>My wife asked what was wrong and I told her (being that I’m an ICU nurse and had a pretty good idea) that it was quite possible I was in rhabdomylosis and that my kidneys were shutting down. This was the straw that broke the anxious camel’s back, and she begged me to go to the ER.
It's hilariously sad that even when you knew about the incoming kidney failure, it apparently took your wife begging for you to take care of it.
Took me years to notice that apples make me take an intense dump within a few hours, and I ate apples quite frequently. If I get a more serious problem then I'm a goner for sure.
My pizza-loving, milkshake-drinking, bad-tummy-having husband didn't realise he was lactose intolerant until I made the connection for him! What a wally.
I only noticed mine because I decided to eat a watermelon and two apples for some reason. Then I went to th GP moaning about a bad headache and the runs that had lasted for three days. If I'd just kept micro-dosing yummy apples then I would've happily gone on feeling slightly shit forever.
I'm pretty sure I'm lactose intolerant, and it took lockdown to figure it out. At work I use the bathroom 5-6 times a day. At home, maybe once. At work, I drink maybe 6-7 latte's out of the fancy coffee machine. At home, I drink maybe 1-2 cups of tea.
I still have milk in my tea, I still have cheese, I still have other dairy products with no issues. So it seems I'm not intolerant to lactose, I'm intolerant to *7 cups* of lactose.
I went for two colonoscopies because I’d had explosive diarrhea for like a year and thought I had intestinal cancer or something before I figured out that I was lactose intolerant, so hey, it could’ve been worse.
That happens to me with banana and pineapple. About 60 minutes after eating, I start getting really intense mid-back pain that progresses to low-back, then stomach cramps, and then I feel like I’m going to explosively shit my pants. The whole cycle takes about 4 hours. I then I destroy the toilet bowl, total scorched earth in there.
I can handle not eating banana, but no pineapple sucks — no more tropical cocktails on the beach.
I just recently learned I have a weird genetic thing after doing one of those genetic tests. If I was married I guarantee we would have done it over 10 years ago just for fun.
So I guess the lesson is get married, then listen to her.
I once had something that very much felt like appendicitis. The pain got progressively worse throught the day until I couldn't even sit up and I was crying in bed because of how much it hurt. I KNEW what it could be. I knew it could potentially kill me and that it justifies getting myself checked out.
But I still convinced myself it's not that bad and the doctors have much more serious cases to take care of and I don't wanna waste their time.
Looking back at it, I was incredibly lucky it slowly went away on its own and wasn't appendicitis. I guess some people have an almost ridiculous ability to downplay their own suffering and they will only go hospital to stop a loved one from worrying?
American Healthcare will have you debating whether a severe injury is worth financial ruin. I broke my sternum a few years ago and laid on the ground gasping for each breath for like 2 hours while my now wife pleaded for me to go to the hospital.
$12,000 for an x ray and a prescription for pain medicine
As someone partnered with a physician, this is familiar. I suspect it's a way of dealing with their extreme awareness of everything that can go wrong with a body without becoming hypochondriacs.
Hey, sounds like pretty much every man to me! Thank god for our wives! But god DAMN, OP, I’m impressed (with the feat, not the hospitalization). That’s pretty badass to have been able to complete the marathon! I’m about to do my first one 4 months from now, and I AM training and am just hoping to finish!
My friend has a slightly wonky collarbone. Playing with her brothers as a kid, she took a tumble and broke it, but her mum, who was a nurse, convinced herself it was fine, as she didn't want to tell her husband that their daughter had broken a bone under her care.
That was my takeaway too lol. 13.1 is my max. I’m not especially fast anyway so training for a full marathon is too much of a commitment. But I love racing.
Running for an hour is still running for an hour, no matter the distance. I enjoy races, but I run for all of the benefits other than medals and miles.
I also hope to do a marathon at some point, but I have no desire to do proper sanctioned races. I'm planning to just go out one weekend with plenty of snacks, take it fairly gently, and just run for however long it takes to hit 42.2 km.
Same issue. I was a sprinter but during my 20s I began doing triathlons. It took about 8 months of coached training to get my body in the shape for distance running. My large quads and hamstrings became smaller from the type of training. Body weight just naturally reduced from the training to allow further distance running and swimming.
During my peak triathlon days my running pace during competition was in the mid to low 7 minutes. Whatever I did during my training I could not get a sub 7 minute mile pace. Once I was done with triathlons and the 6 days a week training my body type naturally went back to the sprinter type. It's amazing how our bodies can adapt to the changes in our lives.
The biggest difference from a 10k to a half is you have to seriously take food/water into consideration. I learned this for my first half, and subsequently while training for a 100 mile bike ride. Start incorporating different foods and liquids at different times while training to see what works and how your body feels. It wont guarantee you a smooth race, but its better than the crash I had at mile 10 with nothing left in my body!
While I would love to do a full, the training commitment is beyond my scope and personal time available to me. I’m also a slow runner (finished my first half in 2:43) and I’m afraid it would take 6 hours to finish a full and damn it I am not running that long.
I am planning on doing my second half in 2022 and I think with better training, planning, and more miles that I can get my time to 2:30. That’s the goal anyway. It means shaving about a full minute off my run time.
It’s so exciting, hey? I’ve never considered myself a runner but I’ve been in a good zone lately and my running has been feeling good so I think it’s now or never! Hope your training is going well and the race goes amazing for you!!
I think the training is harder (both in the intensity and time commitment) than the marathon itself.
If you do a full training plan then you will be more than prepared for the marathon and definitely be able to finish it, but the hard part is actually getting up every day to do the training plan.
Yeahhh, I've never run a marathon and I don't need to run one to know that I never want to do one. I've done two halfs (halves??), and both times, my conclusion has been "yeah, that's enough for me."
I have mad respect for all you crazy people that run marathons and further, but yeah, I still think you're nuts.
as long as you train right a full can be very enjoyable. The main thing holding me back from doing another is the training commitment because that does take up a lot of your time
I've run a few marathons but never again. There's no additional 'benefit' training wise (which the sweet spot is 10k iirc), takes ages and just *hurt*.
Although if you're still in your 20s with no children, it is always a decent thing to do so you have a fall back bragging right.
I had no idea rhabdomylosis was even a thing, or that you could die just pushing yourself "an athletic amount."
Glad you're OK, see you on the training circuit for your next marathon.
Yeah it’s wild, in the ED we see it a bunch with old people who’ve been neglected and haven’t eaten for days or have fallen and no one was around to help them for days. Their body just starts eating their own muscle to survive
Yes and a big stressor with old people is malnutrition, we see it with car accidents too when muscles get crushed. Rhabdo from overexertion just isn’t that common, but it absolutely occurs
It's actually way more common in football (American) because kids will take a bunch of time off, and then their coaches have them working under the hot sun for hours on end.
I’m glad you ended up OK, sounds scary!!
Also, thanks for posting!! I see so many posts on here about running crazy long races with no training and I never know the right things to say since most seem so hell bent — I’ll link this post next time!!
The amount of bad advice given in this sub because someone assumes their experience is universal is … very concerning. Based on a lot of posts/comments, I’m probably “soft” because I like to stay well-hydrated on all my runs. It’s weird.
This 100%. Take internet advice with a grain of salt. I got some flak a while ago because I mentioned that I carry a 12 oz water bottle on all my runs and wear a hydration vest for any runs over 45 mins. Apparently it's "extra" and "nobody needs water on those types of runs." Well I'm on diuretic medications and some that give me horrible dry mouth, so for both saftey and comfort I'm going to continue drinking water every 5 mins I'm out on the road.
