Dehydration.....and then some!

I learned a lesson the other day....preventing dehydration isn't just about drinking water DURING training walks, but you need to be hydrated BEFORE you start! This lesson was learned the hard way.... I suffered through it! Last Saturday, I walked 13 (well, 12.75 ish, but I'm rounding) miles with a training walk. I got home, took a shower, took a nap, and woke up suffering symptoms of dehydration. At first, I thought I had gotten the flu or something, but my research has me thinking more and more that I was dehydrated.

During the week leading up to the training, I failed to consume my daily goal of 72 ounces of water. I set this goal a few weeks prior and had been drinking the 72 ounces in addition to my normal routine of a morning cup of tea, an afternoon drink (unsweet tea or soda), and a drink with dinner (milk, wine, or water). But, I couldn't find my favorite water bottle (a fancy one that counts the refills) all week. Without the water bottle, I neglected to drink more than 48 ounces of liquid on any day - mostly tea, coffee & soda - in the week leading up to the walk. During the walk itself, I drank 24 ounces of water every 5 miles, and then immediately following the walk, I drank 32 ounces of G2. I thought (stupidly) that I was drinking PLENTY of fluids.

Yet, my research shows - I did not drink nearly enough......At the Shoe Clinic at the Big Peach, the shoe guy called us "Endurance Athletes" - which at the time I thought was ridiculous, but as the training has increased, I see his point. After Saturday, I am a believer - we are endurance athletes. Here's how endurance athletes are a "special risk" for dehydration:


"- Endurance athletes. Anyone who exercises can become dehydrated, especially in hot, humid conditions or at high altitudes. But athletes who train for and participate in ultramarathons, triathlons, mountain climbing expeditions and cycling tournaments are at particularly high risk. That's because the longer you exercise, the more difficult it is to stay hydrated. During exercise, your body can absorb about 24 to 32 ounces of water an hour, but you may lose twice that amount in hot weather. With every hour, your fluid debt increases. Dehydration is also cumulative over a period of days, which means you can become dehydrated with even a moderate exercise routine if you don't drink enough to replace what you lose on a daily basis."
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dehydration/DS00561/DSECTION=risk-factors

So, by having a goal of drinking 72 ounces of water daily had been my prevention for previous walks because I was overly hydrated prior to the walks. But by neglecting this goal, I was losing more fluids than I was taking in during the ENTIRE week leading up to walk and the cumulative lack of fluids caused my dehydration on Saturday. Let me tell you, suffering from vomiting, dry heaves, dizziness, and sinus issues is not fun, especially when you want nothing more than to participate in "Pirates Night Out!" I missed a fundraiser due to dehydration, so I learned my lesson and then some!

Here are some additional tips from the Mayo Clinic for prevention:

"Prevention - By Mayo Clinic staff

To prevent dehydration, consume plenty of fluids and foods high in water such as fruits and vegetables. According to the Institute of Medicine, letting thirst be your guide is an adequate daily guideline for most healthy people. Fluids can be obtained not just from water but also from other beverages and foods. But, if you're exercising, don't wait for thirst to keep up with your fluids."
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dehydration/DS00561/DSECTION=prevention

I'm taking this seriously now, and I am uping my intake of daily water!!!!


Thanks for reading! ~ Deanna

Pirate's Night Out!! August 14, 2010

Team Treasured Chests is headed to Midtown Atlanta on August 14, 2010 to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We will pillage our way through Flip Flops, CosmoLava, Cosmopolitan Lounge and Door 44 raising money for breast cancer education, treatment and research!!!!

Please read our Pirate's Night Out Press Release! 

Be on the lookout for PIRATES -- AARRRGH!


Thanks for reading! ~ Deanna

3rd Time's The Charm....

or so they say! Well, in the case of RSVP'ing to a training walk and ACTUALLY attending said training walk, that 3rd time charm thing actually worked! Whoo-hoo!!

Oh, wait - do I really want to say "Whoo-hoo!?" I am SORE! Of course, I should have expected as much being I fell off the training wagon last week due to a root canal and seriously oppressive heat. If I don't walk a little during the week, how am I going to survive the longer weekend walks? Horribly - that's how! But, surviving I am doing, even if it is surviving in pain!

Here is the low down on the training walk I RSVP'd to... The 3 Day Training Walk blurb hailed it as an 11 mile Stone Mountain walk. Being I had never been to Stone Mountain, I inquired about the terrain only to find out that the walk was completely paved and only slightly hilly. At first blush, it seemed more like walking around a city block rather than a mountain because where I come from, mountians have elevations of anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, come in ranges, and are only paved with two lane (sometimes one lane) highways, not sidewalks. They don't stand by themselves at 2,306 feet or have a paved walking surface circling it. But, I'd never been there before, so who am I to judge? 

On the day of the walk, I met up with Michelle, training walk leader, and Sarah for a car pool at 6 AM. I am not a morning person and actually surprised myself by being there only 5 min late (thank you unexpected traffic at 5:45 AM on a Saturday)! I showed up a little sleepy, but really excited about arriving before my carpool! Once we arrived at Stone Mountain, the three of us met up with other walkers at the Walk Up Trail bathrooms at 7 AM. I surprised myself again this morning - first by being up so early and second by being awake enough to smile for this photo!

The plan was to walk the 5 mile loop surrounding Stone Mountain twice, but on our second loop we were supposed to walk the little bit to the carving, for an upclose view and extra mileage. Somewhere along the way, I'm not sure when, we lost Amanda, who headed to wait for us at her car, as her back prevented her to continue. Sometime after that, we ended up taking a left at Albuequerque and walking (hiking?) a stunning mountain trial  for 6 miles.

