Still clinging to my old normal

Last weekend I attempted to hold on to my old normal.

I have three Rhodesian Ridgebacks and one of the things that I enjoy is watching them run (and compete) in a dog sport called lure coursing. The event was about three and a half hours away in Iowa.

So I packed up the camper, aka the most expensive dog kennel you'll ever purchase, and we made our way south. Uneventfully so.

I set up camp, got the pups walked, fed, settled and then allowed myself to collapse. What a lot of work.

But I slept well and woke up refreshed and ready for the day.

I tried to be prepared. I brought four gallons of drinking water, along with a water dispenser pump. I had a 10 pound bag of ice to keep my drinking water COLD. I had every intention to stay well hydrated. I thought I was. But when you're outside all day in the sun and wind sometimes it's difficult to tell.

Epic fail.

By the end of the next day I was so tired, drained and dehydrated that I wanted to cry (which was crazy since my younger boy won Best of Breed against nine other Ridgebacks). I went back to the camper, CRASHED and took a two hour nap.

Decision made. Old normal be damned. New normal - at least for last weekend - was cutting the weekend short and returning home first thing the next morning, eight hours early.

Did it feel like defeat? Yes.

Was it the best thing I could do to support my health and well-being? Definitely.

The only thing I can do is learn from the experience.

First of all, when I think I'm drinking enough water, DRINK MORE! I think next time I'm going to measure out two gallons of water at the beginning of the day and make sure that that's the MINIMUM I down. A fellow member of the Polycystic Cysterhood said that she drinks at least two additional liters of water a day during the warmer months of the year. Done.

Next, I think it's okay to start out with the expectation that I  might not be able to run the dogs both days of the trial. Enter the first day, note how I'm feeling and then either gate enter, act spectator or pack up early on the second day. And feel good with my decision.

Yet the after effects of the weekend continue. Possibly due to the Tolvaptan dehydration. Maybe because I stood outside all day in the blowing pollen-filled wind. Or the resulting fatigue? Regardless, now I have a summer cold.

Boo.

Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate.