Not quite 18

Had some serious GI issues today. Only ended up going 17.5. I figure I am going to be on my feet for most the rest of the day dragging dead branches and trees, off by .5 won't be the end of the world. I am running late to help my folks in the mountains. I will give a full recap tonight. Hope you all had good runs, those of you that are runners.

Continue:

Had another pretty sleepless night. Kind of strange being tired and sick and not being able to sleep. I woke up at 5:45. I had tried to eat last night thinking it might help with the stomach issues from the Blocks energy supplement I had been trying. Since I was able to use the Hammer gels for Colorado (even though they made me miserable) I decided to try one in before I went out and then add the other later. (Ironically, I think it was the sample that we had been given at the Colorado Marathon in our goodie bag, although I don't remember for sure). That idea was one of the least intelligent I have had since I started running. But more on that later.

It was quite chilly. There was frost on the ground and you can really feel it. I carried my water bottle and the shot blocks with me up the hill and left them at the top. If I had known I would not be able to get them down, I could have kept my hands warmer by not carrying them. As it was, it took a long time to get warm.

First few miles went well. I was chugging along pretty slow, but I felt decent. The colors as the sun was rising were nice. There weren't too many people out for the first hour, and I always like less road traffic. As I slowly made my way around Laramie, you could see more and more leaves turning and that makes me sad. Feels like summer was just here. New York will be here before I know it (well not really....5 weeks away).

I first noticed the stomach pain around mile 5.7. I had gone to the gym last night and worked on my abs for awhile (I have been lax about getting there). I think I overdid it, but did not realize it until part way through the run. At almost the same exact spot, I had to stop and walk because of the horrible sensations in my stomach. But unlike last week, the track was still locked (it was unlocked the next two times around, so I am guessing it was too early). It took me awhile to find someplace and that really wore me down.

Even after my stop, the pain in my stomach remained. My next loop around, I tried to drink more and that seemed to help, but then I felt totally water-logged. This is a delicate dance I am going to have to learn over the next 5 weeks. I know I have to get used to them, I just don't like it.

Some point throughout my run, I turned off my watch and forgot to turn it back on. So I have really no clue how much time I spent running. I had to do all the distance math in my head, and it took me forever to figure out where I needed to be. I decided that 17.5 was all I was going to handle, because my stomach cramped up severely again about 1 mile from home. I ended up having to talk the last .3 of a mile. Kind of a bad way to end a run. But I almost got the full distance in.

To answer a question posed, I have not looked too closely at any races to do between now and New York. I need to, but I don't want to give up a day with driving and running so I will look tonight and see if I can find something. I am due for a long run of 14 next week I think so it should be an interesting week. Thanks for reading!