Water — my new best friend
Guess what I did today? I apparently dehydrated myself and truly thought I was dying. I’m not kidding. There was crying, a bit of moaning and a fair amount of embarrassing myself in the workplace. It was the most pathetic, painful experience I’ve been through in quite a while — and this is a girl who isn’t a stranger to the painfully pathetic experience.
I got up, went to the gym, ran and lifted, headed to the bagel shop to check with with the gang (no bagel, but two cups of coffee later), commuted and sat at my desk for about an hour before the wrath of God came down on my left temple. I was suddenly nauseous, dizzy, cranky and sleepy. My nose began to run, my head was throbbing and every. single. noise. in the office sounded like an opera of jackhammers. On meth. Thankfully I made it home, drank my weight in water and Gatorade, and went to bed. Three hours of insanely mid-day deep sleep later, I felt like a human again.
Lessons learned:
1. Travel makes me thirsty. Don’t reach for Diet Coke with this thirst hits.
2. When the computer screen gets blurry, take a break and drink a lot of water. Then drink some more.
3. Don’t run outside without water. You may be a native, but that doesn’t make you a saguaro.
4. Rejoice when you are able to think without screaming. Promise yourself you’ll never do this to yourself again.
Repeat.
Training in Phoenix, oh the joys. No wonder so many people leave this time of year!
Prickly but not dead,
K



Feeling ridiculous in admitting it, but, yes…I know exactly what you’re talking about. Don’t do it again, girl.
Take care of yourself…
July 9th, 2007 at 6:20 pmOoh, that doesn’t sound like fun. I did something similar to that once, just running erands on a super hot summer day - I ended up dizzy and light-headed at the grocery store and it was all I could do not to pass out.(now that would be embarrassing!) I can’t imagine how much extra fluid you must need while doing anything in the summer in AZ!!
July 9th, 2007 at 6:46 pmstop by my blog for the contest if you have time this week : )
I’m so glad you’re okay now, Kelli! I had the same experience on the 4th of July whilst in Monument Valley. We were out in the heat (no shade there at all) and I didn’t drink enough water. I, too, thought I was dying which scared me immensely. So, lesson learned for both of us–be careful of the Arizona climate and drink lots of water.
July 9th, 2007 at 7:24 pmThis happened to my piano teacher yesterday (yes, i’m a 24-year old taking piano lessons…) and she was miserable our entire lesson. She pushed too hard during a run at 6 pm. Who runs at that time? Oh wait, we do.
July 9th, 2007 at 7:46 pmTry putting an ice pack on the back of your neck after workouts and runs. It lowers your core temp back down to where it needs to be.
This happened to me a few years ago. And it’s amazing how quickly it happens! I was working at a camp for “at-risk” kids, and the paramedics had to ice down my neck, armpits, and legs to get my temperature regulated. All this even though I was chugging Gatorade! Take care of yourself.
July 9th, 2007 at 8:11 pmThat sounds awful…glad you’re feeling better. Makes me want to drink water right now!
July 9th, 2007 at 8:51 pmHope you are feeling better now. Drink, drink, drink! Coffee and Soda may taste good, but they don’t hydrate. Water. Powerade. Gatorade. Drink even when you don’t think you’re thirsty.
July 9th, 2007 at 9:28 pmLove water. Drink drink drink! But don’t forget salt so you retain that water too. Actually, reading your post made me thirsty! Off to the kitchen!
July 9th, 2007 at 10:11 pmYou know, I like when things like this happen to you, it makes you human after all………just kidding girl, take care of yourself please, we all count on you. Love you.
July 9th, 2007 at 10:42 pmShame on you! You should know better by now.. (I must admit that I got myself in trouble running on the canal by my house not too long ago myself, however..) “Thank heaven for 7-11″ (or QT..) - and that I brought a couple of dollars for a Gatorade
July 9th, 2007 at 10:54 pmOy! I’m happy you’re better now.
July 10th, 2007 at 5:30 amGlad you were able to take care of it without too much trouble…some people end up in the hospital for dehydration!! I’ve read that for every cup of coffee, soda or other caffeinated beverage, the average person has to add one glass of water above the 6-8 a day to compensate. So I can only imagine what you’ll have to do while training. Could you give up caffeine? I know, that’s a lot to ask. But it would probably help you stay hydrated with less effort.
