The Picture Says It All - The Date Says The Rest

There really are so many things a picture can say that words just don't quite cover. For example to the casual observer, the mile marker pictured above could indicate the beginning, or the end, of a loop around Austin's Town Lake. But for the purposes of this blog it is going to represent something else. For example, just by simply "being" the number zero, it represents the amount of times I've run in the past 6 days. And it also represents the number of hours I've trained in total for the past 6 days. It will also represent the number of times I've been out of my house in the last 5 days. And its also how many times I ate solid food for the first 4 days of my 6 day training hiatus.

6 days = 6 BIG FAT GOOSE EGGS "0 0 0 0 0 0 0" in my training log.

I had the flu. That sentence seems reasonable enough taken on its surface. But there's a little more to it than that which is why I'm pretty annoyed by the whole idea of having spent 6 days experiencing a virus. This is where the "Date" comes in.

March 25, 1997. This is why I'm annoyed. March 25, 1997 was the last time I have had the flu, a cold, a stomach virus, a cough, a runny nose, or any sort of illness. Upon hearing me utter the words, "I'm sick," my friend Kathleen responded, "I don't think I've ever heard you say those words before."

My acupuncturist was more direct, "But you don't get the sick?!"

I know this people. And to be honest I am at a loss. My diet was good. Actually it was better than normal so, I don't expect to find the reason for coming down with the virus there. Looking over my training log, my training hours were reasonable. Wednesday was the last time I worked out. Nothing major. 30 minute swim and a 5 mile run. The only thing left was that my work schedule had changed and I wasn't sleeping as soundly as normal.

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!!!

Not sleeping as soundly could have far reaching consequences in terms of actual recovery and optimal immune function. The take away is to always monitor the quantity and quality of your sleep whenever a change in your routine is significant enough to cause even slight physical distress or an alteration in your sleeping patterns.