Being Sick is the Pits

So I ended up taking a WHOLE WEEK off of working out because I had a cold. Yuck.

I learned two things from being sick while pregnant:
1. Your immune system is very very much down, which means it is a lot easier to catch things like colds. It also means that it takes a much longer time to get over colds. I caught mine on the 17th (a Monday), and had to take off of work because it was so bad for THREE DAYS. I never do that. It still wasn't fully gone until the following Sunday. And I still have a nagging cough left over. Blah.
2. You can't take any drugs. Oh yeah, and no herbal supplements either...so even Airborne is out because it is an extra dose of Vitamin C.

Normally this awful cold would have been gone with a half day of rest for me...but I was not so lucky this time. As a result there was no running. Also no weight lifting, no stretching, no yoga, no working out. Pretty much I just laid on the couch and watched tv. It sounds like fun but it isn't. I think I was driving Bill nuts.

So when I got back into the routine of things last week about all I could muster at once in the heat was a measly 2.5 mile run. And it SUCKED. It was like I had taken 2 weeks off of working out instead of one. I even had to walk a couple of times, and then stupid things started happening (like my foot cramped up so badly that I had to take my running shoe off midrun. Seems I have a potassium deficiency. While I eat 3 bananas at work a day, which takes care of it, being sick at home I kind of had forgotten to do this.)

I MADE myself do a weight workout on Friday, lifting the lighter weights I have and it was hard too.

So on Saturday I was pretty much dreading our 8-miler.

Luckily I had lots of moral support from Bill and my friends Gina and Donna who joined us for the run. It was muggy out, which made it tough, but we muddled through. I only stopped to walk twice, once being at the killer Cat Hill (but I was proud of myself for making it through the first time...it was the second time that got me). We ended up averaging a 10:29 pace, even with the walking, so I was pretty happy.

It also made me feel like "Yes, I CAN do this half marathon that I signed up for at the end of my second trimester!"

Pace Run

Last night I got home early because I had jury duty, and luckily, government employees' days end before my usual days end. So, with my extra couple of hours I decided to get a jump start on my evening workout.

I started with 45 minutes of intense sculpting/cardio, and then when Bill came home I was ready for our run.

We just set out to do a simple 3 mile run, but it pretty much ended up being a pace run.

Usually a 9 minute pace feels pretty good to me. We ended up doing about a 9:15 pace and it felt FAST to me. Maybe my body still isn't adjusted from my time off. Very frustrating.

However, I AM reaping the rewards of my body sculpting efforts. I have a very faint 2-pack (the two at the top) when viewed at certain angles. I know this is not a big deal for most people, but for me? I am ecstatic!

Pooped Out

So I had every intention of running 13-14 miles this past weekend with Bill. We were going to take it easy though, since I had been sick all week and Bill just hadn't been running for a long time.

We did the first 6 miles, including 2 upper loops (to get some hills in) and I was feeling a little tired, and kind of ticked that my pace was a lot slower than I am used to. (We were doing about a 10 minute pace). At this point, we stopped for GU. I decided not to beat myself up too much, since I was coming off of being sick. THEN this entire wave of exhaustedness came over me. I just felt like I could lie down right in the middle of the park and go to sleep. I didn't know how I was going to do another loop plus 1-2.

After very much debate with Bill, (who was trying to convince me that my body was run down and I should perhaps think about calling it a day) and me whining and complaining that I had to do at least 12, we compromised and ran another 2.78 miles, making our total 8.78.

After that, I was REALLY exhausted.

So I guess I am glad that Bill made me stop. His point was that I reminded my body that it was not on vacation and that as soon as I was 100% we were heading back into full training.

I WAS pretty sore after the run too.

So I chalk that up to a blah run, and I'm going to make sure I don't have another one this season.

So Tired

Uh oh. I hope I am not coming down with something. I am soooooo tired. Yesterday I pretty much didn't do anything except for sleep and run. I slept until 11 in the morning, took a two hour nap and was still tired. My run revitalized me until about mile 5.5, when my stomach felt awful. (Luckily I only had .5 miles left at that point).

I had thought about taking something like Airborne or Zicam, but I've taken them before when I've felt this way and all they do is hold off the sickness until you feel a little bit better but not completely. You end up stopping them because you just want to get sick and get it over with. My co-worker also went through this last week. This is NOT optimal timing for me to get sick. I have too much to do at work and of course, the marathon is Sunday. (Oh, and a 12 hour drive home. I guess luckily, Bill is doing the driving.)

OR maybe I am not sick at all. My sister visited us this weekend and we ate food that was a LOT richer than normal. We had a lot more fat too. That DOES always make me feel a little more sluggish and makes my stomach hurt a little. I also felt a little like this when I was fat-loading for the Chicago marathon.

Anyway, I can't believe that the marathon is this week! On one hand, it seems like I've been training forever, but on the other hand the whole thing seems so soon!

