Not Every Race is a Good One, But Every One is a Learning Experience
Let me start off by saying that having high goals are a good thing. However, sometimes being overly ambitious does not always yield the desired results. I found this out the hard way, as I attempted to run for a half marathon PR in the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon. Of course, I had high hopes for this race after setting an unexpected half-marathon PR a month prior in the Go Girl Half Marathon in Oklahoma City. I was confident in my training and my fitness and the weather was nice...a little humid, but still, definitely PR weather potential.
5 miles in and I was on my goal pace, running very comfortable with some of the male marathon leaders. Then, like a flip of a switch, the stomach pain reared its ugly head. Long story short, I had a bout of GI issues, which prevented me from running to my potential. I hurt, my pace slowed, and my confidence waned, so after seeing a friend/coach/fellow experienced runner on the sidelines at mile 9 who nudged me aside, I "pulled the plug" and decided to drop out of the race.
Dropping out of a race is never an easy decision. I felt like a failure for not laying out that "marathon spirit" on the course and just enduring through the pain. Questions raced through my head. If I would have kept on running would I have snapped out of it? Are these stomach problems something that I'll forever have to deal with? Is my body even capable of feeling "good" during a long race?
As a registered dietitian, I have tried nearly every nutrition-related intervention possible to calm the issue, but I have come to the conclusion that there is really no answer than high intensity, long efforts really trigger the "Runner's Colitis." Some days are good stomach days, while others are not. Rarely do I have any issues with short efforts; mostly just anything over 10K, usually worse in the heat and humidity, and always running-induced.
Instead of holding a pity party for my disappointing performance at the OKC Memorial Half, I decided to train hard the next month for the last Dam to Dam 20K race, held in my birth state of Iowa. The outcome was greater than expected. In hot and humid conditions, I stayed patient and worked my way up into 5th place in a solid elite women's field, many of which are currently professional runners. What's even better is that my stomach didn't hurt that bad, which was most definitely a victory in itself for me.
The moral of the story is that good days and bad days are bound to occur. Sometimes your body isn't going to respond, and that's really okay. In a way, this mindset has taken some pressure off me, where now I only focus on controlling what I can control and doing my part to prepare. Preparing, for me, means consistent training and being on point with nutrition, sleep, and stress management. I've really learned to listen to my body, especially when it comes time to push and when to back off. Easy days and rest days are essential and it's always okay to deviate from the plan if that's what my body requires. My goal as I continue to grow as a longer distance athlete is to continue to be more intuitive in my training and racing. In doing so, my hope is that my chances of injury are decreased (knock on wood), and I have greater longevity in the sport that I adore.
For more information on Runner's Colitis, check out these links. Although this issue was rather personal for me, conducting this research definitely provided me with some peace of mind that I am not alone in this:
http://www.diarrheadietitian.com/?p=164
http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2016/02/health-wellness/this-could-be-the-reason-you-get-runners-trots_54358
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5675973/
5 miles in and I was on my goal pace, running very comfortable with some of the male marathon leaders. Then, like a flip of a switch, the stomach pain reared its ugly head. Long story short, I had a bout of GI issues, which prevented me from running to my potential. I hurt, my pace slowed, and my confidence waned, so after seeing a friend/coach/fellow experienced runner on the sidelines at mile 9 who nudged me aside, I "pulled the plug" and decided to drop out of the race.
Dropping out of a race is never an easy decision. I felt like a failure for not laying out that "marathon spirit" on the course and just enduring through the pain. Questions raced through my head. If I would have kept on running would I have snapped out of it? Are these stomach problems something that I'll forever have to deal with? Is my body even capable of feeling "good" during a long race?
As a registered dietitian, I have tried nearly every nutrition-related intervention possible to calm the issue, but I have come to the conclusion that there is really no answer than high intensity, long efforts really trigger the "Runner's Colitis." Some days are good stomach days, while others are not. Rarely do I have any issues with short efforts; mostly just anything over 10K, usually worse in the heat and humidity, and always running-induced.
Instead of holding a pity party for my disappointing performance at the OKC Memorial Half, I decided to train hard the next month for the last Dam to Dam 20K race, held in my birth state of Iowa. The outcome was greater than expected. In hot and humid conditions, I stayed patient and worked my way up into 5th place in a solid elite women's field, many of which are currently professional runners. What's even better is that my stomach didn't hurt that bad, which was most definitely a victory in itself for me.
 |
| Finishing strong at the Dam to Dam 20K |
For more information on Runner's Colitis, check out these links. Although this issue was rather personal for me, conducting this research definitely provided me with some peace of mind that I am not alone in this:
http://www.diarrheadietitian.com/?p=164
http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2016/02/health-wellness/this-could-be-the-reason-you-get-runners-trots_54358
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5675973/
Comments
Post a Comment