posted May-14-2007 05:15 AM               

it was... incredible.
the newspapers said over 40,000 people had registered; in the end about 31,000 or so ran the race and 30,000 or so finished.

and i was one of them!
my goal was to get as close to 3 hours as possible; i know that doesn't sound like much, but i am slow... and i didn't think i had a chance at coming in under 3 hours because of the injury from last march that cut down my training in april (not to mention an insane, though expected, work load).

when it was finally time for group 7 (lots of gray hair, but people around me still talking about 2 hour times) to start, the race went all over the city, through a beautiful park, across bridges over the harbor, through the old harbor area (now being rejuvenated into a housing area, being built by one of my clients, so i've translated about it), past the visiting NATO ships (they had to change the course from the traditional one to avoid coming too close), back over another bridge and past the heart of the city, through the university district, over a pedestrian bridge (this was at 20 km and i thought i'd fall apart going up the ramp) and finally through the park again to the finish. my strategy was to run it all, except for the water stops, where i would walk and drink, then run again. i took my time on the hills, but i ran each and every one of them.

there were 35 bands and orchestras playing all along the course, from punk rock to traditional accordion music, with country and oldies and folk in between. one of the greatest feelings was coming downhill, full speed, and a band playing and everyone clapping hands overhead as we rounded the corner. we'd come through the worst of the hills already (through the park and the approach to the bridge over the harbor), but were still fresh enough to feel great. the first drink (energy drink and water) tables were up ahead, and i walked carefully to avoid slipping through the disintegrating paper cups lining the street (this got worse with each water stop along the way, as more and more people passed me, and more and more cups were left behind on the ground to disintegrate into mush). another interesting experience was the sponge table - people handed out sponges to wipe down and cool off in the center of the city, and the runners threw them on the ground when they were done; tiptoeing through the sponges when about 28,000 people have been there before you is quite the experience.

my first few miles were among my strongest ever (i hit 5k at 36 minutes), but the last few it was all i could do to put one foot in front of the other, about the same speed that others walked. i was passed (of course) by start groups of faster runners behind ours, and i never figured out what the "etiquette" was; whether i ran on the left or the right edge, people still tried to pass me on either side. finally i chose the middle - and tried to run right in front of slow moving gentlemen, which seemed to prevent being shoved (a few people fell in the crowd and had teeth knocked out, according to the newspaper reports the next day!).

toward the end, i could feel the start of cramps in my calves, so i kept it slow and steady. as i came into the finish, i could see the time - my start group was at 3:41 pm and i was in the middle of all that, so i knew i started later, and i could see 6:39 on the clock ahead of me. i pushed, saw the clock hit 6:40, and made it across before 6:41. my time was posted today: 2:57:34, a PR, of course. i placed 7697 in my age group, though i still haven't seen a breakdown of how many were in the group.

so, if you've read this far, you're probably wondering about the bad and the ugly. i was exhausted, as expected, but feeling ok - but in the car, returning home to our host's house (bless his heart, he took us in, fed us, and guided us to the event itself, took care of DH during the race and they even waited and cheered for me along the way) i started to feel queasy. i got in the hot tub, had a few sips of wine, and that was a BIG mistake. lost it there. returned to the hot tub, leaned head back, and managed to dip hair into candle. oops! not much lost, but enough to make me blow the atmospheric candles out . i crept into bed, slept an hour or so, and then decided to try green tea to see if it would stay down (ok, i realize now the wine was a very bad idea...), but not even that would stay in my stomach. finally i just went to bed, and still felt a bit queasy in the morning, though again i tried green tea, which stayed down, and then a little bread - and finally started to feel ok.

so i suppose my question is, what could i have done to avoid the nausea in the first place? DH says it was an electrolyte imbalance; i never had problems drinking water on 12 mile runs in the past, but this was 13.1, and i ran faster than usual.

anyway, thank you for reading this far, and thank you for all the good wishes on saturday, which i could feel, even if could not read them. i had boomer words running through my head as i ran

eta: almost forgot the fashion report! black running pants (not too tight), blue longsleeved tech shirt, gray hat to keep sun and hair out of eyes (and rain off glasses if necessary). and running number which had the slogan "Impossible is Nothing" - and as a professional translator, did i ever groan when i saw that . the weather was also perfect - after days of rain, we had sunshine just in time for the race, after which it clouded over.

and in the aftermath, i really am not all that sore - especially considering i had to sit on an airplane for 10 hours the next day! and oddly enough, the leg pain i had before the race, which had made it so difficult to sit in lectures at the conference and in the car
while driving to visit our friends, is completely gone!
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susan

[This message has been edited by fjordrunner (edited May-14-2007).]

