This week was rough. I am still fighting this nasty virus nearly 2 weeks on. While I may not sound like my chain smoking alter-ego Beryl anymore, I feel weak and drained of energy. Everytime I think I feel better the virus strikes back and wreaks havoc.
I tried to keep up with all my training and for the most part I did well. The running helps “loosen” things up and does wonders for my mood which has been a bit bad. I don’t cope well with being unwell. Things came undone later in the week.
I really hope to kick this plague soon. I don’t want to feel like this going into the Point to Pinnacle.
Anyhow, here’s how this week went.
Monday 26/10/15
Easy 50 today. I ran on the treadmill after work because I wanted an easy run. I’m still riddled with this illness and wanted to be home in case I couldn’t go on. I ran 8.7km which was not a bad effort. I hate the treadmill but made it more palatable by watching a documentary on my iPad to make it go quicker. It felt good to stretch the legs on a longer run and I felt great.
Wednesday 28/10/15
Today I did 8 x 1km repeats with 60sec rest after work. This was a bit of fun! I did this on the treadmill again because I wanted to control my speed and let’s be honest, make it a bit easier. I enjoyed really cranking up the speed and getting a bit breathless. Getting breathless was pretty easy to do because of my diminished lung capacity. In the end the average was 5′ per km which wasn’t awesome but good in light of the circumstances.
Thursday 29/10/15
Rest day. Now I don’t normally write about rest days but this one was a doozy. I woke up with a headache and nausea but pushed through and went to work. That was a mistake. The virus was attacking with a vengeance. Maybe I shouldn’t have run my session last night. Who knows! Anyhow, I held on and stayed at the corporate until 11 and caught a cab home. I got home and slept for hours. My headache did not relent even with my super-duper migraine meds. I had intended on logging into work from home in the afternoon but this did not happen. First and only sick day this year.
Friday 30/10/15
Today I gave in and gave myself a rest day. I woke with a dull headache but thankfully the nausea subsided. Dragged myself into work because there were important meetings to attend and work to do. It was a busy day. I thought I might run after work but after having co-workers telling me I look drained and looking in the mirror to see a gaunt ghost-like face look back at me the sensible thing was to rest. I did just that.
Saturday 31/10/15
Still feeling blergh but better, I decided to do my faux Park Run 5km jaunt around town. I ran on the road because I wanted to take advantage of the sunshine. The first 2km were HELL. I had no energy and every muscle was hurting. By km 3 I was warmed up and feeling great! My best km was my final one which I did in under 5 minutes. I should have kept running!
Sunday 1/11/15
Long Run Day. Today’s run was 20km. I didn’t think I could do it but I thought I’d give it a crack. No headache today, just lethargy. I was going to run the pipeline but decided that I’d rather run in town where I could get “rescued” if my lungs or legs decided to give up. I ran to Cornelian Bay and then up Sandy Bay Road nearly getting to Long Beach before turning around and finishing up at UTAS. I fuelled up pre-run with an Elvis Sandwich and coconut water. I also made sure I was well hydrated and sunscreened up because it was a very sunny and warm day.
I did it! I actually did it! I really didn’t think I would go the distance but it was a great run and I enjoyed the sun and gentle breeze. There were heaps of people out and about which is motivating in itself. I didn’t break any records but I wasn’t ridiculously slow either. I averaged 6’06” average pace which isn’t too shabby considering I wasn’t in good health. I experimented with an energy bar eaten halfway through. It was OK but the jury is still out. It didn’t give me the “hit” of a gel (which is a good thing) but I really didn’t feel like chewing on something. I’ll need to keep experimenting….
The post-run euphoria quickly faded. I did my usual re-hydration and re-fuel post run but clearly it wasn’t enough. I faded fast and had to take a nap – I was exhausted! I think the virus isn’t quite done with me yet.
Here’s hoping I can shake it off for next week’s installment of marathon training.
