Two Months

Yikes, it has been almost two months since my last blog post. Even my Dad, one of the most laid back people in the world, gave me a gentle nudge while visiting last week for Easter.

Since the Virginia is for Lovers 14K, workouts have picked up a bit. It hasn't been a great start to the season. My family lost a close relative a few weeks ago, shifting priorities during two visits to New York in ten days. I have also caught one stupid bug after the other. Bronchitis, serious sinus infection, stomach virus - and yesterday, after finishing a tour of the upcoming Kinetic Half course with a fellow Guppy, the sinus and chest congestion flared up with a new symptom, losing my voice.

While none of these ailments have been that awful, they certainly have been draining and annoying. I haven't been this consecutively sick in a long time - probably since my first year of teaching in 1990. All the nose wiping, diaper changing and general little kid exposure tested my immune system to the limit. The silver lining was a super strong resistance that lasted quite awhile. It seems this natural vaccine was good for twenty years.

So, I've missed workouts here and there. And recovery days have been more about trying to knock these germs out of my system than rebuilding muscle and resting.

My first triathlon race of the year, Rumpus in Bumpass Olympic, is next week. On my birthday. This is a fun course and I know I can finish - and as long as my health stays where it is or gets better, I should have a reasonable race. Probably not a PR, but within range.

The May Kinetic Half worries me a bit more. But I have a few more weeks before taper, so we'll see how things go.

More Vacation Training - Swim, Cough, Run

After the 8.5 mile run (at a surprising 10:08 pace) early Saturday morning, the rest of my girls-weekend-mini-vacation featured an unusual triathlon training regime – swim, cough, run.

Saturday, we headed out to the Miami Seaquarium for a dolphin swim. Several years ago, I set a few lifetime goals. One was to do a triathlon. Another was to swim with the dolphins. Last year, I had my first opportunity to share the water with these amazing animals – and was really looking forward to repeating the experience. How often do you get to accomplish a life goal more than once (well, other than triathlons!)?

I just love dolphins. In general, I am fascinated by animals - and am a proud anthropomorphist. Spending time up close and personal with four beautiful dolphins was a highlight of the trip for me. They flipped, jumped, twisted and waved for us. We even received a few kisses. One of the dolphins was a proud new mother – and we watched as her baby swam nearby, keeping close tabs on her Mama. Most memorable were the “rides” with the dolphins – one on the dorsal fin and one on a boogie board as the dolphin propelled us forward by our feet. If only I could latch onto a dolphin in Panama City next November!

Sometime between the dolphin swim and Sunday morning, the cold I had been fighting for a few days took a turn for the worse. Major sore throat, chest phlegm, sneezing, coughing, yada, yada, yada. Thankfully, TRIgirl MJW (she and DL were also feeling under the weather) was equipped with Zicam and aspirin – and I was able to pump enough meds into my body to still enjoy the great dinners (loved Bed, Nobu and Opa!), dancing, shopping – and even a few hours of beach time.

South Beach has one of the most fabulous oceanfront boardwalks I’ve ever seen – it seems to go on forever – with views of the gorgeous aqua waters, white sands, swaying palm trees and upscale hotels. On Monday morning, I decided I wasn’t going to let some stupid cold force me to forgo my last chance to run along it – especially because the weather was finally warming up a bit. So I joined TRIgirls MJW and DL for a five mile run – including a 4 mile negative split. And while my negative split wasn’t so hot (20:45/19:45) – it was still one of the most beautiful and enjoyable runs I’ve ever experienced.

Now it is back to reality – and a tough, slightly guilt-ridden decision to take a rest day to send this cold off on its merry way before slipping back into the normal training schedule.