ZEITGEIST COMPLETED!
Hey, all!
Well, today was the big day! I got up at 8:00 this morning, got some clothes on, and took off to the Optimists football field. There, I met Mike and Monica and, before long, Mike and I were running the race together.
I have provided the following map so you can follow along. Double click to make it bigger. The peaks are at mile 3 and at around mile 8.
The Zeitgeist is known as a pretty rough half-marathon. The first mile is pretty flat but there's a hill that starts somewhere after mile .75 and ends at mile 3. That first hill was pretty tough. Even though Mike kept assuring me that I had done hills just like this in training, the endless up, up, upness of it coupled with the knowledge that there were still ten miles to run after I reached this first peak really panicked me. Mike was great though. He helped me out, and, by looking straight at my feet instead of how far I had to run, we made it to the top with only like 5 minutes of walking.
Mike was AWESOME for coming out with me! He got sick last night and suspects he's coming down with the flu, but he still ran thirteen miles with me! Thanks, Mike!
When we reached the first peak, we were at mile three. The next part of the race was really pleasant! We ran downhill for a while and then through a little community. This part was super pleasant. We had made it to the first peak, there was a lot of downhill, the weather was beautiful, the scenery was majestic, there was a refreshing breeze, I was well within my regualar running distance, I had just taken off my shirt (my sports bra was plenty) and this was making me a lot more comfortable.
Everything was really pleasant to mile 6 or so. That's when the next ascent started. This time, I put my head down and watched my feet on my way up. Mike was right there so I could see his feet, too. This hill wasn't nearly so bad as the first one, except for a very short stint at the end which was VERY steep. This is where my training really seemed to come in handy. I had done hills this steep and this long in practice, so making it up that hill was not that bad, as long as I didn't look to see how much farther I had to go. I even missed the 8-mile marker.
Miles 8 1/2 through mile 10 or so were not bad. Mike and I were going along at a pretty good clip, though it seemed to me that he was too enthusiastic about getting to the finish line. I lagged just a tad behind him. He kept mentioning all the people who had passed us before who we were passing now. I was really starting to get tired, so extra conversation was extra energy. I didn't say much in return.
Miles 10-12 started getting rough because I started getting really tired. I could tell because my head seemed a bit foggy and I just wanted to slow down. It seemed like the road never ended! At about mile 11.5, we passed this girl who kept yelling at her friends, "Just 1.5 more miles!", "Just 1.4 more miles!" It was mild torture. This was not only because I tired, but because I had not adequately taken care of my bathroom needs before the race and I hadn't had us stop to wait in line for the bathroom as we went. (We couldn't! The timer was running and I was too tense to let anything needed out anyway!) I didn't know if I or my digestive system could make it 1.5 more miles, so, to have someone remind me how much distance there was left was just tough.
At mile 12, Monica and some good-looking friend she had brought from the finish line started running with us. I was really suffering at this point. My digestive system was screaming and was about to give way, I was tired, I was feeling a little sick, and Mike just kept running faster! On top of that, Monica was yelling encouraging reminders at me.
"Use those arms! Reel it in!"
I love Monica but I could have punched her. I could have punched Mike too. Conversation is energy at this point and I had no energy with which to listen or reply. I could have also punched Monica's cute friend for seeing me in this state.
We just kept going. It was awful: My digestive system had had enough, I was exhausted, and I couldn't punch any of the kind people who were running with me. I started to panic. Finally, we were right before the finish and . . .would you know it . . .someone put A HILL in the road! I walked a couple of steps and kind of whined Monica's name, and she just said that right after that hill it was all down hill to the finish line. I just wanted it to end, so I busted up the hill and ran down, straight into the finish line. As I was running in, I saw my mom at the side waving at me. The timer said 2 hours and 20 minutes. I crossed the finish line and BOOM! My entire digestive system let loose and provided me with an embarrassing, gross mess. I didn't even make it far enough down the finish line to give them my timing chip. I was so embarrassed! Even my shoes were all wet. Before the race, Monica had introduced me to a friend who had an RV he had parked near the finish line. There was an RV right there when I crossed the line. I didn't know if this was the one that the guy Monica knew owned, but I didn't care. I just went inside, rushed into the bathroom and shut the door.
Me approaching the finish line
Mike after the Race
I was in there for like 15 minutes. I was SO EMBARRASSED! Luckily, I had found the right RV and, pretty soon, Monica came in asking for me. At that moment, I was SO grateful to have a female trainer. I would have hated having to experience this with Mike.
Monica got me a couple of plastic bags and I cleaned myself up. It was gross. I put on my warm up pants. Emotionally, I was exhausted and hazy. I left the RV, found my mom, and kind of just rushed into her arms. I had regressed back to my early childhood and my mom was the only person I really wanted right then. She just hugged me tight and said how proud of me she was. I just so needed a hug right then! I told her how embarrassed I was. She said not to worry about it: I had just run 13 miles. We took a nice picture then she called my dad so I could talk to him. After we shared a bit of dessert, she had to go back to the retreat that my parents are helping with this weekend.
After some time at the after-party (my whole running group had by now gathered for their weekly Saturday run) I took Jennifer home and spent the next two hours in bed. I felt queasy and my stomach was definitely not cooperating. I washed my clothes and, finally, when I could get up with relative confidence, I looked on line. Yup. There was something called Runner's Trots and I had it!
I looked at the things they recommend to prevent it. I had broken like four of the cardinal RT prevention rules. For reference, here's what you shouldn't do that I did.
A) Don't eat a high-fat meal after 4 pm the day before the race.
B) Don't go to the race dehydrated and without your bathroom needs met
C) Don't eat within two hours before the race
D) Don't wear tight clothing while running
E) Don't eat within 3 hours after a race
There are others but those are the ones I screwed up on.
I was laying around with a queasy stomach for most of the day. It was only a half-hour or so that I started feeling good enough to come down and write this. I'm glad to be feeling better within five hours of coming home. That's nice!
Now it's dark, its almost 8 pm, and I haven't done a damn thing all day since I got home!
I'm supposed to take an ice bath tonight. I don't know! I've been through enough today!
I'll post more pictures when I get them.
Elisabeth
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