The Absurdity of Planning

Life-"so you have a training plan I see, well, &^#* your training plan"

My training was going great for a few months this year, I had the well built blocks with balanced intensity and rest. I was feeling strong. I took a recovery week, and then as I was gearing up for a productive 3 week block of hard training, everyone around me started getting sick. Everyone around me being germy adolescents and teenagers with poor understanding of personal space, and only a beginner's level of competence in personal hygiene. But I have been teaching for almost 15 years, I have a strong immune system, I hoped.

Extra supplements and and intense positivity could not save me. It hit. The flu. I decided I'd do my light recovery week long run of 8 miles, and for about 2 I was good, then, less good, then bad, then my post run stretch left me lying on the floor in a pathetic pile. I was down for the rest of the weekend, and even had to take a day off work. Writing sub plans exhausted me. Back to the bed. I was able to drag myself to school. I had to enforce deadlines before spring break, stuff needed to get done. I did it, kind of, from my stool, with no voice, using box after box of terrible sand-papery school tissues. "Why are you here, Ms. Murphy? You should be at home". Nice try, virus monsters, if I was home nothing would be getting done here, I'm on to your evil plan!

So, I toughed it out at work to go home and straight back to bed, or a hot bath. I had no speed work in me, or long swims, or trainer bike rides on Zwift. I was achy and out of breath walking up the stairs. I missed 6 training days, of my beautifully designed build phase. On a positive note my abs were getting a workout from the coughing.

Then, of course it was spring break. With the remnants of the terrible plague still upon me, I ventured on the trip I'd planned for my husband and myself. Oh, I was the subject of many a dirty look. Much like my pumpkins at school, many fellow travelers would have rather I had stayed home, what with my pockets full of tissues, a racking cough, and the reek of Vick's Vapo Rub. But with the hardiness, and cheapness of a school teacher, no basic economy flight would be wasted on my watch.

I was able to run a few short loops around the National Mall, hacking and coughing each time we stopped with a crowd to wait to cross the street. I was not making a lot of friends. We walked 10-12 miles a day on our trip, that I could handle. I even convinced my husband, and myself that renting bikes and pedaling the 40 mile trip from DC to Mount Vernon and back would be a good idea (mixed reviews on that). Afterward I was convinced I had lost significant lung capacity, everything was a struggle. Just leave me here to die.

By the end of the trip I was feeling better, coughing only a little, my muscles seemed to work without constant ache and fatigue. But, I'd missed so much training, so much! Only 8 weeks out from my marathon, what do I do? Extra to make up for what I missed? Pick up where I would have been in the plan? Well, here is my plan now, I shifted my next recovery forward and will push pretty hard for the next three weeks, getting some extra speed work in on my long runs and bikes. Based on my most recent swim and bike, they are ok. I did not really loose speed or endurance, but my next race is my A-race marathon so the anxiety is all with the run. I guess I just need to trust in my base and have faith in my body's ability make it happen. What else can I do?

"If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans".

-Woody Allen