped kicking a few times as well to try to let the cramps let up.  My toes cramped a bit as well. I rounded the first turn buoy and headed for the second after bumping into the same person over and over.  Likely we were both not swimming straight, but I was frustrated by my inability to keep away from her.  This continued the whole swim.  About that time, the wave behind us caught up so the first turn was very congested, and I got hit and slapped on the head a few times.  No biggie.  I got to the second turn buoy and felt pretty good, but soon after I had to clear my goggles because I wasn't sure if I was looking at buoys or kayakers.  I didn't wear my contacts, so I'm a bit nearsighted on the swims normally.  Sighting can be a small issue, causing me to have to raise my head up more than just a quick lift.  Anyway, bumping along with this same swimmer, we two made it to the finish.  I did try to draft her, but her speed was so variable that I would pass her then she's do a bunch o kicking and catching up.  I was slightly annoyed but not greatly.  It happens.  I was happy to be racing again.  I knew I had a challenge on the bike coming up.  

My only hope was to finish the race that day. I knew I was not in the best condition and that this race was more demanding than anything I had trained for since 2019, so it was a question in my mind how I might do it.  My longest bike ride outside was last October for 18 miles. 

Knowing I didn't have to run meant I could leave it all on the bike course, so that was something.  

I got out, climbing up the steep carpeted ladder, a bit dizzy but stabilized and managed a quick walk.  I knew running would not be a good idea, elevating my HR higher was going to reduce my ability to stabilize on the bike.  I noted that my swim was 36 min on my Garmin.  The official time is a bit faster I think.  I had decided I'd take my time in transition and not pressure myself to be extra fast.  I was not going to win or podium today, so there is no reason to try to shave seconds.  I sat down, put on my socks and shoes...hoping to avoid blisters, clipped on my helmet, stuck my Garmin on the bike holder, and set out.  The wetsuit came off pretty quickly, and I'd removed my goggles and cap on the walk-in. 

I quickly walked the distance to the mount line, and fortunately, I remembered to lower the gears on the bike for a faster, easier start so I got rolling easily.  The wind was mild at the start, but soon it became very challenging.  I remembered also to advance my Garmin to biking and saw about a 6-minute transition time.  Okay.  In the past, my transitions were 3 minutes and 2 minutes for T1 and T2, but recall I told myself to relax and enjoy...so I did.  

The bike route was a 3 loop path with a nice climb at about 3-4 miles and then a few turns and a fast descent the last 2-3 miles for the turn again, into the wind.  That wind was tough.  20-25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots, I estimate.  I was doing 5-8 mph on that section, and as I tired, I had more and more trouble regaining my speed on the flats and the turns.  I also started out with a huge cramp on my left thigh that went down the inside of the leg. This presaged continuing cramps all over my body the whole ride.  Next went the calves, first left then right.  I had to try to stand on the pedals to stretch them out, which meant, no pedaling.  Then my hands cramped.  Then my left side cramped.  I had plenty of electrolytes and water on board, but nothing seemed to help.  Meanwhile the wind was sucking the water off my body fast.  I ran out of water on mile 20 so for the last 4 I had no hydration.  

Chris Navin did the race too and was in a wave behind me.  He passed me on about mile 3 I think.  I saw him on the loops a couple more times and shouted encouragement at him.  Amanda Moswin passed me on about mile 16 I think and shouted her encouragement to me.  I was wondering if I'd finish at that point.  I decided it didn't matter where I finished; just that I did finish so I accepted my condition and slow speed and did as much as I could do and let go of the internal chatter that had been chastising me for much of the ride.  I would finish.  

And I did.  I wore my Base Ireland Onesy so it was very distinctive and many folks commented on it and yelled out to me during the race.  The announcer happily shouted my name as I crossed the finish and I was all smiles.  

I got my towel and my medal and stopped to chat with Chris and Amanda and Shelley and realized I was a bit dizzy and nauseous. They encouraged me to go to the med tent and told me they'd watch my bike.  I went in and told them my situation, (cancer, and now a new issue that is yet to be clarified) and laid down with my Gatorade for about 10 minutes.  I felt better and managed to wander out and pick up my bike and my stuff.  

