A Trail Run Of Bad Decisions…

Last weekend, I had planned a small five-mile run with a friend. Now, this was coming off a week of mostly hiking and not a lot of trail running but I was feeling optimistic about my abilities. The friend that I agreed to run with is in way better shape than me but again, I was feeling confident that I could hack it. I, of course, was wrong but not necessarily because of my lack of abilities, more for my lack of smart decisions.

So for you the reader to avoid making the same very stupid mistakes I did before going on a trail run with a friend who you know your already gonna have to push hard to keep up with…I have written the following bad decisions that resulted in a really bad trail run.

Bad Decision #1: Eating two delicious green chili chicken tacos the night before said run.

Bad Decision #2: Washing those two tacos down with an equally tasty beer and refraining from backing up the beer with water.

Bad Decision #3: This one arose the next morning when the green chili worked its magic on my GI tract. This one is a bad decision as I ignored this as a warning sign of what was to come.

Bad Decision #4: Insisting that I only needed caffeine before said run and still refraining from drinking water even after experiencing the effects Bad Decision #3.

Bad Decision #5: Not eating a little something after Bad Decision #3.

Bad Decision #6: Not being honest with myself or my friend that I was feeling a little “less than fresh” before hitting the trail.

Bad Decision #7: Not having water with me during the run.

Bad Decision #8: Ignoring the deflated feeling in my body a mile into the trail run.

Bad Decision #9: Pushing off the fact I had to stop constantly throughout the run to actually breathe convincing myself it was just that I couldn’t run and talk at the same time.

Bad Decision #10: Not turning around when I started feeling a little dizzy from the heat.

By the time we had returned to our starting point and ending at four and a half miles, I was completely wasted. My friend who had no idea I was feeling as bad as I was, was trying to talk to me before heading back to her car. I really couldn’t tell you what she was talking about as all I could hear was the loud ringing in my ears (another huge red flag I was not okay). By the time we parted ways, I felt the dizzy feeling again and the sudden bodily urge to puke and vacate my bowels at the same time.

An hour later after sipping on some water, eating a little, and sitting directly in front of a fan I was feeling a little more normal. The stupidity of my situation was clear to me only then as I lay on a cold hard floor, I was dehydrated and showing signs of heat exhaustion. How stupid could I have been? I knew better, but to save face in front of my friend (who because she is my friend would have been totally understanding if I would have walked the whole time or even just canceled) I set myself up for a dangerous situation.

Morals of this Story: Even those who have experience with an activity of some sort can still make stupid mistakes and be extremely stubborn about those mistakes. No matter what your experience level in something, ALWAYS listen to your instincts and your body. And, if you’re adventuring with a friend and you’re not feeling up to the challenge tell them! They are your friend and will understand!