Run Fail

Today I had a ten mile trail run planned.  It was going to be so perfect: I had posted in our Ragnar group that I wanted ten miles, but I don't know how the trails in Peninsula connect, and I was afraid I wouldn't make it out without having to eat a limb.  Steve picked up the bait and offered to lead the group.  At 8 AM I was fueled, rested, and ready to run.

This may or may not be one of the views of the run.  I was too busy avoiding roots and rocks to look up.

The group started from Pine Hollow, running and chatting, and about half a mile into the run I realized that I. Just. Couldn't. Go. On.  My heart was racing, and I started to see spots, so I knew I had to stop.  I sent everyone on without me, and I put my head between my knees and tried to regulate my breathing.  I then started walking.  I had to walk for the next mile before I was able to start running again.  Then, all of a sudden, the feeling was gone and I felt great.  I increased my speed a bit and only walked the steep hills.

Luckily for me, the group had left trail markers (including a smiley face), so I followed those until I found Jen and Mandy, who had stopped just before the end of the loop to show me the way out.  We ran together to the parking lot to find the group waiting for the second loop.  I felt terrible that I had held people back, but they were super-cool about all of it, and we did another trail.  This time I had no problems whatsoever keeping up with the group, and we all finished with seven and a half miles.  Given that I had wasted a lot of our time with my issues, I was happy to stop there.

This is EXACTLY how I look when running trails.  Except I'm not a dude.  And I was actually bent over gasping, head between my knees.  So, other than that.

When I got home, I suddenly felt sick to my stomach, and the dizziness returned.  I won't go into detail here, but what happened next leads me to believe that I have the flu. My husband informed me that I DON'T have the flu; I am just over-tired and hungry.  One peanut butter-and-strawberry-preserves-sandwich and a nap later, and I do feel better, but my stomach is still fluttering.

Flu?  Heat?  Exertion? Just weirdness?

I dunno.  I do know that I have been under a tremendous amount of stress lately, and running has kept me out of trouble (see what I did there?).  One thing I know about myself is that when my stress suddenly lifts (as it did yesterday), my body turns on me.  "Screw you," it says to me, "I kept you going through the end of the school year, endless meetings, two half marathons, and a house guest.  I deserve to act up a bit."  Yes, Body, you deserve some attention.

I plan to spend the rest of the day napping between laundry breaks.  I've taken care of everyone else for a long time; it's time to take care of myself.

Coming up next week:  I'll tell you why I've taken to running trails when I've devoted many posts to hating them.  Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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