Up in the gym working on my fitness... (or not)

Funny how quickly your mind can take you from feeling on top of your training game to feeling like you are starting over.  A little over a month ago I had just finished a weekend of back to back races at the Dopey Challenge and here I sit today trying to make it through a five mile run.  

 My plan when I got done with Disney was to take a few days off then parlay the running fitness into the Mercedes marathon which took place this past weekend.  That didn't happen.  As recently as two weeks ago I was looking at training trying to make it work but the reality is, it would have been a miserable run.  Cancelling out on it was a good call.

After Disney, I took a few days off as planned.  CR and I went out of town for work and once I got home I almost immediately came down with bronchitis.  At first I thought it would just be a day or two and I would wait it out.  (I can't remember the last time I have ever been sick for any length of time so was sure this would pass quickly).  I couldn't talk, couldn't string together a sentence without coughing up a lung.  It was crazy.  A couple of times I thought I was getting better and would head out to run only to cough every step of the way.  The never ending illness.

After three weeks of living the life of a slug (*), I headed back to the pool last Tuesday.  I knew it was going to be a long road back when I was gasping for breath after the first 1000 meters.  It snowed the next two days and we were stuck at home but I did manage to get in a three mile walk in the snow Thursday and then a five mile run on Saturday.  I am registered for a 10k this Saturday and after that five mile run, I am not so sure I can even make 6.2 miles.  Seriously.  How quickly it goes....

I went back to the pool today.  It wasn't as hard as Tuesday so there is hope.  Or there was hope ...  right up until the coach decided that we needed to practice feet first sculling on our back.  It was pretty pitiful.  I am certain the coach was dazzled by our lack of talent in this area.  I think it is supposed to help improve your catch phase somehow.  Anyhow.

Still debating the 10k this weekend.  It is actually a toss up between a 10k and a 15k, I can't decide.  Not that I am ready for a 15k but it is with some of my friends so it might be fun.  What to do, what to do...  The downside of having so many friends who are into endurance events is that you feel like you are falling so far behind when you see their posts about all their great workouts.  So hard to tune that out and not let it get in your head!  Climbing back on training wagon as we speak...

Hope you all have a nice week!  Following our freak snowstorm last week, we had two earthquakes so I am expecting a swarm of locusts in the next day or two.  :)

(*)  I will say it wasn't entirely awful having to sit on the couch in my spare time for three weeks - I did get caught up on some books and enjoyed cooking up some recipes from Well Fed.  On the book front, I finally read Gone Girl, Divergent and the latest Bridget Jones.  Enjoyed them all!  Divergent was probably my favorite.  I liked Gone Girl but felt like the ending was odd.  I didn't expect him to make that choice.  Of course Bridget Jones is just fun.  It wasn't nearly as good as the first book (or even the 2nd) in the series so not sure I would recommend it.