Devils on no food for 2 days?
August 6, 2009I was already pushing my luck attempting to do the Devil’s a week after returning from Africa and two weeks after climbing Kiliminjaro but now I have also had a stomach bug for the last couple of days and have not eaten anything, losing 5 pounds in 48 hours!
I might be okay now, I have had some bread and have not had to rush to the bathroom since but should I really do it when I only then have tomorrow to eat enough? Thats assuming I stay okay, and I am worried that I am probably quite dehydrated as well although I have tried my best to keep drinking.
Any advice welcome, I really don’t know what to do!
Hi Caroline
Good to have you back!
The sensible option would be not to run but whenever are runners sensible!
I ran our training run in March after being knocked out with a cold for a few days before and I really struggled. I got through about 20miles more or less okay but then found it really hard as I completely ran out of energy. It wasn’t pleasant.
So my comment would be that it depends on how well you want to do. If you are content to finish and know it will be a struggle then go ahead but if you are after a good time and want to enjoy it I would bow out gracefully as it’s unlikely you will do either!
I don’t think we really appreciate how tough these races are on our bodies when you are fit and well. So to attempt it after not eating much for a few days (plus recovering from climbing Kilimanjaro) then you are asking for trouble.
I honestly don’t know what I would do in your situation. Last year I dropped out of running the Loch Ness Marathon with my foot injury and I know that was the right decision for me.
I’m not sure whether this helps. Feel free to give me a ring if you want to chat about it!
JK
Hi Caroline,
yes good to see some activity on your blog again.
Hope you did not catch any nasty bug in Africa …
Give it a go on Saturday! All the men (i.e. our husbands) have already bailed out, well Marco was never in the race but Neal and Thomas were …
Well, no, I think you know best how you are feeling and if you are not back to normal yet by tonight and can start eating and drinking properly then it is probably not a good idea to try. Though I was looking forward to running with you at some stage.
Recover well. If you are not better soon, remember to see your GP.
Silke
Caroline,
If you are not injured you could give it a try. Just try to get from one section to the next and try to enjoy a day out. If you find out that you just cannot get much further then call it a day.
However that is not always an easy option since once you have started you might get into competitive mode and into the “you start – you finish!” spiral…
And dropping out is probably more frustrating than withdrawing…
So, err, it is not an easy decision anyway…
If you feel fit and really fancy a run by Friday night I suggest you give it a try… even if its only a training run.
If you have doubts do not start!
Not sure if that helped you…
Anyway, good luck with your decision
Looking forward to seeing you both again soon,
Thomas
I was totally wiped out for weeks after Kili and that was without a bug.
I think you could get round the course in your sleep, but only if you’ve got the energy. It looks like it’s going to be a nice days and you’ve got 12 hours…but wait and see what tomorrow brings.
Why don’t you try some sports recovery mix? Send Pacepusher to Asda.
Hope you feel better soon.
Debs xx
Is this a classic Caroline race tactic? Ooh I feel rubbish. Oooh I’ve not trained. Oh look, I got a massive PB
Thanks guys! So far so good tonight so I will wait and see tomorrow. Better go and buy some supplies if I do end up doing it, I had kind of resigned myself to not before feeling okay this afternoon! It will be a pb anyway Debs (and good luck to you, having now caught up on your blog I think you will have a fantastic race), but I think this one will be one that will be easily beatable next year, in fact any slower and I would be timed out next year probably! It’s Neal supporting me that you will all have to feel sorry for, I can get my own back now, over a very long day! Silke before I felt unwell I had been hoping to stick with you for a bit, not sure that will happen now, you are going to have a great race! Good luck!
If you decide to run, Caroline, hope you have a good one. If not, there’s always next year. How about a bit of River Ayr Way action in September????