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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Being Sick is Harder Than Training

When I came here to write this I was greeted with  Sunday's post. I laughed because I have not taken one training step since I wrote that.
 
The cold probably started over the weekend as I remember being very tired but too busy to take stock of what was happening. By Monday evening the cold made its presence known and it’s been a nuisance ever since. It ebbs and flows and today I have a cough. My thoughts over the past few days have see-sawed back and forth between “No big deal. Just get better and get back to running as soon as you can” to “Maybe I should adjust my training and skip the extra 20+ mile runs”. This second thought sends me spiraling into a mood of despair and anxiety.

I’ve done a Google search of every combination of phrases revolving around ‘missed training’ in an attempt to feel better about being sidelined 9 weeks before the race and two weeks before my first 20 mile run. If you are an athlete of any kind, you know you’ve done this (or will) so stop smirking. :) Fortunately, my energy levels are low so my time for searching is limited since I’ve been in bed by 8 or 9 pm every day this week and mostly asleep on the couch before that. My imagination has been helping a lot. I can still see myself running smooth and crossing the finish line in May.

The truth is there ARE 9 weeks until the marathon. If March 23rd were my race day, I’d be tapering now anyway. I wouldn’t be doing nothing that’s true but I would be bringing things down a big notch. And truth be told if I were sick this close to race day I WOULD be doing nothing. I’d have no choice but to have faith in the training thus far and do the best I could on race day. So on Saturday I’ll tackle 15 miles the best way I can. Take it slow and if I have to walk more than I run well that’s just the way it is and perfectly ok. Despite my roots I keep forgetting that. I'll feel a whole lot better when Saturday afternoon is here and I've finished those miles- one way or the other. For now, please pass the Kleenex and my pillow.

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