Sunday, May 10, 2015

Pancakes and Pedals


I am sick.  I admit it.  Usually when I don't feel well, I just plow right through.  (If I don't acknowledge it, it will just go away, right?)  It's actually pretty rare that something knocks me down.  I can thank my youngest for passing this one along.

I had already signed up for Saturday's Pancake 5k, one of my favorites.  It's in a beautiful neighborhood and they serve pancakes afterward {Hello}.  My symptoms had started Wednesday night with sore throat and fever, followed later by congestion.  Since the sore throat was gone, I thought I'd just go ahead and run.  That probably wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had.

Jennifer, Valerie, Jenny and Me


It was HOT.  I started out fairly well, but by mile 2 it was evident a good race was not happening.  It was all I could do to average a 9:20 pace, a result of a lot of walking. On top of not feeling well, I was also aware of my achy hips and the remnants of my foot blister.  They weren't bad -- happily they are both much better -- but still made their presence known.

It was great to see some running buddies.  However, many of the usual crowd were missing. Valerie won her age group and I somehow placed third in mine (out of only 12).  One advantage as you get older is there are fewer people in your age group, at least around here.



Our oldest son and his family came over and hung out in the back yard for a while.  Later, PoPo and I watched the movie The Gambler with Mark Wahlberg (yeah - don't even bother).  I then spent Saturday night coughing...all night long.  I'm pretty sure this was a direct result of my less-than-stellar decision to run the 5k.  Sunday morning, realizing my symptoms were now below the neck, I chose to ditch my beloved Sunday run. {Heavy Sigh}


Meet Bertha
 
After my cold medication kicked in, I took my 15 year old mountain bike - which is school bus yellow I might add - for a 12 mile spin.  I call her Bertha.  She is old, heavy, creaky, slow and doesn't like to change gears (she prefers #7).  I can't even pick Bertha up!

I had forgotten how much I enjoy bike riding.  I usually save it for when I'm injured, but I think I've selected the cross training activity for my summer marathon training.  I pedaled about as fast as Bertha would allow and had my heart rate up very nicely.   Wow - it feels so much cooler when you ride than when you run!  I also saw the cutest baby donkey on my ride.  I'll get to watch it grow.  It needs a name...
 

The rest of the day was spent doing as little as possible.  I napped floated in the pool for a while and then stayed in my back porch swing the rest of the afternoon.  I simply loathe being indoors on a beautiful day, sick or not.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day weekend.  I was thrilled to receive a Fitbit, beautiful basket of flowers and much needed car wash and vacuum.  My Mother has been gone about 7 years now and I still miss her, especially at this time.


 HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND?  
DO YOU RUN WHILE SICK?


Please visit Tara the gracious host of the Weekend Update as well as all participating bloggers.





39 comments:

  1. I don't blame you for running for pancakes! On that medal, is the figure standing on a stack? I hope you feel better soon!

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    1. It does look like a stack of pancakes! I'm guessing that's why they chose it. Ha. I didn't even notice.

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  2. Good job pulling out an AG award even though you were sick! I wish I liked bike riding more. My husband is a huge cyclist, and I've tried throughout the years to like it as much as he does. It is nice when it's relly hot though because you get a breeze.

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    1. Thanks. I was completely comfortable yesterday in the heat because of the breeze. I would have been miserable running, but I've still got to do that too. LOL.

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  3. Way to go placing in your AG even when sick!! I've ran when I was sick, like a week ago and it probably wasn't the best idea but I couldn't help myself. I took a few days off after that and it helped. Love your yellow bike! Reminds me that I should go on a bike ride soon!

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    1. I'm going to take off a few more days. My bike definitely makes a statement, although I'm not real sure what the statement is. Maybe "I'm loud and obnoxious". LOL.

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  4. I'd run too, knowing I shouldn't but I would have simply because of the pancakes! Boy we need one of these in my area! I enjoy bike riding more and more. I took a spin on some challenging trails yesterday. I love my fitbit!!! I wear it every day! Glad you had a nice weekend! :)

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    1. I'm not sure I would do very well riding trails. I like the smooth (and shady) road I ride on. I'm excited about my Fitbit. I plan to wear mine daily too. I've got to swap for a different color first.

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  5. I hate this feeling too! Ugh. I think mine is just a good old fashioned cold, no allergies. I couldn't believe how comfortable I felt when it was over 80 when I started and probably close to 90 when I stopped. The road I ride on is mostly shady (except along the field with the donkeys) and that helps too.

