Recovery and setback

Chicago: Weeks 11 & 12

Hot flashes

Recovery weeks aren’t always the easiest weeks, since the “recovery” is not really felt until the following week.  Even though there were fewer miles planned for the week, the workouts were still fairly challenging, and I decided to make them a little more so.  Because of scheduling issues, I moved the runs I would normally do on weekday mornings to the lunch hour.  On normal days, that wouldn’t really matter all that much, but the temps were touching the 90’s this week.  I had one tempo run and a couple regular runs to do, and figured running in the heat would help me be better equipped if the temps in Chicago are warmer than normal.

Thanks, coach, for ending the run at Duffeyroll. They were delicious.

Bottom line: I completed all my runs.  My longer easy run included a run through the fountain behind Cherry Creek Mall, and my tempo run wasn’t quite the tempo I was targeting.  However, it was perfectly acceptable for the conditions.  The end of the week was a treat – a 12 mile goal pace run that ended at one of Denver’s more famous pastry places – Duffeyroll.  I burned about 1600 calories and put them all right back afterwards with a pecan sticky bun and a cinnamon roll.

You’ve got to be kidding me

I made it to Week 12!  The first of two hard weeks before I get to start my taper.  I was mentally prepared for these two weeks and ready to bust my butt as hard as I needed to.  After a short recovery run on Monday, I was out Tuesday evening for my last interval workout.  9 miles total with 8 x 800m at or near 6:30/min pace.  It was a grunt, but I got it done and was looking forward to the rest of the week.

When I woke up Wednesday morning, I had a little scratch in my throat and a runny nose.  As the workday progressed, it turned into a full-blown invasion of my sinuses and nose.  Sneezing, itchy watery eyes, nose running like a faucet.  Wednesday night was miserable, and I woke up Thursday morning and stayed home from work for half the day and skipped my tempo run.  By Friday, I could barely breathe and the sinus pressure was unbearable – and I had 18 miles staring me in the face for Saturday.  I resolved to do it, no matter what, and brought Afrin and Mucinex to the rescue.  I didn’t sleep all that well, and I wasn’t particularly spritely Saturday morning, but I dragged myself out at 6:00 AM and met my group.  Once I got going, I felt much better and was actually able to clear my sinuses pretty well.  (I know…gross)  To quote Ace Ventura, “it is the mucous that binds us.”

So Week 12 is behind me.  Even though I am not 100% better, I am on the mend and should be able to get through the last hard week without any setbacks.  Better to have dealt with it now and not the week of the marathon!

Teachable moments

If there is anything to take away from it all, it is this.  There is plenty of literature out there to suggest that when runners are at the peak of their training regiment, they experience a compromised immune system.  The body is so busy expending energy repairing the damage of all the miles, that it can’t keep up with fighting disease.  Be careful not to allow yourself to get run down.  I sure did.  Hydrate, sleep, and eat right.

And keep the Mucinex nearby just in case!