Taken down by the Cold

Well, the Cold got the best of me.  :(

Last week was suppose to be my peak week with 55 total miles including a 22 mile long run.

However, as I stated in my last post, I came down with a cold right before a business trip.  Each minute it felt like I was getting worst and I had no time to rest and get better.  So to be somewhat alert in the meetings I used medication to fight the cold and rested as much as possible.  Which meant no runs during my travel.  The way I felt I don't think I could have ran if I wanted to.  I returned Thursday night and my body was beat.  I was basically home in bed on Friday and Sat.  Thus, 5 full days with no runs.  I started slowly recovering on Sat and did even set my alarm clock for the early wake up ring for the 22 mile Sunday long run.  But, after my night medication wore off, I woke up in the middle of the night and realized (based on my sore throat, congested nose and headache) that I would not be able to make the long run on Sunday.  I turned off my alarm and tried to sleep in to get better for the long haul.

I did go out Los Gatos Creek Trial where the group was running.  I felt bad for missing the run . . . I was really looking forward to it.  I was feeling a little better and thought I could try to run with people on there last miles back.  I also missed running.  I needed to get a run in.  I ran 1.5 miles to an aid station and quickly realized that I made the right decision.  I was ready for a long break after that 1.5 mile run.  There was no way I could make 22 miles.  It is amazing what a good cold/flu can do to you.

Long story short, I got in about 4 1/2 miles (spread over a few long breaks) and was able to run a little bit with my group.  My confidence is completely shot for the SF marathon.  But, I'm just going to try to enjoy the race.. . more on that below. 

The worst thing about getting sick was not messing up my peak week of training.  The worst part was that my daughter caught what I got.  That means a 103 fever for her and a few horrible days for her.  I felt horrible.  My heart still breaks thinking of her being sick.  I would take a month worth of being sick if it meant not having my daughter get sick.  I tried to be very careful with her, but I'm sure by the time I realized I was sick, I had passed on the illness to her.  She was sick immediately upon me leaving for my business trip.

She seems to be doing better now and I'm on the road to recovery.  I got in a good 5 miles Monday night.  I can still feel very congested, but I got the miles in.  I'm hoping to build my base back up this week so that I can have a decent long run on the weekend.

On another note - I flew to So. Cal. to see my grandmother today.  She is 91 years old and is not doing well.  I knew she was in poor health, but due to my cold I did not feel it was safe to see her on the weekend.  After talking to my sister Sunday night, I decided to take a flight to LA for the day and see her since no one is sure how long she has and did not want to wait too long.  My grandmother is really the only grandmother than I've known (my mom's mom).  She has always been a big part of my life.  Right now, she can barely move - she cannot get out of bed.

So instead of worrying so much about . . . time . .. for a marathon, I need to be thankful for just being able to get out there and run.  For the joy of it.  I've never ran the SF marathon before and I need to just cherish the opportunity.  One day, there might be be a time when I'm 91 years old and can't get out of bed.  Sure, I want to do well and meet whatever goals I place on my self with the marathon running.  But, really I need to make sure that I enjoy the experience and make the marathon meaningful regardless of the time that I cross the finish line.  So many people can't get out there (maybe as a result of age, disability or desire, etc) and run a marathon.

Here is a recent video of my healthy daughter riding a pony: