I occasionally get slammed with nausea after long, very hard runs. Yesterday I did 2:10 mostly at LT with a good amount slightly above and some peaks as well.
A couple of caveats, I have had a crappy training schedule - for the last 3 weeks I have only done one long run on the weekend. Also, this run ended up being after lunch - I ate reasonably well, not too much, not too little.
After coming back, I did a 10 minute cool down, 10 minutes of stretching, gulped 8 oz soymilk with a tablespoon of whey powder, took a long shower, laid down for 5 minutes of deep relaxation. As soon as I got up, I was nailed.
For two hours all I could do was lay down and fight back nausea. Right at two hours, it passed and I was able to eat.
Besides the obvious - work out more during the week - is there anything I am missing or doing? Do you think the nausea is due to a fairly high heartrate for an extended time - am I processing a ton of lactate?
This happened to me once last season in the summer. I was in better shape and it was a lot hotter. I slammed an endurolyte when I got back and chowed on a bunch of random stuff. This time I heaved it all up but still had the extended nausea.
My wife was pissed because I missed a wine tasting party we had a babysitter scheduled for (she went without me )
I used to/sometimes still do have a similar problem after really hard workouts or races. Basically I feel fine during, and right after, but then I get this unbelievable stomach pain of which the only cure seems to be lying down in the fetal position and taking a nap for a few hours. I’ve told this to other athletes and doctors and they never seem to grasp the craziness of the pain, but your post sounds awfully familiar. I’ve started doing three main things differently that have helped immensely.
Make sure my digestive track is pretty empty before the workout. When you go at a hard intensity all the blood leaves your digestive track to help get oxygen to your muscles. When you start exercising, all the blood goes back to you stomach and anything that was in there has moved around bad feelings arise.
take in more fluids and electrolytes during the workout. I used to think having too many of these was causing the problem so I’d take less and less. But I think one of the causes is that I’m simply dehydrated/malnourished. This is especially true for the long runs b/c most runners dont carry anything to drink with them.
After the workout, if you don’t feel hungry, don’t eat! This is the most effective for me. Everything you read says"eat a crap load of carbs and protein withing 30 minutes of stopping". But seriously, think of it this way, if you just did a 2 hour+ high intensity workout, your body needs to refuel. i.e. you should be REALLY hungry. But if you don’t fell hungry, wait until you do and then eat. I usually have to wait over 2 hours to eat after a race, and just try to sip on some gatorade during that time to get some calories in. Yes, you may not have an optimal recovery b/c you’re waiting to eat, but it is better than being immobilized by stomach pain for hours.
That is the strategy that works for me, hopefully it does for you, too.
as i think about it, i probably was dehydrated. i only carried 16oz on my fuel belt - which is usually enough when i run with the group (slow - doing galloway 8min run/1 min walk) but i wanted to power through.
i ran out of water about 1:30 - took the final swig and said well its not really hot, just slow down and coast in.
also, the running mid day with the second round of coffee and a light lunch really didnt help. the feedback about the empty stomach is very valid i think.
stupid not to bring all 4 bottles for 32 oz - and i probably need to buy a 6 bottle fuel belt for the saturday 20 miler…
i understand that you did a long run and it was hard!!! But to say you ran 2h10 near LT with a good amount over. I will be a bit concern…only the best marathonner in the world will do such thing as near LT for 2:05 in a race/taper and they dont go over!!! So, i think you did ran hard but the intensity was probably nowhere near what you describe.
as for been sick after a hard run, maybe dehydrated. When doing hard exercice, the blood flow going to the digestive systeme is greatly reduce and that upset many people.
for exemple, 2 days ago, i did 36 minutes total of z4 work and i could not eat for the next 4h… definitly not feeling too good. This happen to me at mostly every hard run that i will do or races…
the only thing that help for me is to run very early in the day… morning… but even then…
i understand that you did a long run and it was hard!!! But to say you ran 2h10 near LT with a good amount over. I will be a bit concern…only the best marathonner in the world will do such thing as near LT for 2:05 in a race/taper and they dont go over!!! So, i think you did ran hard but the intensity was probably nowhere near what you describe.
well according to my polar heart rate monitor i was very close to LT (167) for the whole time. yes i had some recoup down to 160, but i ran most of the second half at 168 to 172.
maybe i wasnt watching enough when i was going slow in the mid 160s. but it really was very close to threshold the entire time. doesnt mean i was going very fast
I am very familiar with this phenomenon. It has happened to me after each of my 4 marathons, about 10% of my long runs over 16 miles and after a handful of half marathons.
Dehydration is a possibility, and likely a component regardless. But for me, it turns out to center around my blood volume returning to my stomach after extended time in my legs. I think this is likely what is happening to you due to the delayed nature of the symptoms. I have learned to control this nausea (and it is BAD!!!), by only drinking water after prolonged training or racing. After a couple of hours, I have a wave of feeling OK overwhelm me, and I can gorge myself properly.
… After a couple of hours, I have a wave of feeling OK overwhelm me, and I can gorge myself properly.
thats EXACTLY what i experience. i am going to try this run again and definitely hydrate better, and not do the PROTEIN SLAM immediately after the run - even according to the extreme jeopardy i will place my recovery in
Not to completely digress from your post but I agree w/ Jonnyo on this one. Your LT is typically defined as the heartrate you can maintain for 1 hour all out. If you can do most of your 2:10 run at what you think is your LT, then you need to re-test yourself because it is no longer your LT. That is a good sign as it means you are now able to maintain for a sustained effort, a heartrate that used to be your one hour max.
As for your question, I have the same problem with any race I do. I attribute it to the fact that all your blood has been diverted from your digestive system to the systems that need it, you’re dehydrated to some degree and it just takes a while to re-adjust. Personally, I just go with it and listen to my body as it adapts back to normal function.
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but it really was very close to threshold the entire time. doesnt mean i was going very fast 