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  6. Congrats on the AG award. A trophy is cool. I've never gotten one. Yeah, I race when I don't feel well. That's how I roll. Hope you feel better soon.

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    1. I can't believe as many races as you've run and placed in that you haven't received a trophy!! I hope I'm up to this weekend's 8k. It's a tough one!

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  7. UGH... nothing worse then feeling bad.

    I'm just wondering how you got Bertha to stand up so straight!! :)

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    1. This is too funny because she kept falling over!! It was a huge chore to get her to stand up.

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  8. That's worst when you're sick and it's so nice outside. If I get sick, it's during winter time so I don't want to spend time outside, at all. Just pile on the blankets and let me sleep.

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    1. Leave it to me to get sick when it is beautiful outside. Ha.

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  9. Way to rock an AG award even when you weren't feeling great. Yes, the bike is SO much cooler than running...doubly cool on Bertha!

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    1. Thanks! It does makes me wonder how much better I could ride with a new fancy bike.

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  10. I hope you are feeling better, today! And congrats on the AG placement, despite feeling crummy! :)

    I love riding my bike outdoors when it's nice out! Mine is yellow too :)

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    1. Thanks. I just love you can make our own breeze. Yellow bikes ride better than any other color! LOL.

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  11. I hope you are feeling better, yuck! and on Mother's day weekend! I ran this weekend too and it was so dang hot, the legs were good it was HOT! I love my Fitbit, let me know when you fire it up and we shall be Fitbit friend! :) rest up! and Bertha looks like she is ready for the summer!

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    1. I can't wait to start wearing my Fitbit! But, I need to swap first. Bertha may be ready for summer, but I'm not. It's just so hot already. What happened to Spring?

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  12. Feel better soon! Bertha is cool! I have an old Canondale mountain bike that needs a tuneup - it is also stuck in a single gear. I have 4 other bikes that get most of my attention nowadays, though. Have a good week!

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    1. Thanks. I actually finally got her to change to lower gears but nothing in the upper range. Oh, well.

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  13. I"m so sorry you are sick! I really hope you do feel better soon!
    Running while sick, depending on how far a long in the illness is never fun! I have had to run far too many marathons being sick, and as you probably learned running when really sick really teaches you what your mind can do for you!

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    1. Thanks. Yes, most of the time it's mind over matter. I can't say it's always the smartest thing especially if it causes you to become more sick. I guess we take our chances.

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  14. I'm so sorry that you are sick! I hope you feel better soon. I usually do try to run while I'm sick. Last year I got a sinus infection while marathon training and I powered through, but I'm crazy stubborn at times. Congrats on still placing in your AG! Have a good week!

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    1. My rule is as long its not in my chest I'll run. I rarely even get sick so I'm really aggravated about it. I think we are all a little stubborn!

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  15. Ummm, hello, I need to find a race for pancakes! Genius!

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    1. Who could turn down hot fresh pancakes after a race? Not me!

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  16. Congrats on pulling off the trophy while you were sick. I love biking too! Hope you are feeling better.

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    1. Thanks. I definitely want to incorporate more biking.

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  17. Hope you feel better soon! I usually try to run through most illnesses unless I start to feel dizzy or feel the room spinning! I heard some rule about if the sickness is above your neck or below, but I always forget which one you should run through. Great job getting in a race and bike ride!

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    1. I appreciate that. Coughing or chest congestion usually inhibits a run. If its all in the head, I think we're good to go.

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  18. Congratulations on placing despite feeling under the weather! As you've said before, half of the battle is just showing up, right? I would have been very motivated by pancakes to run, too - and I feel like a 5K can be pretty laidback. Worst case, you can walk the whole thing, unlike a half marathon. Way to push through and I wish you a speedy recovery!!!

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    1. Very true. You really can't take it easy with a longer race. Hey, no worries, I felt good enough to eat a pancake.

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  19. Hope you're feeling a lot better by now!

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    1. I've been pretty lazy so far this week, but I needed it. Thanks, I'm some better.

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  20. I hope you're feeling better now! And I'm bummed to hear you didn't like The Gambler. :( I've been wanting to see that one. But I'm more excited to see MW's other new one coming out next month--TED 2!

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    1. I've been lazy all week...stupid cold. The story went absolutely nowhere. Maybe I just didn't get it.

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