 |
Re: [RC] Getting the Guts - Bruce Weary DCDear Jody--I think God must have made you and Joni out of leather, beef jerky and barbed wire. I'm not nearly as tough as you are, so I err to the side of caution and prudence when I do rides as far as keeping myself fueled and hydrated for many reasons. What I didn't mention in my recent posting about my first Tevis experience was that my dehydration level had become close to life threatening. I had gotten to the point where I would drink an entire water bottle at once, and in two to three minutes would have to urinate the same amount. My body would no longer hold water, as my electrolyte concentration was so low. This is one step away from renal failure. The brain runs on glucose, water and electrolytes.The brain is not only responsible for running the body systems, but many of us use it to make decisions. In a difficult undertaking such as Tevis, I need all my faculties to get through the day, since my life and that of my horse may depend on it. These are my main reasons for taking care of my body systems during a ride. Heat stroke, heat exhaustion, dehydration, nausea,and dysequilibrium are all very real threats on a difficult, hot ride. I had to hike both canyons at Tevis last year, and though I had trained to do one canyon, I hadn't trained for two. My horse was running out of gas, and I had to get him to Michigan Bluff without him having to carry me. When you're down at the bottom of that hot, humid canyon and it's straight up for three miles, it's hard to get yourself out on an empty tank. We made it to Michigan, he ate and drank and came alive, and I must have looked like the runner up in a prize fight. Since I had taken care of myself all day, I recovered quickly. I hate to think of the outcome if I hadn't. Shifting from "recreation mode" to "survival mode" is stressful and scary, and I think sometimes the shift might be delayed because we might not recognize early on that we could be getting into trouble. I mean I'm here to have fun, right? Of course there are people who, no matter how much food, fluids or electrolytes you give them, their brains don't work right. They're better off just staying in politics. Bruce Weary =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|