Here it is. The complainy post.
Rock n Roll New Orleans is this week, and it's my last chance for a good marathon this year. I have Publix and Boston coming up, but I don't expect either to be much good for me - mostly because I am so bad at hills.
After the Louisiana Marathon in January, I didn't really have a goal for RnR NOLA, but I wanted to PR. I mean, I always want to PR. It doesn't always work out, but generally, that's the plan. The problem is, I have been sick all winter.
I am usually very healthy, so this long, drawn-out cold - it started Christmas Eve and has been off and on since then - is most unusual. I don't know what the cause is.
Is it because I work in a hospital? When I worked in hospital pharmacy before, I was sick a lot. That could be a problem again. I'm constantly exposed to resistant bacteria.
Is it the temperature changes? This winter has been the worst weather, with many abrupt temp fluctuations and lots of warm, wet days followed by cold.
Did I overtrain? Although I haven't been running very hard, maybe I didn't allow myself enough recovery time after races and sicknesses, and my immune system and body are just tired.
Whatever the reason, I am exhausted. I am sick of being sick, and I'm not in prime marathon shape. I missed quite a few days of running, and I didn't do any "key workouts" like marathon pace runs or speed work (we did some with the Varsity group for Monday night track, but I missed some and didn't put in real effort for others). I can tell by how much effort I feel when running that I'm not going to be great this weekend. Running just feels like too much effort: even easy paces. Tell-tale case in point: I felt like I was struggling at The Wall, and my pace was 7:10. I ran 8 miles farther at a 7:15 pace at the last marathon. That doesn't sound like improvement to me!
Can I still run this Sunday? Of course. And I'll still give it my best. Maybe I can still PR, but I'm not getting my hopes up. The only bright side is that this isn't a race I poured a lot of training into: it was tacked on 6 weeks after another race. If I'd put in 16 weeks of diligent training I'd be a lot more upset!
If you've ever been sick for a race, how did handle it? What changes did you make to your race plan? I think I'm more concerned about fitness lost while sick than actually running sick.
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Ugh, I hope you start feeling better. I think it's good to take your health into consideration and adjust your expectations. I did that last fall w/ Victoria as I ran that in the midst of the sinus infection that would not go away - and then i shocked myself and PR'd. Still surprised by that as my workouts that last month were not high quality and I was just basically running to stay in shape...
ReplyDeleteFeel better soon!
Hope you are feeling better. Maybe it'll all magically go away for the weekend and you'll completely surprise yourself with being extra rested?!?
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon - how annoying! Our winter keeps messing with us as well, even our poor dog can't decide if she wants to shed her winter coat or not.
ReplyDeleteFeel better! I'm not feeling 100%, and I know how annoying it is to try & run & push yourself when your energy is flagging. I say, run by how you're feeling the day of the race, & set your expectations accordingly.
ReplyDeleteHope you're feeling awesome on race day!
sick ---- sucks.
ReplyDeleteSorry lady.
Lots of rest and fluids. - momaEmz
What a bummer. I think missing the training is the hard part. You will probably do well in the race though, since you will push yourself. I have been lucky (knock on wood) to not be sick during and races or training, because it is already hard enough to get out there and get running. I would probably be a total baby if I were sick.
ReplyDeleteI've run a couple of races with a cold and had no problem - but they were only 5ks. I've pulled out of races when I've felt really bad because I knew I wouldn't be achieving anything apart from making myself feel worse. Only you know how sick you are - if you have a fever or a really chesty cough you definitely shouldn't.
ReplyDeleteYeah I really think working at the hospital is NOT good for my health...I was like NEVER sick before I started nursing school in 2007 and it's continued while I've been in the STICU for the last three years...
ReplyDeleteBummer. I hope you feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed with you. As a fellow rph I'm shocked at how much time you have to train! I work 7:30-8 so I don't know how you do it!
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky to work 9 hours days and I have a short (45 min total) commute. However, when I had an alternating schedule (some days 2 to 10, some days 7 to 3, some days 10 to 6) I felt like I had much more time for quality workouts. On my 2 pm days I could easily fit a 20+ miler in before work and still run errands and clean my house!
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