Zero to twenty-four in a week

Kids, don't try this at home.

Having been sick for two weeks and then vacation for a week, I have gone against all conventional wisdom in getting back in shape by doing a 12-mile long run on Sunday. But, here is my theory.

When I left off my long runs, I was up to nine miles. Granted, that was 3-4 weeks ago but I was still up to nine miles. The past week I did two runs of 6 miles. Granted, they were sloooow runs to mainly get my legs back and to help me start breathing again but, nonetheless, I felt pretty good afterwards.

This weekend in the Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania area of the United States was absolutely a beautiful weekend. In the morning, temperatures were in the 60's-70's (F) and the humidity was low. If there was ever a weekend I was going to test myself to see where I left off in fitness, it was this past weekend.

I did a six mile run with Melissa on Saturday and a twelve mile run with Eric on Sunday. I expected to be totally wiped when I was done. But, I wasn't. I think the runs were slow enough that I didn't overly tax myself.

It's kind of a weird as I can do these runs but I'm still feeling not 100%. I'm thinking of going back to the doctor's as I STILL have this persistent cough and sometimes I feel like I'm breathing through cheesecloth. I don't have the energy as I did earlier this year. So, I wanted to get the doctor's take on this as being just an extension of what I had a month ago or just allergies that I have to deal with. (All this whining from me!)

Last week, I had a great idea of entering a 5k race before Falmouth. It would give me a true indication of where I'm at as my competitive juices would start flowing and see if my 'laziness' is all in my mind. Well, I haven't been able to find one between now and the weekend of August 10 as the local Wednesday races are all finished for the year. Oh, well. It was a good idea anyway.

So, the moral of this story is, if injured (or sick) , you MAY not be as far behind as you think you are. It will take a little patience to get back. But, marathoners know, patience pays off at the end.

(Note: Though my long run was a positive step in my goal to run 2 marathons this year, I still haven't signed up for either one. I think it's just my procrasinating nature.)