I had a moment, though, when we were all standing at the VIP tent fence, and I thanked Chris, Shelley, and Amanda, and Amanda said: "We love you!"  Chris and Shelley agreed.  I said I loved them too, but I really was so touched I got tears in my eyes.  Yes I love my friends but Have so rarely felt lovable even though I try to be that when someone tells me this it really sort of guts me. 

So the best part of the racing is the community for me. I'd so love to be a podium finisher.  I'm a competitor at heart.  And this is just the beginning of the road back for me.  I have a few post-cancer PRs to beat now.  Just hope this new diagnosis is a minor glitch for me, and I can plan for more races and PRs this year! 

Race(s) Report USAT Multisport Festival

 Race #1  750 K swim

Wednesday morning at 8 am the 60+ ladies wave plunged into Lake Carolyn.  Winds were strong at ~15Knots so there was a slight current and some waves of 2-4 inches.  Not really turbulent but enough to cause one to take on water instead of air occasionally.  It was a mass start from the pier.  We all jumped in and held onto the pier until the start whistle.  I set out fairly confidently.  I had decided to use my wetsuit, HUUB long sleeve.  The water was 68F so somewhat chilly. I felt fine but must have started out too fast and my HR went up and I began to feel a bit breathless with a panic edge, so I had to slow down a bit.  I did a bit of breast stroking to regain my breathing.  I was able to resume free style pretty quickly and rounded turn buoy, did a couple of breast strokes to spot the second turn buoy and headed out again.  I was passing people pretty well and felt good that I was swimming pretty quickly after these minor delays.  Unfortunately my left goggle began to fill with water and while I could ignore it for awhile it began to make me feel somewhat panicky again; like I was drowning and somewhat panicky again so I had to stop and empty and reposition them.  I was off again pretty quickly and finished in 19:50.  A bit longer than I would have hoped. That is about 2:25 min per 100 yds by my calculation.  Not my best open water time but for my first open water swim in a wetsuit, I'm okay with how I did.  

Race #2 Super Sprint  250 m swim, 5k bike, 1.2 k run

Thursday morning we were entering the water in threes in a time trial start.  I began toward the middle of the pack and again started out too fast I think.  I decided to not use the wetsuit that morning.  Water temp was 70F and I felt the race was so short it wasn't worth fooling around with stripping it after the swim.  I noted my swim time at 7 minutes.  That included some running but gives a time of 3:10/100 yds.  Not the greatest but I felt strong and confident and was able to get out of the water and to my bike with the middle of the pack.  I passed a few folks on the swim.  I got to my bike but had to sit to get my shoes on, grabbed my helmet and put my garmin on the bike.  Unfortunately my garmin was not advancing like it is supposed to for multisport...it is a very old 910XT and sometimes doesn't work properly, so I had no speed on the bike or timing.  I knew my total time because I also had my Fenix on my left wrist for info on HR and time so I had an idea of what my total time was through the whole race.  The bike was extremely fast, although there was a headwind on the way back that slowed me a bit. I felt very fast and happy while I rode my bike down and back to transition 2.  I wasted several second hunting in the wrong aisle for my shoes and stuff for the run until I figured out I was in F not G.  (both labelled F 66-69) so I can forgive myself for this mistake.  (There were a lot of us old ladies racing!)  Finally grabbed my stuff and got a holler from Chris and Shelley at the exit of T2, laughing at me for running around hunting for my shoes!  I yelled back "I'm terrible at this these days!" and just laughed.  I'm happy to be alive and still able to race honestly.  I got myself to run a bit but my HR would spike up to 188 very quickly forcing me to slow down.  I saved enough juice to run across the finish with a big smile though.  I did it, I'm happy I'm here and able to race at all.  

What is TAPER?

