For several years [this is the 8th] I have competed in the Burley Lion's Spudman Triathlon. This is an Olympic distance triathlon that is very popular in the western united states. It is popular because the swim is in a river and also because of the family-friendly race atmosphere and the laid-back nature of the people who run it. This race is coming up next week and it is my favorite race that I look froward to all year. In 2008 I was probably in the best shape of my adult life and had worked very, very hard to get ready for that race. I had been working out 2 hours a day. Getting up at 4:30am for brick work-outs in the pool, on the bike and running hard. About 3 days before the 2008 race I started to get sick. I was nauseated and lethargic. As you can imagine I was very, very frustrated.
It got worse and the day before the race I just decided I would do the race no matter what. I had worked so hard that my good sense just evaporated. The night before we have a tradition of carb-loading with a big spaghetti dinner. Race day came and I gutted through the mile swim. As I was about 100 yards from the river exit, I vomited heavily. It made a slick of red sauce and chewed up spaghetti noodles. I just powered through and ran up the bank and into the bike transition area. I actually felt a lot better after this. As I was getting my bike gear on in the transition area, I could hear racers yelling and complaining about swimming through puke. One guy next to me was covered in chewed up noodles and was dry-heaving as he took off his wetsuit. I just quietly left as fast as possible. I later learned I had Cryptosporidium and was sick for another week. Hopefully this year I can stay healthy....
1 comments:
LOL... This is EPIC.
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