Left early. Pitchers duel. Game druuuuug on. Both starters retired after the 4th inning with pitch counts over 100.
Emptied one water bottle in the first three miles of the ride due to the sun and wind.. when my mouth felt dry, I took a slug. Cooling towel absolutely useless. Sun & wind had it dried out in five minutes.
Was saving the second bottle for the ride home, so I made my mistake.. I bought a Monster at the gas station on the way. Pounded it in the parking lot. Made it to the park ok.. matter of fact, made up the time I lost standing in line at the gas station.. walked by the EMT crew, had an idea. Had them take my blood pressure. 149/99. I thought they were gonna put me on stroke protocol right then and there. Instead, one of them noticed my helmet in my hand and my shoes.. asked me "how far did you ride?" "8 miles." Checked Strava for speed.. "11mph." (which is pretty darn good for humping that boat anchor Raleigh with 29x2.25's on it). "Go sit in your seat and chill. Come back in the seventh inning and we'll check it again. NO ALCOHOL."
Well, I wasn't gonna anyway, but I smiled and went & sat down.
Pounded two waters per inning to flush that Monster outta my system. Kept my cooling towel wet, and around the back of my neck. Benefit of having season tickets. Water and soft drinks are free through the 7th inning.
110/86 when I went to leave. About six points higher on the diastolic than normal.
Salt supplements, eh... well.. there's good and bad points. Yes, they will keep you drinking. Yes, your body looses salt when you sweat, BUT.. salt intake is also a risk factor in hypertension.
My point to all this is, since everyone has slight differences in their metabolism, I think one of those new smart watches that has the BP cuff built into the band would NOT be a bad idea. BP is one of the indicators of heat exhaustion/heat stroke.
My second point is, in hot, humid weather, and we have a lot more to go this year, one little mistake can have cascading repercussions. Be ever vigilant.
**Not intended to be medical advice. Consult your Health Professional.**
Just my thoughts & observations.
Last edited by JLDickmon; 07-13-18 at 08:46 PM.