A frustrating weekend

Well that's probably not really a fair title for this post as I've actually had a very nice weekend. It's just from a running point of view it's been very frustrating. It's the first time in I can't remember how long that I've not done a long run on a Sunday and no running all weekend. And this is all thanks to some nasty, inconvenient little bug that has decided to take up residence in my body.

I'd been feeling a bit dizzy since Tuesday and as both my husband and a couple of colleagues have been suffering with something for most of the week, I thought it would only be a matter of time before I was also infected! And sure enough on Friday morning I woke up with a throat that felt like I'd been swallowing razor blades and a stuffed up nose. Not the greatest of ends to the week and particularly annoying as we were going away for the weekend to visit family.

I packed my running kit all the same, hoping that whatever it was might clear up quickly and let me get outside for a run. I've run before when I've had a bit of a sniffle, nothing too intense, just a couple of miles at a slow pace and I was hoping I'd be well enough to do that at least.

Saturday morning came and I felt no better, I decided that I'd leave the run for the day and hope that the rest might help me recover enough to run on Sunday. I've done a fair bit of research on whether or not it's safe to run when you're not well and the general concensus seems to be that if your symptoms are all above your neck then it's OK to run, if they're not then you shouldn't. This bug has definitely affected my lungs a little bit so I decided it was best not to go out. I'm asthmatic so I have to take particular care with things like this.

By Sunday morning I was feeling a bit better but still not 100%. I was really unsure about whether to go out, I really wanted to but I didn't want to risk making myself worse. In the end my husband said that he didn't think I should go and suggested that we go for a walk instead. So that's what we did.

As soon as we got outside I realised I'd made the right decision not to run. It felt good to be outside and to be moving around but it was very cold and windy. I'm sure I would have done myself and in particular my lungs no good at all by running.

We walked around the village where we were staying and where my husband grew up. It's a pretty village and I enjoy visiting - it's so different to where we live and where I grew up. The only horses we tend to see in London are police horses!

We walked up to the canal which is a particularly pretty place, there were quite a few barges moored up and a few other people walking along the path. It felt even colder by the canal so we just walked up to a bridge and then turned round and retraced our steps.

By the time we got back we'd walked two and a half miles which isn't bad. I didn't feel as satisfied as when I've had a good run but it was an awful lot better than sitting on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. Not long after we got back I started feeling dizzy again so I definitely did the right thing by not going out.

We had a lovely weekend away but right now I am feeling very frustrated. I want to get out there and run but I know I need to rest and wait until this thing is gone. My marathon training plan doesn't start for another couple of weeks and I know the most important thing is to be fit and well for that. I also know that having a break will probably do me good. I just miss the running and want to get back out there and hope that I can soon!