A Half Marathon, Hospital Stay, And Running 55KM

After crossing the finish line of the Two Rivers Half Marathon last weekend, I was thrilled about my time, but more excited to ask my dad about my son, Bryce. I was certain he had won the race so I was eager to find out if he had also broken the 1:20 barrier. When he told me that Bryce was on the way to the hospital, I initially laughed because I was convinced he was joking. Unfortunately he was not.

 It was unseasonably warm for March and because he was running so fast and feeling great for most of the race, he didn’t drink much. Crossing the finish line (in first place by over SIX minutes!) he staggered and struggled to stay upright, so people rushed to help him to the ground and give him fluids. Even after being in the AC in the ambulance for a few minutes, he continued sweating profusely and couldn’t remember the last mile of the race. Out of an abundance of caution, they sent him to the hospital to get fluids via an IV.

He finished in 1:19, so I still had many miles left to my race, and of course, was oblivious to any of this. I was happily running along, feeling surprisingly strong (even though I had gone out way too fast) wondering when I’d completely blow up.

 My husband followed the ambulance to the ER while my dad stayed back to wait for me to finish. My son kept insisting that everyone tell me he was fine and not to worry. I thought that was so sweet, but of course, when I heard the news, I silently freaked out. There was no cell service at the race so I felt completely helpless not being able to get in touch with my husband. But everyone kept insisting he was fine so I chose to believe it.

When I was finally able to talk to Paul, he put me on speaker as the doctor gave them the rundown. Bryce was feeling much better, but his troponin levels were extremely high (1300 instead of the normal below 50!). That’s typical after an endurance event or extreme exertion, but also after a heart attack or it could signal heart damage. They decided to keep him overnight to monitor him and rule out underlying cardiac issues. They would have ruled it out much sooner if they had someone to do an echocardiogram, but since it was a Saturday afternoon they did not. Yes — our healthcare system around here totally sucks.

At home I packed a bag, dumped the chili my husband made earlier that morning into a pot (I knew the vegan options would be nonexistent) and headed to the hospital. We ended up having a sleepover in the cardiac unit (did we even sleep?) and waited for the echo Sunday morning. His blood tests were thankfully returning to normal, he had no other symptoms and his echo came back fine. (“I wish everyone’s pictures were this beautiful today,” remarked the radiologist.) The cardiologist and hospital doctor gave him a clean bill of health, determining it was mostly dehydration. As a mom, I’m grateful for the abundance of caution, but the overnight was definitely unnecessary. However, we made the most of it (thank God for Parks and Rec and The Office) and I’m grateful I could be there.

Of course, none of us expected the day to turn out as it did. I felt bad because Bryce won the race but didn’t get to celebrate with everyone, so I brought his medals to the hospital and eventually we were all laughing at the situation. Think about it. He was winning by over SIX minutes, yet he pushed himself to the brink just to get that PR. That sounds crazy, but if you’re a runner or compete in sports, you can totally relate and you’re thinking that makes a great race story!

Even though the day had an unexpected twist, there were so many positive takeaways:

Bryce won and PR’d and learned how critical it is to hydrate. (Yes, he’s been lectured!)

Since it was an out and back course, I got to see Bryce in the lead and cheer for him as he made his way to the finish which fired me up. 

I ran 15 minutes faster than I thought I could. I was aiming for sub 2:30 but secretly hoping that my body would cooperate so I’d be closer to 2:20. I ran 2:13 which totally shocked me. I’m thrilled with how I ran and not only because of the time.

I had a mental breakthrough! I talked positively to myself, and didn’t freak out about the faster pace at the start. I encouraged myself to go for it and shut out the voice that told me  “slow down, you’ll never make it, it hurts too much”, blah blah blah.

The magic formula for me was focusing on one mile at a time. Breaking it down into bite-size pieces made it easier to believe I could keep going. 

The weather and scenery was beautiful! God brought me through so much these past few years and I could sense him in the river, sunshine, trees, and the other runners.

I was so grateful that my feet didn’t bother me at all. What a welcome change from barely being able to walk back in August.

Over 15 people from our running club participated and brought friends and family to cheer us on. We even had a tent on which they hung homemade banners with the names of our clubs beautifully displayed on them. The camaraderie felt awesome. I even commented to Bryce that it felt like we were back at a cross country invitational, which of course made me smile.

The doctors and nurses took great care of Bryce and did everything they could to make us all comfortable. Everyone knew him as the marathon runner — even though they had no clue how far he actually ran. No, a marathon is not a half marathon and neither distance is 5 miles!

I’m so proud of Bryce for making the most of the situation. He didn’t get to celebrate with everyone and he had to cancel weekend plans, but not once did he complain. He took it all in stride, was extremely thankful to everyone and remained positive and cheerful the entire time.

With a half now in my rearview mirror, I’m ready to step things up to focus on the 55K which is three months away!! (What??) I’m not gonna lie, it still seems impossible and crazy, but a month ago I never thought I’d finish a half like I just did. It will be extremely challenging for sure, but all the lessons I learned last weekend will undoubtedly help me as I prepare. When I start getting nervous and overwhelmed, I’m simply going to tell myself I’m super excited. We’re headed into the unknown and what could be more exciting than that? Either way, I’m ready and more motivated than ever to get this done!