The cold that kicked my butt was good for me?!

On Saturday April 11 I woke up with a terrible cold. I was supposed to run in a 5K at the U of U institute but I felt terrible! I couldn't even walk upstairs to put Pili outside. I spent the weekend and 3 days of the next week in bed. My roommate Anna was a fantastic nurse for me. I had no appetite and barely ate. Then there was the nasal drip and congestion that had me coughing up mucus. Plus I had a horrible cough that kept me from sleeping through the night.

The worst part about being sick was that I wasn't able to run. I've been training since February for my race in June and I was heartbroken that I was sick and stuck home in bed. The week before getting sick I had hit a wall with my training. I was convinced I had taken on too big a challenge running the Wasatch Back and that my knees weren't able to handle it and the thought also came to me that my weight isn't in the "ideal" range and that should be holding me back too. All these thoughts ate at me and when mixed with stress at work I think my body shut down and made me take a break.

I started running Wednesday April 22 and I was still coughing, but only for 20 minutes after my run. The night coughing had ended. Being sick only made me miss 6 run days. And for the last 2 weeks I've been more focused and determined and stronger in my training. I'm gaining muscle and I'm losing weight. And just pressing on each and every day.

This isn't easy for me. Like I said I've got extra weight on me and knees with no cartilage and this race is a big challenge. The thing I'm learning and proving to myself is that its amazing what we can accomplish with a heart full of desire and a goal. I sure know I'm doing more than I thought I could or have been told I could. And really, I'm loving every minute of it.