A (miserable) 10k race report

I have finally returned to the world of the living over 24 hours after yesterday's 10k. I have spent all day going back and forth between vomiting and sleeping. At one point I begged SR to take me to the ER since I thought it was an ectopic pregnancy. He knows me all to well and told me to just calm down.

Since I don't have the energy or frame of mind to write anything long right now, I'll keep it brief.

SR and I both ran the 10k race in Holbæk yesterday at 2:30 pm. It was rainy and windy, but the temperature was pleasant. I ran the first 5k in just over 20 minutes, on pace for a 10k PR and feeling good. I was following the same guy and drafting just like my coach, SR, has always recommended. But then I got a side stitch. And it wasn't just a little side stitch (but this was impossible! I had such a small breakfast!). I had to almost slow to a stop and was screaming out curses in English as the spectators watched me. I decided I would just walk back to the start because there was absolutely no way to go on. Or so I thought. I mean, even though I knew now I wouldn't get a PR, I did also come to win and there was prize money. So I told myself there was no such thing as pain, even though I was crying like a baby and yelling "Help!" the remaining 4km. The pain was definitely worse than what I experienced with the birth of The Lorax. Was I insane? The end could not come soon enough. I was not happy with my 42:44 time, but I did win (barely) and I got a 200 kr. gift certificate to Intersport. SR got second and was happy with his 34:50 time, though he claims he would have won had he known there was such a good prize for first. I had to laugh a bit. We were both feeling okay after the race and got to hang out with Ann and Martin from Jyderup. So it seemed all was well.

But today has been like hell. The stomach pain and nausea just would not abate all day except in the precious moments I was asleep. When one is in that much pain mid-race, they should probably stop running. I had not considered I'd pay for it so much today. Or maybe it would have been just as bad regardless of the racing; hard to say.

Luckily SR took the kids to Copenhagen today so he could play tennis with the band Safri Duo. The next post will be a more positive one. At least I hope so!

But no matter how bad my race was, it was not as bad as Mike's: he went 25 miles off course at 3 Days of Syllamo in Arkansas only to be denied food and water by the campers he finally found!

Update
I had a great night's sleep and woke up feeling myself this morning, but soon learned Natali had been throwing up all night. Guess it was just the stomach flu.