I Run, For Life!

I did not finish my first marathon race which took place two Sundays ago. I got into a police car at the 37^th kilometer.

Details, Excuses, Explanations

The number one reason for finishing early was that I wasn’t prepared for a marathon. Perhaps I was prepared to finish 42.2k. But I wasn’t prepared to finish it if something went wrong. And, well, it did.

I was used to running in cooler and cloudier weather than the one I experienced that Sunday morning. It was the first day of summer and it really felt like it. I woke up around 5 am to the bright and cloudless sky instead of drizzle from the weeks before. I was really happy that early morning because, thankfully, it wasn’t going to rain. But perhaps the rain would have been a better running companion!

During my training I did not run in a hat to protect myself from too much sun, because there wasn’t too much sun then. When I arrived at a town square where my marathon was supposed to start, I knew I should’ve brought a hat with me: almost all the other runners were wearing one. Especially the ones looking like pros had a hat or a scarf on their head even though their clothing was minimal.

I didn’t think all was lost then because it wasn’t that hot. It was warm and definitely not warm enough to strip to a bikini on a nearby beach. Perhaps not. But it was definitely too warm for a long run without some headwear.

I started to feel it after passing the 10k mark. I was getting a headache and had to slow down my pace because I felt tired already. 10k was my usual short run so I didn’t understand why I was already feeling weak. But a few kilometers later, after numerous hills with no shade and some super annoying flies around my head (we were running by the fields full of grazing cows), I knew it was simply too warm and sunny for me.

After several gulps of water and a few squirts of some apple flavored energizing gel (I swear I’m finding an alternative to these gels which doesn’t resemble space food - perhaps a mixture of coconut water and some fruit? Chia seeds?), I was still feeling pretty weak. I felt like I was running through a desert with no rescue caravan in sight.

Perhaps I’m exaggerating. Perhaps it was more like running through a deserted park on a sunny day with ten more loops to go or on a treadmill at a gym with a broken air-con. The bottom line is, I felt it was too sunny and too warm for me to go on.

I felt nauseous and dizzy by the time I reached 20k. Before I stopped at a cooling station at that mark, I decided I would ask for a ride. I couldn’t see myself running for another twenty kilometers, especially since I had slowed down quite considerably. I thought that I could finish the half-marathon and call it a day. I’d never run a half in a race so this would’ve been something to celebrate anyway.

But I wasn’t allowed to quit then. When I reached the 20k mark and said I was done, the men helping out at the cooling station there (which involved handing out sponges soaked in cool water) said it was simply not an option. But it was too hot for me!, I whined. They took me on the side and gave me three cups of water which I gulped down quickly. They tried to cheer me up saying that I have already run so far - I can surely run the same distance again!

I was still hesitant and tried to explain that I really wasn’t feeling too hot (pun intended) and that perhaps a half-marathon was enough for me at that point. But then one guy mentioned that I would have been doing better if I was wearing a hat. Duh! Well, I nodded and sighed. I did not have a hat, OK?

So he gave me his to wear. I objected, then declared I would return it at the finish line. He said he wouldn’t be there, but that’s OK. I could keep it.

I passed the twenty first kilometer, which marks the half-marathon, flying. Well, it wasn’t exactly flying, but it felt like it in comparison to how slow I was running before I got my magic hat. The hat was not a light runner’s hat but a typical ball cap, with extra features like oil and sweat stains. It was the best hat I had ever worn.