 posted Sep-25-2006 01:31 PM
   
If you're one of those people who can learn something from the experiences of others, then hopefully you won't make the mistake I did today at Quad Cities.If you're one of those hard-headed people who just *has* to experience it yourself then hopefully you can still enjoy the story - because any race that ends in the Medical tent is a good story, right?! Ran the Quad Cities Marathon yesterday as my Boston Qualification attempt - pretty flat course (not quite as flat as Chicago, but close) along the banks of the Mississippi River, but much of the course is concrete. Weather was cloudy and temperature was in the low 50s at the start, only rising to the mid 50s by the end - which was probably part of my problem, as you'll see! I need a 3:20:59 to qualify, and had no plans to try and beat that by a wide margin. I printed out a pace wrist band for a 3:19 - and never got more than 1:15 ahead of that. Thus I was never more than 3:15 ahead of my 3:20:59 goal (which requires a pace of 7:40.3/mile) - contrary to my prior "flameout" attempt last December. Got to mile 20 in great shape - feeling good and thinking "I've got this in the bag" as I can, at that point, run a pace of 8:00/mile and cross the line under my deadline. So, being a smart runner and fearing a flameout, I dropped my pace to 7:50 mile and cruised on through mile 23. It was in mile 24 that the wheels started to come off, and I had a short walk break - covered the mile in 9:29. Thus, with 2.2 miles to go, things were looking grim. Although it was still technically possible to qualify at a pace of 7:35/mile for the last 2.2, as we all know, once the wheels start coming off they never go back on! Getting to mile 25 took 11:55.7 with a couple walk breaks and I'm NOT feeling well at all, although my legs don't really feel tired (more on this later). I don't have the mile split at 26, but the last 1.2 miles (you know, where you're usually sprinting to the finish) took almost 26 minutes. Although my legs felt fine (no glycogen deprivation "wall") I just couldn't run and would say I walked it all, but it was really more like stumbling and staggering. I swear they had an earthquake at that time because the street was swaying and I couldn't walk a straight line! During that time another runner handed me a bottled water - and I drank the whole thing, suddenly realizing I was very thirsty. About 100 yards from the finish one of the volunteers grabbed me and had me finish with another volunteer at my elbow and orders to get me immediately to the medical tent in a wheelchair once I crossed the line - which I did in 3:42:05 En route to the medical tent (while in the wheelchair) I cramped up *terribly* in my legs and feet and by the time we got there my whole body was shaking violently. The medics lifted me out of the chair, got me in a cot, and took my blood pressure - which was about 80 over 50 (not good!). It took two of them to get an IV in - one to hold my arm "still" while the other hit the vein. My vision was fuzzy, and I shook uncontrollably for at least the first two liters of saline. Total IV input was 3 1/2 liters (almost a gallon!) along with three cups of Gatorade and two whole oranges, before I was really "back to normal" and I was released. They considered sending me to the hospital for blood work, but at the last minute decided that wasn't necessary. Now for the moral of my story: INSUFFICIENT HYDRATION! I'd been "off" caffeine for a few days before the race and then all I had to drink the morning before the race was three cups of coffee (I heard caffeine was a performance enhancer, haven't you?!) There were water stops about every two miles, and I hit all of them except one - but only had one quick swallow each time - not nearly enough!!! I hit my Hammer Gel and E-Caps on schedule, but without enough water or gatorade to back them up... It always sucks to learn a lesson the hard way - but that's how I learn lessons the best - and won't make that mistake at Chicago, four long weeks from now (when I'll have hydration high on my priority list) or at the JFK50 when something like this would be even more easy to fall into over 50 miles. ------------------------ Go ahead and give me hell now, I can take it  But hopefully I've got somebody's attention enough that they'll stay hydrated. Everybody stay safe out there this marathon season! kestrou
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