I am disappointed and frustrated and forcing myself to type all this.
OK
EXPO Saturday:
It was organized. Nothing special about the Expo itself..well I did see Jeff Galloway again..really nice guy.
The race shirt is my favorite so far, its navy and pink! I love it.
We spent the night in San Diego and the hotel was just steps from the start so it was perfect.
I was still sick with a cough and chest congestion on Saturday, still taking Mucinex and Zicam and hoping that I would be better Sunday morning....Right....
I slept maybe 1 or 2 hours the night before the race. I coughed so much my abs were hurting (sadly I did not get a 6 packs out of this). I slept with one of my kids who hit me....14 times.
RACE:
I got up at 5:45 am looking like death...eyes super red and teary...not the best for a half marathon..... Excuses?...some will say yes...me well I say it is what it is...what can you do...
It was nice to be so close to the start! The weather was PERFECT.
The start was super well organized..in the race info it said the start was 7:18 and that is exactly when the first wave went.
I was feeling tired and heavy...I coughed from mile 2 to 13. Just that was exhausting.
Many times I had to walk to make the cough stop.
The course was great, going through the nicest part of the town. I loved it but I could have done without the NASTY CRAZY NEVER ENDING MOTHER OF ALL HILLS after mile 9....seriously....it broke me physically and mentally. It was even hard to WALK up that hill. My hat goes out to everyone who ran all of it. I am not one of them. I did not see with my own eyes anyone who did but of course I know many great runners did it.
MILE 7: getting out of the Marine Corps recruit depot
The volunteers were great, they did not run out of water. My only complaint about this race is that I was stopped 5 times by security. In the instructions it was mentionned that we could be stopped because of the troleys at 2 different spots. Of course I hit that twice. I cannot be too mad because we knew it could happen. I guess it was just bad luck for those 2 times. The other 3 though....not happy....it was to let traffic go. Police officer was telling runners to "jog in place" WHAT? at miles 12 something.... I heard a couple F bombs from a few guys near me.... I was clearly not on track for a PR ..so it did not matter that much...BUT still.... I would bet that they did not stop the traffic for the leaders. Anyway...
I did finish.
Check this one...you can see me on the big screen...that was pretty cool..! And Rudy the race MC even announced my arrival...!
30 second later....disaster
It was ugly. I got really sick at the end. Throwing up a lot again. A medic came to my rescue and brought me to the medic tent. I was really cold. Usually I am very hot at the end of a race, this was the first time I was cold like that...blue finger nails and shivering. They took my BP and pulse and it was low. They said I was closed to hypothermia. After taking my vitals a few times and giving me fluids and asking me several questions to make sure I knew where I was and all that I said I was OK to walk to find my family and they let me go. The medic (who was really handsome by the way) helped me spot Bill on the other side of the fenced area. Really nice guy. I was freezing...took me a while to really get to my family because we had to go up and down a section and I lost them and I had to borrow someone's phone.
Bill had my jacket with him...thank God!
I don't even know my time...I know I crosssed just behind the 2:30 pacer and they started a couple feet ahead of me so around that... I stopped my watch after getting to the medic tent when the guy asked me if my time was slow or fast for me. I could not find my name on the race results online when they were up..later I found it..I think it said I was 64 yrs old and from Carlsbad and the time was 2:46 or something like that...and had the wrong bib #. I emailed them and I am waiting for the correction. It does not really matter...it was not good.
I am dissapointed and frustrated. All my recent half marathons have been a failure. I was either still injured and/or recovering from the groin injury (Long Beach) or under trained (Surf City) or my stomach was at war with my running (yesterday and Surf City were the worst 2). I am tired of writting race recaps that are negative and depressing. I feel like I am regressing instead of getting better. I am doing something wrong obviously. I need to change the way I train and fix my #$%^ stomach....that I am not sure I can do....I have not changed what I eat and drink before and during races and long runs. When I got sick it was clear bright yellow-orange liquid. The only thing I can think of that is making it that color is all the vitamins I take in the morning...maybe I won't take them before my next race see if it helps. Next one is in May the OC Half Marathon and then I have Fontana Half Marathon in June.
Thank you for your comments on my last post about what happened to my son at school. "Bob" got in trouble again on Friday...he was sent home for saying the F word and the B word at school.....
21 comments:
Have you gone to see a doctor about your issues? One that is a runner, and understands "Just don't run" isn't an acceptable answer?
You obviously need to change up something, because I just can't imagine running this way :(.
I'm so sorry the race was so hard on you - and I really hate stopping runners for traffic!!!
But it IS a great shirt?
Hope you feel better, and find some solutions for you!
Sorry you had such a crummy experience. I can understand your frustration...all my boys have been passing on that nasty cough and I'm impressed you were able to run at all! I love your outfit! And the pink & navy shirt is really nice. I hope you are feeling better soon :)
I'm so sorry for the bad races. It could be something dietary, maybe back off on the supplements? Or could you be overtraining? Maybe stepping back for a few months and doing shorter runs would benefit you. I know it's hard when goals are set and money has been paid, but backing off can sometimes lead to better gains than continually pushing it. I think all you can do at this point is experiment and see what works. I hope things get better!
