By Lisa

I was going strong with my half-marathon training. I was dedicated. I was even taking afternoons off of work to get my runs in that I couldn’t fit in anywhere else. I decided to make it a priority. Then I caught my daughter’s cold… AGAIN!!! I have been sick every month this year except for August and November. This sounds crazy, but for some reason every germ my little munchkin brings home from that cesspool of snot daycare, I catch. I almost feel like I have been sick more than I have been well. It has been hard. Especially because I am not able to run with a bad head cold. Having a sore throat and sinus headache puts me on the couch, not on the treadmill. So my last run was over 10 days ago. I gave myself time to rest and I was feeling about 85% on Sunday, so I decided to give it a shot. I was supposed to run 8 miles and I thought that because I wasn’t sore after my 7-mile run that it would be no problem. I failed to remind myself that I had been running consistently for the weeks leading up to the 7-mile run. Not laying on the couch and stuffing my snot filled head with chocolate mint cookies.

I bundled up and stepped out into the beautiful sunny day. It was about 35 degrees, but not too windy and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I knew right away that I had on too many layers and the cold air was burning my lungs. The first half- mile is always the hardest for me, especially when my starting place is my house- straight uphill. I reached the flat ground, almost gasping for air and expected it to get better. I kept telling myself that it would get better. Don’t think, just run. Don’t think, just run. I turned up my music. It didn’t work this time. I felt every step. My legs hurt, my knees hurt, and my ankles hurt. My nose was running and I felt dehydrated. I even had to pee after about 3 miles. That never happens. I ran into the grocery store, used the bathroom, blew my nose, bought some water, stretched and caught my breath. Off I went, running again. I was sore and tired but determined. My half-marathon is in 4 weeks. I am already behind on my training. If I can’t run 8 miles, how can I run 13.1? Because of my break, I had to get home after the sixth mile because my husband had basketball practice. Luckily, the baby was napping when I got home, so I decided to finish my last two miles on the treadmill.

It was horrible. I was in pain, but I ran anyway. This was not the smartest plan, but I just couldn’t get the feeling of failure out of my mind. I am so competitive with myself and I didn’t want to get behind. Today my left knee and right ankle are still hurting. I have been popping ibuprofen like candy. I am supposed to run 5 miles tomorrow. I don’t see how that’s possible. I overdid it. I should have listened to my body. I didn’t and now I am paying for it.

Tags: half-marathon training, running

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 at 10:04 am and is filed under Blogs, Operation Bikini. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.