I am not invincible

I like to think that I am, especially when it comes to running. But, no, it's not true and this past week proved it to me.

Monday & Tuesday

These two days rolled by without incident. I went to the gym and did what I usually do and felt great. Even though I did have a scratchy throat at work all day Tuesday I wasn't too concerned. I got home and had some tea with honey and lemon and some orange juice. It didn't matter because an hour later I had the sniffles. They lasted the rest of the night. I slept horribly.

Wednesday

I woke up feeling absolutely horrible! Yes, I had to admit it to myself: I WAS SICK! I couldn't even go to work. I was so delusional that I planned on going to the gym later that day. The only reason I didn't go was becasue I didn't have enough energy to get out of the bed! I did all the typical things to take care of myself but I just had to let this cold run its course. I also slept horribly.

Thursday

My younger brother's college graduation. I was in NO shape to go but I wasn't missing it! So I took tons of pills, put tons of tissues in my purse, and put on a little makeup so I didn't look completely horrible.

Me and my mom.

There's 3 siblings missing (at work and out of town) but there in spirit.

I survived. I had lackluster energy but still managed to scream and yell as he marched.

Friday

I'm feeling a bit better and have to go back to work. So, again, I take my pills and tissues and put on my game face. We also had our holiday lunch that day so at least I didn't have to be in the office all day. My ear was seriously hurting though. I thought that maybe I had an ear infection. Either way I was in pain and just rested the rest of the day.

Saturday

I agreed, like a crazy person, to go with my mom and older sister shopping. My mom is still on crutches from her little accident so I decided to come along and help out. We left the house at 10am and didn't get back until 430pm. I was exhausted, my ear still hurt, and I was miserable.

Sunday: I am not invincible

Taking all the above into account I still believed that I was ready to run my 18 miles. I had taken a short hiatus from the gym because I was sick so I figured I was healthy enough. I had slept fine and my ear didn't hurt anymore. So I woke up and got dressed. Chema and my youngest brother came with me on their bikes because we mapped the route the night before. I was feeling really good, on my pace and everything.

Around mile 9 I start to feel queasy. I mean REALLY QUEASY. I have never felt like this before, Sure, I've had cramps before or weird muscle spasms but nothing like this. I keep running, like the crazy person I am, pretending that all is well.

I stop at mile 10 (1 hour 20 minutes) because I am about to vomit. I fight it back down but some comes up and I cough on it. Chema gives me a GU and I munch on that thinking I'm dehydrated or need some energy. I walk for about 10 minutes and my stomach starts to normalize. These were super agonizing 10 minutes.

I start to run again and then have to stop at 15 minutes. I mean I was about to COLLAPSE! Chema has to ride me on his bike because I couldn't walk. I eventually get off because it was hurting my legs.

Meanwhile we are far from home, it's extremely cold outside, and I need to sit down. We walk for 20 more minutes and then I run for about 6 more minutes. I do it because I'm freezing and just want to get home a little quicker. I stop, defeated, I just can't go on. Luckily, my mom and brother were coming from the post office and see us once we make it to a main street.

At home I could barely shower because I had no energy! I was sipping on Ginger Ale the rest of the morning and in bed. I felt better though around the afternoon and even managed to eat something.

Disclaimer: I care about my health and my body. This was not me thinking: I don't care if I'm sick, I'm going to run anyway. I honestly felt better. But I should have listened to those around me. My mom told me not to run, to give myself some time to recuperate. Even though I was feeling better that did NOT mean I was ready to run. I could have really hurt myself.

So, it's important to know (and respect) our limits.

So this week I'm taking a break. I plan to go to the gym on Thursday and Friday and then try my 18 miles again the Monday after Christmas. Lesson learned.

What are some lesson you've learned the hard way in running, exercising, life...?