Stage 7 - Dead Man Walking

Wow! It seems as if all of the miles have hit me at once. I'm weak, I can't eat, I can't sleep. It's a good thing the mileage requirement for today was low.

I don't know if my lack of appetite is due to fatigue or if something else is going on. It feels like there's a big ball or knot in my stomach. A bit like the stomach flu. My stomach is distended and I haven't had a bowel movement in 36 hours. Hey, no one said that this would be pretty. I'm just giving you the low down. Way low.

It was windy when I woke up and I waited for most of the day for the wind to die down. It didn't so I finally went for the ride at about 5:00 pm. And wouldn't you know it, it stated raining about two miles into the ride. The rain did cause the wind to stop and since this was supposed to be a time trial I'll take the rain over the wind any day. I always feel a little faster on wet pavement. Why? I'm not sure. Maybe there's less friction due to a small amount of hydro-planing or maybe it's due to the nervous hustle of trying to get home and out of the wet.

I picked a spot three miles from the turnaround point to begin a short six mile time trial. I averaged 23.8 mph which isn't a bad pace but it took everything out of me and I felt worse when I got home.

There is another troubling aspect to my stomach issue; I don't think that I'm absorbing fluids very well. I'm drinking a lot and I pee every twenty minutes but the pee is yellow. Sometimes light yellow, sometimes dark. If you'll recall from last year's Tour Challenge, I came up with a pee color code to help figure out if you're taking on enough fluids. It's reprinted here;

Gin Clear - You are drinking adequate fluids and you should be saluted
Lemonade Yellow - You are slightly behind in intake, push the drinks
Dark Yellow - You have not taken on enough fluids, you are becoming dehydrated
Orange - You are dehydrated. Stop what you're doing and drink 48 oz of water
Red - That's not pee, it's blood. Seek immediate medical attention

It had been gin clear until last night. If I'm not absorbing fluids I'm probably not absorbing vitamins and minerals either, which could explain my malaise. I'm not sure what to do other than to continue to eat and drink as much as I can and hope that it gets better. If any of you have any advice I'd sure appreciate it (just click on 'Comments' below this post or on 'Email' at the bottom of the page, thanks.). I do have Monday's rest day to look forward to.

Today's Mileage Goal: 16.12. Miles ridden: 17.