Transition: Healthy > Having a cold > Getting healthy again

Years ago, I didn't mind getting sick. I would eventually be sent home from work, which meant everyone knew I wasn't "faking it".  I still got paid and I could then spend the day(s) in bed, curled up with a good book, movies, and tender, love and care from my husband (then boyfriend). It was forced break from work that I never took on my own, and boy, did I know how to take care of myself when I was sick. (I should also mention that I wasn't really a fan of my job, either).

Then I started cycling, swimming and running on a regular basis. And for some reason it seemed like I got sick even more, even though I was living a "healthier" lifestyle. Or perhaps it just felt like it because now when I got sick, I got PISSED. How dare my body turn on me and keep me from pounding the pavement or spinning my wheels? I feed it healthy foods (most of the time), give it plenty of rest (most of the time), exercise regularly (um, that I do...to a fault), and yet at least a few times a year I'm still treated to some sort of illness.



What really amazes me how bad I got at taking care of myself while I was sick. I started asking myself all the questions that we (I am collectively referring to anyone who lives an active lifestyle, including training for events and races) ask ourselves when we have a cold, cough or other minor aches and pains. Like, "Can I still go for a run if my nose is already discharging a kleenex box worth of snot BEFORE I start?" "Is it bad to swim when my cough sounds like I'm a smoker?" "Should I skip my weekly ride just because my head feels like it might explode? I mean, my legs are fine...." Or insert your own question here...you know you have asked it.

These questions amaze me because as athletes, we pride ourselves on making healthy decisions with regards to just about everything in our life (well, maybe not financially healthy) and yet when we are sick, we ignore exactly what our body needs - rest - for fear of losing strength, fitness, speed or endurance. We fear that everything we have just worked so hard for will disapear if we *gasp* sit on the couch for a few days and do nothing. When in reality, we are often sick because our body is craving rest. For whatever reason, something changed in our life that means the amount of sleep we are getting is not balanced with the amount of hours we spend training, working, playing and whatever else fills our day. Actually, that balance is always teetering on the edge with most of us on a daily basis anyway. But add in a few days of "off" eating and drinking, perhaps some traveling, an extra late night or two, some unfortunate weather, or maybe just being exposed to a few extra new germs somewhere, and now your body isn't strong enough to fight off an illness. And the only things that will really make that cold go away is a few good nights sleep, a few good meals, lots of good liquids, and taking it easy during the day.

Yeah, whatever. Pass me the Nyquil, Cold-Eeze, Zicam, Thera-flu, echinacea, zinc, Emergenc-y, Airborne, Tylenol PM, Sudafed, and Benadryl. I'll pack my kleenex, hand-sanitizer, extra sweater, and wash everything down with a lot of hot tea with lemon and ginger and honey while I go to work, take care of the kids, run errands, and oh yeah, squeeze in at least a couple miles on the treadmill because I just can't afford to miss anything. But, um, why is this damn cold taking forever to GO AWAY? duh....

Its no wonder that so many of us get sick over the holidays. I was not immune, literally, to getting a nasty cold myself. Could be because I finished a stressful job in late December, got right on a plane to visit family in snowy Pittsburgh, flew back to LA, then traveled to Northern California for the holidays with family (who had all recently been sick), then spent a few late nights in San Francisco with friends before coming back to LA. All the while I was still running almost daily, including a hilly, Redwood forest 6miler in pouring down rain and a 2.5 hour run in chilling cold San Francisco plus I wasn't on my normal healthy eating regimen (though the Irish Coffees at the Buena Vista Cafe are so good that they are pretty much worth getting sick over.) Add up all the italics, and its actually kind of amazing that I only got a cold and cough.

That is one thing I will say...while I do feel slightly more at risk for illness when I am in training, the degree of illness is not nearly as severe, and the recovery time is greatly reduced. All the more reason to listen to my body and rest when it needs it. Which I did this time. Mostly. While traveling back from SF on Tues. night, the cold had become a full blown snot factory so New Year's Eve and NY's Day were spent on the couch. However, even though I still felt like crap on NY Day, I actually attempted a short run because I have a half-marathon on January 10th and...well...you know. But I felt so crappy that I stopped, put my PJ's back on, and assumed my position on the couch again for 2 more days.  I figured that since I am constantly telling people, including my own athletes, not to train until you are healthy again that I should probably take a little of my own medicine. Wow, did it taste horrible. I hate nothing more than sitting around and doing nothing. Well, ok I did something. I started this blog. I caught up on other blogs. I caught up on football and TiVo and books. I slept a lot. I zoned out from the real world for a little while which I have a feeling I may have needed even more than I needed sleep. Did it work? Well, by last night my cold was pretty much gone (which I knew because I didn't have to open a new box of kleenex all day) and I felt good enough physically and emotionally to be able to run for an hour. It wasn't a the prettiest run but the 1st workout after being sick usually isn't. This morning I am still not quite 100%, but I do feel there is that point in recovery where exercise can be good for you. At least I tell myself that, because its much more enjoyable than taking more of my own medicine.

I still plan on running that 13.1 Sunday. I'll let you know if spending a few days on the couch hurt my race. I'm pretty sure I already know the answer, though.