You would think by the time you are going to run your 12th marathon, you would have the whole thing down pat. I always like to jog a few miles the day before. Just to keep my legs loose. And this time the famous srlopez would be in town and he wanted a route to do an easy six. So this was perfect, after meeting up with some friends and him at the expo, he and I set out for a nice jog in the afternoon. On the way home, it occurred to me to pick up some stuff at the grocery store so I parked, and as I slipped into some long pants next to my car the door swung shut and locked. With my keys and money, cell phone etc. safely locked inside. Being what I remembered as only a few miles from home, I set to jog there and locate the spare key. Getting home I was feeling tired so I called my brother who came and took me back to my car. Unfortunately the spare key I had grabbed was not the right one and I still couldn’t open my car. Luckily my brother has AAA roadside assistance and they agreed to come out even for me if he was present. So after the nice AAA man broke into my car, my brother had guilted me into stopping by and visiting my mother. Mom had a big greasy meatloaf she wanted me to eat a portion of, but I was canny enough to avoid and when I got home I made a bowl of simple pasta. I’m no dummy! Now it is very late, but I organize my running gear for the next day, and try to get a good night’s sleep before the alarm goes off at 4:00 am. <sigh> My goals for this race were simple; see that my friend finished his first marathon, and have an okay race myself. Technically both goals were achieved but by mile 17 I felt sick as a dog. Eating a larabar the volunteers were handing out was one mistake, and I spent some time in a beach bathroom dealing with that. Ingesting something called ‘energy beans’ that included 40 mg of caffeine and some quantity of B12, was another mistake. Normally I don’t get stomach issues while running, so feeling the urge to puke while in a marathon was new territory. It sapped my will and instead of wanting to run to finish, I just wanted to lay down and die. Of course a merciful death was not in the cards so I slogged to the finish line before puking. As Spareribs would say, the important thing is that each race be a learning experience, and I feel I have learned a lot, even if some of these lessons I have learned before. I need a better mileage base going in to a marathon and the winter holiday season is not ideally suited to that. Eat nothing new, especially during the race. And…keep a spare key hidden somewhere on the outside of your car. I did get a really great finisher's medal too! </sigh>

You should have had Pizza By The Slice with me instead of meatloaf! I bet you did sample the meatloaf, didn't you? Right? No? Oh my. I didn't know anything at all about "the rest of the story". So basically, you did 10-12 miles the day before a marathon. Ooops. When I saw you at your M18-M19, I thought you looked pretty ok. I missed the signs. It sounds like you are coherent again, which is good. Sorry about the pukes. I visited one of those nice beach bathrooms myself, though without nearly so gnarly a cause. Or outcome.

Well, you learn something new every day right? Or in your case, you get to RE-learn somethings you should've known before! I'm glad you avoided the merciful death though. We're kind of glad to have you hang around. Hey, #12 is in the bag and time to look for a better time next time. Hey... you're almost maniac material, ya know?

You should have had Pizza By The Slice with me instead of meatloaf! I bet you did sample the meatloaf, didn't you? Right? No? Oh my. I didn't know anything at all about "the rest of the story". So basically, you did 10-12 miles the day before a marathon. Ooops. When I saw you at your M18-M19, I thought you looked pretty ok. I missed the signs. It sounds like you are coherent again, which is good. Sorry about the pukes. I visited one of those nice beach bathrooms myself, though without nearly so gnarly a cause. Or outcome.

I should have! Pizza is usually my downfall also, but it would have been worth it to hang out with you more.

the stomach issues sound horrible Ilene - but you "gutted" it out and finished rather than dying, so I'd say it was a good day! cool finisher's medals and backdrop. I remember seeing a blue sky like that once upon a time . . . in a land far far away . . .

Oh Ilene - stomach problems are the worst! Way to go toughing it out anyway - you really earned your finishing medal, which, btw, is indeed very kewl.

We're always learning-unfortunately, applying that knowledge often requires several learning sessions. Regardless, number 12 is in the bag. Congratulations!

That sounds tough, and you sound tougher! You've paid your dues so the next race should be perfect!