Before you say anything, this is an import subject and you may not know of some of the material to come. So just give this post a chance and read it through.
Poopy and pee-pee are related to your intake...or lack thereof and if you monitor it closely enough (is that TMI?) you can certainly tell what's going on with your body and possible ways to correct some of the conditions. Instead of being too graphic on this blog, I thought I'd direct you to the poopy chart. It's self-explanatory. Some of you are really into the floaters verses the sinkers. I've heard that your poopy will float, if your diet has enough fiber. I tried this test for a short period of time and only manage a floater here and there. In my book, as long as you have an effortless, solid poopy, you're good to go.
Prolonged physical exertion can play havoc on the poopy. Depending on the duration of your event, poopies are usually non-existent and that's what many endurance athletes strive for to save time on the potty stops. Many endurance athletes successfully stick with a liquid fuel source and try to find the right balance of hydration to refrain from tinkling as well. I'm still in the mid-tuning stages with all of this, but my initial thought is that this is on the edge of being dangerous (though I'm not ruling it out completely).
I tend to produce type 1-3 poopy during heavy endurance days. And I do tend to dehydrate toward the end of endurance events. Though after the 3rd day of the Elite PAC Tour, I had no issues. So chalk one up for the poopy chart! The products I use have some protein in them. Protein requires more fluid to process and adds to my dehydration problem.
There is also the tinkle chart, which can provide useful guidelines in monitoring your pee. If you start seeing that dark brown pee mid way through your ride, you may be in trouble. You'll need to slow down and hydrate well. But be careful, although rare, it is possible to over hydrate and induce a condition called hyponatremia. It's all about balance and learning how your body responds to adverse conditions. It's trial and error (experience). And don't be afraid to ask questions, when you don't know the answer. Someone out there may know.
Mary and Al Delaney of Rehab to Racing (R2R) answered a question for me that had me puzzled for several years. In cooler temperatures (more specifically when rides start out warm in the daylight and then drop 20-30 degrees in the evenings) I would experience excessive and frequent urination. Almost as if I had just consumed 10 gallons of water (only I had not). This condition is known as Cold Immersion Diuresis. If I remember this correctly, as your extremities get cold the blood in your body moves to your core to protect the blood supply to the brain. Your body detects this increase in blood volume and tries to reduce it via urination, which may lead to dehydration. So keep drinking and put those layers on. A cold, continuous rain may also bring on Cold Immersion Diuresis, as I have experienced. Your body tries to compensate for many of the stresses that you subject to it. The more educated you can be on various subjects the better you're going to be at self-evaluating race day issues.
So in the future, if you're seated in a nice restaurant and you hear the table next to you talking about poopy and pee-pee -- give them a break. It may be someone you know...ME!
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