Sucking Air

          Last week Seattle got a snow storm and the city pretty much shut down. Which was fine for me, instead of going into work at 5:15am on Wednesday I went in at 7a.m. Although I grew up in Montana the first time I have ever experienced a snow day is while living in Seattle. If you YouTube videos about Seattle drivers you will find a great deal of them making fun of Seattle drivers in the snow. It is quite comical but is not all their fault. The roads are usually not plowed, salted, or sanded and the streets are narrow and the hills are steep, add to that people without four or all wheel drive and a very limited experience in the snow and you get quite the fiasco. During that snow storm I had to take Levi to the Airport for Reno Pole Vault Summit and I discovered driving in the snow is like riding a bike and I had plenty of experience living in Montana and Idaho so it was an uneventful trip. It was actually nice since there was hardly any traffic on the roads. I dropped him off Wednesday night and was disappointed I wouldn’t be going to support him but as it turns out it was probably for the best seeing that the next day I woke up with a bad cold. I wasn’t scheduled for work until Monday since I was originally supposed to be in Reno so was able to get a lot of rest.
          It started off as an annoying sore throat and then turned into a head cold and settled into my upper respiratory tract by Sunday. I managed to get my workout in Friday but noticed I was breathing like I was at altitude and my muscles were burning by the end. On Sunday I was supposed to do a long run. I noticed easy running didn’t really bother me but my coach insisted that I take a day off and so I missed my long run. 
          Why is it so hard for distance runners to take a day off? Logically I knew it was not going to hurt my fitness, in fact, it would probably help me recover from my cold sooner but I still questioned it. I have been getting a lot better at listening to my body and my coach but old habits die hard so my first instinct was to revert to the “old” Lois and question this whole day off thing. It is good I have such a supportive network of friends and family because they always give me the right advice. When I am forced to take an unexpected day off I end up calling my dad, or talking to my husband or other family members for advice and they are always there to keep me sane. So I enjoyed my day off and got a lot done around the house.
          I have a race coming up Saturday so this whole being sick thing has also messed with my head a little bit but so on Tuesday I went to the indoor track to do a light workout, just some 1000s and 400s. I hit every pace I needed and was under pace for most. My breathing was a little more labored but the strangest thing? My calves were very sore. I hadn’t done anything to get them that sore before a workout and I am betting it is due to being sick and dehydrated I am sure. It just goes to show how much harder your body has to work when it is sick so it is always best to let it rest.
          I will be taking it easy the next few days before I race the mile at the UW Invitational this Saturday. The nice thing is I already have my mark for USA’s so I do not have to run for any time. I am just racing to race and get sharper. The way I look at this whole cold thing is it is training me for USATF Indoor Nationals that will be held in Albuquerque, NM, at altitude. I will be sucking air there just like I am with this cold right now.