Yesterday, Dec. 4, 2016, we had a running event and I joined the half marathon category. I'm a runner for more than 13 years. I have already ran and finished both full and half marathons in the past. During weekends, me and my running buddies do slow long distances, sometimes on trails and rolling routes. I never had a problem with everything until yesterday.
For this past month every weekend, we did something new. Three Sundays ago, we went up a mountain here in our place which is 900+ MASL. By the next Sunday, we went up another mountain with 1,200+ MASL. Next Sunday after that, last Sunday, we joined a forest/trail run with a distance of 17.5 kilometers (around 19.0 miles) with an elevation of 956 MASL.
Since we had our fill with running and climbing, we took a rest this whole week to get prepared for the running event yesterday. I haven't ran for the whole week. I just did a recovery walk/slow jog thrice.
Yesterday, since I already have enough experience to run a half mary, it was nothing, really. It was a walk in the breeze, I should say. I ran my pace, a very comfortable one like 6.5-7 mins. per kilometer. It was a steady pace.
However, when I was nearing the finish line, about a hundred meters, I suddenly felt dizzy. I always listen to my body when I run. So, I stopped running and started walking towards the finish line when I felt dizzy. I'm not breathless. I did my usual stretching/warm up exercises before the gun start. I always get something from all hydration stations throughout the course. I was so comfortable with my pace that I even sang a few notes if I wanted to. My heartbeat is very normal. However, before feeling dizzy, I felt a little pinch on my chest. This was the first time I've experienced this.
Could it be because I haven't ran the whole week before?
After a few minutes crossing the finish line while I was cooling down, my dizziness was gone. Everything was back to normal.