 Tapering well

A taper week is a week of very low but intense hours of training to get you ready for your upcoming race.  The amount of taper is determined by the distance of the race you will be doing.  Taper always will include a day of limited, low intensity or no activity just prior to the race.  Multiple studies (see review articles here and here) have found that the expected performance improvement resulting from tapering is 2-3%, but there is a larger range of results from 0.5% all the way up to 8% (in cycling only).

WHY?  

Tapering is designed to be like a recovery week for your body to build muscle, blood volume and rest.  However, Taper should also be a week of thoughtful preparation for your race.  Visualization, good food, some reconnection with friends and family that you have been unable to do with all the training, enjoyment of sunshine and outdoors...basically resetting your attitude to a positive, happy one and preparing for the demands of the race.  

Unfortunately, traithletes often use taper for eating all the things they missed, watching more TV and less exercise and sometimes spinning their minds up with fear and anticipation for a race.  Pumping up your fear does not help you do better in your race.  

Adrenalin can mimic fearful feelings, higher HR, some stomach issues, some repetitive thoughts...try to recognize that this is happening and turn that adrenalin into positive activity.  Use repetitive thinking to visualize your successful race over and over instead of fearing all the things that can go wrong...or just fearing failure.  Set your goals to succeed, but acknowledge that sometimes things go wrong.  What can go wrong...make a list and plan your response to each of these.  Making problems into action plans reduces their impact on you and reduces the fear.  

Eating the right foods will help you arrive on race day with plenty of energy, glycogen stores and feeling well.  I'm no angel and I love chocolate, but focusing on good vegetables, plenty of protein and rest will help you to have a much better race.  A rule of thumb from a friend about drinking goes like this: "Three beers, three days before a race, two for two days before and 1 for one day before"  If you really need to drink, try this formula!  Beeer does have plenty of carbs and vitamins but alcohol has a dehydrating effect and taxes your liver...I'd avoid alcohol on taper week but that's me.  

Training in taper week is often far fewer hours but high intensity.  Know that running takes the longest to recover from so only run early in that week, then only short distances with easy paces closer to the race.  Biking is easier to recover from so you can bike later in the week.  Just don't go doing 100 milers three days before your race.  This depletes your glycogen stores and tires your muscles.  You need rested muscles and plenty of glycogen on race day.  Swimming is the easiest to recover from and helps recover from biking and running with cold water and different motion with less gravity effects. You can swim the day before a race with few issues, just take it easy that day.  Try to do the  practice swim for your race that often is offered the day before the race.  This helps you calm your nerves, gets you acquainted with the swim course and exercises your muscles and reduces the adrenalin and fearful feelings.  

Rest in taper week is very important.  Try to get to bed early and arise early.  Race day usually begins very early so you'll want to be able to get up at 4:30 AM to get to transition time to set up and be race ready.  To get a full 8 hours of sleep with a 4:30AM wake time means you go to bed at 8:30PM!  Many triathletes have a terrible time sleeping on the day before a race.  If you can nap the day before, it might help.  But normallizing going to bed early will help you fall asleep more readily for this early to bed time. Otherwise, make sure you are getting lots of rest, relaxing and enjoying your week in preparation for a very successful race. 

Planning Race Strategy is an activity you should be doing a little bit of throughout your training.  You should by now know what nutrition works for you, your hydration plans, and your transition set up as well as the courses you will follow in this race.  However, this week is a good time to review all that, make sure you have everything you need, pack your transition pack, and review the race course and the rules for the race.   This can have a very calming effect on the mind because you are doing this EARLY in the week instead of at the last minute.  You might also clean your bike and chain, fix any issues with the bike, check the tires for tiny glass shards that can flatten your tires and make sure you know how to work your garmin for multisport setting.    You can even do a short practice tri on your own to see if any issues pop up.  Bike tune ups cost around $80 so you might even request that so your bike is in peak condition as well.  Make sure you know how to change a flat and have the tools you'll need to do that.  (click the link to see a video on this). 

