This time I've got something that ain't no plain ol' cold.
I felt unmotivated on Sunday but that's not unusual. Skipped my planned 12-15-mile run. Monday started a progression of increasing fatigue, achiness, sore throat, headache and cough. Called off work Wednesday thru Friday, on which morning I woke up with blood-red goopy eyes as well. Like, gross. So now I'm on a week of Augmentin and a week of quinolone-antibiotic eyedrops. The quinolones include Cipro which is sometimes associated with tendonitis and Achilles tendon rupture, but the doctor assured me that the drops would have only local effect and would not rupture my tendons just in time for the Austin Marathon next weekend. I can't wear my contacts for a week and have to pitch all my eye makeup and start over.
My marathon is in danger. I have not run all week. I did not run all of last week, either, recovering 2 days from my 20.2-miler and then crediting my 3 bike commutes as runs. And I sure as hell am not going to be running the coming week. So by marathon day I won't have run for 3 weeks.
It could go one of several ways:
- I won't be well enough to run it and the whole deal's off.
- I'll give it a shot and have my first-ever DNF.
- I'll finish struggling and slow and be glad it's my last marathon.
- The enforced rest will solidify my training and I'll run a blistering last marathon and go out in a blaze of glory.
This is not impossible. It's happened to me before. Illness or injury has sabotaged my last 2 weeks or month of training and then I've run an amazing marathon.
So till then I'm going to eat very well, hydrate very well, rest and sleep as much as I can, and hope for the best.
I'm glad the marathon's not tomorrow.
