Runner Girl, Interrupted.

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Hey all. It’s been quite the holiday season here at Mommy Runs It. With 2 holiday guides (my Holiday Gift Guide for Runners and my 2014 Holiday Gift Guide) and 20+ giveaways (and still more to come!), I haven’t had much time to write about running. To be honest with you, I haven’t had nearly enough time for actual running either.

It’s been a fun experience though. Out of the 20 bloggers who worked together on the Holiday Gift Guide, I was the only fitness blogger in the bunch. It was great seeing how things work in other blog genres (some similarities, some differences). And many of the other bloggers were “bigger” and more experienced than me, so I learned a lot. Plus I got to introduce you to a ton of products that you wouldn’t normally see on your typical fitness or running blog.

And maybe, just maybe, I gained a new reader or two. Perhaps you came for the giveaways, but you’ll stick around to learn more about my mommy & marathon (mis)adventures.

26.2 with Donna

Anyway, with all the busyness of the last couple of months, plus a couple of other factors that I’ll get into in a minute, I’m having to reconsider my racing plans for the next few months.

Let me back up a bit.

About 5 months ago (in July 2014), I started training with the Jacksonville Galloway training group for my third 26.2 with Donna, which is on February 15, 2015. I ran (haha) into some trouble right off the bat. I have asthma, and after running indoors on a treadmill for most of the summer, I had a difficult time adjusting to the heat and humidity of Florida in July.

But by the time we worked our way up to a 12 mile long run in early September (I actually ran 13.1 for a virtual half marathon), l seemed to to have gotten my asthma under control and my training on track. And although I briefly considered switching to the half marathon program so that I could train with my best friend Kristie, I decided to stick it out. I knew that in the long run, I’d regret stopping my marathon training.

So I trudged onward. I supplemented my mid-week runs with bridge repeats, tempo runs, and speedwork. When I had to miss the Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon in October (because it fell on Yom Kippur), I ran 13.1 miles on the treadmill (yes, really) later that week. Two weeks later when I had a scheduling conflict for the 16 mile run, I met with two running pals at 5:00 a.m., and we got the miles done on our own. I was determined to make this happen for me.

18 miles was tough, but 20 miles felt great. It was full steam ahead!

ZOOMA Florida

Back in September, I was selected as an Ambassador for the ZOOMA Women’s Race Series – specifically, for their event in Amelia Island, Florida on January 17, 2015. Such an honor!

Only there was one problem. January 17, the day of the ZOOMA Half Marathon, is also the day of my last and longest training run for the 26.2 with Donna – a full 26 mile run.

This brings up an interesting point. Is a 26 mile run a necessary component of marathon training? Jeff Galloway says yes. In fact, he suggests that people with a time goal (i.e., not first timers) can run as many as 30 miles 3-4 weeks before the marathon. But many other marathon training plans – Hal Higdon’s, for example – peak with a 20 mile long run.

With this in mind, I was pretty sure that with a few adjustments, I could continue training for my February marathon. I would run the scheduled 23 miler on December 20, and then perhaps after the 13.1 on January 17, I would run another 13 the next day. Not quite the same as 26 consecutive miles, but 13 miles on tired legs would still be good training.

Then during my 20 mile run on November 22, my friend Todd mentioned that he planned on running the Jacksonville Bank Marathon on December 28 as a training run. And it turned out that several of my running friends were planning on doing the same. On December 20, instead of 23 miles, they were going to run 10, and then the following weekend they’d run 26.2 as a group.

Brilliant! I thought I’d found the perfect solution:

• 12/20 – 10 miles
• 12/28 – 26.2 miles in the Jacksonville Bank Marathon
• 1/3 – 10 mile ZOOMA Training Run
• 1/17 – ZOOMA Florida Half Marathon

But then…

I got the FLU

.                     

On December 12, my husband and I got dressed up for a his work holiday party – a rare date night for us. I even wore heels. We had a great time with our friends Joy and Tom. But on the way home, I started to feel…not right. I thought it was my asthma.

I woke up Saturday morning with a terrible headache. My husband and the kids went to the gym, and when I felt well enough to drag myself out of bed, I went to Walmart to pick up some groceries, craft materials for a 3rd grade project, party supplies for a 1st grade party, and other assorted essentials.

I started out strong, even pausing to Instagram a photo of Walmart’s surprisingly decent Hanukkah section. But it was so crowded…and the more I shopped, the worse I felt. I wanted to leave my cart in the middle of the store and just go home (but I didn’t).