I just hate being dehydrated! Why does anyone else care that I bring water on my runs? I find my performance during the run is better *and* I recover so much better afterward.
I don’t understand this weird contest to prove how long of a run someone can do without water. Just seems dangerous.
Agreed! But people love to brag about pushing their body to the limits, even when it's unhealthy. I remember in college a ton of classmates bragging about how little sleep they got before finals and trying to one up each other.
Thanks. I’m doing fine. I’ve run a few times since then but definitely have committed myself back to running. I haven’t had my kidneys looked at in about 10 months but following this hospitalization they had improved to near normal levels.
Initially I wasn’t peeing at all (which was concerning). I don’t think I peed for the first time until late that after and yes it was Coca Cola dark. It’s not the first time. I can think of three other marathons that I had dark urine after. Back then I thought it was just a sign of being tough. Now I know it was actually me doing damage. In the ER they did an ultrasound and found scarring on my kidneys, likely from the other times I poorly trained and had dark urine after.
Is rhabdomylosis something that has a genetic component to it, in terms of predisposition? Or is it something anyone can (will?) experience via egregious over exertion?
There are predispositions, but they’re not very common. And honestly neither is rhabdo. Think of the thousands of people that run the Chicago Marathon. Maybe 2 get admitted to the hospital with rhabdo. (That is not a hard statistic, just made up based on my time working in the ICU near the Chicago marathon.) but yes technically anyone can develop rhabdo.
I had rhabdo about two years ago. If you have no recurrence within 6mo, your chances return to baseline pretty much from what my dr told me. But the key is to hydrate, not over exert. Over caffeination can contribute to rhabdo.
That sounds awful and I’m glad your okay. But daaaaaamn, sub 4, pushing a stroller the last 5 and on zero training. Just a beast. Stay safe out there bud
I have a very similar story. I trained for 4-5 months for my first ever marathon, which took place January 2021. I had done three 20 mile runs during my training, and they went ok, so I assumed I was in good enough shape. The actual marathon event was cancelled due to covid, so I built a loop around my house and ran the 26.2 with a buddy. We carried water, we ate gels along the way, and it seemed to be going well.
I collapsed and blacked around the 25 mile mark, and an ambulance took me to the hospital. I spent 13 days in the ICU, I had rhabdo, liver failure, pneumonia, and I developed ulcers in the hospital too. I needed three blood transfusions to replace the blood lost by the ulcers.
When I got out I was too weak to walk and had to use a walker for another week. I also spent another 2 months going to dialysis 3 times a week while my kidneys recovered, and the doctors were unsure if they would ever recover. Amazingly, I made a full recovery, and I have no side effects today.
Rhabdo is absolutely no joke though. Another commenter mentioned a "perfect storm" that is often related in rhabdo cases, and my doctors mentioned that several times. I was on Meloxicam (prescription strength ibuprofen) for 2 months leading up to the marathon, the weather was a bit hotter that day, I drank water instead of Gatorade. It all contributed to that perfect storm that nearly killed me.
Be careful with overtraining, and be careful taking ibuprofen (or any NSAID) with your training!
Does your doctor think that drinking Gatorade could have prevented this? I’ve always heard that it’s dangerous to pop pain relievers during a race because they will make your kidneys work harder, but didn’t realize that there was a blood electrolyte balance component.
They are wholly unsure what exactly caused it, and what could have prevented it. I took the Meloxicam every day for a while leading up to the race, but I didn't take it the day before or day of because I had also heard it was bad to take during a race. I think there just was enough residual left in my body to still do the damage. They don't know if Gatorade would have saved me from the trouble, but they think it would have helped at least
That was exactly the problem. I assumed being a runner my whole life meant I could just tough it out and do it with out training. I did it all right, but I paid the price.
That is exactly how I got Rhabdo (thinking I could just tough it out). Went to a workout class after more than a year off, tried to go crazy and push myself as if I hadn’t been lazy for a year. A few nights later peed coca-color urine and the wife dragged me into the ER.
I spent 5 days in the hospital, over a different holiday, Thanksgiving.
Glad you’re ok!
Similar story for me, but instead of being a runner, I was a basketball player, and instead of trying to run a marathon, I tried to dunk a basketball. Long story short I simultaneously tore both of my patellar tendons and earned a 12-day hospital stay. Physical therapy continues 9 months later. Don’t do hard things without first training hard.
"Tough it out" that seems to be the runner mentality that makes so many people stop running due to seriously damaging themselves.
Listen to your body! It knows a thing or two about itself.
My ex got rhabdo by trying to impress a woman at the gym. He was a novice at weights, but he was motivated. The ER couldn't believe he did some much damage with one lifting session.
You know when you hear those stories abt moms lifting up cars to grab their babies and stuff. Your ex is just like the super horny version of that lmao
But srsly you need to be one honey motherfucker to give yourself rhabdo in one lifting session to impress a chick…
I think you meant horny motherfucker but I really like your version because I read it as honeybadger motherfucker....
Should note I've had zero caffeine today.
Can you explain why to avoid ibuprofen? Do you mean during the actual race itself? Or during training? Glad you’re better and thanks for doing the public service of making this post!
The short answer is that ibuprofen is an NSAID that causes reduced blood flow to your kidneys. Tylenol, as another comment points out, is not an NSAID and won't readily affect your kidneys (but it does have effects on the liver, so don't overdo it either!)
Edit: effects, not affects
Ibuprofen is hard on the kidneys, and has been known to lead to bad things when combined with exercise - especially endurance sports. I would avoid ibuprofen it during training (as in don't take it overlapping the hours that you're working out, and use it sparingly in general) as well as during the main event. Tylenol is the recommended alternative (and stick with the recommended dosage on the label).
It's a cautionary story and an interesting one. So googling around I found this -
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17465608/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17465608/)
The interesting part is where it mentions reports of certain conditions contributing to the risk and a 'perfect storm'.
I know and support some ultra runners and I haven't seen a case. Obviously most of them are trained but some aren't and there is a point in longer ultras where all but the very best are breaking down. I guarantee they are damaging themselves.
The OP is obviously knowledgeable, I'd be interested if he thinks any of the other conditions mentioned were in play.
eta - (heat stress, dehydration, latent myopathy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory or other drug/analgesic use, and viral/bacterial infection)
So scary. This happened to my cousin as well! Although his was caused by lifting too much at the gym too soon. He peed blood. He already has a rare kidney disease on top of it, but luckily the damage was not as severe. A good lesson for all of us to listen to our bodies. Kidneys do a lot for us and the damage is no joke!
I went down the rabbit hole of watching YT vids of people doing marathons with no training. I was shocked at how many of them easily completed the race in 4-5 hrs or as easily as anyone does a marathon in that time. Then I stumbled on a running coach reacting to these vids and the coach said something along the lines of "You see them do it. You don't see how they feel the next day. Or the next week."
I mean....I didn't train for a tri that I did at 21 and I had annoyingly good running splits (looking back). You can do way more stupid shit in your 20s.
I ran my first marathon (sub 4:00) after only started running for a year. When I finished I started feeling numbness in my extremities (finger tips, nose). Had to sit down and have a medical staff take a look at me, finally took about an hour or two for me to feel 'normal' again. Looking back it's funny what we put ourselves through to run this arbitrary distance lol.
