That throw-up feeling

Only one time have I really ‘lost my cookies’ after over-exerting myself while exercising. I remember it vividly and suggest reverting back to Pinterest if you get easily bothered by the topic. It was the summer before my sophomore year of high school, and my basketball team was training hard in the off-season. We would typically run a few miles and then run a few hills on the ever-intimidating, unforgiving Big Bear Hill – often frequented by Chicago Bears’ Matt Forte and the equally-skilled Vernon Hills Girls Basketball team. We trained by doing Coach B’s special ‘straights’ and ‘ends.’ Straights consisted of a straight sprint up the center of the hill, starting from the path to the very top – about a 30-second grueling climb if done at Coach B’s preferred speed. ‘Ends’ are drills that many of us would prefer not mentioning again. You start on the far right side of the hill, sprint straight up to the top, back down the middle on a diagonal and back up the top from the left side. Coach B liked these to be done in one minute. On this particular sunny morning, Coach B decided to really test our strength on the hill. After about a 2 mile run, we did a sequence consisting something like a couple of straights, a few ends and maybe another straight or two for kicks.

Before I get into the ‘incident’, I will explain to the best of my ability the dynamic of summer basketball training. As players, we liked to call these days as Coach B’s mandatory-option. He can’t make us show up in the summer, but he can make personal decisions during the season based on our commitment during the summer months. We also had the seniors, older siblings and the rest of Vernon Hills expecting us to show up physically and mentally each day.

I scarfed down a full bagel with cream cheese and banana on this morning, thinking it would really wire me up. I guess this may have been the day I learned about proper fueling before a run. During one of the ends, I had a feeling that had only been previously induced by stomach flu. I drove myself past the point of exhaustion on the way up the hill and nearly collapsed by the time I reached the top. The next few minutes are blurry as my full breakfast came right back up, twice maybe three times in all. After a few minutes of self-control, I felt amazing. The funny thing about athletes is that most of them congratulated me and were proud to call me a teammate. My mom also gave me a big hug for my first real heave. Seriously, strange. I remember the morning fondly and secretly wish it was just as publicly appropriate to do again. I can recall several cross country meets, basketball games and even a few intramural games when the same feeling comes up. I am usually forced to withdraw some of my energy, however, to benefit the aroma of a gym.

In the past few weeks, my running has suffered due to an over-exertion in the other part of my busy life. It finally took a very important person other than myself to give me a reality check. Perhaps the reason I feel over-stressed is that I’m not running. This person told me that my body is a lot more capable than I think it is – a mantra I have lived by since that morning when I saw my breakfast at the top of Big Bear Hill. Once I realized my lack-of-running-induced bad attitude was starting to affect others, I didn’t have a choice. I got on the treadmill the other night and ran into oblivion. I had that feeling again and seriously considered going through with it. I am too pleased, however, with the newly-fresh work-out center our University just designed and decided against it.

My point once again reverts back to the people who influence me to push myself to the limit and then give more. I would never have the ambition or strength to stand in front of a classroom every day or truck up a mountain (or Big Bear Hill) if it wasn’t for the people in my life. Our experiences are surface-deep without others to share them with.

Happy Trails.