Monday 12 March 2018

Listen to your garmin

Man down.  I've managed to avoid the cold that's been doing the rounds all winter but it eventually caught up with me.  The signs started on Saturday a week ago when I found it difficult to settle my heart rate on a run.  The same on the Sunday and on Monday when I attempted a slower run, my heart rate was way too high.  The garmin doesn't lie and it was telling me I was coming down with something - a cold.  We've all been through it and I tried the well tested remedies, even spent £22 on Manuka honey!  But after a few days of that, lemon and ginger I switched to red wine!  Felt better but it didn't cure the cold.
It's been a very frustrating week, doing nothing except coughing but today, a week after my last exercise I went on the scales and got a fright - 2.5 pounds heavier!  I went out for a 6 km run and did it on feel.  I ignored my garmin but recorded what was going on.  No surprise I was slower than normal but towards the end I was really suffering and my form went out the window,  just as my coach's husband cycled past so I got a critique sent to me.  Turns out I had run too fast for my first time back in a week but I'm going to take a few more days to start to feel normal.
It's a set back as I've only 116 days before I'm running 71 miles in under 22 hours.  Losing a weeks training and starting back on shorter runs is difficult but my coach has restructured the training to take account of my health and the impact on my immediate fitness.  Hopefully by taking the rest I'll come back quicker than if I'd tried to train through the illness.  Tomorrow I have an early morning swim session so fingers crossed my shoulder copes with it.  Again I'll be wearing my garmin and there's no hiding from the data it will be sending back for my coach to analyse!  I'll be listening to it that's for sure.