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posted May-14-2007 05:28 AM               

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Never regret anything that made you smile, SteveP

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posted May-14-2007 07:09 AM            

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posted May-14-2007 07:58 AM            

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posted May-14-2007 08:08 AM            

As one who has a cast iron stomach and drinks tons of beer after races, i shouldn't talk, but I do know what you went through. Some electrolyte replacement might have helped during the race, in addition to the water, as you were out there for quite some time. Also, and this is an experimental thing, it is useful to figure out what kinds of foods you can tolerate immediately after the race. That is why they have bagels and bananas and yogurt, etc. at the refreshment tables. Your system was very depleted, and as to what to do next time, it is hard to advise. Just know that you have to take in some nutrition very quickly after the race. After a marathon, I have found that some warm broth was good. The San Antonio marathon offered a very thin "barracho bean" type of stew, which I found to be very good. While tea might have been desirable to settle your queasy stomach, it has no real nutritional value.

Great report Susan, and a fine race for you. Spareribs

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posted May-14-2007 08:10 AM               

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posted May-14-2007 08:18 AM            

As usual I suspect Spareribs hit the nail on the head with his answer to your quesiness. It is always hard to be out there on your feet for many hours. It is important to replenish afterwards, if not during the run. The next time you run long in training, try out some things (during and after) to see what works for you.

Congrats again Susan!

Bill

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posted May-14-2007 08:23 AM               

during the race i ate some wine gums (i wanted to get gummi bears, or the swedish equivalent, but couldn't get any) because i remembered someone here said that they were like the "gels" you all eat on your marathons, so i thought that would help with the energy part. but i'll try the banana right after the race (which i always have at after training runs).

btw, this was the second largest HM in the world, according to the swedish papers...

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susan

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posted May-14-2007 08:44 AM               

Glad to hear you are doing better!!! Wine and hot tub right after the race? Probably not what I would suggest. Definitely some food and water/electrollyte drink would be better.

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posted May-14-2007 09:35 AM            

It was interesting to read your observation about the water cups and the sponges thrown all over the ground, we runners are pigs, I guess, but we shouldn't be. I think we could afford to loose the 2 secs. to walk or run to the garbage can, which is always handy, to place our cups. This is specially true for the slow runners like you and I who are out there for the experience and the joy of it and not so concerned about the time we are waisting.

Now that you are back home please tell me that we will run together a short or long slow run in the near future. You can send me an email at nancyquiindy at yahoo dot com with a possible date.

Susan, I believe that the miracle s not that you finished the race, the miracle is that you had the courage to start.

Congratulations and savor the VICTORY

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"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." Prefontaine

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posted May-14-2007 09:37 AM            

I know you started feeling ill before the hot tub, but... I think that might have something to do with the nausea. Combine the hot tub with the wine after a big exertive effort such as the world's 2nd largest half marathon...

Anyway, I am happy that you PR'd and are home safely now.

Rest, recover, and then what's next?

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posted May-14-2007 10:58 AM               

TomS

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posted May-14-2007 11:22 AM            

Patty

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posted May-14-2007 11:26 AM               

Maybe two considerations re getting sick -
(1) I’ve never gotten sick since I started running barefoot but maybe for a start, almost pretend like you're in the fjord and at least take off the pants and long sleeve shirt! - too much FR for a comfortable run in the sun;
(2) it may be “only” a half marathon for some but being out in the sun for almost three hours in a sustained race demands regular electrolyte replacement and hydration at least enough, especially for your first half race, to warrant at least one biostop. As long as you’re not a serious age group competitor, there’s nothing wrong either with some snacks along the way to keep from getting queasy on an empty stomach (my favorite - blueberry/banana pancake bits)

ps - don’t run with mariposai, she’s a lot of fun but, even with her injuries, she’s faster than us. Come back to Green Lake!

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ETA Evan - I either tear regular size into quarters or make easy-to-eat dollar-size one to put in plastic sandwich bag for easy nibbling when I start getting hungry. I don't like running on an empty stomach unless there's some prospect of reaching the finish line in a little while. Been using Powerbars or ClifBars more and more though.

[This message has been edited by Tetsujin30 (edited May-14-2007).]

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posted May-14-2007 11:43 AM            

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posted May-14-2007 11:44 AM               

And welcome back to posting in the forum again!

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- Runnin' in Rochester

Rochrunner

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posted May-14-2007 11:57 AM               

I also experienced that post-workout nausea once, though it was after a training run, not a race. For me it was the nausea accompanied by uncontrollable shivers. My doctor later told me that when your electrolyes reach a certain level of imbalance, it can create all kinds of havoc in your body. I think your DH was on the money, and Spareribs and breger1 are right in suggesting that you experiment a little with taking electrolytes during long training runs, especially on hot or humid days.

Thanks for the fun and very descriptive RR.

Steve

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posted May-14-2007 12:01 PM            

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evanflein

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posted May-14-2007 12:06 PM               

Paul

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posted May-14-2007 12:24 PM               

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posted May-14-2007 07:41 PM            

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Me - Saucony Hurricane 8/Asics GT-2100/New Balance766 - FR305
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posted May-14-2007 09:01 PM               

I get post-run nausea if I consume anything sugary. Complex carbs and a little protein seem to hit the spot.

I guess you have the candle thing figured out.

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