Tough thing

Early this morning I got an e-mail from Selma about a man that had participated in yesterdays marathon.  It was sad news and I thought one way and the other about if I would even mention it here.  There isn't really a lot of news so far except that this 32 year old man crossed the finish line, collapsed, and died.  The young daughter of a friend at work actually was there and working as a medical volunteer when it happened.  They tried to revive him but he never came around.  I asked my friend how this daughter was doing.  He admitted she was upset and there is no mistaking I understand it must have been tough on her.
And how tough is something like this on everyone?  It was tough on Selma.  I could tell.  She ran the half marathon with me last year.  It's got to be tough on other runners.  I've heard of this happening before.  I've read articles about someone over-hydrating during a race.  Yes. Over-hydrating...it's possible and it killed her.  You have to remember that the odds are not very high for this type of thing to happen.  They believe this 32 year old man yesterday might have had cardiac arrest.  I read there is only a 1 to 50,000 chance that someone will die from it.  There has to be more to the story but even when the autopsy is complete I don't know how much it will really tell us.  I don't.
I wonder since these races have become so widespread that people don't realize it isn't something you decide to do the week before, register and run.  You cannot possibly be prepared for this type of physical endurance without putting in a lot of miles over a period of time.  You can't.  It takes that time because your body needs to build and you have to be aware of what goes on while you are doing it.  How long and how much trial an error did I put in just to figure out dry wheat toast is about all I tolerate when going out for a long run?  Trainers and articles written by experts will give you a list of things to eat prior but the dry toast is the only thing that works for me.  Everything else upsets my stomach on long runs.  I wouldn't know that if I didn't take the time to work that out while training prior to a race.  And there are so many other factors beside the physical that you might not know if you don't put the time in to train.  Don't run a race just to say you've done it. 
I don't know the circumstances surrounding what happened to this young man.  I don't have the answers to why this happened.  I do have Jay telling me to stop running half marathons every week.  I explained that in all likelihood that will not be the norm.  I explained I did that in my own neighborhood within a 4 to 5 miles radius of our home.  I always carry my cell phone, I have phone numbers on an metal ID clipped to my shoe and yeah - if I don't feel terrific, I'll walk a bit to even my breathing.  I have a phone to call if it ever got so bad that I needed someone to pick me up. 
It's a sad story and I will probably never know all the reasons why it happened.  I can only make the best and right decisions for myself.  I don't go at this blind.  I have facts and experiences.  If I don't feel well, I'll cut a run short.
It's a sad, upsetting, thing to have happened and everyone wishes it hadn't.  It's a tough thing.
 
Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it.
TT
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Tuesday, 11/15/11 - "The Medical Examiner says Fernandez's autopsy was inconclusive".