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Original poster

Ran 16 miles and had a horrible experience after - why did this happen?

88 replies

RUNFORLOVE · 15/02/2009 19:27

Today I ran 16 miles 2hrs 40 mins.
? I had a lie in until 9am, ate two weetabix for breakfast, bacon sandwich, herbal tea, banana and water.
? I warmed up by skipping then stretching, bought myself a Lucozade Sport drink (I can only drink half as they make me feel sick)
? I also had a full sports bottle of water which I carry on my waist.
? 10 miles in I was starving and I had hunger cramps
? My muscles were seizing up about 12 miles and I had to work my way through each stride visualising them relaxing one by one
? I felt slightly dizzy and queasy during the last mile and in pain. I didn?t feel like this with other runs except one where I had a small breakfast.
? When I got home, I felt so sick, I tried to drink a goodness shake but I just don?t like them.
? I drank more water, stretched, ate a banana and got in a bath not too hot. I almost fell asleep I was so tired
? When I got out I felt awful and struggled to eat brown rice, tinned makeral, spring onions and carrots.
? My vision started to go really odd and when I looked at my partner I could not see all of his face and it looked slightly distorted. In the top left of my vision were starry shapes. This made me feel anxious and so I went for a lie down. I could not sleep but just rested for a couple of hours and basically just felt dreadful.
? Why do think I felt this bad? My sister suggested I was dehydrated. I know I had enough fluids when running and maybe not enough beforehand but there is only so much you can drink when you wake in the morning, have breakfast, wait for the food to go down and go.

I know I drink enough because my urine is clear and today I had to stop twice to do a quick wee.

What do you think is the best time to do your long run, what would you eat for your breakfast on that day? How much water would you drink before?

Now I am anxious about my long run next Sunday and there is no way I want to feel like that.

I would appreciate to hear what you think.

Many thanks

OP posts:
themoon66 · 15/02/2009 22:44

The visual thing with the starry shapes is classic migraine.

You sound like you are increasing your milage too much too quickly.

Perhaps look at increasing by half a mile a week only, instead of 2 miles... which is way too much if you only started running last october.

Are you in a running club? If not, think of joining one. Pick one that has a good number of coaches who also run with you and advise you as you go.

Ripeberry · 15/02/2009 22:41

Be carefull how much water you drink. You can die from drinking too much water as it dilutes your blood and leaches out all the salts.
I think you drank TOO much water! And too much to eat.
Marathon runners usually have a great big carbohydrate pig out the night before and something light on the day of the run.#
Just take it easy.

mooseloose · 15/02/2009 22:37

Great thread, I'm reading with interest! Doing a half marathon in three weeks.
I find it easier to run later in the day rather than earlier. Hills do me no favours either!
For a breakfast run I have weetabix or porrige and a banana and try to drink more in the day before i go out.

Original poster
RUNFORLOVE · 15/02/2009 22:36

Going to go buy some pilchards tomorrow.

and KingCanuteIAm - thanks for that! That explains things

Thanks everyone - GOOD NIGHT!

I'M WRECKED

OP posts:
MiTochondrialEve · 15/02/2009 22:33

You just need to listen to your body. If it's struggling, stop and rest.

Ivykaty44 · 15/02/2009 22:32

Look it takes me an hour and a quarter to run 9km so I am very impressed with your running!!!!

Pilchards - I think are larger sardines? Pilchards taste preety much the same as sardines anyhow and in the tommy sauce you really will not notice the difference - good oily fish and protien though.

I did the L2B last year and back in 1982!

KingCanuteIAm · 15/02/2009 22:30

I know nothing about running or anything else on this thread but I do know that it has just been proven that lnking eggs to high cholesterol is a load of hooey. They are now saying that, provided you eat a fairly normal diet, there is no reason to limit the number of eggs you eat apart from the rather "binding" effect they can have

Original poster
RUNFORLOVE · 15/02/2009 22:21

Ivykaty44 - thank you, great tips there!!!

I've never eaten pilchards. I like tinned sardines and mackeral, do they taste similar to one of those?

Wow - i love they way you talk in such a relaxed manner,
"holemeal pasta and pasta sauce with pilchards is one of my before long cycle ride meals (40-50miles)."

Thats amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I done London to Brighton bike ride and didnt know I was pregnant with my oldest dd, but it was very early!

OP posts:
bamboostalks · 15/02/2009 22:18

One egg a day is absolutely fine. They are a great food that have been unfairly maligned.

