Sitting here right now feeling the way I do (legs sore, still peeing and now I'm nauseous with a headache), running another 25 would have been stupid. I'm pissed (ha) that I didn't take any electrolytes... I've never needed them.
Sorry, of course, but thrilled to hear that you made the right decision. Hope the headache gets better, and I am really excited to keep following the journey!
I've been following your blog for some time now. I really think you made a good move by going into the ultra/trailrunning arena. It is a much more laid back atmosphere. You can't necessarily go on time as ultras and trail running in general are very different with regards to terrain, course, elevation gain. Just go run, which is your thing. But don't give up on racing altogether. You had two good races to start. And this last race didn't give you diarrhea. You can't help that.
Damn. Frustrating when the body responds in new and weird ways on race day. Maybe a few races where running for fun, rather than position/win, will change the vibe.
Well this stuff ain't easy. Giving up and just training is the easy out. Learning when you are low on electrolytes or good, bonking, hydrated or not, how to fix it, what do those stiff legs mean, what does my nausea mean, how do I fix it, etc. - there are a lot of things to learn about your body during ultras. Some people like Parr either figure it out fast or get lucky (or both), but most people take awhile.
My advice, relax for a bit. Never make a decision this close after a race. Be objective - remember Red Hot you just got lost - what does that have to do with not being cut out to race? And you did just fine in Alabama no?
Thanks all. I'm fairly certain that I inadvertently loaded sodium yesterday (V8 juice and pretzels) and I also drank 4 liters of water en route to the race last night. I was thirsty as crap all night too and drank a full Nalgene (1 liter) at like 2am. Silly really. That's like text book 'what not to do the day before a race' stuff and it's also what I never do in training. It was 25 degrees at the start and my body just released everything I had stored. I'm not going to quit, I'm just discouraged. But I am home early and I'm starting to feel OK which is all good.
Lucho, don't let this minor set back get you down. You are going to beat some big names in the Ultra world in the near future so keep rolling. I can see it in my crystal ball.
Eh, bummer, but no big deal - can't do anything about it now anyway. If there's 1 runner I'm following that I have 0 doubt they'll end up crushing a couple races this summer it's you.
Can you explain why all of those things are text-book rookie mistakes? Are you saying you drank so much water you were hyponatremic? (BAM! +12 word score!) So the salt (ironic) from the pretezels and v8 caused you to be so thirsty, that you drank way too much water?
Shaun- I was actually joking with Tim Long (footfeathers) about tapering like a bodybuilder and hyper-hydrating so that your body will dump all of its water at once. Which is what they do. I think yesterday I drank so much water (along with more sodium than I am used to) and my body just soaked it all up and stored it. When the race started it was 25 degrees and my body maybe just released all that water and kept dumping it. This isn't anything I haven't heard of and it is something I caution athletes against doing! I didn't feel that I was over hydrating at all because I wasn't peeing very much... which is the problem! My body was holding on to it. I got an e-mail from one of my athletes that is a doctor and she said I made 100% the correct decision to drop at 25. I was heading for disaster. IF I had brought electrolyte supplements and could have started to take them at 25 then I may have been OK. I'm still freaked out that I don't remember driving 3 hours home! It's like I got in to my truck in Buena Vista and woke up in my driveway at home... black out!
Errrr. Frustrating but grateful! Good call. The blackout is spooky. Definitely don't over think this. I'm not kidding when I say have a brew or three. You're an elite husband and dad so the running is freaking gravy, our anti-aging regimen.
Just have fun out there training and racing. You have your following, meaning none of us cares how you place in any of those trail rat gatherings.
Just be the teacher and running fiend you are.. .and drink beer :)
I didn't have a bad day. Mine was over before 2pm. I threw up in the water. I threw up on the bike. I threw up at 35 mph. I threw up whole S-caps. I cramped in my arms. I cramped in my hamstrings. St George police found me laying horizontal just past 65 miles. I threw up on a nurse in medical. I was cramping so bad while doctors were trying to straighten my leg, I didn't feel them trying to find a vein. 2 iv bags and some anti nausea meds and now feeling sub-human with a tweaked hammie. Redemption at my next race! If I've learned anything this past year, it's that you have good days and bad days but there's always tomorrow. Kat and I are going down to watch the badasses finish at midnight.
