Friday, March 16, 2012

Get Healthy

I guess the Running Gods are against me lately. My knee/it band/shin splint/whatever issue seems to be on the mend, I felt great running Sunday...and then BOOM. I get a totally knarly cold.

Damn husband.

I did all the precautionary rituals. Zinc every 4 hours, extra hand washing, extra sheet changing, extra vitamin C consumption and keeping far far away from my germ infested husband, but I still got it.

So so rude.

I sound like I just smoked 462 packs of Marlboro Reds. I don't "feel" horrible, but this chest congestion has got to go.

So while I am mentally ready to run...I don't know if I'm doing myself a disservice by actually running. My run on Tuesday was pain free, but I struggled to breath normally and totally embarrassed Wade with all the loogies I hawked up during our short 4 mile run.

So classy.

Because I am a highly paid Doctor, I did what all smart well paid Doctors do...I googled. And of course, my favorite website (Runner's World) popped up with an article that was just perfect.

Read it here if you are sick. Or if you just like to read.

This part stuck with me the most....and is fairly simple:

"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".

OK, so my cold is definitely below the neck. What's a few more days off on the long road to recovery, right?

Operation Get Healthy to Get Stealthy:

Extra sleep. "Trying" anyway. Sleeping in the rest bedroom even so that I don't disturb Wade with my Truck Driver Cough. Drinking lots of water. Not washing my hair (I know, I'm gross, but it makes me tired, ok?) Taking my vitamins and Muxinex. Hot Tea. Zinc. And a big bowl of this last night...





2 comments:

  1. OK, seriously, you are never going to believe this, but I actually got knocked down with a hell of a cold this week too and on Monday I googled and read that SAME article!! It was the ONLY reason I didn't work out Monday-Wednesday this week. I actually just managed to pull off 2 miles this morning, and I've been coughing shit up ever since. But it would have been SO much worse if I had tried earlier... and believe me, I really wanted to try! I was giving myself hell for staying in bed when I would normally be getting up and on the treadmill!

    Too funny... Way to spread your germs 3000 miles. Jerk.

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  2. I just got a cold too - not happy about it!!! I have a 5K tomorrow, which is no big deal, but I was kind of looking forward to seeing how I could do in it - chances are not very well if I can't breathe through my nose:(
    I'm going to go check out that article now. Feel better!!!

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