Should I just shower?

This has been a lost week. I had great plans for myself. I wrote a great training schedule with several key rides, a nice long run ( AND It's even warm today -- at least in the 20s!), and of course a handful of swims. I was looking forward to a full M-F with the kids in school and lots of time to be productive and thorough with everything.

Ha!

Instead.... I have the Flu. Or I had the flu. I'm on the tail end of it. Today I am at least living my life. Mostly. The past few days I've been basically nonexistent. With an asterix. (I'll get to that.. )

I knew today was going to be better as soon as the alarm went off. For one, my bed sheets weren't soaked with sweat {I know, gross, yeah fevers }  or wet from the cold cloths I had to drape over my head all night. I hadn't been up thrashing and coughing all night. I wasn't absurdly freezing despite lots of sweats. I actually Wanted to get up and help make the lunch boxes and get the kids off. I could stand touching my own skin.

The fever is gone and the body aches are much much better. Pretty much gone as of now I'd say. My lungs don't burn when I breath in, but this cough.Eek.  I actually had to pull off to the side of the road as I was driving away from the kid's school. All this stuff starts rattling around in there and things escalate and I choke and have a hard time catching my breath. It's fun.

And, for the first time since Tuesday when I called it quits on a run when I was working my tail off to run a pace/ mile about 45-60 sec slower than normal and my legs felt like Lead, I actually have thought about my training. I opened training peaks, deleted some great workouts and replaced it with "OFF- FLU". My qquestion for today has been, "should I exercise?" I'm calling it that because I KNOW it wouldn't be much of a training session. Hmm..
This is where coaching myself becomes a little tricky.
But, after the last coughing spell and a wee bit of lightheadedness as I got up from folding laundry, I decided, no, just take a shower. One more day to take it easy / recover is NOT going to change your race outcome in June. Or October. Ha! Of course not. Tomorrow is a busy ski meet day & Sunday hopefully I can ski with the family myself. And that's my decision.

Speaking of having the flu... I honestly don't remember the last time I had this. I know the last time I was sick was Oct 2011. I came down with that bug Saturday ....exactly One week before Kona. Yikes. I flew out on Monday-- fever, nasty cough, and fear. Long story short-- some luck, some meds, and some rest and I was good to go on race day.
I'm off the point.
It's Never fun to be sick. Not when you're 5, 13, 28 or 44. Never. But geez, when you're Mom, you basically have to just "fake it." Now, I work from home so I am lucky that way. The past few days I 'survived' {that's what it felt like} the morning rush from 6-9 and then DROPPED to the couch and stayed there until the last possible second when I had to put on the game face and go. It took all my energy to take my sweats off and clothes on. I think I brushed my hair. I hope so. I was miserable and freezing. I couldn't put enough on. The fever made me shake foolishly or gasp for air because I was so hot. My body hurt. It took so much effort just to be. But, I got through a ski meet, went to a p.m. meeting that wasn't happening that day, (yeah, you read that right.I know.. ), made dinners, helped with homework, drove back and forth to practices and school and cheering ( silently ) at a spelling bee, went back to that meeting on the right day ( heehee), and so on. My husband was out at meetings for two of my sick nights so it was all suck it up Mom for me. I had little pity parties and wanted someone to come to me and put a cold cloth on my head and give me ginger ale. It didn't happen. sigh....
Now, I am on re-entry mode and while I'm not 100%, I am alive enough to see what has happened around here. Or rather, what hasn't happened. Yikes. I need myself back, now!
Good thing this only happens every few years or so!
My suggestion? GET your FLU shot!!!!

Time for that shower. Maybe I'll train tomorrow.

Back to where it all started.

I just turned 44 a week ago today. My Birthday is just 7 days after New Year's and 7 days before my husband's  Birthday. ( Happy Birthday Mark! )

While I enjoy having fun on New Year's and celebrating the past year and the possibilities ahead, my Birthday is when I truly reflect and plan. 

This week, I have decided it's time to plan my races for the season. You see, I am floundering a little right now. For the first time since starting the sport of Triathlon, I am on my own. I am coach-less. That's a whole other blog. Or maybe not. My reasons are plentiful and yet I am not sure I'm happy here 'by myself.' It's hard. I am a Coach to others and find that comes very naturally but I can literally Stare at my blank training log for way way too long and then just click X because I have no idea where to start. 

It's a little bit of a mystery. I am absolutely internally motivated. That's not the problem. 

But it's getting better. I am beginning to make sense of myself and the direction to take.  

This is a big year for me. I'm going back to Kona. I won't say I'm "lucky" because I worked my TAIL OFF To get that spot. There really wasn't any luck involved. Ok, I guess I was Lucky that the 2nd place age group winner passed up her spot in Cozumel. I stand corrected. That was lucky. 

Moving on-- 

I made a race plan, finally. 

I think it's just right.  I have a nice mix of old and new. Just like the song. "Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and other gold."  

I am going to kick off the race season with a New race ( to me ) that's been on my Bucket list for a while.
Eagleman 70.3!!!!  I'm totally excited about this.  That's in June.
Then... 

I have a gap... From June 8 --- August 17th--- I'm not sure what to do there. 

I will likely run a 10K with my son on the 4th of July again. And, I may do my hometown 10K that's grown to be this mega-race that's hard to get into ( Beach2Beacon ) 

Here's where I go back in time a bit and I think it's the right thing to do given my unknown future beyond this season --- 

Timberman 70.3!  This was my FIRST Half Ironman way back when. I raced there with Mary just 8 months after my shoulder surgery to fix up my rotator cuff post- bike crash. I remember being SO Nervous and quite frankly, scared, to go that distance. It was an overwhelming feeling that day! I still remember.... 

I think I should go back and tear it up. Go after that course and show myself what I've accomplished and grown into over the years in this sport. The more I think about it, the more I like this plan. {Even if it IS a hard hard time to leave camp in the summer right before school starts... :( that part is very hard. } 

Next up, I am thinking about another old Favorite that I haven't raced in years but was one of my first Triathlons. The Lobsterman Oly in my "other" hometown of Freeport, ME. 

My husband has done it annually and I have sat out and cheered for various reasons.  I think it's time to go back..... 

From there... It's all about Hawaii. In fact, the whole season is all about Hawaii but now I have some stepping stones placed to help keep me fresh and sparky for that big day.  

NOW --- time to get at it & Train!!! 

T- 40 minutes to  Power Test #1 of the year.  

woohoo!!