Longest training run yet...and I still ain't right!

Distance, Time: 22  miles, 5 hrs +

Run / Walk Interval (in minutes): 3 / 1

Weather:  Warm (upper 70s, low 80s)

Course / Dogs: Stone Mountain, 4+ laps around the mountain; no dogs

Nutrition / Hydration: Nutrition/hydration: 2 biscuits prior to the run; 1 Gu every 5 miles, water, Endurolyte capsules after 10 miles

iPod playlist: new Alicia Keys, some 80s (Prince, rock ballads), Coldplay (shuffled)

Notes on the Run:

When the alarm went off at 5:10 AM, that surprisingly wasn’t the worst part of my morning. Won’t go into the details, but suffice it to say today was my day to learn to turn a negative mental state into a positive one. It took one lap around the mountain. The first 5 miles were pretty bad and I was having all kinds of negative thoughts about not being able to finish. I enlisted the help of Alicia Keys and memories of the way I felt when my mom was dying of cancer and taking care of her was getting really tough—like giving up and going home. But I didn’t, either time.

I had to recharge my iPod twice on this run in my car, since it just froze up twice, after the second and third lap. Since my stereo plays (and charges) the iPod, I hooked it up with the key in, left one door unlocked, and went up to the bathroom area to refill my fuel belt bottles. I was glad it worked because after starting the run with music, I did not really like having to listen to others’ conversations while I walked by after it crashed. I think it crashed because I have the 30 GB video iPod, which is not really supposed to worn running because of its hardware. I had to keep adjusting the arm band so that it would rest on my forearm, reducing the jarring on it. That helped the last lap and couple extra miles, so I finished strong to Coldplay.

I felt amazingly good for the fact that I ran 22 miles. I attribute this to several factors, though I am not sure which one played the most important role. For one, I really tried to work on my biomechanics, that is, to try to space my legs enough that they are closer to being directly under my hips (i.e., spread my legs more than usual, no puns PLEASE!). This is harder than it sounds, especially when you think of the mantra, “put one foot in front of the other.” If you take that literally, and as women being taught to not separate our legs too much, then those factors combine to mess up our running stride. I know my right hip is less strong than my left, and it extends down to the knee.

And while I do believe this change in stride made a real difference, I also believe my nutrition strategy made a difference. For one, I used Endurolyte caplets for the first time, and these are supposed to prevent cramping. Also, I had a Gu after every 5-mile lap, followed by at least 4 oz. of water, as well as drinking water all along the course. Though when reading the reviews of Endurolytes, I tend to think that it made the most difference in my legs not hurting.

I didn’t eat immediately after the run, though I drank a chocolate milk for a recovery drink. I didn’t eat anything for about an hour though, after taking a shower and cold bath.  I never do this, but thought it would be fine, and I just wasn’t that hungry. After finally eating something, then more a little later on at Panera Bread, I was feeling nauseous and dizzy about 20 minutes later. I still haven’t figured out if it was food from Jason’s deli on Friday night (since my stomach was already a bit uneasy on Saturday morning, the long run, fatigue, the eggs and/or rice I ate at home, the Panera Bread, or a combination of any or all of the above, but I was not feeling well.

After going to Atlanta Dragway on Sunday for Summit Nationals NHRA championships, I realized this was getting worse. I ended up staying home on Monday from work, and had to cancel my trip to Massachusetts. This is a major disappointment since I was supposed to see my friend and roommate from grad school, Shona. I also have never been to Boston, so this would have been a great, but busy trip. I have learned from a trip a few years ago never to travel on an upset stomach on my first and only ever most disappointing trip to NYC, which still upsets me just to think about all the activities I had planned which never occurred because I was feeling sick in my (boutique, right by Times Square and Broadway) hotel room.

Three days later, I still don’t feel well. I’m not eating normally. I just hope I can recover in time to not lose my fitness gains or muscle mass since I’ve been mostly laying/sitting around the last 3 days.