Race Report: Puking on the finish line is not a good thing.

Rich and I (sans triplets) ran yet another road race this week. This one was 3.5 miles and crowded. Very, very crowded. It's a good thing that I had marked it as a fun run before the race. Rich has run this race many, many times and between his advice and the advice of co-workers who have run it, I started in a good spot so the crowds weren't really my issue. My issue was me.

I had been feeling sluggish and more tired than usual all week. The Friday before the race, I needed to run but didn't feel like it at all. I find those Friday night runs to be the most difficult but I laced up my shoes and hit the road. I wanted to run 3 miles and I agreed with Rich and wasn't concerned with time. Well, it took me 33 minutes and I felt completely wiped out.

I ended up taking the weekend off and therefore needed to run on Monday. I decided to run my 4.6 mile route with 10 minutes miles. I did it but it was extremely tough and instead of feeling energized after, I felt like going to bed. Like walk in the house and collapse into bed.

So about two weeks before all of this, I was feeling really good with my running. I felt like my speed was improving. I ran my 4.6 mile route in under 45 minutes. I noted the time at the 3 mile mark to be under 28 minutes. I thought that I would be able to finish this 3.5 mile race in under 32 minutes.

Didn't happen.

So here's the real truth, people - Having babies can screw you up in ways you never imagined. I don't want to go into all the gory details but I am not running with the same body. And I'm not talking about a few pounds and stretch marks. Amongst many other issues, I am convinced that my stomach is not where it used to be and that this may be causing my gagging and near puking during almost every. single. run.

I tried mind over matter and thought that I would be able to pull myself out of whatever was going on and finish with a great time but about 3 minutes into it, I could tell that my body was not going to cooperate. I made it to two miles in 20 minutes and then had to stop to walk. Not once. Not twice. Not three times.

Four times. I had to stop to walk four times. I NEVER walk. It happens maybe once a year. And then I almost puked on the finish line. I was about one dry heave away when I ended up on the sidewalk, clinging to a lamp post. Awesome times.

There were other factors that contributed to my downfall. The weather was one of them. It was 92 degrees that day with high humidity. On my walk through Boston to meet Rich before race, thunderstorms rolled through but the humidity still remained. Lucky for us, it stopped raining shortly before the race.

I'm sure the sleeping conditions that my children impose on me or the fact that stomach felt off all week did not help either.

When all was said and done, my time wasn't that bad. I ran about 10:30 minute miles and approximately 55% of the female runners were slower than me.

I plan to keep running but I am unsure of whether or not I will continue to do so many races. Maybe I need to wait for another year or so. I don't know. I was looking for a 5 miler to run this summer but there aren't many around that work with my schedule and now I am doubting myself. And I am unsure of trying for a 10K this fall. I know that I could finish it but I would be so disappointed if I ended up with another bad race.

File this post under "Real life. Triplets."