Puking on the Indoor Track

Not quite... but almost.

I ran nine miles today, which is the most I've run since the Indy Mini Half Marathon in May.  I felt good when I started - I've been running shorter 3-5 mile runs with an average 11/12 min/mi pace.  

It was pouring down rain, so I ran on the Valpo Y's indoor track.  I don't mind getting rained on, but today's weather was a frickin' typhoon or something. Oh, I loathe indoor running.  Seriously, what is there to look at or keep busy with when I'm running around in a circle on the 1/8 mile track?    The dreadmill is even worse. I'm stuck with TVs full of people I don't recognize or shows I don't know (I don't really watch TV).

So my plan was to just concentrate on the beat of the music on my iPod, which I do anyway, but today I was also using the beat to keep my mind off of the repetitive circle on which I was running.  The good news is that the track wasn't overrun with a bunch of little (or big) kids goofing off and getting in everyone's way, or silver surfers (old people) walking horizontally in sets of four across the track (more reasons I hate indoor running).

Everything was going well... had a good pace, running to the beat, concentrating on my music.... then I hit six miles.  Suddenly, my leg muscles seemed to want to stop.  I was dying of thirst.  My stomach started to hurt.  WTF?   Of course, the answer to this was run harder! 

I'm thinking, "Three more miles. Come on.  That's not even a full 5K."  Blister in the Sun came on the iPod and I was peppily bopping along.   Then I felt it.  The lump in the mid of the stomach when a massive puke is about to spew.  Whoa... so I slowed waaaayyyyy down.  That seemed to help.  I kept up at this pace for a while, and then my thighs started to spasm.  Whoaaaa again.   That's never happened to me.  Ever.  I figured this was a good time to walk a lap or two.  At this point, I was just over seven miles.   I walked a lap, and was feeling good, so I picked back up into a slow pace.   Slow pace was going well, which means fast pace will also go well, right?  I broke into a full sprint, and in about 15 seconds, a splitting headache hit me right in the middle of my brain.

I've had those headaches before, when I was doing CrossFit.  I'm p. sure it's from over-exertion.  BUT I HAD TO DO NINE MILES.  I continued at my walk/jog/sprint pattern for the next mile and a half, with one more "near-puke" episode.   I was never so happy to see my goal mile on the Garmin as I was today.

When I finished, I could hardly walk, and it wasn't because my legs were sore; it was because I was completely weak.  THAT'S never happened to me, either.  Ever.  Fortunately, Aaron was with me, so he drove home.  Thank gawd, because I was totally out of it.  He'd bought a protein shake for both of us, and I downed it.  I also downed a G2.  When we got home, I could barely walk.  I went into the house and sat down.  I couldn't stand for more than a few minutes without getting dizzy and weak.  I took a shower, thinking that would help.  I couldn't stand up in the shower, so I had to sit on the built-in benches in our shower.  Ugh.  I got out of the shower and just laid on the bed for a few minutes, unable to move.  I went into the kitchen and started to make dinner, and still couldn't stand for more than a few minutes.  I wasn't really hungry, but I pulled an egg out of our boiled egg stash in the fridge and ate it on a piece of Healthy Choice bread. I felt a little better after that, and I drank a glass of green tea, and ate some hummus with pretzel chips.  Almost immediately, I felt MUCH better.

Right now, I don't even feel like I ran today.  My legs are a little sore, but I feel amazing.  I've come to the conclusion that I was either dehydrated, or not eating enough, or a little of both.