Pass The Kleenex

"You know you're getting old when it takes longer to rest than to get tired."

This is what the opening lines of my daily Tri Rudy email post said this morning.  Which is ironic given that I've been contemplating this very fact over the last couple of days while laid up in bed with snot filled head.  Yes, I got yet another cold.   Incredibly annoying and very inconvenient if I do say so.  This has been the second one this year and it's only April.  Last year I think I got sick once.  I'm chalking it up to the marathon training.  That added weekly mileage.  I'm no longer a spry 30 year old runner.  I've got another 11 years on this bod and while I'm not old by any stretch, my body definitely can't seem to handle things it used to be able to.  Which is very frustrating.  I'm used to being on the go and having a relatively full schedule but I obviously need to rest longer than I have been in order to recover fully.  With this in mind,  my plans last weekend probably could have been better executed.  Did I really need to go on the 4.5 hour shopping spree with my hubby the day after running a hard 10 miler? No.  Would I have been better off sitting on the couch with my feet up drinking water.  Perhaps.  But there is a fine line between need and want.  I figured the walking around would do me good.  And I got a cute pair of shoes.  I also got to help my hubby drop a boatload of cash on some very nice clothes which is a rare occurrence and always fun.
I don't think following up my epic 36km run with a big Easter smorgasbord of chocolate, cheese and wine was a smart move either but you can't say no to a big family gathering without a good reason and "I need to recover" wouldn't cut it around these parts.  So, I went to bed later than normal on the Sunday night, slept in on Monday but obviously not enough and went right back into my regularly scheduled routine on Tuesday.  Weight training in the morning followed by a 15km tempo run in the evening.  And sure enough I woke up Wednesday morning feeling not so great.  I at least had the smarts to skip my swim but it was too late.  The cold had taken hold and by Wednesday afternoon I was back home in my grubbies with a box of kleenex.   I spent all day yesterday laying around dozing in and out of a Benalyn Cold & Flu induced sleep and watching Game of Thrones in between naps.  It seemed to be exactly what I needed.  I am feeling much better today.   Still not 100% but definitely getting there.   I'm sure with some more Benalyn Cold & Flu and another good nights sleep, I'll be ready to tackle the Marquis de Sade run tomorrow.   At least that's the plan for now, we'll see how my body feels about it in the morning.