July 10th, 2007 at 5:57 amI am so rubbish at remembering to drink enough water - I mean, how hard is it, really? Yet I am always parched. Glad you are feeling a bit better. Have another glass of water after you have read this!
ps thanks for your lovely note that I received today!
July 10th, 2007 at 6:57 am4. Dehydration is the door to the 13th dimension. Note to self–drink more water today.
It’s always a good reminder…now, what am I so busy doing that my own bodily cues aren’t enough to tell me!!
Awesome work in NOLA–thanks for “taking” us with you!
July 10th, 2007 at 7:09 amOh man, that sucks. But what a greast description of what being dehydrated feels like! It’s happened to me once, too, and it is truly terrible.
I hope you training is going well other than that! Mine is just okay… I feel like a total idiot/couch potato when I’m in the pool, but I’ve still got a few weeks to work on it. (Fingers crossed!)
July 10th, 2007 at 7:14 amYikes! That is scary. Glad you are ok. I just reached for my glass…
July 10th, 2007 at 7:16 amWhew I’ve been thru that, its weird. I went camping last summer in July and totally dried out, I got home and drank water and literally ate some sea salt.
July 10th, 2007 at 7:18 amOH, chica, be careful with that. Dehydration can give you some serious cramping, too. Have you ever tried a fuel belt? http://www.fuelbelt.com/
I have one. It’s what I used all year when marathon training and has never let me down. Get a size smaller that you think you’ll need and wear it on your natural waist (waaaay up there). It’s a lot more comfortable than running with a camelpack , easier to clean, and you can fill some with water and others with gatorade on really hot days or long runs. And, surprisingly, it doesn’t flop around on you like you’d think it would.
Keep up the training!
July 10th, 2007 at 7:56 amOkay, so if you get some wierd-looking crocheted item in the mail, see if a water bottle will fit in it! I have some others to make first, though, so don’t plan your runs around this!
July 10th, 2007 at 7:58 amThanks so much for your comments on my blog. I loved the fabrics from Moz you posted a while back - just over the border from me
July 10th, 2007 at 8:34 amOh, honey. Take care of yourself.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:56 amAck! Sounds very scary. And sadly, familiar. Perhaps Phoenix is a climate that demands constant wearing of a camelback? We should make you one to match your outfits.
July 10th, 2007 at 9:06 amGood grief, Woman! All’s well that ends well, at least, and it made for a good cautionary tale for us all. Take care!
July 10th, 2007 at 9:55 amIn these dry climes, water is the elixir of life. Drink at least half your weight in ounces.
I sometimes can’t believe you can run in that heat down there! Lord.
July 10th, 2007 at 9:58 amBeen there, done that…and it’s pretty miserable.
July 10th, 2007 at 10:08 amGlad you are on the mend : )
Drink up!
Girlie - I am so glad you are okay. Living in hot and humid STL, I am very careful with that sort of thing. Hope you get some extra R&R.
July 10th, 2007 at 10:24 amno more diet coke for you. just water. only water really slakes my thirst.
July 10th, 2007 at 11:03 amThat sounds awful!!
July 10th, 2007 at 11:42 amI’m glad you’re feeling better now… go drink some more water!
Oh man that is scary. I am glad that you are feeling better and are well hydrated. Also good to hear that your triathlon training is going well. My triathlon is in less than six weeks and I am by no means ready. I’ve been so focused on school that tri stuff has been put on the backburner. However, starting today, I’m getting serious about it. Speaking of…off to go tackle some hills on the bike (hey, a hill workout on the recumbent bike works, right?).
July 11th, 2007 at 7:32 amman, not fun at all. so painful and ridiculous since all we have to do is drink to prevent it. and yet, how many of us have been there? yep. gotta love getting buff in the desert:)
July 11th, 2007 at 9:39 am“and this is a girl who isn‚Äôt a stranger to the painfully pathetic experience.”
You? Say it ain’t so, Kelli….
July 11th, 2007 at 12:06 pmI was miserable all day yesterday and your symptoms sound like mine. I am notorius for not drinking enough water.
July 12th, 2007 at 5:22 pm