When I woke up with the shakes around 3am the first time I knew I was going to be in trouble. I figured by the time night rolled around, I’d be okay though….the night wasn’t what I expected and I have to report that I had my first DNF (did not finish) — but at that point, it was more important to be to get a DNF than a DNS (did not start).
This is what my day looked like on Facebook earlier:
At 7am I posted: Not doing well…unstable bloodsugars have been waking me all night…sitting up for awhile trying to normalize them and hydrate too…have shakes…booo
At 4pm I posted: Bloodsugars are stabalized and keeping food in me okay now…overheating quickly on walking…at about 50% capacity…tonight is up in the air for me. Going to take it easy for a few hours and see how i feel later. I appreciate the well wishes from earlier- thank you.
At 5:30 pm I posted: Decided I need to at least start. I’ll have no regrets that way..I’d rather start and not finish than not even try to start..it is what it is. Don’t worry – I’m stubborn, but i’m not foolish. I’ll stop if it’s in my best interest. See everyone tonight…good luck racers! –PS – You can do it tonight Gracie…can’t wai…t to hear you hit your PR – Hugs, thinking of you girl
Then at 3AM I posted: Thx to everyone for the continued support. I jumped out about 1.5 miles – was overheating and not feeling up to par. I was at peace with the choice and have no regrets. I got iced down, and then got to cheer on my friends – proud of everyone. PS – special thx to all my ROTErs and Liz thx for being there ((hugs)) Much appreciated hon, and glad I got to see you come in
Not quite the day I expected. What went wrong? How did I feel about it all? Why did I end up stopping?
What went wrong? I didn’t realize how off my hydration had been until I woke up – I knew through out the day I’d been sweating tons, and I guess I just didn’t take in what I needed. This in turn made my bloodsugars extra sensitive I’m guessing. I didn’t know anything was wrong until I kept waking up all night with the shakes. By that point any nutrition or fluid I tried to put in me, my body was rejecting quickly and getting rid of.
Eventually I kept a combination of half Gatorade/half water in me and started to feel better during the day. I went with my friend Andrea over to Epcot for a short bit, but I realized my body wasn’t cooling down properly. I was overheating very quickly and my body wasn’t reacting properly. It couldn’t cool itself….
I was really bummed out because this was an inaugural race and through a bunch of Disney parks, and a bunch of my friends were there. I didn’t know what to do – I knew I might be in trouble if I started, but everything in my brain said I’d regret not at least starting….
Adrenalin carried me for the pre-race portion, but with a Disney race, you have to be at the start HOURS before the race begins. We left the hotel by 7pm and the race didn’t start until 10pm…my adrenalin could only go so far.
As we started out I felt okay and thought, maybe I’ll be good – my body knows what to do, but as soon as I started picking up and doing some running I’d start to feel really overheated. Not just like “ooh I’m hot”, but — ooh, my body isn’t cooling or feeling different on walking. I knew my core temperature was going to go up way too high, and way too fast…my buddies Liz and Andrea and Heather started out with me, and then Heather found her pace, and Liz and Andrea being walkers, I leap frogged with them for a short bit and just knew it wasn’t going to happen for me. I sent them on their way, promising them I’d talk to the medics and catch a ride back. They felt badly leaving but I insisted I’d be fine.
I went over to the medics on bikes and spoke with them, then waited for the van. I just walked slowly until the van (sweeper van) caught up with me. This was about 1.5 miles in…I climbed in and they brought me to the nurses area. At the station then iced me down with bags of ice on my neck and head to help cool me down. My body was overheating and the ice had me feeling like myself again.
After the cool down I headed to the stands to cheer my friends in. The night didn’t go as planned, but I have no regrets stopping.
One day in my life does not define who I am as a person. It was just an off day – they happen. I know a lot of people beat themselves up over that kind of stuff, but I’m not one of those people. I’m not running to set records, I’m running to keep my rear off of the sofa. If I spend a day moving, it’s one more day I spent trying to keep healthy…that’s it. Running to me is about getting healthier, spending time with friends and challenging myself….I was proud I tried to start, and proud I knew to stop. It is what it is, and I’m honestly okay with that.
On to my next race in November. Here’s hoping to a great finish.
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