Be grateful you can do this.  That you have the money, the time and the physical ability to do this.  Not everyone can, and you are lucky to be here.  Try gratitude instead of fear, it can bring a great deal more joy to your racing and training than the idea that this is drudgery.  Type A individuals tend to turn everything into a very important goal...making fun into a job.  Most triathletes tend to be Type A.  Thus you'll find those athletes who are not terribly competitive, but behave as though they are destined for the Olympics.  Try to understand they have lost perspective.  Let them pass, give them room for their grouchiness and intensity and know you don't have to be them, or be affected by them.  Everyone, deserves to be on the race course, no matter your level of fitness, appearance or value of your equipment.  This sport is something anyone can do with a bit of training.  You belong here as much as anyone else.  

"Someday I will no longer be able to do this, Today is NOT THAT DAY."  

Recommended Taper times by distance 

Sprint 1 day

Olympic 1-2 days

Half Ironman 1 week

Full Ironman  2 weeks 

Pool Swimming versus OWS (Open Water Swimming)

 Pool Swimming versus OWS (Open Water Swimming)

A newbie describes her OWS experience. 

You may find that you swim faster in OW or in the pool.  It varies by individual.  However, no one will argue that these two swimming locations are the same.  

Here are a couple of blogs that discuss why speed may vary between these two locations. 

Faster in the Pool than OWS

Faster in OWS than in Pool 

Clearly there are lots of reasons why your speed in one may be faster.  Let's just compare the differences between these types of swimming to begin.  

I made a table to compare the two types of swimming.  

Factor/Location	Pool	Open Water
Direction	Pools have clearly marked lanes and lane lines.  This keeps you swimming in a straight line.	You have the whole lake or river to swim in, there are no helpful lines to follow
Walls	You can flip turn or push off the walls at the end of each 25 or 50 yd(mtr) length, this gives you a brief rest and some extra speed.	You will be swimming continuously without any push off or rest unless you stop and hang on a buoy or kayak.
Clear Water	You can see to the bottom of the pool and in almost any direction with goggles.	Even with goggles, it is likely you will be nearly blind when you look underwater.  This will tend to disorient you and swimming straight becomes more difficult
Clean Water	Pools have disinfection processes and if you drink in some you will likely be okay	Natural waterways are often slightly to very unsanitary.  Accidentally drinking some can result in stomach problems.  Also things grow in this water, so you may get tangled in vegetation or encounter animals.
Distance	In a pool, you will know how may laps to swim. You will know how far you have gone and how far you still have to go.	In a lake or river, you may know where you are headed by watching buoys, but likely you will not know exactly how far you have come nor how far you still have to go unless you set your garmin to alert you to specific distances.
Entry and Exit	You can use a ladder or lift yourself from the wall easily	Muddy and shallow entrances can feel uncomfortable, exiting can be disorienting as you have been without much extrernal orientation for sometime and will suddenly be helped out or up stadium stairs, making you slightly dizzy
Turbulence, waves and current	The worst problem in pools may be in sharing a lane when you pass a particularly vigorous swimmer. The lane lines are designed to reduce waves and turbulence	Even lakes can have current, and swimming with a lot of other racers can have you bumping into people, getting hit, pushed or pulled and you can get splashed by other, waves or pulled or pushed by current.
Temperature	Pools are usually rather warm for older clients that do water aerobics.  Swimming in these warmer pools can actually cause you to be slower than you would be in cooler temps.	Natural waterways can be cold or very warm depending on the time of year.  Don’t assume a lake will be warm, deep lakes have thermoclines that can invert without warning, bringing very cold (32-50F) water to the surface.
Wetsuits and Lava Pants	We rarely swim in wetsuits in pools but it is a good idea to practice in the pool with them a few times.	Wetsuits can rub your neck, legs and arms and cause raw spots that hurt all day.  They can also feel very restrictive on the chest, especially during a race when you adrenalin and HR are high, creating a feeling of panic.
Foggy Goggles	Pools that are closer to body temp will cause less fogging.	Very cold waters, will cause the goggles to fog almost immediately, obstructing your vision for sighting on buoys, making an OWS even more stressful.

