Was it the hard-boiled egg at breakfast or the dumplings at last night’s dinner? That is the question.

It is never a good thing when this genre of question is the topic of discussion, especially when it pertains to you. Unfortunately, this was the case for me yesterday, as I came down with run-of-the-mill food poisoning. Run-of-the-mill or not, food poisoning is never fun; but, it is also something I expected to deal with at least once along the way.

I knew something wasn’t right in the belly after breakfast, but I hoped it would just be a passing discomfort. As we drove to our first exchange point, where we were scheduled to begin running at 3pm, I could feel the nausea rising, and my hope of it passing quickly faded. After getting sick on the side of the road, the bugs unsympathetic in their usual attack, it was clear that I would not be running that day, and the rest of my day was spent horizontal in the van. Those 8 hours until we reached our next hotel, as my teammates unwaveringly covered the additional 10 miles in my stead, were not pleasant, but I did manage to sleep for much of it, and took some solace in the fact I knew this type of sickness would pass very quickly.

My teammates and the staff were wonderfully supportive and empathetic throughout, especially Doctor Julie, who has a very kind and light disposition. After a long night’s sleep at the hotel, I felt much better this morning; but, despite my improved condition, Doctor Julie insisted I take another day off running to make sure I properly re-hydrated and re-energized. Although my tendency would have been to push on and run today, I realize now that there is still a long way to go in this run and resting another day was the right call. My teammates have (jokingly, I hope) informed me that they are happy to make up my miles again today, so long as I promise to run 30 miles tomorrow.

After catching a ride straight ahead to the next hotel with another staff vehicle, I’m now just resting, drinking lots of water, and making solid progress on Anna Karenina. It feels funny to be away from my team!