Great Lakes Singlehanded Society

This RODE SHOW is an important one for the successful completion of a Mac-Solo. If your plan is to nourish yourself with a bag of potato chips and a box of raisins it is entirely possible that you can finish the Mac-Solo. On the other hand, if your plan is to cook and prepare an elaborate 7-course meal, it is also entirely possible that you can finish the Mac-Solo. The optimum plan rests somewhere between the above two extremes.

At our GLSS Spring Safety Seminar, Michael Garcia highlighted the importance of nourishment and hydration. Simply stated, make sure you eat and drink - or to say it another way, keep that internal factory running! The Mac-Solo is not a good time to begin your diet! It's not a good time to try new foods. Look at your current eating habits, and plan your menu to align with that.

If you typically start your day with two cups of coffee, plan to do the same on the water. Follow your routine - no more and no less. Caffeine withdrawal will give you a headache! Too much caffeine will send you into space. Stick with your routine! Do you usually have a bran muffin to jump-start your "morning constitution"? If so, then stick to your schedule.Do what you normally do to keep your system from surprises!

Make sure you hydrate! Drink plenty of water. With the increasing popularity of fleece, you may not notice yourself sweating because of the fleece's wicking characteristics. A good rule of thumb is to "keep your plumbing running" through the day. This sounds gross, but... Watch your urine color, and ensure that it is pale-yellow-to-clear. If it is dark yellow, then hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Consider water and a sports drink such as Gatorade. Do you stop drinking water a night because it makes you cold? Consider this: Boil a kettle full of water on your stove, and then put the water into a thermos. Now the hot water is readily available to make some instant soup; or simply drink the hot water to keep you warm. If it's readily available, then you'll use it. Stay away from instant coffee to keep you warm. It has the tendency to dehydrate, and the caffeine overdose will begin to work against you.

Set aside an array of healthy foods that are easy to eat AND foods that you especially like. I like to pre-cook about 20 chicken legs and put them in a Tupperware container. This is my major source of protein. I snack on the chicken legs just like they're cookies! I like a hot meal around sunset. I have a tuna noodle casserole-type dinner that I can prepare in a single pot on the stove. It gives me a hefty dose of carbohydrates and gets me warm & full just prior to the night shift. I look forward to a hardboiled egg, an orange & coffee at sunrise. Granola bars are my source of sugar - they settle my sweet tooth a couple times during the day. A zip-loc bag with cauliflower & broccoli and a touch of ranch dip really hits the spot in mid-afternoon.

If you make it a complicated process to nourish yourself, then it will be easy to postpone your nourishment. However, if you select YOUR fun foods (that are healthy) you'll be able to get into an easy routine. You will find that there are no extra prizes to be given at the awards luncheon for those who brag about surviving on a bag of chips & box of raisins! And in the same fashion, there are no penalties if you gain a few pounds during the Solo!

Respectfully,
Patrick Nugent

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