Running on Full - 26K Failed Attempt

Thursday night, I ate the best meal of my life. Some friends and I went to a cool sushi restaurant called Numi, and since one of my friends works there, we get the special staff discount (30% off). We must have ordered one of everything off the menu, and we stayed there until about 10PM. Knowing I had a long run to do the next day, I took it easy on the drinks, but I STUFFED myself with everything from raw tuna to maki rolls to more rolls. I guess it's a form of carbo-loading, but we'll see how I feel in the morning.

I awoke at my usual 7:30 and prepared for my big training run: 26K. I set off on my usual 10K loop down Hastings, left on Nanaimo, left on Broadway and then left back up Boundary. Something doesn't feel right. All that sugar from the sushi rice is making my stomach feel kinda queazy. I stopped in at home to drink some water and go to the bathroom, but my stomach just wasn't feeling too hot. Hitting the road again, I set out on the 6K route down Boundary to 1st, to Renfrew and back. My stomach feels like it's full of battery acid, and it's trying to leap out of my mouth. Yuck! Glancing at my watch, I see I'm WAY slower than my normal pace. I just can't fight this stomach ailment. A good runner knows when to call off a run to avoid further damage. After 16K, I called it a day. Early in my training schedule, this is not a huge deal, but this is the time to iron out the kinks, not with 2 weeks left before a marathon.

For me, training is all about consistency. Don't change up your routine or you'll pay the price. Eating a huge, sugary meal late at night, going to bed and waking up 10 hours later expecting to run 26K is just a death wish and shouldn't be part of anyone's routine, unless you have guts of steel, in which case, have seconds!

There is a myth out there that you need to carbo-load, or fill yourself up with clean starches like pasta the night before a run. I've learned that it can take up to 24 hours for your body to turn those carbs into energy stores, so if I had eaten all that rice on Wednesday night, I'd be all set. Instead, I had a wonderful Thursday night and a hellish Friday morning.

Here's a tip: do your carbo loading at least 24 hours prior to your long run, then combine grazing with normal-sized meals to keep your energy levels up the entire day before your run, and a light breakfast day-of. Don't be like me. I'll just have to adjust my training schedule to fit in 1 extra long run next week. Sushi anyone?