Nasty Cold But I Was Able To Run…Some, and Charlie Turns 4!!

I was in Anchorage on Tuesday for an appointment so I took advantage of that and decided to run on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. The last time I ran on that trail, it was completely covered with snow. That has obviously changed.

What a nice day to be out on the trails! Unfortunately, I was having some difficulty on the run. I couldn’t even keep up with my RunTempo app (set at 170 spm) so I just slowed the pace. Gone are the days of not listening to my body. In previous years, I would have run right through any issues I was having. By the time I got back to my truck, I wasn’t feeling so good. Sneezing, coughing, plus a slight wheeze. I do have asthma, but I just thought my allergies were “acting up”. I took my inhaler and did some mild stretches until my breathing calmed down. By the time I got home, I was not feeling well at all. Long story short, I ended up with a really nasty cold with flu-like symptoms and I could not even function for a couple of days. I know what you are thinking and no it wasn’t -I was Covid negative!

I was so bummed because this is the week I was supposed to increase my “long-run” to 5.5 miles. There are only two more weeks until I officially start marathon training. I do not have time for a cold. So, I decided to try and boost my immunity, get some good rest, and get healthy quickly.

I thought I would try this Immune-boost smoothie from Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow.

I am not a big smoothie fan, but I am going to drink this daily just for a healthy boost to my diet. Of course, these types of illnesses just need to run their course, but I believe the smoothie was helping. I had more energy anyway and was able to get out of bed.

I wasn’t able to run Wednesday or Thursday, but I ran in Anchorage again on Friday on another absolutely beautiful day. Temperatures were in the 70s this week. I ran nice and slow and was able to get in 3 miles.

Fridays are typically a rest day before the Saturday long run. But this Saturday, I still managed to run the 5.5 miles that were scheduled. Talk about slow, I think that was the slowest run of the year but I still did it. Obviously, I am feeling better but I am not 100%. The allergies are just ridiculous and having a cold on top of them didn’t help. I am still drinking my smoothie though, getting lots of fluids, and eating healthier.

Physical Therapy Update

According to my Pt, Zuzana, I had gained strength and flexibility since my last appointment. The only problem was my hamstrings cramped up when I demonstrated the single-leg bridge. The cramping had not happened during the last couple of weeks that I had been doing that exercise, so maybe I was a little dehydrated?? So, I have to keep doing those for now. For more strengthening, she added a band for more resistance to the wall running exercises, changed walking on my toes with thirty-pound weights to walking up and down the stairs on my toes with thirty-pound weights, and she added a runner’s march to the Romanian deadlift (see below). She also included hip extension exercises for mobility.

I will follow up with Pt in about 6 weeks. So glad to hear that everything was moving well with no major issues.

Running Update

Even though I have pretty much stated how my running went this week, I will still recap here. Not much to report.

• Monday Physical Therapy
• Tuesday Run 2.5 miles
• Wednesday Sick
• Thursday Sick
• Friday Run 3 miles plus PT exercises
• Saturday Run 5.5 miles
• Sunday Yardwork/rest

Week 10 was completed and in week 11, all those 2-2.5 miles runs jump up to three. My next long run will be 6 miles in week 12. Hopefully, this down week will give me a chance to recover from my cold and gain back some energy.

Family Fun

The highlight of the week was celebrating Charlie’s 4th birthday! I cannot believe she is 4 years old already. 4!!! Sonja rented a bouncy castle with a slide and Charlie and her friends had a lot of fun.

Right to the end. Charlie stayed on it until it was to be taken away from what I heard.

And she wanted a particular cake that was a “heart-shaped chocolate cake, white and black with strawberries, raspberry, blueberry, and candy stars” which Sonja made. She didn’t waiver from the type of cake she wanted. She said the same thing every single time she was asked. Sonja also made cupcakes and set up a little station where the kids could decorate their own. Such a fun idea!

Also, she received some really fun things for her birthday, and she really liked this scooter that her parents got for her. I didn’t get a picture or video, but when she opened my gift which was a wooden stamp set (recommended by Sonja), she was so excited. She loves crafty stuff.

Everybody had a great time and it turned out to be an awesome sunny and 70-degree day.

Hopefully, next week we will all be healthy and back to normal. Sonja was not feeling well but she wanted Charlie to have a good birthday so she just toughed it out. And now, Scott is also not feeling well but he wants to get all of his plants transitioned to outside so he has been pretty busy. Maybe I can update that in another post but for now, that’s it. Until next time…

Happy Running