Saturday Morning, Day 6

(Note: Since I've been gone for the last two Saturdays on vacation, this is my 6th Saturday BRW long run morning, but it should be my 8th. So, I'm just going to keep on counting my Saturdays in a row.)

I've already mentioned that our house in Cabo was on top of a hill. While on vacation, I didn't do any long runs. We did a lot of walking everywhere, and swimming. On three days, I got up early, ran/walked down the hill, ran/walked on the beach, and then walked back up the hill. I spent an hour each of those days attempting to keep some workout in my schedule. It wasn't a seven mile run, but I was still doing something. I hoped that I wouldn't be wrong.

Last night we went out to dinner, Fujiyama's, a favorite Japanese restaurant. Something didn't sit well and decided not to stay in my stomach. Concerned that I would be dehydrated for this morning's run, I drank 30 oz. of water before bedtime. I didn't eat anything though.

I was up this morning at 6:00 a.m., got dressed, and ran out the door with just my bottle of water. I realized that I wouldn't have a chance to stop by Starbucks for a coffee and a bagel. Oh well, no big deal, I did have a cup of yogurt for afterward.

I started out slow, not having had a long run in two weeks. Took a good mile to get back into the swing of things, but then I felt OK. I wasn't on my fifteen minute pace, but I expected that, too. Everything was going great. And then suddenly, and I mean suddenly, it got ugly. Two and a half miles to go, and my body crashed. I literally felt it downshift and it was an absolutely awful feeling.

I gave up the run in run/walk, and continued moving forward, pumping my arms when I could to help with the forward motion and some consistent pacing. Then it happened again. My body downshifted again, and I thought I was going to throw up, right there on the Greenbelt. At that point, I wasn't going to try for anything other than getting back to the group and my car, still just under two miles away. We had had to take a deviation on the way out, due to the high stage of the river, and since the coaches didn't want anyone to try and cross a five lane one way road, we were crossing at a signal light down a way from the where the path goes under the road. Screw that! I figured traffic wouldn't be so bad at 8:30 in the morning and I just crossed the road (thank goodness I was right!)) instead. But I still had a mile to go.

Slowly, painfully, I walked back to the starting point. Last one in. I didn't care, I was just glad to have made it back. It was awful, I have never felt anything like that before. I assumed that was the "Wall" I've heard about, that point where you begin to think you can't complete your marathon; I hear it often happens around mile 20.

I got my yogurt, did my stretches with the group, and sat down to slowly eat my yogurt and listen to the seminar. Today's topic -- Strategic Hydration and Nutrition. How appropriate!