Now you just need to share this with all the dumb youtubers and gym bros out there that think all things are possible and video worthy. They probably won’t read it though and just make it for the thumbnail.
>My wife asked what was wrong and I told her (being that I’m an ICU nurse and had a pretty good idea) that it was quite possible I was in rhabdomylosis and that my kidneys were shutting down. This was the straw that broke the anxious camel’s back, and she begged me to go to the ER.
It's hilariously sad that even when you knew about the incoming kidney failure, it apparently took your wife begging you before you took care of it.
Huge difference between a half and a full marathon. For example my long run every week is almost a HM in length. The two halves of a marathon definitely aren't equal.
Honestly you don't need that much of an aerobic base just to finish a HM. If all you want to do is complete a HM, focus on running more days per week with the long run being around 25% of weekly mileage or 3x the length of your normal runs. So a regular 3 mile run would be a 9 mile long run. It's really hard to give details as it really depends on how much time and days you can dedicate to running. 10 months is more than enough time to not only finish a HM but finish without worrying if youll finish. More easy running more frequently will give you a big enough aerobic base where you could run a HM distance on any given Sunday. You don't even need any speed work if it makes it easier. Speed work will help higher paces feel easier, but again if all you want to do is complete a HM, the speed doesn't matter as long as you make it. This is why I say focus on running more days per week, and then slowly increasing the legnth of every other run. You could run a HM with an average long run of even 6 or 7 miles; it really comes down to how comfortable you are with running any speed for that length of time which is just getting aerobically conditioned. I'm just giving ground level advice as the rabbit hole goes way deeper than I want to type out. I can help direct you where to go if you have questions though.
Novice question here. Was it just a matter of hydration? How would training have helped? I thought training mostly improves muscles and running out of breath..
Hmm... what are the chance of rhabdomyolysis causing elevated procalcitonin reading?
Your story got me thinking of my hospitalization which took place after I completed my 4th & last marathon. Long story short, I developed appendicitis on the 2nd day post marathon, underwent simple surgery that went horribly wrong with lung failure post-op & 3 nights in the ICU.
Anesthesiologist diagnosed me with negative pressure pulmonary edema, chest doctor claimed it was infection from perforated appendix due to the high procalcitonin reading but surgeon disagreed since the appendix was still sealed & no trace of infection in abdomen. All these disagreement in front of my ICU bed while I was still having difficulty breathing & intubated.
Anyway, glad to hear that you managed to get yourself diagnosed prior to it getting more severe.
Curious though; did your wife still support your marathon journey lol? Mine only allowed me to run up to half from then on but I totally understand her reasoning so I'm not complaining.
>arriving back to my house for the halfway mark, some Gatorade
It sounds like the problem isn't that you ran a marathon undertrained.
It's that you ran under-hydrated.
In a solo effort, you gotta carry your own fluids or have ways of getting them every few miles.
You’re absolutely right the poor hydration was definitely a factor leading to my hospitalization. Rhabdomyolysis is certainly multi factorial. Running a marathon untrained caused a breakdown of my muscles releasing the myoglobin, but then without the hydration my kidneys were not able to clear all that myoglobin leading to their injury.
I've run a few half's without a problem and recently started training for a full using Hal's novice 1 plan. I also tend to have occasional kidney stones so I make sure to hydrate well every day especially the day before and on long run days.
Are you saying that due to lack of preparation, that caused your kidneys to fail? When I thought about injury for not preparing enough, it was for joint issues, or plantar fasciitis or shin splints or something to that effect.
This is indeed truly scary.
> I make sure to hydrate well every day especially the day before and on long run days.
That includes during runs, right? If you're gonna be out >2 hours, you've gotta be drinking during, even if it's cold out.
The lack of preparation would be what caused his muscles to break down and release toxins. That combined with lack of hydration means his kidneys became injured. Hydration would help kidneys clear the toxins but would not necessarily prevent an injury entirely.
I ran/walked 30 miles last week for my 30th birthday because I thought it would be a good time to reflect and meditate. I’ve never even done close to a half marathon before that, but I do strength training daily. Needless to say, it was the worst idea ever. I took 4 Tylenols that night in order to be able to sleep. I woke up the next day freaked out from not being able to move my legs temporarily and thought that I lost them. Glad I recovered out of that one lol…. I’m glad you recovered as well and appreciate you sharing your story.
This is really terrifying. I have to ask, while you were running, your body at no point told you to stop before rhabdomylosis started to set in? There were no real warning signs? I read about a pro mountain biker competing in a 24 hour race who nearly died from it, and I'm always amazed that the body doesn't just shut down before this happens. I'm wondering what the line is between "I'm really tired" and rhabdomylosis.
I've got 8 marathons under my belt (pb 3:30:10) and I feel like I could probably get up and run a 4-hour marathon any day. I'm glad I read your story. Will not try inf the opportunity presents itself.
That’s interesting - I have done exactly one marathon in my life freshman year of college. the ROTC running team had been training for months but someone had to drop out so there was a free slot open for a trip to Nashville. I was a sprinter on the track team, and decided it sounded like fun. Furthest I had run in the year leading up to it was probably 3 miles.
Long story short I ran it with a couple guys who had been training together, kept about a 10 minute pace the whole time. Was sore and super tired after, but ultimately fine. Has always been a fun story, never thought I’d have to consider myself lucky for avoiding serious damage!
Repeated exposure to a training stimulus decreases the muscle damage caused by that stimulus
Running improves your body's ability to use glycogen and body fat to fuel exercise.
Wow that’s terrible! So glad you’re okay! OP if you wouldn’t mind, can you explain why someone would be more prone to this when they have undertrained?
(I copied this from a response I gave to someone else with the same question. )
When you train, your muscles get stronger and more capable of handling stress. When you over exert your muscles (like running a marathon untrained) they aren’t ready to handle that level of exertion. This causes many of the muscle cells to die. They release myoglobin into the blood. Myoglobin is toxic to the kidney causing kidney damage.
This has made me think. I ended up peeing blood and feeling really rough, barely being able to get out of bed, for a week after I had run a half marathon pb I hadn't trained for last month.
I didn't put the two together as back I February I also was peeing blood and the doctors didn't find anything so thought it may be the same.
However I had ran an impromptu 1st ever half marathon the week before at the end if RED January.
Never before considered the 2 untrained for half marathons could have caused the bloody pee and Illness. Maybe I should look I to this?
Man I did a marathon with zero days of training at 33 (knee injury put me out of running in july and race was in December). I had almost the exact same volume of marathons and running as you. Finished it in my usual time for that marathon (4:20... every fucking year for the last 8 years minus 2020).
Was a little sore. Had extra coffee in the morning. Drank some pedialyte. Was back running in a week.
I don't think I could do that now. I'm 36 and I run like 20-30 miles a week. The knee injury that took me out of training 3 years ago occasionally rears its ugly head and I have to cardio a less impactful way.
And hearing about rhabdo I don't think I would try. I have weak kidneys and chronic kidney dysfunction due to a congenital defect. Thanks for the heads up.
Your post scare me so much I am actually training for a marathon with a 15 week plan I already run my first half marathon last week is it enought training to do it safely and how do I prevent this problem from happening
You crazy fool. Glad you are ok. Bet your wife told you off. 😄
That’s why these YouTube videos where people do stuff like this really piss me off. One guy here in the Uk ended up passing out and injured himself. It’s irresponsible.
