Set a goal, get sick

1,138 days. That’s how long of a streak I had since the last time I got sick. REALLY SICK, if you know what I mean. It’s certainly a streak that I would have loved to have continued, but it’s over.

This week was going to be a week to get back to normal after some time off after Shamrock, but instead it’s put a huge dent into my March miles and my confidence for the goal I put out there the other day for the Blue Ridge Half.

At least, from backtracking everything that happening in the day or two before I got sick, it was out of my control. In fact, on Monday night I told my wife that I feel like I had finally woken up from a week of being tired after Shamrock and a long weekend from an event at work.

My first run back yesterday afternoon after my unexpected time off felt like breathing through a straw, but it was a small victory in an otherwise awful week. I also got up this morning to get in a few miles and felt strangely normal.

After starting March off so well and having a great Shamrock, I’m now eager to get through the next few days and get to April and Q2. Great things are ahead … as long as all stomach bugs stay away.

Streaking. Not streaking. Streaking.

The last time I did a running streak, I ended it feeling really out of it. It was the second time I’ve attempted some sort of streak and it just left me unsatisfied after hindsight set in.

Fast forward a couple of years and I found myself intrigued once again by the Runner’s World challenge to run at least a mile every day from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.

I didn’t think about it too much — I decided a couple of days before it started to go ahead and do it. Nothing else has been normal about this year, so I figured this could be a good way to end the year and enter 2014.

After kicking things off with a race in Ohio, then easing my way through the first week and then doing the Surf ‘n’ Santa 10 Miler, I was really looking forward to getting through the month with a mile or two here and there, and a handful of 3-4 mile runs. Nothing big. Nothing crazy. Enjoying running to run.

The day after Surf ‘n’ Santa, my throat hurt a bit, but I squeezed in a mile between periods of rain and sleet. That afternoon I had a low-grade fever. Nothing much to really worry about though.

Monday morning, my hands hurt. I could see small red spots showing up. I thought about running a mile just to keep the streak alive, but by that afternoon my feet had the same feeling as my hands.

On a pain scale of 1-10, I’d say it was only a 2. It felt like my foot was asleep after sitting for a long time, only it wasn’t going away. The red spots only intensified.

I self-diagnosed myself with hand, foot and mouth disease — mostly a children’s illness, but it was something I didn’t have when I was younger.

On Tuesday I finally opted to go to the doctor just to make sure that was it. Sure enough, that’s what it was. Tuesday night and early Wednesday were the worst. Then as quickly as it hit, it started to go away.

I opted to let things heal before running again. The run streak became a runless streak of 6 days, nearly ending a streak I re-started last year after being sidelined from the flu of running at least a mile a week.

I took Monday off and today I agreed with myself to get the streak going again. It’ll only be 2 weeks, but I don’t want the “disease” to be a defining moment for me.

As I look ahead to these two weeks, I also want to end the final full week of the year recapturing one of my biggest highlights of the year — running 26.2 miles for the week.

You can see my post from earlier this year of why I did it. It meant so much to me for a variety of reasons that I want to do it again …

35 “streak” and a 13 goals check-up

35 mph I never make a big deal out of my birthday, but there’s something about turning 35 in a few weeks that makes me want to do something different with working out. It’s a gift to myself that’s mostly free.

Every day in June I want to do 35 of something everyday. Or 3.5 of something. Or 35 seconds of something. Or 3 minutes and 50 seconds of something.

You get the point.

Whether it’s running 3.5 miles, doing 35 jumping jacks or doing 35 squats, I’m ready to celebrate my birthday doing 35 of something every day in June.

As I look ahead, it’s also time to look behind and do a check-up on my 13 goals for 2013:

1. 5k PR – official or unofficial
It’s possible that I got slower in May (as well as April). My once or twice a month approach to speedwork is not a good approach to hit this goal.

2. Run at least 2 races I’ve never done before
Still halfway there.

3. Run a 5k – official or unofficial – with my friend Brandon
Summer is coming. His excuses will run out soon.

4. 50 consecutive push-ups
I have no doubt I will do this, but I didn’t focus on maxing out again this month. Just consistency with weights.

5. Ride at least 200 miles
I biked another 22 miles this month, probably less than I was hoping for, but still consistent. I’m at 58 for the year, so I definitely need to step it up. I’m moving to a more bike-friendly neighborhood in two weeks, so I’m ready.

6. Weigh in at less than 180
It’s tough to call it progress, but I did lose 0.4 this month. Before I sabotaged myself for a few days, I had lost 3. It’s an endless cycle and I think anyone who has lost weight knows what this is like. Maybe going for 3.5 pounds in June would be a good goal.

7. Do a plank at least once a week
Right on target.

8. Run a race without a watch
Kinda sorta done. No need to draw it out again

9. Run with my sister Heather
Done!

10. Do an exercise at least once per month that I haven’t done the rest of the year
Chair dips. My arms loved them. Maybe.

