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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
→What Failed
=What Failed=
* '''Nausea'''. The nausea and stomach issues are concerning as I've had similar issues on several races. This is not entirely surprising given how common digestive issues are in ultra, but I need to understand the cause so I can avoid the issues in the future. Here are some thoughts on possible causes.
** '''Fuel.''' I used Ensure rather than my [[Fellrnr%27s Go Juice| Go Juice]], partly to see if this would help with the stomach issues and partly because the colder weather means that I didn't need so much hydration. While this might have caused an issue, I've had the problem with other fuels, so I don't think this is the case.** '''Dehydration.''' While it was cold and I was urinating well for most of the time, it's possible I had become dehydrated. The I found myself thirsty a few times in the race and drank some [[DIY Electrolyte Drink]] which seemed to help. For comparison, in the [[2011 North Coast 24 Hour National Championships]] I was drinking far more in that race and did not have stomach issues. ** '''Low Blood Pressure.''' I had symptoms of low blood pressure when after doing The the [[Morton Stretch suggests this may have been a contributing factor]], and had to be careful standing up again. ** '''Hyponatremia.''' The relatively sudden onset of the stomach problems, combined with their rapid increase in severity after I'd slowed down and after I'd stopped may be an important factor. I need to do further research into [[Hyponatremia]] and the role of antidiuretic hormones, as this may be a factor. ** '''Overheating.''' I was dressed to be comfortably warm for most of the time, which could have contributed to the nausea. At the [[2011 North Coast 24 Hour National Championships]] I was slightly underdressed to the point that I had to move at a reasonable pace to keep warm. ** '''Colonoscopy.''' I had a routine colonoscopy 10 days before the race, which may have upset my intestinal flora. I had a number of digestive issues after the procedure, so I believe this is a contributory factor. ** '''Tight Waistband.''' I like running in [[A_review_of_graduated_compression_wearA review of graduated compression wear| compression tights]], as they help my legs, but they have a tighter waistband that may cause stomach problems. I swapped to some other tights with a much looser waistband after the problems started, and it might have helped, but it was probably too late.
* '''Piriformis'''. While this was a major problem in this race, I understand what happened, so I'm less concerned with it than the nausea. Insufficient time to recover from my last race is the underlying cause, but more importantly, I didn't do enough to fix the muscle. Between races the Piriformis was only twinging occasionally, so I underestimated the problem. In addition to the expected muscle pain I also had some significant pain from both Achilles, which I worked out later was the Achilles bursae, not the tendons. Pain from connective tissue always worries me more than muscular pain, as muscle heal quickly compared with other structures.
* '''[[Mood State]]'''. I'm not sure if it's the time of year, but I always find my mood state is lower just after Christmas. I found myself climbing the [[The Ivan Scale Of Perceived Suffering| Ivan Scale]] rather quickly and struggling with negative thoughts. Listening to some audio lectures ([http://go.fellrnr.com?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=Self&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAnyone-Really-Perspectives-Abnormal-Psychology%2Fdp%2F2876846659 Perspectives on Abnormal Psychology]) helped, and I wished I had more loaded.
