Marathon Weekly Update

6 out of 12 ain't bad

Yesterday I woke up feeling "off" and I knew that I was going to have a tough time on my run. I let my group know that I was going to need some extra support. There were only 6 of us so I didn't think it would be a problem. In the fourth mile we ran up Arguello in the Presidio and close to the top I got a stich in my side. The rest of the group continued on and I caught up with them once we reached the top. During the 5th mile I started to hyperventilate. I had to stop and keep myself calm so I could catch my breath again. Elizabeth stayed with me and the rest of the group moved on. While I tried to breathe I started to dry heave. Once I had everything under control I started to run again. Elizabeth was great, she stuck with me and encouraged me, but I had the feeling that my run was over. I started to hyperventilate again and that made my final decision. I didn't hesitate to listen to my body. There was a water stop at mile 6 so I stopped there, helped pour water for the remaining groups and got a ride back to camp with the water volunteer. All of the COBs were great, checking in with me and sympathizing with my off day. We iced in the bay and I headed home.

Once I got home I got into bed. Four hours later I got out and jumped in the shower. I was supposed to attend a fundraiser for my school last night but while I was showering I realized how sick I was. I checked my temperature and the thermometer read 102. I lay on the couch in misery the rest of the night. By the time I went to bed my fever had broken and I was feeling fairly comfortable. At 3am I woke up and once again found myself praying for death. I won't go into details but lets just say that I spent the next 3 hours battling the stomach flu. Finally at 6am I was able to get another couple of hours of sleep. This morning I have been trying to nurse myself back to health with bland foods while staying close to the bathroom.

I'm chalking it up to illness. This will not keep me from running next week, or the week after that, or the week after that.

posted by Heidi @ 8:25 AM