11. Eat at least one salad per week
So I didn’t exactly go out and triple my efforts like I said last month, but this is going well. In fact with my new job I’m ready to bring a salad nearly every day.

12. Limit myself to one soft drink a month
If a caffeine and calorie free drink doesn’t count, then I got myself back to even after slipping up for a day in April. My point with this goal was to eliminate empty calories, so I’ll say I’m back on track.

13. Run ON the beach
It’s coming …

The slow return

What’s worse: an injury or the flu?

I guess that’s a loaded question because it depends on the injury, but from my experiences I can confidently say that getting the flu is worse. Not only does it drag you down for a couple of weeks, there’s the lingering cough.

Some inspiration from Halls while I had the flu.

And more coughing. And more coughing.

It’s been two months since I had the flu. It’s only been a few weeks that I haven’t had a cough.

Running in the past couples of months has been a struggle. While I’ve talked a lot about needing the downtime, I didn’t want that to include not running at all for a week, then only running less than 10 miles in a week for two weeks after that.

In hindsight, it seems like a miracle that I even did Disney. But I also know that Disney led to someone as a setback for me as my cough returned after that trip following a small break.

When I’ve been injured, getting out of shape was only my fault. Feeling sorry for yourself is stupid and unnecessary. I’ve learned that the hard way.

With the flu, though, I simply couldn’t do anything.

Now, though, I’ve had a couple of weeks that have felt like major breakthroughs. I’ve managed a couple of short tempo runs with my pace right around 8 minutes a mile. I did a progressive run last night in which I was able to close out the final mile in 7:51.

I’ve also been eating better. My wife and I now have a Customer Appreciation Card for a local market that gives free food after a minimal purchase.

This week, for example, we spent $12 on apples, strawberries, potatoes, squash, avocado, bananas and blueberries and got a head of cabbage and 2 pounds of apples for free. More on that in a future post.

I’ve added more cross training than usual, but I could be doing more. I go to our apartment’s gym a couple of times a week to do about 20 minutes on the bike and then weights. I’ve been consistent with that for several weeks now and I can’t wait to do more.

Getting the flu in December was like pushing the reset button for me, even though it’s not something I wanted or needed. That said, it’s given me a fresh perspective and a greater appreciation for all things running.

A new path

Last week I said that I’d set a goal on Feb. 1 for Shamrock depending on how I felt. Even though I’m feeling better, I’m not ready to set a goal.

These past two months with running haven’t been the best. Part of it is getting necessary rest; another part of it has been from getting the flu; and some of it has to do with other things going on around me.

Work, home, money … just life itself. Nothing bad really. In fact, a lot of it is really great, yet a distraction from running.

In the past couple of months I’ve let running get back to what I want it to be — me time. I haven’t cared how fast or slow I’ve been. In some ways that’s good; in some ways it’s bad.

Whenever I put my mind on something, I want to get it done. I like having these moments that I’m flipping a switch to a new training cycle or doing something new.

This week I thought I was ready to start working with a trainer. I’m really not. I tried that last year too and it just didn’t work for me. I didn’t want it to play out too publicly besides a few tweets until I was more into the program. Now I don’t really need to explain anything else.

Combine that with other things going on in life, I’m just not ready for a drastic change with my training like I thought I was. It’s not something I’m about to force.

There’s no one single reason why I’ve opted not to go that route, just as there’s no single reason why I’ve opted to not set any goals in stone just yet.

A couple of years ago when I was plotting out a return to running after an injury, I carved out a path that made sense. It all came together through well-plotted PRs and really ended with last year’s Shamrock Half and Carytown 10k.

This sort of lull after the Richmond Marathon that I couldn’t force out once I got sick reminds me of how I felt when I really couldn’t run.

I’m ready to carve out a path again … just not quite the way I thought it would be.

Circle of (not) sickness

I’m not sick. I’m just not 100 percent.

Since my Disney trip, I’ve probably gone through a box of tissues myself and woken myself nightly with the post-flu cough.

My son has gone through much of the same thing, although he never had the flu.

My wife’s had a bit of a lingering cough as well.

Cough, cough.

We’re not sick, I promise.

On a running note, I was talking with my friend Travis tonight about the Shamrock Half Marathon. He’s planning the full that day and he, too, had the flu about a month ago.

He has a way of motivating me and reminding me of my own training. I’ve got the base miles for this race, I just have to get healthy.

That conversation has led me to a self-imposed get-healthy deadline. If I’m back to 100 percent by Feb. 1, I’ll set a sub 1:40 as my goal again; if I’m not, I’ll run for fun and find a different “A” race this spring.

It’s great to have friends who help keep things in perspective. Now I have get over whatever is lingering in our household.

Running …

… because I can … because it's fun … because it's healthy … just BECAUSE.

Tag Archives: health