Water, water, water, more water please.

I've learned a lot this week. My training is not exactly according to a schedule. I basically fit my training in around Andrew's work and call schedule, with lots of help from daycare and Nana.

So my here is my ramping week:
Sunday: Early morning swim before Andrew left for work. Short. Barefoot run at Ellison park 1:10. I left the lights on, and ended up in the heat for hours waiting for tow trucks, hitchiking etc.
Monday: 160km ride temp 35-37. Hilly route. Felt the heat.
Tues: Swim 2.5km open water. Actually feeling hot in my wetsuit.
Wed: 90km in the mid-day heat. 35-38

So...as you can see the heat has been a factor all week. Un-like race week, I haven't been pounding the 'salty' water all week. I began on Sunday dehydrated, fuelled well during my rides, but didn't keep up with re-hydrating very well in the evenings. I also had lots of black tea and a latte on Tues, as my sleep is sub-par and I was trying to 'wake-up'!

On Tuesday I had a calf massage appointment, and my gut started hurting. It felt like food poisoning, or sometimes my reaction to caffeine build-up. At one point I was doubled over with stomach pain, so just laid curled up for 1/2 hr until it dissipated. I went to massage anyway, and it improved over the hour.

The plot thickens....Andrew had the exact same response last night. Gut pain, gas, and bathroom trips. (sorry...so much info;)

I've deduced it's not a virus, not food poisoning...it's DEHYDRATION!! It's the same reaction we both had in Hawaii after Ironman in 2009, our hottest race ever.

Anyway, just a reminder...pre-hydrate for your workouts like it's a race, and then re-hydrate like mad. You just can't keep up during a workout when it's so hot. Also, the fatigue the day after a workout is often more about hydration than true fatigue.