As you can see there are many differences between open water and pool swimming.  Fast pool swimmers may get a false sense of security that could fail them in OWS during a race.  Following the adage "NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY" means you should always try to practice in open water when you can.  Don't skip the practice swim on the day before the race either.  This can give you valuable information about the swim that will not surprise you during the race.  For example, at HONU in Hawaii, I did the practice swim even though the water was the ocean and very choppy that day.  I figured out that while the buoys looked to be in a straight line from shore, you actually needed to turn slightly right to get to the second buoy properly.  Otherwise you could swim past it and not realize as it was nearly invisible at times due to the waves.  On race day, I hit that second buoy easily while many swam the wrong direction, missed it and have to turn around to get to it.  Skipping a buoy can be a DQ violation so you don't want to do that!  I saved valuable time on the swim because I was prepared for the idiosyncracies of that course.  

Panic Attacks

Rarely do athletes experience panic attacks in pool swimming, but they are fairly common in OWS.  Even seasoned athletes have them at times.  This is because of the combination of cold water that constricts your blood vessels, which causes HR to accelerate.  Since you are in a race, your adrenalin is already high and pushes your HR up, so that second HR increase can raise your HR to a very high level.  If your HR is up, your breathing speed increases to keep the blood that is circulating oxygenated.  That means you are trying to breathe faster as you are trying to swim fast.  Add the constriction of the wet suit or very warm water that can feel claustrophobic, and you can tip over to a full-blown panic attack.  It can feel like you are going to die like you cannot breathe and that you need help now.  

How to handle a panic attack.

First, stop swimming and float on your back if you can.  If the water is too turbulent, grab a buoy or kayak as soon as you are able.  Try swimming with breaststroke.  A panic attack originates in the lizard brain...the autonomic reaction is not one you can reason yourself out of.  It often requires either time or a short circuit of this flight or fight response.  One way is to laugh.   If you laugh, you are interfering with the fear reaction with humor.  Tell yourself a stupid joke that always makes you laugh or think of a ridiculous situation that's always been humorous to yourself.  Try not to chastise yourself for this event.  It's a normal human response.  Knowing how to fix it and go on is your best action! 

Know the signs of SIPE

One dangerous situation that can arise is SIFE.  Swimming induced Pulmonary Edema.  Symptoms of SIPE include coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, and – in some cases – hemoptysis (coughing up blood). It can be fatal, but typically symptoms lessen after leaving the water and are completely gone within 48 hours.

Some people say they heard a crackling sound when they breathed.  If you experience these things, YOUR RACE IS OVER.  Get out of the water immediately and get help.  

Race Report Triple Crown 5k, 10 K 15K

 The Louisville Triple Crown 5K, 10K, 15K

I signed up for this series to keep me getting up on Sat to compete.  Compete is a very liberal word here right now.  I'm unable to do much actual running.  My HR keeps spiking.  The Herceptin for HER2+ cancer causes some heart damage, so I must be aware of my HR most of the time.  There was evidence of some damage, so I don't want to over-tax my heart before it is repaired.  The other problem is that all the chemicals used to fix cancer settle in the joints, so my hips and my knees are often pretty painful.  I can usually ignore it, but yoga is much tougher these days, and running makes the pain ramp up pretty quickly.  I end up cussing up a storm and slowing down or walking.  It's a process.  

I'll only need to run a maximum of 5K for the races in Irving, Tx, so I'm not too worried about the long-distance runs.  I have been doing the first 5 K with a run/walk, hoping to run more than I walk and then walk the balance.  This seems to be working pretty well for me.  Some soreness persists, but using my Epsom salt baths, my massage gun, and the infrared heating pad all help reduce these problems and keep me going the next day.  

The 5K and the 10K were both very cold races.  The temps were down in the 30s in the morning and never really warmed up much.  The 15K wasn't as cold, but the wind was powerful like

40 knots in some places.  Some gusts nearly knocked me down. The race path for the 5K and 10K were through town.  The 15K followed that but included a long run out River Road and back.  I was surprised I wasn't last for any of these races.  There were plenty of folks who came in up to an hour after I had finished, so I'm happy with how I did in any of them. 

