The Blue Eyed Warrior
The Adventures of the Norse Goddess of WarArchive for October, 2011
SHOULD 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
The Blue Eyed Warrior 