Frustrating Weekend

In spite of my best efforts I got sick.

I had been feeling stupid at work for a couple of days, but I attributed that to a combination of being back from the holidays, having people drop by my office all day long disrupting my train of thought, and spending most of my time on Thursday and Friday working on one of those endless budget planning spreadsheets that never seems to be quite what the boss wants. Heck, anyone would feel stupid after looking at the same data on a computer screen all day long.

But no, this was something more. By the time I got home Friday I was having trouble regulating my body temperature and was constantly too hot or too cold. I was running a fever and had a nasty headache. This called for serious action!

I opted to do the grocery shopping as usual even though the touch of my clothes against my skin was enough to make me want to jump out of my skin. But if I didn't do the shopping, how would I get all the weapons I needed to fight this bastard off? I could tell Dan to buy out Whole Foods' inventory of immune boosters and cold and flu remedies, but in cases like this it's best to go see what they've got for yourself.

So I loaded up my shopping cart with all kinds of extra herbals, homeopathic remedies, vitamins, teas, etc. The woman in the Whole Foods herbal department recommended fresh garlic in chicken broth instead of the garlic capsules I had been taking, so I got some broth and garlic, too.

And then the great battle commenced. Me against the germs. If there was anything I didn't try, I can't think what it was. And I felt a bit better Saturday. Even though I really needed to do a last long workout of 10 miles or the equivalent, resting and getting well was more important. No exercise. Just sleep and more pills, teas, lozenges and little homeopathic sugar pills. By Saturday night I was clearly on the mend, but I couldn't seem to get my lungs clear, in spite of my athsma meds. Great, the thing was settling into my chest-- a sure marathon-killer.

So today I bought an expectorant, but later realized that Dan still had a prescription expectorant from his October cold. So I took some of that in addition to everything else I was doing and went for a walk around the bayou. It was good to get out in the sunshine for a bit and move my muscles. Walking didn't bother my lungs at all.

After a late lunch and nap I felt pretty much cured except for my lungs. But I have to breathe deeper before they hurt, so I have reason to hope that I'll be okay in another 24 hours or so.

So doesn't it just figure that the first illness I've had in years would be now?

I promised myself after the 2001 marathon that I would never again do a marathon severly undertrained. And yet here I am. I'm not as badly undertrained as I was then, but I fully expect next Sunday to be a suffer-fest. But I'm comitted and there's no backing out now unless something else happens that makes it simply impossible, such as this chest cold mutating into bronchitis or pneumonia. Which is why I didn't work out this weekend, even though I felt well enough today to handle it. Never, ever do a hard aerobic workout with a chest ailment. Not even if you're asthmatic and accustomed to running with reduced lung capacity.

So that's my weekend whining. Hopefully I've got this chest cold under control and my lungs will be 100% by tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. My legs could really use a short run and/or a hard elliptical session before Sunday just to remind them what they're supposed to be doing next weekend.

In happier news, they have finally set the date for my high school reunion and it doesn't conflict with any of my vacation or racing plans! Now what am I going to wear? Just 'cause I'm a triathlete doesn't mean I haven't got a girly-girl's love of pretty clothes. It's definitely time to start scouting for something fabulous!

Weekend Workouts
Saturday: Nothing. Fight Cold.
Sunday: Walk bayou trails, 5.5 miles. Walk with Dan at park, 3 miles.