otb4evr said:
Thank you all for the thoughts...
I guess it *could* be dehydration, but I get one *every* TT, regardless of length or time of year, if I push myself past the limit. I drank during this latest one (a 40k in mid 70s temp) and got a dinger of a headache that lasted until the next morning. I even got them during our indoor TT series. The distance was only 10k...
FWIW. I completely agree with those who suggest that it is dehydration ...
A quick test for you is to weigh yourself BEFORE (the night before) ...
AND, weigh yourself AFTER you are done with the TT ... if you can't get to a scale right away, then don't forget to take into account the fluids you consume immediately after. Weigh your pee, if you have to, too, to get an slightly more accurate sense of how much fluid you have lost from your body's "core."
Also, factor in the amount of fluid/etc. you consume just before the TT.
If there is NO DIFFERENCE in your weight, then you may not be dehydrating ...
But, as an analogy, just 2 ounces of alcohol will give some people a hangover (which IS a dehydration headache) while others are unaffected ... so, even if the amount of fluid loss is minor, then you could be susceptible.
Obviously (?), some people's bodies require much more fluid to detoxify ... hence, their "dehydration" hangovers when consuming a given amount of alcohol while others are not affected.
Your physiology, particularly if you have miminal body fat, may be an aggravating factor ... consider contacting a nutritionist -- s/he can do an analysis of your situation.
I recall reading that aspirin BEFORE drinking and/or before going to bed mitigates a hangover ... so, if you take a couple of aspirin (or, possibly ibuprofen)
before a ride AND somewhere in the middle of the ride, it may mitigate your headaches. It can only hurt to try if you have a stomach which is sensitive to aspirin ...