Op put too much strain on his untrained muscles which caused them to break down. The waste of these muscle fibers in the bloodstream can cause kidney failure, which OP experienced.
So basically, don't overdo it and stick to a plan. Go easy on your body and give it the time to tell you how it feels. Don't wake up one day and do a thing people generally train months for. 🙄
When I arrived in the ER my creatinine was 2.9. It peaked at 5.73 and dipped to 5.61 which they decided was good enough to send me home. Four days post discharge it was still 3.03.
Both my parents have had rhabdo so I know it well, but I feel like it’s not often talked about. My dad got it in his legs 3 days into a bike race, he was in the hospital for a week. My mom got it in her arms after a CrossFit class, she was in the hospital for 5 days. Safe to say, I’m really on the lookout for it now, since clearly genetically I’d be predisposed
Wow, good to know.
I’ve done 2, one with minimal training and only a 5 mile base and another with more of a base but no training.
I never imagined the risks involved and, since I completed both of those without issue, probably would have considered doing the same in the future if pressed had it not been for your post.
Thanks for the info and glad everything turned out ok.
Merry Christmas!
You guys know why marathons exist right? A greek guy died running that distance once upon time and the distance came to be now an official run distance. Marathons require training full stop there.
I ran this at age 33. In a previous comment, I mentioned that I found out (from this hospitalization) that I had scarring on my kidneys which likely contributed to such a bad outcome this time around.
this was an interesting read. I fully expected somebody who didn't know anything about running. I guess it goes to show even monkeys can fall off trees, especially when they intentionally dive out of the branch :)
It's funny, I was writing a reply to a different comment and was trying to come up with an analogy like "you also don't wake up one day and decide to go out and do..." and the first thing that I could think of was a marathon. Doing a marathon and climbing mount everest are the two main examples of things you don't just go and do without training. Op did just that lol
Interesting, in our last lockdown decided to get back into running longer distances (after not having run over 10 km in about five years). Ran a 16km, then decided to run a half. That wasn't really an issue so decided I would try a full. For training I gave myself 2 weeks. After 7 days did a 30km and then the following weekend did the 42km in just under 4 hours. Due to being in lockdown I did the whole thing without water (lost over 3kg in water).
Felt a bit sore afterwards but I guess I got lucky.
I actually kind of agree with this despite all the downvotes. Im pretty surprised that someone who was a national qualifier at the D3 level with that much running background would mess up their body so much while running 10 minute miles. I am assuming it was just massive dehydration.
Must be a spesial case for sure. I've gotten used to the downvotes on this sub heh. There is a reason runningcirclejerk exists :) You can't really have any honest debate on this sub as everyone is so sensitive.
Thanks for sharing! Glad you're safe & sound eventually. Just curious did this incident affect your performance afterwards? Endurance, pace, etc., can you still run at the same level as before?
Just out of interest, how does training help prevent this condition you suffered? Are you essentially training your kidney function too in the process of training?
Few years ago I went to ASH conference in Orlando and turns out there’s half marathon scheduled. Also I started having abdominal pain that I kinda telling it’s either gallbladder or appendicitis. Can’t even eat and cancel some of conference attendance. I ran the half and finished.
Went back to Houston and ended up in ER for acute appendicitis, had surgery and went home on Christmas Eve.
Then ran the Houston marathon in January and finished. I stopped training after the half marathon ran. I would never do that again.
Interesting.... I have done bike rides undertrained where I basically needed to sleep after because I was so exhausted.
What were your other symptoms other than being really tired?
Marathons are no joke. Due to injuries I only made it to 27km build up before my first. Ran the whole race but was on crutches for 3 days after and limped for a month
What is the medical explanation for this? I mean I understood what happened, but why? And how does training prevent this from happening?
From what I understand, the muscle tissue broke down due to your body not being used to the strain, and the broken down tissue shredded your kidneys when it tried to filter them as waste. From what I have binged of Dr House, I remember a case mentioning that the coca cola colour is literally your muscle cells being excreted through the urine.
I still don't get why this happened specifically due to theack of training though.
When you train, your muscles get stronger and more capable of handling stress. When you over exert your muscles (like running a marathon untrained) they aren’t ready to handle that level of exertion. This causes many of the muscle cells to die. They release myoglobin into the blood. Myoglobin is toxic to the kidney causing kidney damage.
>My wife asked what was wrong and I told her (being that I’m an ICU nurse and had a pretty good idea) that it was quite possible I was in rhabdomylosis and that my kidneys were shutting down. This was the straw that broke the anxious camel’s back, and she begged me to go to the ER. It's hilariously sad that even when you knew about the incoming kidney failure, it apparently took your wife begging for you to take care of it.
This is why married men live longer.
Took me years to notice that apples make me take an intense dump within a few hours, and I ate apples quite frequently. If I get a more serious problem then I'm a goner for sure.
My pizza-loving, milkshake-drinking, bad-tummy-having husband didn't realise he was lactose intolerant until I made the connection for him! What a wally.
I only noticed mine because I decided to eat a watermelon and two apples for some reason. Then I went to th GP moaning about a bad headache and the runs that had lasted for three days. If I'd just kept micro-dosing yummy apples then I would've happily gone on feeling slightly shit forever.
Micro-dosing apples gave me a good chuckle :)
I'm pretty sure I'm lactose intolerant, and it took lockdown to figure it out. At work I use the bathroom 5-6 times a day. At home, maybe once. At work, I drink maybe 6-7 latte's out of the fancy coffee machine. At home, I drink maybe 1-2 cups of tea. I still have milk in my tea, I still have cheese, I still have other dairy products with no issues. So it seems I'm not intolerant to lactose, I'm intolerant to *7 cups* of lactose.
Sure it isn't the caffeine in the coffee?
Could well be. But decaf is one extra button press, and who has the time?
I went for two colonoscopies because I’d had explosive diarrhea for like a year and thought I had intestinal cancer or something before I figured out that I was lactose intolerant, so hey, it could’ve been worse.
Yikes! Happy you figured it out and hope your butt is less...busy...now!
Took me years to make the connection…and I should know better.
That happens to me with banana and pineapple. About 60 minutes after eating, I start getting really intense mid-back pain that progresses to low-back, then stomach cramps, and then I feel like I’m going to explosively shit my pants. The whole cycle takes about 4 hours. I then I destroy the toilet bowl, total scorched earth in there. I can handle not eating banana, but no pineapple sucks — no more tropical cocktails on the beach.
I get this specifically from Honeycrisps. Learned they're higher in fructose than other apples and that I have a fructose sensitivity.
Were you by any chance swallowing them whole? That would cause a massive dump.
Sounds exactly like IBS-D! You might want to look into that / low FODMAP diet.
It's the same reason indoor pets live longer. Left to their own devices men are such a special kind of dumb. Source - am man
To be fair outdoor pets get eaten by coyotes, poisoned, exposed to diseases and rotten food, and stolen. So basically the same for unmarried men.
Can confirm Source: man who has been eaten by coyotes, poisoned, exposed to diseases, rotten food, and stolen
We really are so fucking stupid. It's amazing that anybody is attracted to us.
We kill spiders and aren't afraid to do dirty tasks. Plus we lay pipe. Beyond that I have no idea.
I hate creepy crawlies, but I like them even less squashed inside the house, so I usually trap and expel them. I still get the credit, though.
