Why cant I sleep ? I should be exhausted. The crazy turmoil of training for Ironman.

My training has ramped up, now that I am at 16 weeks until IM Couerd alene. It is Thursday and I have already completed 24 miles of running, 20 of biking and 3.5 of swimming. My head wont turn off. I can't stop thinking of how to properly set up my bike for hydration , what to put in my support bags. What clothes to wear for any sort of weather that MIGHT occur on JUNE 29th. WHAT IF THIS OR THAT...AugggH. It is 1 am, I was lying in bed starving , so I get up and eat a snack thinking this would get me to lights out. Nope. There is soooooo much to think about with Ironman. It excites me and terrifies me at the same time. Then, my mind wanders to what the heck am I doing? Is this the meaning of life? Why do I feel so compelled. I lay in bed nightly , surfing the internet for all my answers, like what are the best swim socks, and what do I do if I get my period on race day. The internet is a great place to get all sorts of opinion, on ANYTHING, I mean anything. Then I think of random other things like, what the next family vacation should be, got to get the yard cleaned up for spring and the deck sanded and stained, and oh what about this and what about that. And my next thought is if I cant sleep how the heck am I going to get up in 4.5 hours to train and go to work, and take care of the kids and .........please let me go to sleep.

Cycling is making my heart burn ?!?

Excessive exercise, especially cycling can increase heartburn symptoms in athletes. Heartburn is a symptom, that most everyone experiences in their lifetime. If it is chronic it can lead to esophageal reflux disease, ulcerative esophagitis, strictures to the esophagus or precancerous mucousa called Barretts esophagus. Incidence of esophageal cancer is approximately 1 in 1000 cases of Barretts esophagus. Incidence of barretts in general population is 5.6 percent , which is a very low number . Meaning not every person with heartburn needs screening for Barretts, as the research currently shows. Most heartburn however is benign, just uncomfortable . In exercise it can be exacerbated due to heavy breathing, the diaphragm pushing on the esophageal sphincter that keeps acids in the stomach from seeping into the very alkaline , neutral esophagus. Then put yourself on a tri bike, leaned over for 112 miles and trying to fuel yourself with acidic hammer gels or high fat substances then it may happen. Burning reflex, epigastric pain, nausea, or just not feeling well. What to do? Chronic symptoms, especially if not just exercise induced , always should be discussed with your Dr. For the occasional pain in the ass symptoms I suggest firstly, diet choices will play key roles. Softer , blander food are more easily digested, low acidity and lower fat content, is also better. High fat foods take longer to digest and you may overproduce acid. Occasional use of prilosec is ok , it is a proton pump inhibitor, and is supposed to prevent the stomach from overproducing acid . However , it does have side effects when used daily , so try it out in training , not just race day. If you feel the need to use this medicine daily then a conversation with your Doctor should take place. Common side effect may be headache or change in bowels. Another alternative, Zantac or ranitidine, will reduce acid as it occur, but doesn't Prevent it. Zantac is Inexpensive, with little side effects. Zantac would be my first choice, along with better diet choices. My opinion once again , is start with diet.