Hitting the Wall

By Scott:

Today for the second day in a row we tried to do a long bike ride the first time we have done back to back days of long rides over 20 miles since we got our bikes. Yesterday evening after we finished the board meeting and campus wide meeting (more on those some other time) we biked out east and got all the way to Frank Sound Road. We stopped at Fosters on the way back and were pretty proud of our little 24 mile jaunt when we pulled up to the college. We both take 64 oz water bottles and apples for energy. That has worked out great until today. We started today's ride late because we had a big breakfast of pancakes, eggs and fruit and we had slept in. By the time we got started it was already 10:45, hot and getting hotter.

The leaving time was mistake number one. We also decided just to take water not our apples since we planned to stop for lunch and we didn't want the extra weight, that was mistake number two. We biked out as far as we went yesterday and then turned north on Frank Sound road. When we passed Southcoast bar and grill in Breakers about a mile before Frank Sound Road, we decided to bike up Frank Sound and then come back before eating lunch (mistake number three). Frank Sound is a winding road that runs a little over 4 miles up to the north end of the island. We had stopped twice to drink water and as we pulled into Old Man Bay at the north end of the island Katie was getting tired and a little over heated. We stopped for about 15 minutes then started heading back to Breakers. We had to stop three times in that five mile return stretch to Breakers as Katie was getting lightheaded, nauseous and shaky. By that time she had finished her water and drank the rest of mine. I was verbally encouraging her the last mile to hang on as we were almost to the restaurant where we could get more water and get food because it was more an energy issue than water issue.

As we pulled into the restaurant it seemed like we had pushed the envelope but not broken it. We sat down drank some water and for about ten minutes as we waited on the food Katie was OK. That is until suddenly her body just gave out. She couldn't eat, couldn't keep her eyes open and kept saying she felt like throwing up. We know now that she had overheated and even replenishing our water and eating food wasn't going to be enough. She had to stop, cool down and sleep. After 45 minutes at the restaurant with Katie unable to eat because she was nauseous and wanting just to lay down and go to sleep we called Elsa and Keith who came out in the van and picked us up. We put the bikes on the top of the van and drove the 10 or so miles back to the college. Katie took a cold shower which brought her body temperature down and about a two hour nap. This evening her appetite is back and she is feeling a lot better. We know we were lucky! First that it only happened to one of us and not both and second that Elsa has given us her numbers for emergencies like this. Katie is in better shape than I am but that actually helped me according to her Internet research tonight, people in better shape build up a sweat faster draining their body of fluids and minerals and that led to her overheating sooner than I would have.

We learned several lessons. First we cant plan to be out for more than an hour tops between noon and around 4, its just too hot and humid. Second even if we are stopping to eat we need to take energy food. We were good on the water but Katie's Internet research indicated water isn't enough, our bodies need energy replacement too or we get overheated. Finally we cant push ourselves which is a hard lesson. We both want to get up to biking 50-60 miles a day (which is basically around the east end of the island and back from Newlands) and we just need to realize that will take time. Also the heat of July is not the time to do day long bike rides. Today would have been 32 miles (only 8 more than yesterday) and the boink point really came at 18 miles even though we biked the 5 miles back to Breakers after. We were fine at 24 miles yesterday but we had apples at 12 miles and it was in the evening so the temperature was not as high. Today was only 23 miles but the other factors intervened. So for the next two months until it cools down morning and evening rides but nothing during the 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. range.

Tomorrow will be a rest day, its a holiday for Constitution day so no school. If we bike at all it will be to a nearby beach to swim. Katie did talk to her parents tonight on the webcam which is really neat so as people get that capability let us know and we can do a video call. We feel lucky that the worst that happened is Elsa and Keith having to come get us and not Katie passing out on the road. Somebody upstairs definitely was keeping an eye on us and Elsa's forethought in getting me to put her numbers in my wallet and then coming out immediately when she and Keith got our call so that Katie could get back and get into the shower to cool down was incredibly important. We are really grateful to her and Keith who has been helping us with most everything bike and apartment related since we got down here.