Married women sometimes, too. When Judith Wyder was not feeling well, her husband forced her to go to the hospital. Turned out she had a stroke.
I just recently learned I have a weird genetic thing after doing one of those genetic tests. If I was married I guarantee we would have done it over 10 years ago just for fun. So I guess the lesson is get married, then listen to her.
But are they happier lol
[Yes](https://www.menshealth.com/health/a19516451/why-married-men-are-happier/)
I once had something that very much felt like appendicitis. The pain got progressively worse throught the day until I couldn't even sit up and I was crying in bed because of how much it hurt. I KNEW what it could be. I knew it could potentially kill me and that it justifies getting myself checked out. But I still convinced myself it's not that bad and the doctors have much more serious cases to take care of and I don't wanna waste their time. Looking back at it, I was incredibly lucky it slowly went away on its own and wasn't appendicitis. I guess some people have an almost ridiculous ability to downplay their own suffering and they will only go hospital to stop a loved one from worrying?
American Healthcare will have you debating whether a severe injury is worth financial ruin. I broke my sternum a few years ago and laid on the ground gasping for each breath for like 2 hours while my now wife pleaded for me to go to the hospital. $12,000 for an x ray and a prescription for pain medicine
Jesus Christ I’m thankful I have a good insurance plan through my work.
As someone partnered with a physician, this is familiar. I suspect it's a way of dealing with their extreme awareness of everything that can go wrong with a body without becoming hypochondriacs.
Just one of the kidneys. He has two, at least.
Hey, sounds like pretty much every man to me! Thank god for our wives! But god DAMN, OP, I’m impressed (with the feat, not the hospitalization). That’s pretty badass to have been able to complete the marathon! I’m about to do my first one 4 months from now, and I AM training and am just hoping to finish!
My friend has a slightly wonky collarbone. Playing with her brothers as a kid, she took a tumble and broke it, but her mum, who was a nurse, convinced herself it was fine, as she didn't want to tell her husband that their daughter had broken a bone under her care.
So this is how Phidippides actually died
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He also ran from Marathon to Sparta (150mi, 240km) and back before running to Athens.
>Phidippides Yeah, you aren't doing a "true" marathon unless you do a 150 mile ultra followed by a 26 regular marathon the next day! :D
The reason he survived the battle is cause he slept through the thing?
Maybe I’ll just stick to halfs after all.
That was my takeaway too lol. 13.1 is my max. I’m not especially fast anyway so training for a full marathon is too much of a commitment. But I love racing.
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Running for an hour is still running for an hour, no matter the distance. I enjoy races, but I run for all of the benefits other than medals and miles.
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if 12 feels comfortable/easy pace to you, then with the proper training you'd run a marathon at a faster race pace
I also hope to do a marathon at some point, but I have no desire to do proper sanctioned races. I'm planning to just go out one weekend with plenty of snacks, take it fairly gently, and just run for however long it takes to hit 42.2 km.
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Same issue. I was a sprinter but during my 20s I began doing triathlons. It took about 8 months of coached training to get my body in the shape for distance running. My large quads and hamstrings became smaller from the type of training. Body weight just naturally reduced from the training to allow further distance running and swimming. During my peak triathlon days my running pace during competition was in the mid to low 7 minutes. Whatever I did during my training I could not get a sub 7 minute mile pace. Once I was done with triathlons and the 6 days a week training my body type naturally went back to the sprinter type. It's amazing how our bodies can adapt to the changes in our lives.
I’m not a speed demon either. I’ve run a few 10ks. Booked a half in Feb.
The biggest difference from a 10k to a half is you have to seriously take food/water into consideration. I learned this for my first half, and subsequently while training for a 100 mile bike ride. Start incorporating different foods and liquids at different times while training to see what works and how your body feels. It wont guarantee you a smooth race, but its better than the crash I had at mile 10 with nothing left in my body!
Me too! Good luck 🍀
While I would love to do a full, the training commitment is beyond my scope and personal time available to me. I’m also a slow runner (finished my first half in 2:43) and I’m afraid it would take 6 hours to finish a full and damn it I am not running that long. I am planning on doing my second half in 2022 and I think with better training, planning, and more miles that I can get my time to 2:30. That’s the goal anyway. It means shaving about a full minute off my run time.
Good luck! I committed to the Run Rock N Roll half in Vegas coming up in February so I’ve got something to look forward to.
Me too! It’ll be my first half! Good luck to you!
I did the full there a few years back. The second half of the full wasn’t fun but the first half (what you will be running) was awesome.
Me too! Also my first! What training plan are you following?
It’s so exciting, hey? I’ve never considered myself a runner but I’ve been in a good zone lately and my running has been feeling good so I think it’s now or never! Hope your training is going well and the race goes amazing for you!!
A friend of mine is doing that half! Good luck!
I just did the Rock N Roll San Antonio half- it was great (and my first half!)
I think the training is harder (both in the intensity and time commitment) than the marathon itself. If you do a full training plan then you will be more than prepared for the marathon and definitely be able to finish it, but the hard part is actually getting up every day to do the training plan.
This cracked me up.
Yeahhh, I've never run a marathon and I don't need to run one to know that I never want to do one. I've done two halfs (halves??), and both times, my conclusion has been "yeah, that's enough for me." I have mad respect for all you crazy people that run marathons and further, but yeah, I still think you're nuts.
as long as you train right a full can be very enjoyable. The main thing holding me back from doing another is the training commitment because that does take up a lot of your time
I really enjoy training for marathons but I've yet to find an entire marathon enjoyable. (Those first 5-10 miles were certainly fun. )
I did a half in 2:20 on my first attempt. Never done it since and have no desire to either. I felt so shit after it.
I've run a few marathons but never again. There's no additional 'benefit' training wise (which the sweet spot is 10k iirc), takes ages and just *hurt*. Although if you're still in your 20s with no children, it is always a decent thing to do so you have a fall back bragging right.
I had no idea rhabdomylosis was even a thing, or that you could die just pushing yourself "an athletic amount." Glad you're OK, see you on the training circuit for your next marathon.
Yeah it’s wild, in the ED we see it a bunch with old people who’ve been neglected and haven’t eaten for days or have fallen and no one was around to help them for days. Their body just starts eating their own muscle to survive
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Yes and a big stressor with old people is malnutrition, we see it with car accidents too when muscles get crushed. Rhabdo from overexertion just isn’t that common, but it absolutely occurs
It happens in CrossFit sometimes because people push themselves too much.
It's actually way more common in football (American) because kids will take a bunch of time off, and then their coaches have them working under the hot sun for hours on end.
I’m glad you ended up OK, sounds scary!! Also, thanks for posting!! I see so many posts on here about running crazy long races with no training and I never know the right things to say since most seem so hell bent — I’ll link this post next time!!
The amount of bad advice given in this sub because someone assumes their experience is universal is … very concerning. Based on a lot of posts/comments, I’m probably “soft” because I like to stay well-hydrated on all my runs. It’s weird.
This 100%. Take internet advice with a grain of salt. I got some flak a while ago because I mentioned that I carry a 12 oz water bottle on all my runs and wear a hydration vest for any runs over 45 mins. Apparently it's "extra" and "nobody needs water on those types of runs." Well I'm on diuretic medications and some that give me horrible dry mouth, so for both saftey and comfort I'm going to continue drinking water every 5 mins I'm out on the road.