I came home, put the groceries away, got in bed, and pretty much stayed there until the next morning. On Sunday morning, my husband took me to Urgent Care. I was expecting to be treated for asthma, with a breathing treatment and a shot (steroids) in the butt. Instead, they tested me for the flu, and the test came back positive.

I got back in bed and stayed there for the rest of the day. On Monday, I took the kids to school and spent the rest of the day sleeping. I started to feel better – good thing, because on Monday afternoon, my 9 year old started feeling sick. On Tuesday morning, I took her to the pediatrician and she tested positive for the flu. On Tuesday afternoon, my 6 year old got off the school bus with a 101.3 fever. And on Tuesday evening, my husband (who was working out of town) went to Urgent Care and tested positive for the flu. Womp womp.

So with 2 sick kids and a sick husband at home, plus getting over the flu myself…running just wasn’t happening. And a 10 mile run on December 20? Yeah, right. I did manage to finally get out for a run on Saturday, the 20th. I made it about a mile before I started coughing and couldn’t stop. All 4 of us are feeling better except for a cough and chest congestion. And since I have asthma…and since my #1 trigger is respiratory illness…there’s no telling how long it will take me to get over my cough and congestion.

Back to the drawing board.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series (Rock ‘n’ Blog)

So obviously the Jacksonville Bank Marathon, which is 6 days from now, is not in the cards for me this year. (On a side note, this is why I always wait until the last possible moment to register for races. You never know what will happen, and I don’t want to feel pressured to run just because I’ve already paid for something. Also, I procrastinate a lot.)

I’m optimistic that I’ll be well enough for the ZOOMA 10 mile Training Run on January 3 and for the half marathon on January 17. But beyond that? I’m not sure. My last long run was 20 miles on November 22. Even if I do a total of 26 miles on January 17-18, will I be ready to run a full marathon on February 15? I’m not so sure.

I know some people will tell me to that I’ll be fine, that I should push through. But part of me thinks that it would be irresponsible. With everything that’s gone on this month, I’ve only run 12 miles so far in December. I haven’t done any cross training either. Even if my asthma clears up quickly, there’s no way that my body is conditioned for a marathon right now.

Last week, I got another piece of exciting news – I’ve been selected for the 2015 Rock ‘n’ Blog Team! The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series selected 100 bloggers and social media influencers to spread the love for the race series. I’m so excited to be on the team with some of my blogger friends, like Cynthia from You Signed Up For WHAT?!, Smitha from Running with SD Mom, and Rachel from Running Rachel – plus some of my blogger crushes, like Lea from Running with Ollie and Emelia from Half Crazy Mama. Such an honor to be included in this group. Truly.

Anyway, as part of the Rock ‘n’ Blog Team, I will receive a Rock ‘n’ Roll Tour Pass 3-Pack. This means that I will have the opportunity to run in at least 3 Rock ‘n’ Roll races anywhere in the U.S. It also means that if I decide not to run the full 26.2 with Donna in February, I will still have plenty of opportunities to run a marathon (or 2 or 3) this winter or spring – I won’t have to wait until next fall. I could run Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh (NC) on April 12 or Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville on April 25. Just throwing out some ideas here, as it’s probably a bit more realistic for me to plan a trip to the eastern U.S.

Coming Soon…

So this brings us up to speed. I really don’t know what my racing future will be, but I’m trying not to worry about it. Things will work out.

For now I just need to let my body heal and to enjoy the holidays and school break with my family. We’re hosting our annual Christmas Dinner for our family and friends – every Christmas we open our home to anyone who doesn’t have a place to have dinner, plus anyone who just wants a great meal! (My husband does all the holiday cooking, and he’s a great cook – much better than I am at most things.) We’re expecting around 20 people this year, so that should keep us busy for the next few days. I’ll have at least 2 more blog posts before the end of the year, a new post from my dad early in 2015, and some new giveaways here and on my Facebook page.

Oh! And if you’re planning to register for ZOOMA Florida, you can use my discount code (SHARON15) to save 10% on any distance. I’ll also have a discount code for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series posted here soon.

I love to hear from you, so stop by the comments and say hi! Have you run a ZOOMA or Rock ‘n’ Roll Race? What are your race plans for the winter and spring? Have you ever had to change your race plans because of an illness?

Happy Holidays!

TOPICS: 26.2 with Donna, ZOOMA Florida, Rock ‘n’ Blog