Damn JP! 2 IV's and only 65 miles in to the bike is effed up. Just vomiting and not being able to hold anything in? Were you sick before the start? Take care!
I'm glad you are okay. I'm glad you didn't crash the car on the way home. It sucks when a race doesn't go the way you deserve it to go.
I think it was a difficult day everywhere! I had some friends kick ass in Utah. I had some friends that barely finished. I heard tons of people didn't even make the bike cut off b/c that course is so hard.
Eric- Hyperhydrating isn't necessarily the best strategy. If you have eaten correctly and loaded appropriate amounts of glycogen then you will have also stored adequate amounts of water (water binds with CHO to store it). You (I) shoudl drink just a normal amount of water and pee about every 2 hours. If you are going to drink any extra water then you can do it immediately before the race start. Electrolyte intake should only be as usual.
Mary- Thanks. Ya, I'm very glad I didn't crash in to anyone. 'Deserve'? I don't deserve anything... everything is earned.
Sounds like a rough day out there--I was "running" at CP too this weekend and had a similar experience. I guess we're lucky we didn't ever end up in the same spot in the bushes (kind of an awkward way to meet).
I like the rules on the blog. I've got two little ones and love your priorities. I'm sure Leadville will go well for you--the positive attitude, coupled with the humility of being a dad, that your blog relates will really make you strong in that race. Hope to see you out in the mountains here soon. -John Anderson
22 comments:
Sorry to hear that, but yea you don't want to mess with that crap
(so to speak).
Sitting here right now feeling the way I do (legs sore, still peeing and now I'm nauseous with a headache), running another 25 would have been stupid. I'm pissed (ha) that I didn't take any electrolytes... I've never needed them.
Sorry, of course, but thrilled to hear that you made the right decision. Hope the headache gets better, and I am really excited to keep following the journey!
Thanks Dave. It was definitely the right decision. I barely remember driving the ~3 hours home! Just glimpses of it in my mind. Crazy.
I've been following your blog for some time now. I really think you made a good move by going into the ultra/trailrunning arena. It is a much more laid back atmosphere. You can't necessarily go on time as ultras and trail running in general are very different with regards to terrain, course, elevation gain. Just go run, which is your thing. But don't give up on racing altogether. You had two good races to start. And this last race didn't give you diarrhea. You can't help that.
Don't forget what you did in your first 50 (51) miler. Do I remember you saying something like "I felt I could go for 75 today." after that race?
Damn. Frustrating when the body responds in new and weird ways on race day. Maybe a few races where running for fun, rather than position/win, will change the vibe.
How about the North Fork 50/50K? It's new.
JRP
Well this stuff ain't easy. Giving up and just training is the easy out. Learning when you are low on electrolytes or good, bonking, hydrated or not, how to fix it, what do those stiff legs mean, what does my nausea mean, how do I fix it, etc. - there are a lot of things to learn about your body during ultras. Some people like Parr either figure it out fast or get lucky (or both), but most people take awhile.
My advice, relax for a bit. Never make a decision this close after a race. Be objective - remember Red Hot you just got lost - what does that have to do with not being cut out to race? And you did just fine in Alabama no?
Sleep on it for a bit. Get better!
Thanks all. I'm fairly certain that I inadvertently loaded sodium yesterday (V8 juice and pretzels) and I also drank 4 liters of water en route to the race last night. I was thirsty as crap all night too and drank a full Nalgene (1 liter) at like 2am. Silly really. That's like text book 'what not to do the day before a race' stuff and it's also what I never do in training. It was 25 degrees at the start and my body just released everything I had stored. I'm not going to quit, I'm just discouraged. But I am home early and I'm starting to feel OK which is all good.
Lucho, don't let this minor set back get you down. You are going to beat some big names in the Ultra world in the near future so keep rolling. I can see it in my crystal ball.