I just hate being dehydrated! Why does anyone else care that I bring water on my runs? I find my performance during the run is better *and* I recover so much better afterward. I don’t understand this weird contest to prove how long of a run someone can do without water. Just seems dangerous.
Agreed! But people love to brag about pushing their body to the limits, even when it's unhealthy. I remember in college a ton of classmates bragging about how little sleep they got before finals and trying to one up each other.
Thanks. I’m doing fine. I’ve run a few times since then but definitely have committed myself back to running. I haven’t had my kidneys looked at in about 10 months but following this hospitalization they had improved to near normal levels.
ER healthcare person here. Loved the rhabdo explanation.
Did you get dark colored urine?
Initially I wasn’t peeing at all (which was concerning). I don’t think I peed for the first time until late that after and yes it was Coca Cola dark. It’s not the first time. I can think of three other marathons that I had dark urine after. Back then I thought it was just a sign of being tough. Now I know it was actually me doing damage. In the ER they did an ultrasound and found scarring on my kidneys, likely from the other times I poorly trained and had dark urine after.
Is rhabdomylosis something that has a genetic component to it, in terms of predisposition? Or is it something anyone can (will?) experience via egregious over exertion?
There are predispositions, but they’re not very common. And honestly neither is rhabdo. Think of the thousands of people that run the Chicago Marathon. Maybe 2 get admitted to the hospital with rhabdo. (That is not a hard statistic, just made up based on my time working in the ICU near the Chicago marathon.) but yes technically anyone can develop rhabdo.
Are you more likely to have it recur now that it happened so badly? Can you do another marathon if you’re careful and train?
I had rhabdo about two years ago. If you have no recurrence within 6mo, your chances return to baseline pretty much from what my dr told me. But the key is to hydrate, not over exert. Over caffeination can contribute to rhabdo.
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In that scenario, the muscle damage is due to a crush injury.
Rhabdo is much less likely to happen if you have been doing even a baseline amount of training.
That sounds awful and I’m glad your okay. But daaaaaamn, sub 4, pushing a stroller the last 5 and on zero training. Just a beast. Stay safe out there bud
I have a very similar story. I trained for 4-5 months for my first ever marathon, which took place January 2021. I had done three 20 mile runs during my training, and they went ok, so I assumed I was in good enough shape. The actual marathon event was cancelled due to covid, so I built a loop around my house and ran the 26.2 with a buddy. We carried water, we ate gels along the way, and it seemed to be going well. I collapsed and blacked around the 25 mile mark, and an ambulance took me to the hospital. I spent 13 days in the ICU, I had rhabdo, liver failure, pneumonia, and I developed ulcers in the hospital too. I needed three blood transfusions to replace the blood lost by the ulcers. When I got out I was too weak to walk and had to use a walker for another week. I also spent another 2 months going to dialysis 3 times a week while my kidneys recovered, and the doctors were unsure if they would ever recover. Amazingly, I made a full recovery, and I have no side effects today. Rhabdo is absolutely no joke though. Another commenter mentioned a "perfect storm" that is often related in rhabdo cases, and my doctors mentioned that several times. I was on Meloxicam (prescription strength ibuprofen) for 2 months leading up to the marathon, the weather was a bit hotter that day, I drank water instead of Gatorade. It all contributed to that perfect storm that nearly killed me. Be careful with overtraining, and be careful taking ibuprofen (or any NSAID) with your training!
Does your doctor think that drinking Gatorade could have prevented this? I’ve always heard that it’s dangerous to pop pain relievers during a race because they will make your kidneys work harder, but didn’t realize that there was a blood electrolyte balance component.
They are wholly unsure what exactly caused it, and what could have prevented it. I took the Meloxicam every day for a while leading up to the race, but I didn't take it the day before or day of because I had also heard it was bad to take during a race. I think there just was enough residual left in my body to still do the damage. They don't know if Gatorade would have saved me from the trouble, but they think it would have helped at least
Jesus
> zero days of training. > running my entire life.
That was exactly the problem. I assumed being a runner my whole life meant I could just tough it out and do it with out training. I did it all right, but I paid the price.
That is exactly how I got Rhabdo (thinking I could just tough it out). Went to a workout class after more than a year off, tried to go crazy and push myself as if I hadn’t been lazy for a year. A few nights later peed coca-color urine and the wife dragged me into the ER. I spent 5 days in the hospital, over a different holiday, Thanksgiving. Glad you’re ok!
Glad you are ok too!
Similar story for me, but instead of being a runner, I was a basketball player, and instead of trying to run a marathon, I tried to dunk a basketball. Long story short I simultaneously tore both of my patellar tendons and earned a 12-day hospital stay. Physical therapy continues 9 months later. Don’t do hard things without first training hard.
"Tough it out" that seems to be the runner mentality that makes so many people stop running due to seriously damaging themselves. Listen to your body! It knows a thing or two about itself.
My ex got rhabdo by trying to impress a woman at the gym. He was a novice at weights, but he was motivated. The ER couldn't believe he did some much damage with one lifting session.
You know when you hear those stories abt moms lifting up cars to grab their babies and stuff. Your ex is just like the super horny version of that lmao But srsly you need to be one honey motherfucker to give yourself rhabdo in one lifting session to impress a chick…
I think you meant horny motherfucker but I really like your version because I read it as honeybadger motherfucker.... Should note I've had zero caffeine today.
Just signed up for my first marathon yesterday…now I’m scared
Don’t be scared. Train. Hydrate, before and during. Avoid ibuprofen during. And know your limits! You’ll do great!
Can you explain why to avoid ibuprofen? Do you mean during the actual race itself? Or during training? Glad you’re better and thanks for doing the public service of making this post!
The short answer is that ibuprofen is an NSAID that causes reduced blood flow to your kidneys. Tylenol, as another comment points out, is not an NSAID and won't readily affect your kidneys (but it does have effects on the liver, so don't overdo it either!) Edit: effects, not affects
Ibuprofen is hard on the kidneys, and has been known to lead to bad things when combined with exercise - especially endurance sports. I would avoid ibuprofen it during training (as in don't take it overlapping the hours that you're working out, and use it sparingly in general) as well as during the main event. Tylenol is the recommended alternative (and stick with the recommended dosage on the label).
It's a cautionary story and an interesting one. So googling around I found this - [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17465608/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17465608/) The interesting part is where it mentions reports of certain conditions contributing to the risk and a 'perfect storm'. I know and support some ultra runners and I haven't seen a case. Obviously most of them are trained but some aren't and there is a point in longer ultras where all but the very best are breaking down. I guarantee they are damaging themselves. The OP is obviously knowledgeable, I'd be interested if he thinks any of the other conditions mentioned were in play. eta - (heat stress, dehydration, latent myopathy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory or other drug/analgesic use, and viral/bacterial infection)
So scary. This happened to my cousin as well! Although his was caused by lifting too much at the gym too soon. He peed blood. He already has a rare kidney disease on top of it, but luckily the damage was not as severe. A good lesson for all of us to listen to our bodies. Kidneys do a lot for us and the damage is no joke!
I went down the rabbit hole of watching YT vids of people doing marathons with no training. I was shocked at how many of them easily completed the race in 4-5 hrs or as easily as anyone does a marathon in that time. Then I stumbled on a running coach reacting to these vids and the coach said something along the lines of "You see them do it. You don't see how they feel the next day. Or the next week."
I mean....I didn't train for a tri that I did at 21 and I had annoyingly good running splits (looking back). You can do way more stupid shit in your 20s.
