The Blue Eyed Warrior
The Adventures of the Norse Goddess of WarSHOULD YOU RUN A MARATHON WHEN YOU’RE GETTING OVER THE FLU?
SHOULD YOU RUN A MARATHON WHEN YOU’RE GETTING OVER THE FLU?
I am making a difficult decision to forego running the 36th Marine Corps Marathon today.
I was sick with the flu earlier this week and I have not been able to run or cross-train all week in hopes that I would recover and kick all the symptoms completely so that I could run my marathon today. I have been doing everything: resting, hydrating, taking extra vitamins and Vitamin C, eating well, hepping myself up with cold/flu meds, mucinex, cough drops and Vitamin C drops, and still, as with every night this week, I was up all night coughing and barely slept.
I’m still coughing. So I am not running the Marine Corps Marathon today.
This Runner’s World article was helpful to me in arriving at this decision:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-286–9082-0,00.html
Also helpful was the “neck” rule mentioned in the article:
“David Nieman, Ph.D., who heads the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University, and has run 58 marathons and ultras, uses the ‘neck rule.’ Symptoms below the neck (chest cold, bronchial infection, body ache) require time off, while symptoms above the neck (runny nose, stuffiness, sneezing) don’t pose a risk to runners continuing workouts.”
I already manage asthma every day.
I think it is smarter to forego attempting to run 26.2 miles today (can I even accomplish that in this condition??? Doubtful), than cause my chest congestion to escalate into a more serious condition affecting my lower respiratory tract and lungs, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, or worse, respiratory failure.
So yeah, I’m not running the Marine Corps Marathon today, but I wish all of you great runners out there who are running this fantastic race, a great day and a great race! Have fun!
Last Long Run Before MCM * GLIRC 6 Hour Run
Last long run before the Marine Corps Marathon! I was supposed to run 20 miles for my last long run before the Marine Corps Marathon, and I knew that if I went to Caumsett I would have trouble keeping up my motivation. I’ve gotten a little bored with running at Caumsett. So I registered for the Greater Long Island Running Club 6 hour 60th Birthday Run at beautiful Sunken Meadow State Park.
I knew that run would keep me honest and I would get the most running done. I was a little apprehensive about running such a long distance on mostly trails, and hilly trails at that, but I took a chance and figured that I would be careful and gain a fitness advantage from the challenge. The aid station was well stocked. There is a restroom by the start/finish line, so it’s always there and you pass it and the aid station every time you make the 2.1 mile loop. This run was alot of fun and everyone was so nice! I had a tough time with the trails, especially since I have missed alot of training runs due to work, so I knew that trying 20 miles, especially on trails, was going to be pushing it quite a bit. The pace was slow but I did the best I could and covered as many miles as I could. The trails were hilly! At about mile 16 my right knee was starting to hurt, and my left calf felt weak and sproingy. I didn’t want to push things too hard so I finished the loop and finished my run at 17.36 miles. I feel good that I accomplished this, and the weather was gorgeous. This run was a lot of fun and I’m definitely doing it again next year
2011 Kauai Marathon
Finished in 5:47:43 (0fficial). Not a PR, but not a PW either. That was the hardest race I’ve ever run in my life. The hills were RIDICULOUS and never ending. Longest, steepest hills I’ve ever seen in my life. I think I was basically running up and down a volcano. That was a seriously challenging course, but I’m glad I did it. Here is the elevation chart:
The elevation gain was 2,020 feet. Need I say more???? That race hurt…bad! The hills were CRAZY!!! My calves were hurting in the first 2 miles and took a while to warm up. After the first two miles they were feeling good. Then, by mile 15, my calves were crying and were completely shot. By mile 20 my left hamstring was hurting bad and was completely trashed. Still, I tried to manage smiles for the photographers — all of whom were perched at the top of hills, thank you very much! Sheesh!
Mile 9 was all downhill! LOL, That’s why it only took 9:54 to complete.
Toward the end of the race in the final 2 miles they had the gall to put another race photographer at the top of another hill. I didn’t want to be walking when I was photographed so I ran up the hill to look good in the photo. That hurt bad!!! LOL The woman next to me in the photo below caught up to me and saw me run that. She made me laugh–she said she didn’t think I had it in me. LOL Then she explained that she told herself, ‘Screw it! She was going to walk up that hill. She didn’t care about the photographer. She wasn’t buying the photos anyway.” Haha.
I’m happy I did this race. I really feel like I accomplished something extraordinary. My PR is 5:26 and my PW is 6:27. I really thought that with all the hills, this was going to be a 6:15 or 6:30 marathon for me. I’m astonished that I finished in less than 6 hours. I’m proud that i finished in 5:47. That was a tough race.
Great Quote From Runner’s World Quote of the Day
“As an actor, you spend your whole life pretending. Completing a marathon was the first time in my adult life I had done something that had a huge physical attachment to it. It required everything, not just my imagination.”
-Anthony Edwards, Actor
Great Quote From Runner’s World Quote of the Day…
“I ran as hard as I could. In fact, I hobbled past two people in the last two laps. I was 13th, and way off a PR, but I hit the goal I had set for myself. I absolutely never gave up in the race.”
-Kara Goucher on her performance at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea
Runner’s World Quote of the Day
“Most people never get there. They’re afraid or unwilling to demand enough of themselves and take the easy road, the path of least resistance. But struggling and suffering, as I now saw it, were the essence of a life worth living. If you’re not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you’re not constantly demanding more from yourself—expanding and learning as you go—you’re choosing a numb existence. You’re denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”
-Dean Karnazes
Runner’s World Quote of the Day
“I definitely want to show how beautiful the marathon can be. I am the opponent of all those who find the marathon bad: the psychologists, the physiologists, the doubters. I make the marathon beautiful for myself and for others. That’s why I’m here.”
-Uta Pippig, the first woman to win the Boston Marathon three consecutive times
Runner’s World Quote of the Day
“Relish the bad training runs. Without them it’s difficult to recognize, much less appreciate, the good ones.” -Pat Teske
The Blue Eyed Warrior 