Saturday (2/22) my kid was vomiting all day from 9am until 4pm.
I did my training run on Sunday (2/23). But I knew something wasn't right. It was my longest run and it was supposed to feel like a victory. The running part was fine but I was having an out of body experience for most of the mid-miles (miles 5-11). I did walk the biggest hills and run on the rolling hills. I tried eating the Aldi dupe for Clif bar and it was terrible. I drank all my water trying to chew it. It tasted like minerals coated in frosting. On second thought, it might have tasted bad because I was getting sick.
Anyhow, I ran out of water when I was 3 miles away from the next park. It was getting to be a hot day so I walked from that moment on. My phone was dying so it was a confirmation that I need some fuel rods for race day. That was the second time my phone crapped out on me.
After my water stop at Mason Park, I was already getting close to my 20 miles. I mostly walked home with a small bit of running. I was continuing using my fuel plan. I made it home and everything was okay. I ate some food and drank some liquids but I didn't eat too much. I had a feeling I would be seeing all that again soon. And I was right.
Around 1am Monday (2/24) I woke up and vomited. All the sushi. All the pizza. All the fluids. I vomited again at 2am, 3am and 4am. Then I stopped trying to drink and just tried to sleep. Around 8am I was still thinking I would be able to make it to my 11:30am class. But then the diarrhea started. Or should I say sharted. And I knew I was in no shape to teach and definitely should not be around people.
I vomited again at 4:30pm that day. Mostly water. What saved me was eating two Pedialyte popsicles per hour until the box was empty. I was really anxious to be able to drink water because I had a splitting headache and I really wanted to take some Tylenol, but I didn't want to try to take it and then throw it up again.
I called my sister around 3: 45pm that day and she told me that it only takes 5 minutes to digest water so I should try and go ahead and drink some, but I guess my body wasn't ready for it. She said that these types of viruses last 12 to 24 hours. That I probably did not need to go to urgent care. She also told me that my digestion was going to be messed up for a while afterwards, possibly the virus would re-surge, and that definitely the diarrhea would hang on longer than the vomiting. She also told me that I definitely should not try to run until 5 days after.
She wasn't wrong. On Tuesday (2/25) I tried to follow the BRAT diet. I brought with me to work white rice, bananas, and applesauce. I had to work a full day on Tuesday but luckily my teaching assistant covered for me so that I could leave an hour early. I still had a splitting headache and I was taking high dose of Tylenol every 4 to 6 hours.
When I woke up on Wednesday (2/26) I thought oh maybe I can stomach something else, so I did a Google search of what you should eat next after the brat diet. The internet suggested suggesting things like plain yogurt, plain egg, and plain chicken broth. So I had the yogurt and egg for breakfast. Egg on rice was really delicious. I had the plain chicken broth for dinner, which was really helpful at addressing my dehydration.
Wednesday evening I tried eating spinach on pizza, and while I was able to eat it, and get it in my stomach, It felt like it didn't go anywhere from there. It felt like my entire digestive system was on freeze. The food would just sit there in my tummy. And I felt like I wasn't getting any energy out of the food that I was eating. So I really didn't feel safe going for a run Thursday or Friday. I just felt like I had no energy. I tried drinking coffee but it tasted horrible at the first sip.
Thursday (2/27) morning I went to Dunkin Donuts and got a refresher and two tortillas with egg and cheese. I don't feel like they digested. But the tea drink was really helpful in getting rehydrated. It was sweet and icy. I ate fish and rice for lunch, but it didn't digest well.
Friday (2/28) I stayed at home and near a toilet. I wanted to take a nap but I didn't. I tried to alternate stretching and working. Between Wed and Fri I actually got pretty far caught up with my grading.
Saturday (3/1) we went to the LA zoo. I had a really nice chicken pesto sandwich with a salad. Honestly I feel like this was the first time my tummy was digesting things correctly. I don't really remember what I had for dinner on Saturday evening, and by that time I knew none of my run club members were going to make it to our group run.
So at that point I had a choice, I could run by myself, inside or outside. Or I could go and meet up with the LA roadrunners. I decided it would probably be best to run on a treadmill near a toilet, just in case I had a digestive emergency. So I started off slow, building up each 3 mile block a bit faster than the one before. I was able to get through my 10 mile run but very slowly.
Sunday (3/2) after my workout I felt some very uncomfortable pains in my nerves. I felt pain from my back, through my glutes, and down the backs of my legs. It was so bad, I was irritable. After taking ibuprofen, it felt much better. Like it went away entirely. I'm convinced it was related to the virus that caused the vomiting.
Now today (3/3) is Monday. I was able to do my workout and I was back up to my normal pace, I felt good. I felt like I could digest food again, even though I have been trying to keep incorporating eggs, rice, fruit, veggies, and yogurt.
Coach David says that we should avoid caffeine, so I have been keeping coffee out of my body. I have been drinking herbal tea instead. One of my students, who is also running the LA Marathon, said that it's a bad time to get sick. I agree, but you can't schedule the flu.
Now it's Monday evening and the nerve pain is back. I will take my vitamins and more ibuprofen and hopefully get a good night's sleep.
I feel nervous and excited when I think about race day. I didn't feel nervous before this, I felt ready. My MIL has offered to watch Albert the morning of race day. Coach David is offering new tank tops for LARR members. It's just too many last minute changes. I need to feel like it's under control.
After watching "Spirit of the Marathon" I do feel excited to see Los Angeles on race day. It's like the biggest longest CivLAvia ever. But it's not free. I don't know if I'll ever want to do another marathon, maybe I will write about that in another two weeks.
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