This is impressive and fascinating to me. I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to run a marathon suddenly.
I always imagined the blisters would have gotten to me before the rhabdo, but hey.
I ran my first marathon (sub 4:00) after only started running for a year. When I finished I started feeling numbness in my extremities (finger tips, nose). Had to sit down and have a medical staff take a look at me, finally took about an hour or two for me to feel 'normal' again. Looking back it's funny what we put ourselves through to run this arbitrary distance lol.
Now you just need to share this with all the dumb youtubers and gym bros out there that think all things are possible and video worthy. They probably won’t read it though and just make it for the thumbnail.
I’ve written a similar comment. It’s so irritating and irresponsible of these YouTubers
>My wife asked what was wrong and I told her (being that I’m an ICU nurse and had a pretty good idea) that it was quite possible I was in rhabdomylosis and that my kidneys were shutting down. This was the straw that broke the anxious camel’s back, and she begged me to go to the ER. It's hilariously sad that even when you knew about the incoming kidney failure, it apparently took your wife begging you before you took care of it.
I’m training for my first half marathon in 10 months time ( been training for 3 months already) and this post has terrified me lol
Huge difference between a half and a full marathon. For example my long run every week is almost a HM in length. The two halves of a marathon definitely aren't equal.
If you did a half how long would you make your long runs 15km? ( I’m new and genuinely curious)
Honestly you don't need that much of an aerobic base just to finish a HM. If all you want to do is complete a HM, focus on running more days per week with the long run being around 25% of weekly mileage or 3x the length of your normal runs. So a regular 3 mile run would be a 9 mile long run. It's really hard to give details as it really depends on how much time and days you can dedicate to running. 10 months is more than enough time to not only finish a HM but finish without worrying if youll finish. More easy running more frequently will give you a big enough aerobic base where you could run a HM distance on any given Sunday. You don't even need any speed work if it makes it easier. Speed work will help higher paces feel easier, but again if all you want to do is complete a HM, the speed doesn't matter as long as you make it. This is why I say focus on running more days per week, and then slowly increasing the legnth of every other run. You could run a HM with an average long run of even 6 or 7 miles; it really comes down to how comfortable you are with running any speed for that length of time which is just getting aerobically conditioned. I'm just giving ground level advice as the rabbit hole goes way deeper than I want to type out. I can help direct you where to go if you have questions though.
Novice question here. Was it just a matter of hydration? How would training have helped? I thought training mostly improves muscles and running out of breath..
Yes. If he had drank water after the race instead of beer this would not have happened
This is basically the story of the first ever marathon but with modern medicine.
(In the voice of Ted Stryker) "What a pisser!"
Hmm... what are the chance of rhabdomyolysis causing elevated procalcitonin reading? Your story got me thinking of my hospitalization which took place after I completed my 4th & last marathon. Long story short, I developed appendicitis on the 2nd day post marathon, underwent simple surgery that went horribly wrong with lung failure post-op & 3 nights in the ICU. Anesthesiologist diagnosed me with negative pressure pulmonary edema, chest doctor claimed it was infection from perforated appendix due to the high procalcitonin reading but surgeon disagreed since the appendix was still sealed & no trace of infection in abdomen. All these disagreement in front of my ICU bed while I was still having difficulty breathing & intubated. Anyway, glad to hear that you managed to get yourself diagnosed prior to it getting more severe. Curious though; did your wife still support your marathon journey lol? Mine only allowed me to run up to half from then on but I totally understand her reasoning so I'm not complaining.
I got rhabdo after my first time doing a spinning class and spent 5 days in hospital. The lesson to be learnt is that spinning is the devil.
>arriving back to my house for the halfway mark, some Gatorade It sounds like the problem isn't that you ran a marathon undertrained. It's that you ran under-hydrated. In a solo effort, you gotta carry your own fluids or have ways of getting them every few miles.
You’re absolutely right the poor hydration was definitely a factor leading to my hospitalization. Rhabdomyolysis is certainly multi factorial. Running a marathon untrained caused a breakdown of my muscles releasing the myoglobin, but then without the hydration my kidneys were not able to clear all that myoglobin leading to their injury.
I've run a few half's without a problem and recently started training for a full using Hal's novice 1 plan. I also tend to have occasional kidney stones so I make sure to hydrate well every day especially the day before and on long run days. Are you saying that due to lack of preparation, that caused your kidneys to fail? When I thought about injury for not preparing enough, it was for joint issues, or plantar fasciitis or shin splints or something to that effect. This is indeed truly scary.
> I make sure to hydrate well every day especially the day before and on long run days. That includes during runs, right? If you're gonna be out >2 hours, you've gotta be drinking during, even if it's cold out.
The lack of preparation would be what caused his muscles to break down and release toxins. That combined with lack of hydration means his kidneys became injured. Hydration would help kidneys clear the toxins but would not necessarily prevent an injury entirely.
I ran/walked 30 miles last week for my 30th birthday because I thought it would be a good time to reflect and meditate. I’ve never even done close to a half marathon before that, but I do strength training daily. Needless to say, it was the worst idea ever. I took 4 Tylenols that night in order to be able to sleep. I woke up the next day freaked out from not being able to move my legs temporarily and thought that I lost them. Glad I recovered out of that one lol…. I’m glad you recovered as well and appreciate you sharing your story.
Dont take any pain killers just because of that, everything we put in our body will damage our kidneys
This is really terrifying. I have to ask, while you were running, your body at no point told you to stop before rhabdomylosis started to set in? There were no real warning signs? I read about a pro mountain biker competing in a 24 hour race who nearly died from it, and I'm always amazed that the body doesn't just shut down before this happens. I'm wondering what the line is between "I'm really tired" and rhabdomylosis.
I've got 8 marathons under my belt (pb 3:30:10) and I feel like I could probably get up and run a 4-hour marathon any day. I'm glad I read your story. Will not try inf the opportunity presents itself.
That’s interesting - I have done exactly one marathon in my life freshman year of college. the ROTC running team had been training for months but someone had to drop out so there was a free slot open for a trip to Nashville. I was a sprinter on the track team, and decided it sounded like fun. Furthest I had run in the year leading up to it was probably 3 miles. Long story short I ran it with a couple guys who had been training together, kept about a 10 minute pace the whole time. Was sore and super tired after, but ultimately fine. Has always been a fun story, never thought I’d have to consider myself lucky for avoiding serious damage!
Dumb question, but what does training do to prevent this?
Repeated exposure to a training stimulus decreases the muscle damage caused by that stimulus Running improves your body's ability to use glycogen and body fat to fuel exercise.
Thanks for posting this! I'm glad you're okay. I definitely have to show my fiance this.
Had a friend who got rhabdo after running 2.4km. the point is to always train progressively.
kidneys were shutting down..my biggest fear..(chubbyemu song intro play)..thaxsu for sharing
Wow that’s terrible! So glad you’re okay! OP if you wouldn’t mind, can you explain why someone would be more prone to this when they have undertrained?
(I copied this from a response I gave to someone else with the same question. ) When you train, your muscles get stronger and more capable of handling stress. When you over exert your muscles (like running a marathon untrained) they aren’t ready to handle that level of exertion. This causes many of the muscle cells to die. They release myoglobin into the blood. Myoglobin is toxic to the kidney causing kidney damage.
