Not Exactly a Marathon Taper

Turns out back, is really more like "back" since I because I haven't been running, I haven't been blogging. Why haven't I been running, when here I sit, less than three small weeks away from the Denver Marathon? Well, let me tell you:

Now, while I generally do welcome any and all prescribed
breaks from house/kid duties, this is not exactly the directive you want to
get from your doctor, three weeks out from your (first, for which you
have been training for months) marathon.

While I do still feel pretty much like roadkill, I am hating not being able to run¹. Quite honestly, I would be inclinced to ignore the good doc's advice and run anyway, if I thought myself capable of actually completing a decent run without going into respiratory distress. And so the very worst part of the last few days (aside from the crabby repurcussions on my poor family, of course) is that I am physically unable to run, despite the beautiful weather and the strong desire to do so. So, sadly, my new goal for the marathon has simply become to finish it come hell or high water. I don't care how long it takes, because at this point I will be glad to be running again by then. It really sucks to spend months doggedly training for something, a singular goal, only to have it slip through your fingers, just out of reach....sigh.

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¹-My last run was last Thursday, a 5-miler. The weather was good and I actually felt ok at the time, except that I felt like I was having a hard time breathing, which was odd. I thought maybe it was just the incredible shrinking sports bra I had worn that day corseting my ribcage. About 4 miles in, I started feeling better and settling into my groove, so I figured I must have just needed a longer warm up for reasons unbeknownst to me (yeah, like perhaps because of the fact that my body was trying to fight of The Consumption). I was feeling good enough that I would have kept going beyond 5 miles, had I had more time. ANYWAY, I proceeded from there to the gym, had a good work out, still felt fine. Woke up Friday with a cough and a little achey, but still sort-of fine. Well, by Friday night, I was wishing I might actually die, rather than continue to feel the way I did then (extreme body aches, bad cough, high fever, exhaustion). The good news is that it isn't H1N1 or even the flu at all...the bad news is it's some other respiratory virus (on top of the sinus infection I was already on antibiotics for) that has lasted muuuuuccchhhh longer and made me feel waaaaaaayyyyy worse than the flu. Suh-weet.

Incredible Shrinking Sports Bra, Take 1 (and 2)

So has anyone else (and by "anyone" I mean the women-folk as I neither want to know or hear about any shrinking manziere experiences that may be lurking out there) experienced this? I have two sports bras--both sweat-wicking, tech fabric types--that shrink when I wear in them. Specifically, when I sweat in them. They are different styles of bras, and made of different fabrics (one is some tree-hugging bamboo fiber concoction, one is earth-polluting synthetic unpronouncable schmah-schmah fabric) but they are both made by Champion. I thought I was imagining the shrinkage, but this morning determined that it is, in fact real (don't ask my testing method, just blindly believe in the validity of the statistic). I would go so far as to say they are even a little loose when dry, pre-run. Post run, suctioned onto me like royal-blue and hot-pink sausage casings, respectively. Is it just me? And if so, why????

As for the body, seems to be holding up, the ART really did work. I ran did 35 minutes on Wednesday, post-ART and did my homework of yoga last night. The hip feels good and loose, but today my gluts are S.O.R.E from the yoga. But it's a good sore....I will definitely be going back to yoga regularly from here on out. Ran 4 miles this morning on my favorite Highline Canal trail with a couple of running buddies (thankfully not the Flying Frenchman, but some more moderatly-paced girls), have a follow up ART session this afternoon, and am feeling good for the race Sunday. Good luck to everybody racing this weekend, and a hearty God Speed; May You Not Die to those individuals attempting a brick in hostile territory. You know who you are.