No need to panic!

I've been worried all week.

Last weekend, with less than 2 months to the Gold Coast 1/2 Marathon, I decided to start pushing harder with my training. I made this decision even though I was struggling from a big bout of sinus, and this turned out to be a very dumb idea! The consequence of listening to my head instead of my body was I paid the price all week of NO TRAINING. Instead of increasing the training load I was forced to call it off completely.

The sinus attack did not go well with last weekend's 4 hard aerobic sessions and it quickly became firstly infected and then a long lasting, very heavy head and chest infection (URTI). The URTI became worse during the week with 3 long flights, 4 days in a cold and dusty arid zone and a lot of air conditioned sleeping quarters. It's been a miserable week physically and mentally. Not being able to train just made it worse.

I was also worried all week. For five days I struggled to breathe and to get through the work day, and it was clear exercise was a no-go. And this annoyed me. I was sure my fitness was slipping, and I worried I was losing my chance to complete the 1/2 marathon. I was miserable and worried. What a combination.

But good news. Today, despite still feeling the last remaining effects of the head cold I decided to go for a walk (no running!) and see how I felt. I ended up fast walking for 1 hour 48 minutes, including some small hills, and I felt great, I handled the distance and the pace easily. A little tired afterwards but in much better shape than I had expected. Later, I did a short spin session on the stationary bike, and although I struggled for breathe and energy, again it was better than I had feared.

I'll try again tomorrow (Sunday) and then figure out my plan for the week ahead. There's no time to waste BUT - as I've now learnt the hard way- I MUST listen to my body.

More later, journey on
James



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