The Toughest Decision

The toughest decision to make (at least for me) is when to take a day off. And I'm not talking about the one day off per week that my schedule allocates to me every Sunday. No, I'm talking about the most dreaded of all decisions: having to call in sick or injured to both running and cross training.
Today I am yet again on the verge of a head cold. Some would tell me to push throught it, like I did yesterday, since it does not involve my respiratory tract. Others would tell me to take a whole week off, so  that when I return to the roads, there is no chance of relapse. Well today, I am going to settle somewhere in the middle. I will take an unpredicted Wednesday off, because I believe that it will eventually allow me to run more. Yes I said it. A day off to heal this little virus will let me run more.
I've learned this lesson before. Last spring, in the climax of track season, I decided to race with a little baby cold. And then I decided to do a tempo run with a moderate cold. And then I decided to do a long run with a major infection. I ended up off my feet, immunosuppressed, waiting for an end to the pain and pleading to the doctor: "what went wrong?"
The doctor of course ridiculed my training, saying that at the first sign of a cold, I should have "layed like mud." It is so agravating that the only thing that will eventually cure a cold is rest. And not just resting, like sitting down and writing a blog post. Rest as in bed rest. Bed rest as in laying down, eyes closed, ingorant to the outside world.
Bed rest is frankly laziness. And if there is one thing I hate more than a day off, it's a lazy day off. But if I would just take the lesson learned from last spring; if I would just take a day off before this thing progresses into a full blown sinus infection, I will save myself pain and agony, and many more forced days off.

Running Sick

Infectious diseases are, next to injuries, the most frustrating and fear striking entities in the minds of runners. Nothing, perhaps other than a chronic injury, is more agrivating than being forced to take a few days off due to an infectious disease. Yet a fine line exists between being too sick to run and just healthy enough to squeeze in a few miles. The "head down rule," (a traditional addage that states that one should only run if the symptoms are in the neck up) comes to mind. But I've run through terrible head colds that have lasted for weeks simply because of my refusal to take a day off, so I don't know how helpful the head down rule is.
Regardless, today I feel as if I am on the verge of a cold. I am pounding down the water, because I've found this to be the most effective at staving off colds in the past. I went to bed early last night, and got lots of rest. My condition seems pretty stable, just a lingering sense that something is not right, and I have taken some Vicks DayQuill. Now the question: do I run today?
I am currently leaning towards yes. In about a half hour, I will make my way over to the treadmill for a moderate 3 miles. This is much much shorter than any run I've done in a long time, but it's something. It might even kickstart my immune system. Either way, it's very experimental, and I will report how it goes. FIAGW.

Good Runs and Good Times

January was a good month for me. I limped into a half marathon with very little endurance training, and still posted a 1:29:12, which I was pretty happy about. After that, I spent some time recovering with some shorter runs, and a day off. Then I started running like never before. I began to run more miles that I ever had previously dreamed possible. I got healthy mentally, and emotionally. But mostly spiritually. The idea of running for God finally made sense to me, and my Christ-centered faith had began to inspire intense passion and devotion on all of my runs.
I am in a good place right now, and I praise God for that. Track season is approaching, and this time I cannot wait to start toeing the line again... I miss racing. This year it will be different though. Every race will be for God. And I think that at the end of the day, that is the best wat to do it.
FIAGW