Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Runner Down.

Hi all! I apologize for the lack of posting for the past week or so. I started feeling icky at the beginning of last week, and by Thursday I had a super sore throat and was running a fever. I went to the doctor the day before my birthday, pretty sure I had strep throat.

I was right, unfortunately--and along with strep, the doctor told me I had a double ear infection and mono.

That's right, mono. That delightful virus most people get in high school that makes everything hurt and zaps you of energy. When it comes to mono, this is not my first rodeo--I had it once in high school and once in college. Most people develop an immunity to Epstein-Barr, the virus that causes mono. I'm not immune to it, so when I get hit with something like strep, it apparently makes it really easy for me to pick mono up, too.

Looking back over the past couple of weeks--the last month, even--I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I've been low on energy and unfocused for awhile. I just chalked the exhaustion up to life--I mean, who isn't tired a lot, right?  At least now I can blame mono for putting my car keys in the dishwasher, forgetting why I wandered into the bedroom, and not being able to hold my eyes open at 4 PM.

I'm on "bed rest" for another week and a half (I'm finding this VERY challenging) and then for the next 6-8 weeks, I can't do anything that could cause injury to my swollen spleen--like pick up my kid, go to the gym, or run.

So, like, everything.

I totally freaked out the day the test came back positive. How am I supposed to function like a normal person for the next 2 months? Luckily, I have a great family who rearranged their lives to get me through the next couple of weeks until I'm feeling more human again. Once the initial weeks are over, I can add low-impact things back into my life. But I'm not allowed to do anything that I could fall off of, or fall over doing.

This is definitely going to change the landscape of my running and my race calendar. If all goes well, I'll be cleared for running right before the Peachtree Road Race in July, the biggest run here in Atlanta. I'll just have to take it slow. I don't know what this does to my marathon plans this fall--I honestly have no idea what 8 weeks from running is going to do to me and how long it will be before I'm back in the saddle--er, running shoes.

What I do know is I need to make some changes. I thought I was doing so well with my exercise and nutrition, but my immune systems begs to differ. I'm terrified of gaining a bunch of weight before I can add some low-impact stuff back into my life, so I'm trying to watch what goes into my mouth. I've been trying to do some research on immune boosting food, supplements and nutrition, but I'm still having a little trouble concentrating.



 I'm really looking forward to having some of my energy back and starting to feel like myself again. Until then, I think I'll go take a nap.

A penny for your thoughts: have you ever had to take a break from running or exercise? What's a good book I should read while I'm stuck in bed?

4 comments:

  1. What a bummer! I remember when I was in high school I broke my toe (sounds silly) but I had to sit out from my dance classes for a few weeks. Dance was literally ALL I did...including working at the studio, so those weeks were excruciating! I've read a lot of good books lately, although some have been around for awhile - The Help and Invention of Wings were both on Oprah's Book List and I really enjoyed them! Hope you feel better soon :)

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  2. Oh that's really a bummer! I was out for a stress fracture for 8 weeks. It was so hard not to run especially since I lead a running group-ugh. I feel your pain. It's so hard not to be able to do what you love. I did try to focus more on my nutrition during this time and clean it up a little. Oh and on line shopping helps too. Good luck! Deborah @ http://confessionsofamotherrunner.com/

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  3. Oh man! Luckily I haven't been that sick but I can imagine that you feel horrible. Get well soon! I'm sending you happy, healing thoughts and well wishes! I'm still healing with my hamstring and it's driving me nuts to not be running...but I too am watching what I eat since I'm burning less calories !

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  4. You should read the Divergent series. If you go to my blog, there is a link to my goodreads and I have LOTS that I have read this year that I've loved. =) Good luck!

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