Week In Review – Foiled!

Sometimes it’s just when things are ticking along nicely that life throws a spanner in the works. This week I somehow went from feeling great to having a cough, and after the experience of last year, I made sure to take a step back and look after myself so it doesn’t linger. It was the end of the week before the cough put in an appearance so I still got some training done earlier in the week:

Monday – Hatha yoga
Tuesday – 4 miles
Wednesday – rest
Thursday – 4 miles
Friday – PT session with Steve
Saturday – parkrun
Sunday – rest

I began my week with one of the”bonus” Hatha classes my teacher is putting on prior to the holidays. Another lovely chance to take some time for myself and stretch.

When I woke up on Tuesday morning it was REALLY cold and our street looked quite slippery, however I was certain it would be ok on the main road. I dug out my all terrain shoes once more, wrapped up and walked out of our street to find it was, indeed, better on the main roads so I was able to run 4 miles on an out and back route, but at an easier pace so I felt in control and generally running on the roads rather than the pavement to avoid any slippery patches. Despite that, I still enjoyed being out in the bracing air and getting some exercise.

However when I got home Tuesday night I wasn’t feeling too great. My throat was a bit scratchy and my body felt achy, but it felt like how I get when I’m really tired so I was fairly certain I could sleep it off. I ate my dinner, took a couple of paracetamol and had an early night. As it turns out I did sleep it off and woke up on Wednesday morning feeling back to normal. I did, however, opt for another restful evening since it was Steve’s birthday and I thought we should spend some time together (read: I wanted a slice of birthday cake!).

Thursday was always going to be a long day as I had a parents’ evening which was chockablock with appointments, but I still decided to get up early and have my 4 mile run as I knew I would feel better for it. After being a bit off earlier in the week and knowing I would be tired by the evening, I kept the pace nice and easy and just enjoyed the comparatively milder temperatures after my chilly run on Tuesday.

By the timeI got home it was quite late and I just wanted to grab a snack then head to bed. I did take a moment to open the more interesting-looking mail I had – the medal from my November virtual event. I entered this one back in about July as I thought the medal was so cool!

I rounded off the work week with another PT session down at Steve’s studio. I had been really sleepy in the morning so it wasn’t a circuit this time, just some basic TRX exercises to keep developing strength and mobility.

And then it was parkrunday once again. We were still using the alternative course we were on last week, but this time I could run however I chose. What I chose, was a reasonably steady pace as since the parents’ evening I had been coughing a little as my throat was a bit irritated. Not sore at all, just something tickling a little from time to time, so I didn’t want to overdo it. I actually lost a little time as the loose end from one of the drawstring “laces” on my trail shoes worked its way free and I was worried about catching it on something and tripping, so took a moment to sort it out. I finished a little over 25 minutes which, given that this is only the third run of our new “parkrun year” earned me a “congratulations on your fastest time this year” comment in my email. I love when that happens!

 

Unfortunately as the evening wore on I found myself coughing more and more, to the point that I actually slept in the spare room so as not to disturb Steve. I had already decided before bed that I wouldn’t go for my Sunday run so didn’t bother setting an alarm. It was almost 10am before I woke up so I must have needed that! I actually felt a lot better and enjoyed a relaxing day cuddling the kittens and watching my favourite Christmas movie.

It’s frustrating to pick up a cough at this point, but probably better to get it out of the way now so I can be fit to get stuck into marathon training properly in January. Fingers crossed it shifts quickly.

What’s your favourite Christmas movie?
Any tips for warding off the winter coughs and sneezes?