Being we were on an official 3 Day walk, we didn't stop to take pictures along the way (although I think I will talk my husband into this sometime soon so that I can have photos - it was AMAZING!), except for the one taken above. Thank you Sarah for stopping and snapping the photo!

The first loop went by fast due to the fact we were all talking and having a great time. The second loop (which included 2.5 extra miles) went by fast even though the conversation was completely at a stall due the fact we were getting tired and in a single file line. There is nothing that makes a walk more enjoyable than great friends and awesome scenery!

And here we are at the end of our 11 miles:

We are sweaty - walking through a heat advisory will do that - but we are smiling, even after tackling 11 miles. At this point, we sent for Amanda to pick up those that couldn't take the heat - 100 + degrees is no fun! I pushed to walk the rest of the way to the car, another 1.5 miles past this picture!

The best part of the day was after all the walking was done, Michelle, Amanda, Sarah, and I ate at Subway for lunch. We were so out of it, someone tried to order Starbuck's, and none of us could move the chairs! But, we had a great meal, plenty of laughs, and great camaraderie! I wouldn't exchange this experience for the world!  

Thanks for reading! ~ Deanna

Preview Expo Day - Atlanta! Saturdy, July 24, 2010

So, my Saturday didn't start off well at all.....Friday night my WiFi system broke, which left me without the internet. Talk about cutting me off from the world....but I need to take you back a week to show you how this affected me this particular Saturday more than any other day since. You see, I had RSVP'd to a training walk led by my team captain for Saturday morning at 7 AM on Tuesday. At the time I RSVP'd, I put off getting everything together until Friday night - maps, phone numbers, etc.- thinking "if I do it now, I won't be able to find it on Saturday morning." When I lost the internet Friday night, I was flying blind. I sort of knew where the walk started (SBUX), and I knew the time I was supposed to be there (6:45 AM), but I had never been to that particular Starbucks before AND I didn't have my team captian's phone number. Procastination, it is a KILLER! Anyway, to top off being cut off from the world, I set my Saturday alarm for weekdays, not weekends, which just left me to oversleep by 1/2 hour! So, there I was, rushing to a place I didn't know how to get to hoping beyond hope I'd catch up with someone who I couldn't reach. How lame is that? Yeah, exactly! The reason I went anyway - I didn't want to let my team down AND I didn't want to go by myself to the Preview Expo...because the whole point of the "Join A Team Day" walk was to recruit new members and get the team together to carpool to the Expo!

What happened? Well, I got to an empty parking lot with no sign of anyone, anywhere. But, my car needs work, and I have to keep my driving to a minimum. So, I stayed hoping I was in the right place. I waited, and waited and waited. At 9:15 AM, I freaked out. The Preview Expo started at 10 AM and I was at least 45 min away....I still had no sign I was in the right parking lot and had NO idea where the Preview Expo was, because in my mind, I was getting there by carpool. So, I texted a teammate who was meeting us at the Expo hoping to get the team captain's phone number. She called to give it to me, only to hear my sob story that I had no idea where I was going or how to get a hold of anyone. What does she do? She RESCUES ME! She drove out of her way to pick me up, all for the price of a Diet Coke! And, wouldn't you know, as I walk out of the store with her Diet Coke, I run into my team captian returning from the walk! (Almost quite literally!!) For some unknown reason it all worked out perfectly as I had just enough time to meet a few new team members from "Join A Team Day" before my ride showed up. All smiles by 9:30 AM.

And all smiles it stayed during the Preview Expo! We played Expo Trivia - visiting all the stations on the Expo Hall Floor. We learned that DeKalb Medical is our local affliate hospital from the Education Station. We learned how big our tents will be, the set up of the route, and that our packs can only weigh 35 lbs - sleeping bag & all - at the Camp Station. We read interesting news articles from local 3-Day Teams (one such article was mentioned in this blog a few months ago), at the Inspiration Station. We learned about and shared fundraising ideas, teams, and other inspirations at the Ask The Expert Station. The best part of the Expo Trivia? We found our team's Co-Captian manning the Ask The Expert Station! While there, we introduced her to the newbie my ride recruited the day before and she filled us in how we got 3 more members through "Join a Team Day!"

Overall a great Expo - even though we didn't attend any of the Clinics - see schedule ..... Reason: too many people in rooms too small to hold them. I guess it was both a blessing and a curse: a blessing that so many are championing the cause to put an end to breast cancer and a curse because the space did not allow everyone to attend. I am very grateful that what I couldn't learn in the clinics I either learned at American Red Cross in 2009 (I'm certified in First Aid) or at the REI booth (my teammate had a blister that the people at the REI booth dressed, and while dressing the blister they gave an impromptu talk on what they were doing and why they were doing it.)

While at the vendor booths, I met up with Mike from THORLOs socks again. He said "Hi" and thanks for the shout out. The guys from Big Peach were also there. Along with REI, THORLOs and Big Peach were New Balance, Phidippides, and SHOPTHE3DAY. We entered contests to win such items as a pink iPod Nano from New Balance and a $50 gift card to REI. We didn't win any of the give aways, but we did get lots of discounts that will help pay for items desperately needed on our 3 Day Journey!

After the vendor booths, a mishap involving GPS & Starbucks, and the raffle drawings, we headed back to the parking lot where my day ended with smiles, hugs, and new friends!

The most important thing I learned from the Preview Expo: bring duct tape!!! Not only will it fix holes in your tent (should there be any) but it will also keep the moleskin on your blisters from slipping off!! The most important thing I learned during my day: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!!

Thanks for reading! ~ Deanna