trail run with traumas

Ran a 14-mile trail run with the Reston Runners this morning. Starting at 7am, running some paved trails but a lot of dirt trails also on the Cross County Trail (CCT). The starting temp was around 68F, but the humidity was high, and I was sweating before I left the parking lot.

Yesterday I had spent most of the day working in the yard - you say you've seen this movie before? - and I was pretty dry when I finished. I drank a lot of water with salt in it, but didn't get the volume absorbed that I needed.

I kept up pretty much with the pack today until mile 4, then I slacked off and the lead group vanished around a corner. About mile 5 I caught my shoe on a stump in the trail and fell flat down - kept my head up, though, so no facial injuries. Some attractive abrasions on my right knee, right hand, and dirt all over myself, and I'm pretty sure I added additional injury to my right shoulder. The last two people in the running group passed me by. By this time sweat was pouring off me - it dripped off my elbows and chin like a leaky faucet, non-stop.

I made it to the water station, mile 7, but was pretty lost from there. I continued going down the trail for another half mile (the wrong way it turns out, but the others were nowhere near in any event so it didn't really matter), then retraced my steps to my car. At this point there was more walking than running, but still a jog or two.

About mile 9 I was seriously worried about passing out. I sat down on the side of the road, my heartbeat was above 190, I couldn't catch my breath, and my thinking was fuzzy. I heard some guys yelling nearby, and remembered there was a football practice underway at a field I would pass. I got up and unsteadily made my way 100 feet to the field, found some shady trees on the size, and collapsed spread-eagle in the grass on my back. I figured laying down in the cool shade would help both my heat level and my heart rate, and if I was really having a problem, then I could probably call to these guys and get medical care.

I lay there for a while - maybe half an hour? I think I dozed - until I started to get chilled. Then I got to my feet and walked the rest of the way home. My GPS showed me where to turn on the trail.

All told, it took me 5 hours to cover 14.3 miles. A good example of bad judgment given the prior day. That's the last time I'm going to allow myself to get exhausted the day before a run.