Photo from Mount Royal, Frisco, Colorado.

"That is happiness; to be disolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep." - Willa Cather

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Total ultra breakdown

It couldn't sound any worse than that, could it?

But seriously now, running 64 km in 6 hours can't really be healthy, can it? Perhaps it was when I was sitting in the sandbox with my doctor (there are also positives to having my doctor be my neighbor) that I realized how absolutely insane the race sounded. "You did what? SR did it, too?" He was definitely more shocked by the fact that SR also ran, as SR is generally considered the "normal" one between the two of us.

But SR hasn't looked back. He went running yesterday - pain free.

I, on the other hand, went through the following:

(PUD = post ultra day)

- PUD 1 (5:45 am) - wake up early with insatiable desire to do math equations - begin to feel nauseated if not constantly doing math; distract myself by writing blog post
- PUD 1 (10 am) - ask SR to pull over the car so I can vomit on the side of the road (meanwhile, I pick out fancy stones for the Lorax without vomit on)
- PUD 1 (2 pm) - invited over to doctor neighbor's house (by his wife), but can't calm down. Must work and/or do something at every moment. Agonizing sense of urgency lasts all day, yet unable to accomplish anything. Refuse sitting down for hot chocolate as I have "things" I need to do.
-PUD 1 - (8pm) SR puts on a movie and I start crying, fearing it won't be good, then realize I can't pay attention enough to understand what is being said anyway.
- PUD 2 (7am) - wake up after 9 hours of sleep, but, again, math equations - they won't stop.
- PUD 2 - acne breakout all over my face (I am not normally an acne sufferer), small bleeding sores develop around my lips
-PUD 3 - return to "relative" normalcy

Not that long ago, I wrote a post about how ultras were not necessarily unhealthy. But let's be honest, does anyone run ultras to do the body good? Or am I the only one who feels like a wacked out woman on Prednisone after running an ultra (sidenote: is wacked really spelled "whacked"? - why do I find that so funny? whhhhhacked)? Perhaps it's because I want to get pregnant that I am extra in-tune with what is happening in my body. Or maybe it doesn't take much to tip me over the edge...

No, no, I haven't been running yet. So no songs.

6 comments:

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

acne breakout all over my face [...] small bleeding sores develop around my lips

[...]

... I want to get pregnant ...


Um, yeah, good luck with the getting pregnant thing. I have confidence you'll make the acne and bleeding sores work for you. If not, just sweet talk him with math equations, because those are well-known boner-inducers.

Hahahahahahaha! I am totally effin' with you, sister!

As usual, I have no practical advice to offer; just my hope that you get back to normal (whatever that may be for you) as soon as possible.

amy said...

I stand by my belief that ultras are NOT good for you. Yes, I will continue to do them, over and over, but once we see some of the post-ultra effects first hand, it's pretty clear that they are not good for us....we love them, but they don't love us back....

Olga said...

You are pregnant. My diagnosis. Surely has nothing to do with an ultra. This is for certain. As unhealthy as they are (and I'll be the first to admit it), in my 80-count career plus RDing and volunteering, this is not a sign of post-ultra. Unless you have kidney failure. Which, I hope, you thought of and checked about.

sea legs girl said...

Glaven, are you trying to tell me SR making fun of my acne won't make me pregnant? I think I'm having one of those "aha" moments.

Agreed, Amy.

Olga - I wish, but highly unlikely since I had my LMP less than 2 weeks ago. I meant "I wish" about the pregnancy, not the kidney failure.

SteveQ said...

"SR is generally considered the 'normal' one" - I wonder what that's like? I wasn't the normal one even when dating a schizophrenic anorectic communist artist with a penchant for taking off her clothes and randomly hitting people. But then again, she wasn't a runner.

May-Britt Hansen said...

Maybe you just need a break from racing?

I hope to see you at a get-together in December with Henriette and Helle :-)