We headed to Vegas on Saturday afternoon. I spent most of the drive playing on my phone and annoying the hubs. When we finally got there, we checked in at the hotel and headed to the expo, which fortunately was just across the street from our hotel.



Shortly after that, I needed to pee. But I couldn't find a port-o-potty for six more miles. And I kept drinking at almost every aid station because I didn't want to get dehydrated. So when I finally found a line of potties at mile nine, I was pretty happy.
Because I wasn't racing, I was able to take my time to go potty, to walk through the aid stations and to chat with the hubs when I saw him. I also left my Garmin at home, so I just ran whatever pace felt comfortable. I could tell I was running slower than my usual pace, but I didn't care.
I finished in 2:18, my slowest half ever. But I am totally fine with my time. I wasn't as fine with the chaos as I crossed the finish and tried to find the hubs. You know it is bad when you plan to meet by the "M" in the family reunion area and you are both there for more than 15 minutes before you find each other. By the time we headed to Mandalay Bay to the gear check, I was freezing. My teeth were chattering and I was shivering from head to toe. And I had put on my coat by then. I felt so bad for anyone who was wearing shorts and a singlet.
When we finally weaved our way through gear check and back out of Mandalay Bay, we found the shuttle. It was a little bit of a walk, but it was better than walking all the way to our hotel or paying to wait for the Monorail again. My stomach started to bother me on the shuttle, so we headed to the public restroom inside the Venetian as soon as we got off the bus. That is when my body really became unhappy. I apologize in advance, but the truth is the proof that I was sick was coming out both ends. At the same time. And I'm not sure I have ever puked that hard or that long. It was actually not as entertaining as it sounds.
I thought it was really strange that my body was reacting like that after I took it so easy during the race. Then last night I read THIS article (after finding out about it on SUAR's blog). Basically, I was not the only one sick after the race. And there is suspicion that all the post-race sickness was caused by water handed out during the race that came from fire hydrants.
And because that wasn't enough, I developed a raging UTI on Monday. I can't decide whether to blame it on having to "hold it" for over an hour while running or on the water that caused all the other problems. Either way, it has taken all week and some strong antibiotics for my stomach to get back to normal, my kidneys to stop hurting and the urge to pee every 5 minutes to subside. Like I said, it has been a busy week.
How has your week been?
Oh, you poor thing! I had a UTI a couple of months ago. Not sure which is worse, your problems immediately post race or the UTI. I'm so glad you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteOh no - your write up is the worst one I've read so far, but honestly none of them have been great! Glad you are on the mend.
ReplyDeleteWow...I haven't heard too many good things about this race. Glad you are feeling better, but so sorry you had to endure all of that. :(
ReplyDeleteWow I thought I really wanted to do this race but after reading all this bad stuff on the blogs, I am not so sure I do now.
ReplyDeleteUgh, sorry you got a UTI those suck!
I like how you took your time, went to the bathroom, talked to your husband, and still had a pretty great time!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you were sick from the water like a bunch of other runners. That's so completely miserable. Not to mention, UTIs are the devil! Feel better!
Oh Candice! This sounds like a brutal week for you! It's sad to see all the race reports. Fire hydrant water! Really? That can't be good!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Seriously. That race was bad news. So sorry about the UTI- that is absolutely miserable. I need to run a race without my Garmin so I can just enjoy myself like you did.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you got sick too! :( Man, Vegas sounds like it was a complete sh*tshow this year! Major bummer. Hugs to you!
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