The shirt is pretty great, though!
You look good in the photos. Too bad you were sick. Get healthy and don't be so hard on yourself. Most people would not even attempt this.
I feel so bad because when I look at your race photos you look so strong! It seems to happen the minute you stop or are approaching the Finish. I really admire your ability to push though this and continue to be a committed runner but I would sure love to see you have more positive experiences. Maybe you should change things up like the vitamins and see what happens. Does this happen to you on your long runs too? Take care Caroline and I hope you are feeling better.
I'm so sorry to hear of such another crummy race for you! I hope you can find a great resource soon, and one that will serve as a guide to getting you back on track. :) You look so great and strong in your photos, you wouldn't know none the wiser!
Hang in there. Know that better races are to come!
I"m so sorry friend. THose kind of races are scary. But you learn more about your body that way, yes? Or try to. Rest up! You did great either way!!!
Love that race shirt! And, you look super cute in that skirt--I have that one, but not with the shorts underneath.
I'm sorry you got sick again. I hope you figure it all out.
I, for one, appreciate the good and the bad race recaps. Thank you for posting, even when you don't want to:)
i am so sorry this keeps happening. I agree with heather-i think you might need to see someone. Do you have a nervous/upset stomach often-without running? do you eat enough before?
I really like the race shirt too. Love the colors, it is a shirt that I would wear all of the time.
Sorry that the race was not your best, but you stuck it out and that is an accomplishment. You looked so strong and happy in your race photos. I would have never known you were sick if you hadn't have mentioned it.
Super scary what happened at the end though. I hope that you can get something figured out so that you can start having some positive and fun race experiences.
I had the same feeling about my race reports by the end of last year. They all kept sounding so much the same ("I didn't train, boy that was hard, at least I finished") that I was annoying myself. It's definitely spurred me to be a little more dedicated with my training. Of course, your situation is totally different, but I just wanted you to know I know how you feel.
There's value in your honesty for your readers, though. People need to know that it's not always hearts and roses (or unicorns and rainbows...whichever). I hope you're able to get your stomach stuff figured out!
That medal does look awesome. And a 300 foot elevation climb at mile 9 is brutal - only thing I've done that compares to that is SF half marathon, it climbs from 0 to 250 feet over half a mile at mile 5 (up to the Golden Gate Bridge). So props to you for tackling that race, sounds like a fun one.
As for the stomach issues, that is a bummer. I have no ideas, since I think I gave my suggestions the last post I did here. Does it happen only over longer races? Maybe sticking to shorter race is better? There must be a way to solve it, I just don't know how. Consulting a running doctor or something might be an option - they must have ideas on how to prevent it. I just hope you can solve your problem, because I know how frustrating that must be.
You are tough, running a half marathon while still sick, I am sick right now, I am not sure I could finish a race right now.
I hope you feel better soon
Well darn, what a kick in the pants! You look so happy in the pictures though :)
If I were you, probably the best and easiest fix is go find a good sports doctor who can run some tests maybe while you're on a treadmill so they can figure out what's going on. Imagine if there's a simple fix just right around the corner waiting for you??
Don't dwell on the negative though. I don't think any of us want anything but for you to have a great race and be happy and to help with advice!
I'm sorry it wasn't the race you wanted and I agree with everyone else to try and visit a doctor who knows about running etc. I take my vitamines at night... they could be part of the problem for sure.
Are you fueling before and during a race? In many cases, GI issues while running are caused by your body's inability to absorb calories. Check out Hammer Nutrition's website for more information.
Caroline, I'm so sorry. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about what's causing your issues, but I certainly might consider a trip to the Dr or maybe a sports nutritionist. Take care of yourself. Racing and running is supposed to be fun. Yes, we may have a bad race here an there but most should be fun. These experiences are no good :(
Congrats for sticking with it as always and finishing though! I think you are amazing!
Oh no, i'm sooo sorry! Stomach issues are bothering me as well (by far not as bad as yours) and they are frustrating, because you feel so helpless and out of control! I really hope your next race will be better
Ah non...en tout cas, t'es bonne d'avoir couru quand même! Je sais que tu trouves tes courses difficiles depuis quelques temps, mais tu es très déterminée et forte. Ça doit être tellement plus exigeant pour toi avec tes problèmes d'estomac...et en plus un rhume cette fois! Ouf! Bravo Caroline...maintenant, repose toi un peu. Reprends tes forces et je croise les doigts pour ta prochaine course. En fait, tu m'impressionne avec le nombre de course que tu fais!!! Lâche pas!
And you're still smiling! Amazing!
No worries. Few months ago I also had a "slow" period (I was running 30 minutes slower than usually) and now I am back in business. Just keep doing what you are doing and you will be fine again. Don´t do just half marathons. Try to do some 5K races - they can really help you a lot. I am doing one almost every weekend because I think that race is the best training.Check my blog:fiftyshadesofrunner.com for an inspiration.
Take care and good luck!
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