Me Hungry. Me want cookie.

18 miles was the goal today. I was rocking it through the half marathon distance with the help of my awesome sister in law stowing away a refill of water in her mail box. Water never tasted so good! About 14.85 (I say "about" but thanks to the garmin I know it was "exactly") I began getting hungry. I knew that could mean trouble but hoped my chomps would be enough to push me through.

It wasn't.

I walked from mile 15 to 17.35 where I stepped over my pride to call it done. Throughout this journey I've been pretty hard core about the watch reading EXACTLY the miles the training plan says, but today my body was F.I.N.I.S.H.E.D. I grabbed the first things in the house to eat and water and landed on the floor. I've been exhausted before but I don't think I have ever pushed my body to this level. I was afraid I would pass out and someone would find me on their lawn. I made a promise that if I saw someone I knew, or even if a stranger stopped to check on me, hitching a ride was happening.

I wasn't hungry or thirsty. I was confused. I was cold. And after a decade long streak of no throwing up I began to think it was going to be broken. My imagination was running wild after watching too many episodes of Man VS Wild because I would pass flowers, plants, and the tiny pumpkin I saw in the road and wonder if it was safe to eat them! This sounds crazy because this all occurred in under 3 miles- but I was moving at a 24 minute mile pace.

It was a doosey.

But here I am, beginning to feel normal. And this is why I train. Its practice for the real deal. I learned that I need more fuel! Gotta eat on the run... That the body is amazing. I also learned I have some awesome friends that checked up on me and offered to help afterward when I was acting crazy.

I also learned, or more so am becoming convinced with every run, my nostrils sweat.