FairLadyRantALot · 15/02/2009 22:18

16 miles sound a rather long way to me already

Ivykaty44 · 15/02/2009 22:16

I can't stand hot/cooked porridge - try soaking the oats overnight in milk and adding yogurt to it, add a banana or two and some blueberrys or fruit cocktail, prunes and eat it raw. Or eat raw and add greek yogurt and honey.

You can eat two eggs a week without a problem.

Wow on the running, good for you. Don't let it put you off.

Wholemeal pasta and pasta sauce with pilchards is one of my before long cycle ride meals (40-50miles). I just used tinned pilchards and add them to the tommy sauce instead of mince meat.

I have a big bowl of museli (sainbury own) before I ride with yogurt and fruit and take a wholemeal (home made bread) honey sandwich with me for the ride, I cut it into four and eat a quarter at a time.

Original poster
RUNFORLOVE · 15/02/2009 22:14

FairLadyRantALot - thank you

I am chuffed that I ran that far but I have a long way to go yet!

OP posts:
Original poster
RUNFORLOVE · 15/02/2009 22:04

hi fishie

how many eggs can you eat a week?

last week one day I made myseld an omlette, used two eggs with potatoes, tomatoes, spring onions, courgette and mushrooms, and another day I had two poached eggs on toast.

one friend said one a week? is that right?

i only buy wholemeal,

i've tried to make myself like porridge but the best i can do is ready brek, is that still good? it doesnt have any rubbish in it but not sure if it does the same job as porridge.

OP posts:
FairLadyRantALot · 15/02/2009 21:58

wow...where is the [awe-emoticon] when you needed....I can't run a mile....
definitely sound like you might overdid it...and I suppose even when you are used to it...some days it till effects you differently then others...but can see why you were scared....

nomoremagnolia...you are not, by any chance, an ex-forces/ wife are you....

fishie · 15/02/2009 21:57

eggs?
more complex carbs so real wholemeal bread (not just that stuff which is brown)

i am only able for 12k and do that on fruit and porridge.

Original poster
RUNFORLOVE · 15/02/2009 21:51

and THANK YOU for all your replies!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
RUNFORLOVE · 15/02/2009 21:50

fishie no worries

i think i forgot to refresh the page so it looked like i had no messages so when i sent bump i saw that i had - doh!!!

walkinthewoods - you trying to give me a heart attack ... i'm training for the marathon and raising money for charity - i cant go getting pregnant!!!

what could i have for breakfast that has protein? any breakfast tips would be handy.

i think i will get checked by gp just to make sure my blood pressure etc is normal then I will look into my diet and repeat my previous two weeks so my body has more time to adjust.

do you think the migraine is because i did not have enough fuel?

what are the other causes?

OP posts:
fluffles · 15/02/2009 21:29

no matter how much you eat beforehand your body can only store enough energy from carbs for about 90mins of exercise, you need to take in carbs (sugars) if you go longer than this.

try jelly babies if you don't like sports drink. or raisins or something similar... but really that kind of distance is approaching requiring something like an energy gel to sustain.

walkinthewoods · 15/02/2009 21:27

Overdone it or maybe pregnant

fishie · 15/02/2009 21:26

sorry runforlove i now see you were experiencing bump/xpost.

PrincessButtercup · 15/02/2009 21:25

This does sound like a major blood sugar dip. I have had similar. I blacked out on the loo after a 15 mile run. I agree with topping up sugar (in some form that you like/can handle) after a long run and making sure you're properly fuelled, eating smallish protein/carb balanced portions regularly (every 3 hours) in the 24 hours leading up to it.

fishie · 15/02/2009 21:23

i have never run that far and probably never will. but i think you need more protein than that.

most things in your breakfast are sugar or carbs and so fairly quickly digested, probably you were ready for lunch by noon and instead you were a few miles into your run!

btw it is rude to 'bump' without acknowledging previous replies.

morningpaper · 15/02/2009 21:17

that is a hard run

sounds like perhaps you overdid it - maybe a migraine type visual disturbance?

Hope you took it easy for the afternoon

runnervt · 15/02/2009 21:14

When I was running a lot

runnervt · 15/02/2009 21:12

When I runing a lot I could feel pretty bad after a hard or long run. I reckoned it was lack of fuel so often had honey sandwiches when i finished to get some quick sugar in.

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