These races are good training for the Louisville half and full marathon races during the Derby celebrations.  However, I will not be here this year for the Derby. I'm headed to FL for a couple of months.  I'll do some triathlons and runs down there.  

I admit that I was ready to quit at mile 6 on the 15 K.  I felt so sore in my left hip I wanted to stop.  I decided I could walk slower, and that relieved the pain a bit.  I'm hoping that continuing to lift weights and walk every day will eventually help these pains to reduce.  Who knows..the doctors don't seem to have any idea.  Of course not..why would they?  They fixed cancer...that's their goal.  Walking without pain is not on their list of goals.  I'm being caustic, but not really untrue.  

Hydration

Keep safe - Hydrate! 

Water/sweat rates

Triathlon is a sport with three legs of exercise completed outdoors in many climates, requiring athletes to think carefully about their hydration and nutrition.  Endurance athletics, even on short races, can deplete energy, fluid and electrolyte stores rapidly.  The athlete may feel perfectly fine without hydrating for a fairly long period.  The feeling of thirst may not be felt due to adrenalin and endorphins that keep the athlete performing for hours.  However, eventually, this lack of intake of water, electrolytes and/or nutrition will catch up to the athlete and once that happens, it is almost impossible to catch up without serious support, stopping the activity or in extreme cases, a hospital stay.  There are some rather serious effects of poor hydration and this blog discusses how much is required and what can happen when the athlete ignores that need and pushes themselves to go on until it's a serious situation.  

General Recommendation for athletes

Water requirements during exercise in the heat depend on fluid loss from sweating. Sweat rate is proportional to metabolic rate and can amount to 3 to 4 liters per hour or as much as 10 liters per day. Training and heat acclimatization can increase sweat rate by 10 to 20 percent or 200 to 300 ml per hour.

1 liter = ~34 OZ   one water bottle normally holds ~17 oz. 

100 ml = ~ 3 oz

1 kg = 2.2 lbs

Planning ahead and knowing how much water should be consumed on each leg is essential to a successful healthy finish.  Here are some recommendations from medical journals. 

Recommended hydration for swimmers

Ensure you drink five to seven milliliters of fluid per kilogram of body weight slowly at least four hours before exercise. For example, for a 40kg person, intake should be between 200-280 ml or for a 70kg person, intake should be between 350-490 ml.

(70 kg = 154 lbs  so that person should drink 12.6 oz or just about 1 water bottle) 

Recommended intake of water on the bike

The amount of water or electrolyte drink a cyclist needs is highly variable, which is why an individualized hydration plan is ideal. But when an individualized plan isn't available, the amount of hydration a cyclist needs tends to range between 1.2 to 2 Liters of fluids per hour of exercise.  (40 - 68 oz or 2-4 bottles of water per hour) 

Recommended intake of water on a run

About 15 minutes before a run, drink six to eight ounces of water.  (half a bottle of water) During a run longer than 1 hour, drink water at regular intervals. This varies according to your sweat rate. Those who sweat more profusely may need 16 ounces every 15 minutes. (1/2 - 1 bottle of water) 

On races longer than an hour, it is essential to add electrolytes to the water consumption.  Over consuming water without replenishment of electrolytes can result in hyponatremia.  This is when the sodium level in your blood is too low causing extra water into your cells and making them swell. This swelling can be dangerous especially in the brain, since the brain cannot expand past the skull.

Therefore it is extremely important for the athlete to consider their personal sweat rate and plan for how replenishment will occur during the race..and to follow this plan! 

How to determine sweat rate 

Formula for Calculating Sweat Rate Calculate each athlete's sweat rate (sweating rate = pre-exercise body weight - post-exercise body weight + fluid intake - urine volume/exercise time in hours) for a representative range of environmental conditions, practices, and competitions. The simplest way to get athletes to focus on their hydration needs is to teach them to compare preexercise and postexercise body weights. If the athletes lost weight, they need to drink more at the next practice. This gives the athletes immediate feedback about their drinking habits. A simple way to assess fluid means would be to weigh the athletes before and directly after activity, and then modify rehydration based on findings. If weight loss, hydrate more. If weight gain, hydrate less

Once you know your sweat rate, you can estimate the loss of electrolytes and determine a plan for replenishment.  This is especially important if you will be racing in high heat or high humidity as sweat rates increase in these conditions.  

