(And here's where you say,“What schedule?”)
I'll tell ya...It's the training schedule I’m following for the big race I’m gonna do...the Detroit Free Press-Talmer Bank Marathon! Twisting through Detroit and crossing the border into and out of Canada, it features the world’s only International under-water mile. I’m doing the half-marathon. (Gulp.) It’s my first attempt at such a feat. But now, I’m sick. This is so not normal for me. I probably get sick only twice a year…it’d figure that it would happen now. It’s so annoying! I’ve been training for this race since the end of June and now, just 12 days before the big day (at the peak of my training and right before my taper), I get sick!
As I said I’m doing the half-marathon, and for those non-runners out there, that's 13.1 miles that I have to run. And so far, I’ve only ever run 10. So this little bug I caught throws quite the wrench in my training gears. After dosing up on Airborne, taking a nap and going to bed early, I woke up feeling…(Gasp. No…it couldn’t be…) WORSE. Yep. I woke up actually feeling worse. I’m supposed to run today, but there is just no way I can even think of it. Picturing the pounding of my head in sync with the pounding of my feet while my sinus cavity feels like it’s being shattered to pieces with a hammer and my jaw rumbles with a dull-aching pain as I try to trudge along. (Insert sickening shudder here.) No thank you. I decide I’ll go to the doctor instead.
Diagnosis: sinus infection. Whooopeee! (Ugh. Note the dripping sarcasm.) After picking up my prescription antibiotics, changing into some jammies and curling up on the couch with some chicken soup, I decide that the couch (and not the road) is right where I need to be. If I have any chance of performing well at the half-marathon, the best thing I can do for myself is get healthy and feel good. Missing a few days of training isn’t going to blow my fitness level. All the experts say so. And hey, they're experts! I've gotta believe 'em...right? But why is it so hard to do? Why do I feel guilty -- like I’m slacking off?
Probably because I’m scared. And because I've put high expectations on myself. I want to do well. I think all runners do…At least, every single one I’ve ever met seems to. I have yet to meet a runner who says, “Oh, I just wanna run so-so today. No biggie if I cramp up or walk the last four miles of the race.” Ha. Yeah. Runners just don’t think that way.
So, as I’m feeling guilty laying on my couch, slurping my soup, I remembered something my Mom used to tell me. Whenever I got sick (which, even back then, wasn’t very often) she’d say, “You’re burning the candle at both ends!” As I laid there, I thought, she’s right. I really have been. I’ve been so focused on my training (especially as of late) and preoccupied with keeping everything in our household running smoothly that I’m burning myself out. Getting sick is my body’s way of telling me to slow down. It’s saying, "Hey! You’re doing too much! I can’t keep up the this pace! You don’t wanna listen? Ohhh. I’ll MAKE you listen…" and then BAM. Sinus infection. Killer headache.
So, instead of beating myself over the fact that I’m missing some training days, I’m going to take it as a cue from my body and listen to it. It’s telling me to take it easy. I think when we’re training so hard for something, and pushing ourselves farther than we thought possible, we forget that days of rest and recuperation are just as important. Giving our bodies a break from the stress can actually (hopefully) improve our desired results. In a few days, after I’ve rested and the sinus pain subsides, I’ll get back out there and run some more. After all, is covering a few more miles just 12 days before the race really going to make that big of a difference anyway? It’s not like I’m going to suddenly run faster (or slower) if I run a few more days. I'm a newbie, not a pro. Besides, if I can run 10 miles, I can probably run 13, right? Plus, as long as I finish, I get a medal!
Pushing myself to train while I’m feeling this terrible isn’t going to make me feel any better and it's not going to make me a faster runner. In fact, I’d probably go out and have terrible runs, and potentially even get injured. Sometimes life throws us these curve balls. We gotta learn to catch them, instead of having them hit us in the face, because if we get hit in the face, we might really get hurt. I'd rather catch this ball, chill out for a few days, and hopefully have successful run on race day.
Here’s hoping I have a speedy recovery and get in a few more good runs. I’ve done the work. I’ve covered the miles. It’s time to just do the fine-tuning and hope that my gears are in working order the day of the race. I can't wait to tell you all about my half-marathon adventure! Stay tuned and stay healthy!
*Please feel free to comment on this blog and click the FB Like button! For more information on the Marathon, go to:
http://www.freepmarathon.com/