Monday, November 24, 2008

What Not To Do Before a Run......

fill your tank at an Indian buffet just a couple hours beforehand!

Also, don't pig out on hummus days before or do kickboard laps in the pool! LOL

My weekly runs have been going pretty great averaging over 40 minutes a run. I even ran the week of our diving incident. I skipped water aerobics monday, my run on tuesday, and any gym activity until thursday to rest up and ensure I did not encourage the onset of DCS (decompression sickness) in myself. As a result, I crammed all of my weight lifting into 3 consecutive days at the end of the week, took sunday off, then returned to the gym on monday for water aerobics, kickboard and back stroke laps in the pool, and an upper body weight routine. So when it came time to run on Thursday I was a little fatigued.

I had planned to meet up with my friend Skip for lunch that day. I was not that hungry in the morning and knew we were going to the indian buffet. So to build up a hearty hunger for a buffet, I skipped breakfast. I knew it was run day and questioned my plan. I never ran after eating at a buffet before. I figured after a couple hours it would be well digested and ok so I went for it!

Big mistake! Not only did my legs feel like lead from the workout the previous day and not ample recovery time, but I wa running with what felt like a humungous rock in my gut! It was a challenging run indeed and several times I wanted to just quit. However, I had a dental appointment and other plans the rest of the week which was going to make it difficult to schedule in the run on a later day. Therefore, I toughed it out so I could just get it done.

The combination of curry and spices churned in my stomach with each step. It took sheer will and mental focus to continue on as carrying the rock in my stomach was just unbearable! I had already stopped to vomet a small amount twice and had to control the urge for a 3rd round until I completed the run.

It was a test of mental wit to pass the time. I had to get my thoughts off of how uncomfortable and tired I felt and onto something more motivating.......something to make me hang in there. The night in ICU after my surgery last fall came to mind. After 6 or so hours of surgery, I had awoke to my body convulsing from violent vometing, shivering, and my head ringing loudly like a police siren when in reality I cannot hear anything. I remember briefly opening my eyes and seeing Harley and our friend KC. I am sure seeing me in that state was a horrifying experience for them. Then I awoke hours later alone in the middle of the night not feeling a whole lot better. I could not sleep at all. Time appeared to stand still. I could not wait for 8 am to arrive when visiting hours opened and I knew I would see Harley and my family again.

While running, I harnessed that feeling I experienced in ICU and the will I had to hang in there. Although my run was exhausting, it paled in comparison as to what I went through that night. Thinking about that situation made the grueling run much easier to tolerate and put it into perspective...a few minutes of discomfort as opposed to hours filled with uncertainty.

Needless to say, I will not be eating at a buffet again before I go for a run! That was so terrible that thoughts of thanksgiving dinner were incredibly unappealing!

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