When a Cold Strikes..

I just had an article posted to the Marathon & Beyond blogs a few days ago about running through the winter and how to talk yourself through wanting to stay in bed. Well, I have not been the best example of that the last few days as I have been laid up with one of those energy-sapping colds that seem to go around this time of year. I am often caught in the conflicted feelings of wanting to get out on the trails in spite of my congestion and ickiness and wanting to lay around and give my body a chance to recover.

So what to do?

I think that it is a common feeling amongst athletes that if you miss a week of your regular regimen that you will enter into a downward spiral of laying around. In reality, that is just not true. A day off (or three days, or a week, or even two weeks) is not going to render you incapable of doing the things that you can do when you are on top of your training. I fight with myself internally when I miss a few days for whatever reason, but ultimately, as long as I get back out there, my running will be just fine. I don't know if it is a fear that I will lose my training or just that I am in a better headspace when I have a few hours on the trail to decompress, but I know this is a struggle for a lot of other runners as well.

I haven't retired myself entirely for the past few days. My brother is in town, and we have gone out on some good hikes and gotten some of that fresh air that I love. I haven't been running, but I've still been out there. And today, my cold feels mostly better. I know that I'll be ready to be back at it tomorrow.