Training through Illness.

Today I was supposed to venture out on a 14 mile distance run. That didn't happen. Thursday evening I noticed the all too familiar tightening up of my throat that usually coincides with illness of some sort. Then, Friday I woke up with a congested nose and head. Yep. It's spring-ish. Time for that strange seasonal cold I seem to always get with spring's beginning.

Now, traditionally, I'm rather bullheaded when it comes to even admitting I may be sick. Just ask the lady-friend how often I've told her, "Oh, I'm not sick. It's just allergies," a week before she has the same symptoms as me. And so usually, I'll just keep riding my bike or running or whatever physical activity I'm into at the time of illness. And then it takes forever to get over the illness. Similarly I often end up in denial about injuries. One time I was involved in a nasty bike crash that resulted in a deep, deep cut just above my achilles. I could barely walk, ignored it, and rode 100+ miles in spite of it. Then, it got infected and I couldn't ride for a week.

But now that I'm older and have accepted my stubbornness with regards to illness. Probably not with injury. But as the illness is usually nothing more difficult than the common cold, it's easy to overcome with a little sensibility.

Now, whenever I notice a brief illness coming on, I stop riding my bike for my work commute. I postpone any training I'm doing and rework the schedule. Basically I try to minimize any stress on my body that may distract it from battling the illness.

The result is that I'm no longer digging myself into a deeper hole training, because that's all that happens when you're sick and training. The illness doesn't linger for a prolonged time either. I usually find within a day or two that I'm feeling well enough to start training again. And lastly, because I get over the illness so quickly, I can usually maintain my training schedule and only miss one training day at most and then pick up where I left off and fully attack the schedule rather than gutting it out sick with no benefits of that training block.It's mostly a win-win. And as of today, I'm not doing my 14 mile run, but I can already tell my symptoms are getting better and plan on heading out tomorrow. And even better? The weather will be nicer tomorrow too.