Where do I start this story? Let's go back about 14 months to the first time I ever passed out. I had just completed my first 24 hour run at the NorthCoast 24 hour ultra. I had made my goal of running 100 miles, 107.44 to be exact. Our friend Abra told Marsha before this race to be prepared to see me ill, dehydrated, sick, etc. to which I told Abra she would not see me once in 24 hours without a smile on my face. We made a friendly bet and around 23 hours into this race Abra finally conceded and I won the bet. Now to the passing out part. The race was coming down to the end and Abra had said to me that this is a race and I needed to run the last lap so when it came down to the last minutes of the race I decided to do what she said but being a bit emotionally off balance and really ready for it to be done I pretty much sprinted the last lap and after finishing walked back to the finish line sat down and passed out. I awoke to the medical team working on me but was pretty much ok except for the severely swollen ankle that I could no longer walk on and was on crutches for days after this race.
Now fast forward to almost a year later and the 2nd NC24 race. I had another friendly bet with Abra but the bet was I had to beat 110 miles, still keep that smile on my face but with one stipulation Abra added that I also could not pass out. I had a good race but had a few stomach issues for the first time and was thinking that with about 7 hours to go that there was no way I was going to make even my minimum goal or win my bet with Abra. My good friend Jeannine had run 20 miles with me in the morning and was on her way back to run the last 6 hours with me when I sent her a text and said "I'd love to have the company but I wouldn't blame you if you went back home and slept, running 4 miles an hour is hard and hurting" her reply made me laugh, she said "U will at the very least pr today, shut your mouth and keep movin! I'm on my way". I was struggling but after Jeannine got me drinking and eating again I felt a bit better and after stopping at the aid station to get my arch attended to I felt better than ever and was able t to run 15 miles in the last 3 hours and get a new pr of 113 miles in 24 hours. I ran a nice steady pace the last 40 minutes but no sprint and finished feeling pretty good. Kim Martin and I finished close to each other and headed back to the finish when she said she was going to take a walk into Lake Erie so I decided to join her. I took off my socks and shoes with a little help from JN who was already eating breakfast walked into the lake with Kim for maybe 4 minutes and came back to shore. I felt good and headed to breakfast but told Marsha I needed to go get on some warm clothes and as we headed to our aid station I told IT was happening again. I passed out again and was carried to the massage table and was again looked at by the same doctor as last year and he had walked most of the 24 race also. I awoke from this and the first words out of my mouth are "is Abra here cause if she is I owe her a buck" and of course I see her above me. I felt somewhat ok lying there but could not sit up or stand without feeling highly nauseous and told them I was not getting in my new Element and getting sick. Marsha pulled the car right up next to me so I could get in and off we went. Luckily I took Monday off work and got in a days rest but got a very bad cold for the next 7 to 10 days but worked every day.
Forward ahead another 5 weeks. We all ran the Columbus Marathon 4 weeks after the 24 and I paced Jeannine with the goal of getting her to a 3:40:59 or better and a BQ but that didn't happen so she decided to run the Inland Trail Marathon. She asked me to meet her at the half way point and run with her into the finish. I ran the very first mile with her then ran back to the start and waited for Marsha to arrive so we could go find her at the turn around. I ran towards her from there joining her at mile 11 and running the last 15 with her and this time things went as planned with Jeannine running a slightly negative split and a BQ time of 3:38 and placing 3rd woman overall and with Rachael placing first. We all went back to Jeannines dads house where I had a couple Mike's Hard Lemonades and a couple pieces of pizza. I got up to throw away some trash and got really dizzy so I got back to my chair quickly and the next thing I know I'm waking up and I hear an ambulance in the driveway and I am soaked in sweat and not feeling too good, Marsha is at my side and trying to take care of me but I could hardly move with my head hurting so much. I think Jeannine yelled open your eyes so I did and that was one of the scariest moments I have ever encountered. I was 100% in the dark when I opened my eyes and I told them all I could not see but the best way I can describe it is that it was like someone turning on the lights with a dimmer switch, in less than a minute I got my vision back. Now I was off in the back of a speeding ambulance but even before we had left the driveway I was feeling 95% better and did not really want to be taken to the ER but I didn't have alot of say at that point and was a little worried about the vision thing so I went. While we were getting there I asked the guy sitting next to me to tell Marsha I was doing very well and to please ask her for my cell phone. I figured if I was having to take this ride and having to pay for it I wanted a picture from where I was sitting. I snapped a picture of my feet and the doors and sent it to FACEBOOK where maybe I shook up a couple people but in my mind if I was capable of taking and posting the darn picture then I was OK. I spent 4.5 hours in the er getting 2 iv's, an MRI, cat scan, blood work and finally sent home but with a note to be released to work after 3 days. I call my family doctor on Monday but she can't get me in til Thursday so I go in then and she says my resting heart rate is way low and sends me down to a cardiologist and wants me to come back next week and gives me a return to work excuse that I didn't look at at first and as I'm making my appt. for the following week I find out she is not letting me go back to work til Nov. 8. So here I am 10 days later waiting to see what she says this Friday at 9:45 am. I have felt great and am sure that she won't have found anything wrong but I will still be in the dark as to why I passed out now for the 3rd time but I have a plan to avoid this and it's pretty simple. I will eat and hydrate better before I ever have another drink after a run and at the next 24 hour race I will plan to walk the last 30 minutes of the race unless I am very close to a new goal or pr and then I'll just have to take my chances. I will probably get reminded of this alot come the next 24 but hey it'll be worth it.
Course Correction
3 days ago
