The Nittiest of the Grittiest

I sort of snacked for the remainder of the day: some breaded shrimp that I had baked last night, cantaloupe with plain yogurt and a bit of honey, some soy milk with vanilla protein powder. I dank a lot of water, but was still thirsty and very hungry by the time I was done working. I stopped and got a fullbar, which was not to my taste. I ate it anyways. I got home, still hungry. I had some pasta with chicken and the curry sauce that my husband made last night. I finished the final chapters of Harry Potter while that settled. 

I set up the fans around me and told myself that I could do the 6.5 miles, even if it took a long time with walk breaks.  By 50 minutes I had gone 3.14 miles and called it quits. My legs were good, my heart rate was good, but my stomach was all out of sorts and I was done. I cooled down, stretched and drank a fair amount of water. 

Over the next hour I felt worse, with the knots in my stomach tightening and that sick feeling growing ever more present. I was writing the beginning part of this post, when I decided to try to eat something else. Nothing - NOTHING - looked appetizing and so I settled on cold, plain noodles. Those went down ok, but didn't seem to make a difference as I didn't feel better or worse. Putting those aside I waited it out a bit longer at the table, and realized things were not going to end well. All of my signs that indicate I have reached the point of no return where there - racing heart, sweating, chills and the muscle spasms. Moments later I was hunkered down at the kitchen trash, but oddly enough nothing was coming out. I felt better for my efforts though, and soon headed to bed where I fell asleep pretty easily. 

I have no idea what happened or why. Where did those noodles go that I had eaten 10 minutes before getting sick? How come I got sick over an hour after running? Had I really been that hot? It seems that I might have not been properly hydrated. In fact, I probably drank too much water during the day, which flushed out the salts I needed later for my run. Drinking a lot of water is good, and I feel better for having done it, but I think I need to drink some Gatorade or something of that nature before I run to help replenish electrolytes. I'm not sure of the timing, maybe 1 hour before running drink 20 ounces of Gatorade? 

So, that's the scoop on the 6.5 miles that weren't. I'm not quite sure what to make of it, but I guess I should be glad in a sense. I am learning my body right? I was trying to push myself, but I knew that all was not right and it seems the best choice to have stopped. Still, it's hard for me to equate stopping with taking care of myself and the 'right' decision as opposed to quitting and giving in. 

Lessons:

1. Wet head - I had wet my head, but not as completely as I have been. In the future, I will be sure my entire head ends up thoroughly wet.

2. Too much water can be just as bad as not enough. In the future, I will be sure to drink Gatorade before, and possibly, during my run.

3. Get 'er done - If I am going to get these miles under my belt I need to be prepared for these situations. Florida is hot, even if I am running inside the heat and humidity has/is still gotten to me. In the future, I need to slow down sooner and walk the rest of the miles. It is far better to complete the distance in a lot more time than not at all.