So I went to Idaho from Va over the weekend and raced in the Lyle Pearson 200 road race. It is a relay and we were Team Sea Level. The race went (goes) from Boise to Ketchum, via Stanley. Spectacular country, lots of elevation and climbing.
I bonked out of the blue on the 4th of 5 legs I was doing, about mile 72. I have mild high blood pressure and on long days/rides/runs and long race days (Half IM or more) I do not take the BP med which is a mild diuretic, in order to retain fluids.
From the first leg of the race my HR was elevated which I attributed to elevation and not being acclimatized, but my perceived effort was through the roof all day. In short, I felt like crap. Anyway, pulled it together and pulled a strong leg of 25 miles, then- bang. I was cooked.
I understand this could be attributable to many factors converging: travel, training fatigue, elevation, nutrition, but this felt different. I wanted to push, to work my legs and there was just nothing there, but not from having really stressed them. It was more a feeling that I couldn’t get air to the engine. And in my recovery I have not had any leg soreness, just overall fatigue.
As BP meds are a vasco dialator and aids blood (oxygen) to the muscles, I wonder if laying off the med, especially at elevation, is what scewed me. I feel as though I used only half my engine (lungs) and not my legs.
Or maybe I just did what my overall fitness level allowed me to do that day in those conditions.
Does any of this resonate with anybody?