Bill and I are going to run together until the marathoners and half-marathoners split up. We have decided that runningwise we are good for each other. I help him keep pace so that he's not tired at the end and he keeps me chatting, which helps the run go faster. I also hope to run with Sarah from the Roncker's group. She's good for me too, for the same reason (plus she is good at helping me keep my pace!)

I am planning on running with the 4:30 pace group, and then if I have extra energy at the end, picking it up for the last few miles.

Oh, and also ( a bit of patting myself on the back here) I guess I really HAVE lost some belly fat. (I always start to doubt this when I look in the mirror. I guess I just get used to the way I look.) I put my pants on today that I just bought in September for my high school reunion and they don't fit!They are down by my hip bones and my belt doesn't even HAVE a notch to make them fit (it would have to be about an inch and a half out from the last notch). And when I looked at the most worn notch from before, it was the second to last one! So I don't feel AS bad about indulging on two donuts yesterday :)

Flued

Gross. I caught the flu and it has kept me from running. It makes me so mad too, because I was off to a great start.

See, usually (mostly because of injury) I only run 2-3x a week. I felt really awful about this, but Coach Joe said that some people find that this is all that they can run during training without getting injured. Whereas on the other hand, some people have to run 5x a week. They said it was basically for you to figure out.

So, since I have been injury free since physical therapy, I have decided to boost my training up to 3-4 runs a week. I was even telling Bill about this plan on my last run, and then BAM the flu hits me.

And of course I pushed myself this weekend, telling myself I was over it when I really wasn't on Saturday. I ran around doing chores and even went out that night. As a result I spent all day in bed yesterday, which, for a busy person like me, is TORTURE.

I just want to get back to my runs. I am hoping this is totally and completely out of my system by tomorrow so I can get back on schedule!

Down to the Wire

OK, so I am only semi-freaking out about Chicago.
The problem is, that I was sick this past week. So I only got 3 miles in. I am really itching to run, but I know that my body was way too weak, and running would have only made it worse. The good thing is, that I was sick this PAST week and not the upcoming one. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't run in the marathon on Sunday.
I am still in recovery mode...but I am down to a cough and stuffiness, which beats everything I've been dealing with this weekend.

Tomorrow I have a nice and easy 4 mile run with the group. I am looking forward to seeing my little mini-group one last time before the marathon.

We also have a clinic before the group about marathon day strategies. I am planning on packing my bag Wednesday. (I am always freaking out about this stuff way to early, just in case I forget something).

I am also fat-loading this week which will be fun. Today's lunch is Mediteranean (all those fats that are good for you) and tonight is fondue (some of those fats that are bad for you). I am supposed to feel lethargic and bloated by the end of the week, but my book assures me that it will pay off in the long run. I am also supposed to stay away from too much fiber. This all is starting to sound pretty gross :(

Oh yes, and did anyone catch the season premiere of 'the Office'? They had a 5k fun run and the one guy was all worried about chafing his nipples. He was also wearing a lot of technical gear and was downing GUs even though it was only a 5k. Pretty funny.

Duffy Dose

No running.

Just drinking. Water, of course. And orange juice. Being sick away from home is the pits. Somehow crawling under the crisp hotel sheets is not the same as passing out from exhaustion on the couch under a warm homemade quilt.

My appetite is also insane. Last night for dinner I had a four pieces of garlic bread, a steak, a jacket potato, broccoli and carrots, onion rings and two Cokes. And then I was hungry when I got home.

I guess that's why they say "feed a cold".

Argh. Well, off to Hamburg tonight. So no chance to run until Sunday.

To Run or Not to Run

So for the past few days I have had this horrible horrible cold. Unfortunately, this has curtailed my plan to run in the mornings. And when I get home I am so exhausted that I just basically poop out. All of this kind of stinks, because I know how I get when I skip too many days of running (I don't want to run anymore). The issue is complicated by the fact that tomorrow night I fly out to Hamburg (flights are so cheap from here, how could you not visit another country!!!). I get to play tourist for a day and a half, so there will be no running there. But anyway, back to my original point. I have been confused on whether I should be trying to run or not. I consulted a bunch of websites, which said if you are sick from the neck up, you are okay to work out moderately. I read this as "shorter runs" and "moderate pace". No repeats. No sprint work. WebMD said that working out might actually HELP you feel better.

My issue is actually making myself do it.

I am incredibly stuffed up and weepy. Plus I had a bit of insomnia last night, so I am super tired on top of that. I hate being sick! Don't you think it's funny how when you are well you don't really appreciate the greatness of an unstuffy head? I always think, 'wow, I should really appreciate being well. When I get unstuffed it is going to feel sooooo great!' And then when I actually get unstuffed I don't notice it. And then, I'm like 'oh wait. I'm not stuffy anymore.'

ANYWAY, I have been listening to my body more than my head, and NOT running. Which is probably good. Hopefully this cold will all be gone soon.