I ran my half marathon yesterday. It was a really beautiful race course. The race went through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and then down the coastal highway right next to the beach.
I did really well the first half of the race and was running at a good clip, but then I began feeling sick. I slowed down and ended up walking off and on for around 3 miles near the end, but ran the last bit. I felt sick for the rest of the day too. I want to blame it on the orange gatorade I drank at an electrolyte station, but I really have no clue why I felt so nasty.
I did learn a few lessons for next time.
1) Don't drink so much! There were more water/electrolyte stations than I needed, and I didn't plan very well. Around mile 6 there was a water station JUST before the electrolyte station, which I didn't realize. So I ended up drinking too much there and at a few later stations, so that had natural consequences!
2) Bring some kind of energy boost to eat at mile 7. I began to feel really tired at mile 8.
3) Practice running faster over long distances. I definitely ran much faster during the race then I regularly do, so wasn't sure how much water my body needed or when I would get tired. More experience and more time training would help.
I was amazed at how much litter is left on the race paths following drink stations. There were garbage cans on the side of the path, but most people just drop the paper cups on the ground as they run. It was strange seeing so much trash on a public street. I was glad not to have to clean up after!
I am definitely going to do another half marathon at some point, I think I just had bad luck getting sick. I think doing some 10K races would be fun in the interim.
P.S. My race time is not worth mentioning...:) No, it took me 3h 15 min. I am short and so can't walk very fast, so the time I spent walking added a significant amount to the total time. I was keeping up with the 2H 30 m group until I felt sick.
4 comments:
We were thinking about you yesterday! Don't let a bad experience turn you off from another race. Glad the course was beautiful, though. :)
Nausea in women undergoing physical exertion can be a sign of heart strain, but it sounds like you just needed food. Always eat something about 1 hour out so it's in your bloodstream by hour 1.5. The general rule is to anticipate your sugar crashes or nausea and eat something appropriate 30 minutes before they hit. I'm so happy you could do this race. The next one will be easier.
you
are
AMAZING!!
props l-russ. major props.
Dear number 4138, I'm really amazed and proud of you. I'm really happy you remember stuff about me and mom. I'm particularly happy that you have broken the chains of square cookies. I've really never understood the importance of the white part of the egg in making cookies. My microphone just broke and writing is such a pain.
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