Runs Gone Wrong #5

Before my trip to the Richmond Marathon - November 2009
Just four weeks into my renewed running routine, I didn't have much pressure to pile on mileage, but I also wanted to just get things moving along. I had a 7 pm train ride to Richmond to watch the marathon, and with two hours to spare after work I decided to make a trip to the bank and a run around the Mall, a total of six miles. I made it a little more than two miles. Once I reached the Mall, I started to feel woozy. My heartrate picked up, and I slowed to a jog, then a walk, then I sat down on a bench, then a curb, then the ground. I realized pretty quickly that I wasn't going to make the full six miles, so I started to trot back to the office, but soon that too was too much effort. As I caught my breath, the mid-November chill got to me, and I faced the dilemma -- whether to get back to the office fast and possibly pass out or walk and be really cold. I compromised and slowed my gallop when I got dizzy. I had eaten lunch at noon, so I didn't think that was a factor, but I realized I had my debit card in my pocket from my trip to the bank, so I stopped at Au Bon Pain and bought a danish, which helped a little, but then I saw a McDonald's and reduced myself to buying a meal there. It was terrible, but I made it back to the office, showered and got on the train, where I waited for an hour and a half past the departure time for a replacement engine to be attached.