My work has brought me to Tempe (Phoenix) for the week and holy crap, it's hot!
Every single day is forecasted to be at least 100 degrees, and while yes, it's a dry heat that doesn't make the heat any less unbearable.
The hotel we are staying in does not have its own gym, but they have an arrangement with Arizona State University to allow hotel guests to use the Student Rec Center. After taking care of the normal errands that I usually take care of after my arrival in a new city (grocery shop, get the lay of the land, etc.) I decided that I might relax by the pool and read for a bit. Um, yeah... that lasted about 20 minutes. Even just laying out in the sun I started to drip with sweat. I took a bottle of water outside with me, but I only drank about half of it. First step in my road to dehydration...
After my casual pool lounging idea was a total bust, I decided I should just go ahead and make my way to the gym. Get my work out over with for the day, that way I had plenty of time to shower and eat dinner before seeing a movie with my boss later that evening (a typical Monday night event.)
As soon as I started walking to the gym (it's two and a half blocks) I realized that I had left my water bottle back in the hotel. I don't have one in the gym on a regular basis so I figured I would be okay. WRONG. Step two in my road to dehydration...
Today was the first day/long run of the new week of my C210K program. It called for me to run 5 minutes/walk 1 minute a total of 10 times. After the first 15 minutes I knew it was going to be a rough one. I slowed my pace way down, I extended the walking breaks, basically did anything I could do (with the exception of shortening the running segments) to get me through it. The thing I realized is that even though the gym was air conditioned, I think my internal thermostat knew that it was over 100 degrees outside because I was sweating like crazy. Even more than normal. My legs felt sluggish, more so than they should have after the previous two days of rest. (stupid hotel in Salt Lake City locked the gym door on Sunday night and not even their master key could get it to open. I was livid that they made me miss my run.) Afterwards, however, was when I noticed a slight pounding in my head. My lips were insanely chapped, and I was drenched in sweat. We have a winner! I was officially dehydrated!
When I got back to the hotel I drank about a liter and a half of water, but it was no use. I dehydrated myself and it was going to take me a while to recover. It made me realize that on a regular basis, I do not drink enough water. Unless I am sincerely making an effort to drink water specifically, I am a soda drinker, and when I do drink water it's with Crystal Light or Mio mixed in. I just find water so boring! I know that soda, even of the diet variety, is insanely horrible for me but I just can't stop! Caffeine plays a factor with that as well.
What I did buy at the grocery store are the flavored carbonated waters, but as soon as I buy them, I drink them almost immediately and they are quite cumbersome and not easy to really buy in bulk as say a case of soda.
I need to do a lot better with my water though. I can't be in a constant state of dehydration for the two weeks, or I'll be miserable!
Chug a lug, Maia! Drink it up!
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