Rest is Best

Rest is best. No mater how much EmergenC and airborne you drink. No matter how much kale and red pepper salad you eat. No matter how much raw garlic, and hot ginger tea you consume, you will not get better unless you rest. This is the lesson I never learn every time I am sick. I do everything I can, except rest.

If I'm completely honest, I had that impending you're-about-to-get-sick catch in the back of my throat on Monday morning while still in Seattle after running Hood to Coast. I asked my sister, who I stayed with for a few days (Didn't write a recap on that: in short it was great. Sisters are best.) after HTC if she had airborne and then proceeded to go for a run in very hilly Tacoma. Everything seemed great after I arrived home on Tuesday, that is until Friday night when I stayed up way to late (darn you time change) and woke in the middle of the night with the ever so slightest sore throat.

Thanks to my husband I was able to lay low and rest Saturday and Sunday. I didn't run. Took naps and didn't move much. Such a fun way to spend Labor Day weekend.

And then Monday I ran a 5k. I knew that it was not the best thing. But I really wanted to run. A desire fueled partly by a desire to see what I could do after HTC and partly by the frugality that I blame exclusively on my Dad (in a very loving sort of way). It's that frugality that makes me eat questionable leftovers because I hate to throw away food (a bout of food poisoning seems to have cured me of that habit) and show up for races Ive paid for even when its best to probably rest. Earlier in the week I believed I could go under 20 minutes. And I still believe I can.

I showed up Monday, ran as hard as I could and managed a 20:22. A PR for me and almost a minute after than my June 5k. (More on that later.)

I rested Tuesday and then, feeling slightly better on Wednesday decided to get up and run five miles before going to track later that evening. I felt like I was getting better most of Wednesday. Our coach wasn't at track so we ended up playing around a bit: dividing into teams and running a 4x400 relay and then a mile fartlek. It was the 4x400 that killed me and brought my cold raging back. I ran raced the anchor leg. Our teams were so evenly matched that it was a neck n' neck race and I ran two (because we did it twice) all out for 400m which I never go at track sessions.

Wednesday and yesterday I paid the price: my cold came raging back this time in my chest not just my throat and sinuses. So I'm learning again that rest is best because I've waisted almost two weeks of training now to longing my cold by running instead of resting and letting my body recover. But it's one or those things where I'm kind of #sorrynotsorry. My 5k was a PR (I also didnt waste my money and had a chance to see people I used to work with and a friend from high school who I haven't seen in ages.) and track was so FUN! Seriously, I've never run track races before and racing around the track is kinda thrilling, so different than road running and speed work.

So today I feel better. But I'm not going to run. Saturday I should probably rest too and Sunday is a toss-up. Hopefully Ill be ready for a good solid tempo on Monday.