Your coach should be able to help you with these calculations and preparing for the race conditions. 

Dehydration 

Of course prevention is the best course as it will keep the athlete functioning at peak performance levels and healthy at the finish.  However it is very important for an athlete to also know the signs (early and serious) of dehydration in case they experience these symptoms.  Knowing that dehydration is occurring can help the athlete know they need intervention.  This can also help the athlete help other athletes who may be experiencing dehydration symptoms that may not recognize the signs.  (USAT and Ironman rules allow athletes to assist one another legally) 

Signs of dehydration include:

• Headache, delirium, confusion.
• Tiredness (fatigue).
• Dizziness, weakness, light-headedness.
• Dry mouth and/or a dry cough.
• High heart rate but low blood pressure.
• Loss of appetite but maybe craving sugar.
• Flushed (red) skin. Swollen feet. Muscle cramps.
• Heat intolerance, or chills.
• Constipation.
• Dark-colored pee (urine). Your pee should be a pale clear color.

The best way to beat dehydration is to drink before you get thirsty. 

If you wait until after you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated.

Serious Problems that result from dehydration

All of the following have similar symptoms to dehydration above.  Recognizing dehydration early is extremely important because the brain function begins to slow during dehydration.  You may be unable to help yourself or recognize you are in trouble if you don't prevent or catch dehydration early.  Severe hydration shrinks the blood vessels in the brain. When there aren’t high enough fluid levels in your brain, that affects your memory and coordination.

Heat Rash, Heat Cramps and Heat Syncope  

These are the first steps in heat and dehydration problems.  If you experience any of these problems, you can likely slow down or stop temporarily in a race, re-hydrate and recover. 

Dizzyness, rash or cramping are early symptoms that should make you consider slowing your speed and getting a bit of extra hydration and electrolytes.  

Rhabdomylosis

Rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) is a medical condition associated with heat stress and prolonged physical exertion. Rhabdo causes the rapid breakdown, rupture, and death of muscle. When muscle tissue dies, electrolytes and large proteins are released into the bloodstream. This can cause irregular heart rhythms, seizures, and damage to the kidneys.

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to an excessive loss of water and salt, usually through excessive sweating. 

Heat Stroke 

Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness. It occurs when the body can no longer control its temperature: the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. When heat stroke occurs, the body temperature can rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if the person does not receive emergency treatment

Protecting yourself beyond hydration

It is very important to study the weather conditions for a race.  You will be in the elements for a considerable length of time.  Knowing how to dress and what is on the course, and where can help you manage your situation and remain healthy through the race.  

Some rules: 

1. Always were a cap on the run.  

A hat can keep your brain protected and keep the head cool.  It's also easier to put cold sponges and ice on your head to cool down with a cap.  These are often on longer races at the aid stations.  

2. Know where the aid stations are

Sometimes there are aid stations every mile on the run, but sometimes they are more spread out.  Study the course, know how long you will be in the sun and where you can find help.   Biking aid stations are often 10-15 miles apart.  

3. Wear layers

Often races begin very early in the morning and can be chilly.  However, as the day progresses, the sun may come out or it could rain.  Sun will create more heat and you will need to shed clothes.  If it rains, you will need to add clothes.  (Hypothermia can be very dangerous) If it rains and then the sun comes out, the humidity and heat index can soar.  You need to be prepared for all these possible conditions and carry clothes for them, especially if you are travelling.  You may not need them but it's always better to have them if the weather changes suddenly.  

4. Have back up plans

In a pinch, plastic bags can be used to keep clothes and shoes dry in transition or be used as makeshift insulation layers on feet, hands and core.  Save your space blankets from marathons and half marathons.  These are great to carry to races, use before the swim on cold mornings or carry in your jacket or run belt in case of rain or chilly temps in late hours.