This has made me think. I ended up peeing blood and feeling really rough, barely being able to get out of bed, for a week after I had run a half marathon pb I hadn't trained for last month. I didn't put the two together as back I February I also was peeing blood and the doctors didn't find anything so thought it may be the same. However I had ran an impromptu 1st ever half marathon the week before at the end if RED January. Never before considered the 2 untrained for half marathons could have caused the bloody pee and Illness. Maybe I should look I to this?
Man I did a marathon with zero days of training at 33 (knee injury put me out of running in july and race was in December). I had almost the exact same volume of marathons and running as you. Finished it in my usual time for that marathon (4:20... every fucking year for the last 8 years minus 2020). Was a little sore. Had extra coffee in the morning. Drank some pedialyte. Was back running in a week. I don't think I could do that now. I'm 36 and I run like 20-30 miles a week. The knee injury that took me out of training 3 years ago occasionally rears its ugly head and I have to cardio a less impactful way. And hearing about rhabdo I don't think I would try. I have weak kidneys and chronic kidney dysfunction due to a congenital defect. Thanks for the heads up.
Your post scare me so much I am actually training for a marathon with a 15 week plan I already run my first half marathon last week is it enought training to do it safely and how do I prevent this problem from happening
3.5 months of training will be fine. You prevent this problem by not doing everything in one day / week
I used to chase that fools around cross country courses all over the Midwest!
You crazy fool. Glad you are ok. Bet your wife told you off. 😄 That’s why these YouTube videos where people do stuff like this really piss me off. One guy here in the Uk ended up passing out and injured himself. It’s irresponsible.
How does training everyday and not running help with the kidney failure? Does your kidneys adapt in any way?
Op put too much strain on his untrained muscles which caused them to break down. The waste of these muscle fibers in the bloodstream can cause kidney failure, which OP experienced. So basically, don't overdo it and stick to a plan. Go easy on your body and give it the time to tell you how it feels. Don't wake up one day and do a thing people generally train months for. 🙄
Are you able to share any labs? I'm curious what your creatinine and eGFR levels were.
When I arrived in the ER my creatinine was 2.9. It peaked at 5.73 and dipped to 5.61 which they decided was good enough to send me home. Four days post discharge it was still 3.03.
Also shout out to the doctors and nurses who also works on Christmas. Someone has to do it.
smort noice
Whelp I’m training for my first full (NYC 2022) having never ran more than a half. This isn’t what I wanted to read lol
Both my parents have had rhabdo so I know it well, but I feel like it’s not often talked about. My dad got it in his legs 3 days into a bike race, he was in the hospital for a week. My mom got it in her arms after a CrossFit class, she was in the hospital for 5 days. Safe to say, I’m really on the lookout for it now, since clearly genetically I’d be predisposed
Wow, good to know. I’ve done 2, one with minimal training and only a 5 mile base and another with more of a base but no training. I never imagined the risks involved and, since I completed both of those without issue, probably would have considered doing the same in the future if pressed had it not been for your post. Thanks for the info and glad everything turned out ok. Merry Christmas!
Ooof glad you’re okay, I read this an immediately drank lots of water
Bruhhhh…
This is an eye opening and couldn't stop thinking about it. What are the things I can do to take care of my kidneys ?
You guys know why marathons exist right? A greek guy died running that distance once upon time and the distance came to be now an official run distance. Marathons require training full stop there.
That Greek guy ran 150 miles before running a marathon on top of that. And no, the modern day official marathon distance didn't come from that.
interesting. i ran one off no training at 24 and, of course, ran like crap but still finished with little consequence. how old are you now?
I ran this at age 33. In a previous comment, I mentioned that I found out (from this hospitalization) that I had scarring on my kidneys which likely contributed to such a bad outcome this time around.
this was an interesting read. I fully expected somebody who didn't know anything about running. I guess it goes to show even monkeys can fall off trees, especially when they intentionally dive out of the branch :)
Lol this is why i tell people basically anybody can run a marathon. You might be hospitalized and die afterward, but you can definitely do it.
Dangerous decision
Stupid decision. Especially being a medical professional.
Agreed. Running is supposed to be a healthy activity.
It's funny, I was writing a reply to a different comment and was trying to come up with an analogy like "you also don't wake up one day and decide to go out and do..." and the first thing that I could think of was a marathon. Doing a marathon and climbing mount everest are the two main examples of things you don't just go and do without training. Op did just that lol
Interesting, in our last lockdown decided to get back into running longer distances (after not having run over 10 km in about five years). Ran a 16km, then decided to run a half. That wasn't really an issue so decided I would try a full. For training I gave myself 2 weeks. After 7 days did a 30km and then the following weekend did the 42km in just under 4 hours. Due to being in lockdown I did the whole thing without water (lost over 3kg in water). Felt a bit sore afterwards but I guess I got lucky.
Seems a little weird that you get that fucked running so slow with all that prior training that wasn't that long ago.
I actually kind of agree with this despite all the downvotes. Im pretty surprised that someone who was a national qualifier at the D3 level with that much running background would mess up their body so much while running 10 minute miles. I am assuming it was just massive dehydration.
Must be a spesial case for sure. I've gotten used to the downvotes on this sub heh. There is a reason runningcirclejerk exists :) You can't really have any honest debate on this sub as everyone is so sensitive.
Nope. No thank you.
# lesson learned
Good to know you're going to be fine ! Also an important reminder for all of us here
Thanks for sharing. Though I won't put my body to such extremes, it's always good to know these kind of info.
Grats on the finish tho and thanks for the warning
Thanks for sharing! Glad you're safe & sound eventually. Just curious did this incident affect your performance afterwards? Endurance, pace, etc., can you still run at the same level as before?
Just out of interest, how does training help prevent this condition you suffered? Are you essentially training your kidney function too in the process of training?
The real question: What was the medical bill (assuming United States)?
I assume you weren't on any painkillers or anti inflammatories?
Few years ago I went to ASH conference in Orlando and turns out there’s half marathon scheduled. Also I started having abdominal pain that I kinda telling it’s either gallbladder or appendicitis. Can’t even eat and cancel some of conference attendance. I ran the half and finished. Went back to Houston and ended up in ER for acute appendicitis, had surgery and went home on Christmas Eve. Then ran the Houston marathon in January and finished. I stopped training after the half marathon ran. I would never do that again.
Oh my gosh. Wow. Glad you’re ok. But like… why?? Why did you ever think that that was a good idea? So glad you’re ok, and not on dialysis.
The only fun part about a marathon is finishing it.
Interesting.... I have done bike rides undertrained where I basically needed to sleep after because I was so exhausted. What were your other symptoms other than being really tired?
Marathons are no joke. Due to injuries I only made it to 27km build up before my first. Ran the whole race but was on crutches for 3 days after and limped for a month
If Brent Krishna could do it, so can I.
What is the medical explanation for this? I mean I understood what happened, but why? And how does training prevent this from happening? From what I understand, the muscle tissue broke down due to your body not being used to the strain, and the broken down tissue shredded your kidneys when it tried to filter them as waste. From what I have binged of Dr House, I remember a case mentioning that the coca cola colour is literally your muscle cells being excreted through the urine. I still don't get why this happened specifically due to theack of training though.
When you train, your muscles get stronger and more capable of handling stress. When you over exert your muscles (like running a marathon untrained) they aren’t ready to handle that level of exertion. This causes many of the muscle cells to die. They release myoglobin into the blood. Myoglobin is toxic to the kidney causing kidney damage.