Running under the Influence

Monday, March 17, 2014



It's not news that even healthy people get sick. The amusing thing is to hear about how they choose to stay fit. I need to tell you that it is important to follow your Doctor's advice and that's exactly what I did in each of these situations. So here's my limited (thankfully) experience of Running under the Influence of...

... a virus - this past week I fought a virus. The first day or so was tough to get out for a run so I just went for a walk. It wiped my energy off so what I did was to exercise first thing in the morning if I could. I took my walk in the afternoon just so I could spend more time recovering that day. When I did went for a run later on in the week, I wasn't trying to break any records. I was just happy to be out there. Recovering, not running was my main priority last week.

... an infection - I got a sinus infection two weeks before running the Houston Marathon. First, I wasn't sure what I had, all I knew was that I wasn't getting better and that I needed to keep training. I went on a run the day I went to the doctor, who told me to stop running outside for 3 days. I decided to take his advice seriously and thank God I was rested and recovered in time for the marathon. The infection also wiped my energy but I was still able to run, just not break records.

... a runny nose - running with a runny noses sucks but the interesting part is that but mile 2 it's pretty much gone. Gross but true. And no, you don't want to be the runner behind me. 

... pregnancy - I was 10 weeks pregnant when I competed in my first 5K in 2008. I felt great and the doctor told me not to stop what I was doing. Shortly after the race I stopped running but I stayed active. Running in the beginning was easy. When my center of gravity changed it was a different story. 

 The interesting thing about running in this season of life is that there aren't perfect conditions (at least for me). Each day presents a set of challenges that I get to overcome when I decide I am going for a run, no matter what. There are days when running is not doable, so I chose to either do another type of exercise or rest. I am thankful to be healthy enough to be a runner and when different situations influence my running, I am thankful for wisdom to make to best out of them so that I can get to my next, healthy run.
Lauren said...

Great tips! My sinuses have been terrible lately with the pollen count so my stuffy nose has been a pain to deal with. Luckily a bit of nose spray helps me breathe easier during my runs! I'm just grateful it's not anything worse than a stuffy nose.

Unknown said...

Great post as always. Any tips on running shoes?
Thanks

Cintia Listenbee said...

Marie, the best thing I did as far as shoes was go to a local running store and get fitted for shoes. They measure your feet, give you advice and you'll choose from a variety of shoes. I think shoes are very important and getting a good one (or at least finding out what works for you and buying it for a better price elsewhere) is a great investment! Thanks for reading!

Unknown said...

Thank you for the suggestion.