I'm rapidly becoming an expert in an area that I never thought I'd have experience with, and definitely did NOT want to get any better at.
That's right, ladies and gentlemen...I am becoming an expert at not running marathons...
The week of my 20 mile run I had the flu, so I only got in about 5 miles. I figured I'd be strong enough based on the rest of my training to do at least a run/walk.
Flip forward to last Tuesday. Hm, chest feels a little congested and I'm coughing. Almost like an asthma attack.
OH NO.
So I went to the doctor Saturday, and again today, and the short story is I have pneumonia. That pretty much means I can kiss goodbye both this weekend's Shamrock Shuffle 8K downtown in Chicago, but also next weekend's St. Louis Marathon looks to be almost an impossibility.
Turns out the STL Marathon organizers will allow you to switch from the full to the half marathon, so there's a chance there--but that depends on me getting a LOT better in between now and then. Right now that's the only hope, but it's very slim indeed.
Let's review my training/not running marathoning history:
- 2006: Trained for the Chicago marathon, but dropped out after week 11 because of plantar fasciitis.
- 2007: Trained for and started the Chicago marathon, but couldn't finish because of the course being closed after 4 hours.
- 2008: See above.
Am I disappointed? Yes, absolutely. But I know that skipping it is the right thing to do...there's no point in causing more damage to myself, taking longer to recover, etc.
I'm signed up for Chicago this fall, and training should start around the June timeframe, so we'll see how this goes.
I'm trying to look on the bright side, though--not running marathons opens up a whole new world of possibilities! I thought that someday I could run the world majors (Chicago, Boston, New York, London, and Berlin)...then, I looked at the qualifying times for Boston and New York. Yeesh! But with little to no effort at all, I can not run all of those marathons! Think of the money and time I'll save!
I kid, I joke. Laughter has always been a defense mechanism for me, and I'm deflecting the upset and the negative emotions I feel. The good news--I ran 90% of the miles in my original plan, I ran faster than I ever have (in fact, completed 5 miles just last Monday at a 9:15 pace), and after a little rest and recouperation there's nothing that says I can't try again.
So Sara, from the excellent Running From The Law blog, I know you're running St. Louis--do well, finish strong, and make me proud! (C:
I'll be checking back in now and then, and this is an excellent time for me to catch up on posts that are more than just running reports...but for now, back to bed to let the medicines do their thing.
Run strong, y'all...
Monday, March 24, 2008
I'm becoming an expert...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Rest - it does a body good...
Maybe God was telling me something? "Rest," I think he was saying...
I've been feeling generally icky since about Monday. I had a dropback run on Sunday, only 6 miles ("only"? I still remember my first 10K race where I was scared to death I wouldn't make it all the way...my how things have changed...). My friend Mark and I were kind of pushing each other, and I ended up running it way faster than my anticipated marathon pace--about 60-90 seconds per mile faster.
So when I woke up feeling sore and tired Monday, I figured it was a bit of overtraining. I ran Wednesday and tried doing a 6-miler this morning. 3 miles into it, I just crashed. Like I had zero energy.
You should know, as background, that I've got a chronic infection that pops up every once in a while. It's not obvious when it hits--I have to start thinking back, adding things up, and then I say "Ah, so that must be why I'm feeling this way..."
I went to the doctor today and, you guessed it, it's back. So I'm taking a "sick day" from my training today and maybe tomorrow. Sunday is 12 miles, but I know from previous experience with this infection I'll be alright by the time Sunday rolls around.
The moral of the story? Rest more, drink more fluids, and listen to what my body is trying to tell me!!!
I'm a little mad that I didn't finish the run today and that I may not run tomorrow--these will be the first two runs I've missed in my training so far. Then again, I'd rather be resting now than ignore my body and just make it worse...
So, that's it for me today--I'm off to bed. But do me a favor--get out there and run a few! (C;