Another week down and sick. I would like to say that I spent this past week while I was sick planning and fine tuning for the race. The truth is, I was so incredibly sick that I was in survival mode. I had a fever for 7 days, with the high just below 103. I was without a doubt, the sickest I have ever been in my life. It’s good to be able to say now, “I’m on the mend”.
I was actually hoping to get a run in today and despite every ounce of me wanting to lace up, I forced myself to give it one more day. There are a few common rules for when you’re sick:
1. Don’t ever, never, ever swim with a head cold. The pressure in your head, combined with getting water in your ears, can do some serious ear damage.
2. When a cold has reached your lungs, regardless of how well you may feel, running is NOT an option.
3. Don’t eat any sugar when you’re sick, including juice.
Since I still had a slight cough today, that meant no running. Instead, Yogi (my 11 yr old Rottweiler) and I went for an easy 1 hour hike.
Even though this forced break happened early enough to not have a negative effect on race day, I have decided make some changes to help prevent anymore unwanted breaks.
I usually don’t put the following into effect until about 2 months before a big race but due to the circumstances, I have accelerated things a bit. I have given up sugar, sucrose and I am also laying low on eating out, at least at home, I know everything has been washed and is relatively germ free.
Well, sorry for another uneventful blog. I can’t wait until I can write about a 20 hour training week. I plan to run tomorrow, and with each day add a little bit more, and hopefully next weekend will consist of a 4 hour ride and a 2 hour run!
I hope that I have been able to put at ease anyone else who’s been sick or injured and has been forced to take a break. This time is just a drop in the bucket although it can seem like forever.
Having had this break will now force me to be even more focused and disciplined over the next few months.
Take Care, see you in a week.
Beth
Have you ever tried acupuncture on your URI's? I used to get URI's all the time training for flat-out marathons. After becoming addicted to anti-biotics (not really, it just makes a better story...), I started to get acupunture AT THE FIRST SIGNS of a URI, and it kept it from really taking hold. We are gonna have to eat strange food at the Brooks national meeting, but I'll be glad to be your food-tester.
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