Eh, bummer, but no big deal - can't do anything about it now anyway. If there's 1 runner I'm following that I have 0 doubt they'll end up crushing a couple races this summer it's you.
Can you explain why all of those things are text-book rookie mistakes? Are you saying you drank so much water you were hyponatremic? (BAM! +12 word score!) So the salt (ironic) from the pretezels and v8 caused you to be so thirsty, that you drank way too much water?
Shaun- I was actually joking with Tim Long (footfeathers) about tapering like a bodybuilder and hyper-hydrating so that your body will dump all of its water at once. Which is what they do. I think yesterday I drank so much water (along with more sodium than I am used to) and my body just soaked it all up and stored it. When the race started it was 25 degrees and my body maybe just released all that water and kept dumping it. This isn't anything I haven't heard of and it is something I caution athletes against doing! I didn't feel that I was over hydrating at all because I wasn't peeing very much... which is the problem! My body was holding on to it.
I got an e-mail from one of my athletes that is a doctor and she said I made 100% the correct decision to drop at 25. I was heading for disaster. IF I had brought electrolyte supplements and could have started to take them at 25 then I may have been OK. I'm still freaked out that I don't remember driving 3 hours home! It's like I got in to my truck in Buena Vista and woke up in my driveway at home... black out!
Errrr. Frustrating but grateful!
Good call. The blackout is spooky. Definitely don't over think this. I'm not kidding when I say have a brew or three. You're an elite husband and dad so the running is freaking gravy, our anti-aging regimen.
Just have fun out there training and racing. You have your following, meaning none of us cares how you place in any of those trail rat gatherings.
Just be the teacher and running fiend you are.. .and drink beer :)
Thanks Matt. Much appreciated.
I didn't have a bad day. Mine was over before 2pm. I threw up in the water. I threw up on the bike. I threw up at 35 mph. I threw up whole S-caps. I cramped in my arms. I cramped in my hamstrings. St George police found me laying horizontal just past 65 miles. I threw up on a nurse in medical. I was cramping so bad while doctors were trying to straighten my leg, I didn't feel them trying to find a vein. 2 iv bags and some anti nausea meds and now feeling sub-human with a tweaked hammie. Redemption at my next race! If I've learned anything this past year, it's that you have good days and bad days but there's always tomorrow. Kat and I are going down to watch the badasses finish at midnight.
Damn JP! 2 IV's and only 65 miles in to the bike is effed up. Just vomiting and not being able to hold anything in? Were you sick before the start? Take care!
Tough day Tim, don't let it get you down.
Reading your salt-loading comments, I fear I've been doing this wrong all along. Are you not supposed to super-hydrate the day before?
Good luck next time.
Eric
I'm glad you are okay. I'm glad you didn't crash the car on the way home. It sucks when a race doesn't go the way you deserve it to go.
I think it was a difficult day everywhere! I had some friends kick ass in Utah. I had some friends that barely finished. I heard tons of people didn't even make the bike cut off b/c that course is so hard.
Eric- Hyperhydrating isn't necessarily the best strategy. If you have eaten correctly and loaded appropriate amounts of glycogen then you will have also stored adequate amounts of water (water binds with CHO to store it). You (I) shoudl drink just a normal amount of water and pee about every 2 hours. If you are going to drink any extra water then you can do it immediately before the race start. Electrolyte intake should only be as usual.
Mary- Thanks. Ya, I'm very glad I didn't crash in to anyone.
'Deserve'? I don't deserve anything... everything is earned.
Sounds like a rough day out there--I was "running" at CP too this weekend and had a similar experience. I guess we're lucky we didn't ever end up in the same spot in the bushes (kind of an awkward way to meet).
I like the rules on the blog. I've got two little ones and love your priorities. I'm sure Leadville will go well for you--the positive attitude, coupled with the humility of being a dad, that your blog relates will really make you strong in that race. Hope to see you out in the mountains here soon.
-John Anderson
John- Except when you have a bad day you get 3rd :) Awesome job out there. So you have two kids and are in medical school and still run ultras? Damn.
You deserve to have a good day if you train well and intelligently. You can both earn and deserve.
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