What a weekend

I can't quite decide how to start this post ...

How do you count the calories you throw up?

Anyone interested in running 30 miles?

Have you ever tried to tell a breast cancer survivor she can't do something?

I honestly don't even know where to start ... and this is what happens when I don't blog every couple of days.

So I'll take a cue from Maria Von Trapp and "start at the very beginning" since it's "a very good place to start."

Last week, I got knocked down by a nasty summer bug. In fact, they sent me home from work Thursday and told me not to come in on Friday. I also missed school on those two days - and my training walks. But I was feeling better by Friday night and was able to give my sister-in-law and nieces a quick introduction to Kansas City bbq when they passed through town on their way to Des Moines.

A few weeks ago I signed up to volunteer for the 2010 Psycho Psummer Run Toto Run 50k Trail Run at the nearby lake. Yes, a 50k. They put me in charge of Aid Station at mile 5 and 20 and it was the most inspirational day I've had in awhile.

I met this amazing, stubborn, crazy woman who is 63, has survived breast cancer and refused to quit even though it took her more than 3 hours to hit mile 5. Her daughter passed away this year and was signed up for the race so she was doing it for her. Can you just imagine? To read more about her, click here.

When a run is longer than a marathon, it's considered an ultrarun. And those who run them are CRAZY. I mean this is a good way, of course. The amazing endurance, strength and physical prowess on display Saturday was just so amazing! (And I got to rub sunscreen on some of it!)

Seriously, when I finish my 3-Day training, I am going to start running. I went into training to run a 5k a couple of years ago and got myself up to 2 miles, but stopped when a dog attacked me. But I want to have a body like the women I saw this weekend. I want to be physically impressive. And I want to show people just how much I've changed in body AND mind.

Anyway, running 50k takes awhile - and they don't call it endurance volunteering for nothing. I was lugging pitchers of water and cutting fruit for more than 8 hours. Outside.

I felt good when things started. I was drinking a lot of water and peeing a lot, but I didn't bring a lunch and couldn't bring myself to eat most of the snacks we had for the runners because they were so high in calorie. So, I ate a lot of fruit and nothing else.

Big mistake.

My head started hurting after the first hour and didn't stop until late Sunday evening. When my Aid Station closed after the last runner finally came through, I raced home and made it just in time to hug the toilet. It was awful. I spent the rest of the evening in bed. Kevin brought me saltines and Sprite Zero and that was dinner.

Then, when I awoke on Sunday, every muscle in my body felt like beef jerky - completely dried out. I spent the day eating saltines and drinking water. Deciding I needed to move a bit, I went with Miss Abigail to see Eclipse and drank more water and ate popcorn.

I ate a lot of salt on purpose. Clearly, I had overheated and lost a lot of electrolytes and sodium while working Saturday. So, diet aside, it was important to gain those back - and keep hydrating myself. No matter how much you are working, when heat is involved, it is important to keep your body full of the proper electrolytes. When I go on my long walks I alternate 50 ounces of water with 32 ounces of sports drink in order to achieve this. Long distance runners, however, take it even further and take salt pills at least once an hour. I need to get some of those tablets for the 3-Day! Clearly, I am highly susceptible to heat issues.

While helping my body recover Sunday, I still tried to stick to my calorie count ... which means I didn't get enough "real" food and I totally noticed a change in my demeanor by the evening.

I was a total monster and blame the lack of greens! I guess you are what you eat - and lots of sodium makes me SALTY.

I don't know what Weigh Day will be like for me this week - I'm not able to workout or train to my usual degree. Plus, I had to eat a lot of "bad" foods to help my body recover the electrolytes lost during my volunteering. Here's hoping I didn't cause myself too much damage!