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Peak Training Week: Sick, Tired, Stressed, & Under-trained

What do you when it is your peak training week for a marathon and you are sick, tired, stressed, and extremely under-trained?


This week I am participating in the New Orleans marathon. I am happy to say that I am almost ready for a race that 3 weeks ago I thought I was going to have to drop out and run the half marathon. Training for any endurance event is difficult. The extreme cold winter in Chicago made training even harsher for the February 2nd marathon. Icy, snowy days which often dipped below my 15 degree running threshold made it difficult to train outside and I have a difficult time running on treadmills. Since the Ironman in August, I have found it difficult to stick to a structured training schedule.


Already out of shape, I planned what I thought would be my best options for getting on track to run the marathon. For my peak weeks of training I planned my 14, 18, 18, & 12 mile runs each week before marathon race-day. Admittedly, I think I was still a bit dehydrated when I set out to run 14 miles a few days after New Years Eve. With temperatures hovering around 15 degrees and dropping as the afternoon light faded I ended up logging 13 miles in sub-13 degree weather. The conditions on the roads were hard packed snow and at the end my legs felt like frozen cement blocks as I dragged them through the last miles of sub-zero temperatures dropping quickly after sunset. That night I proceeded to drink heavily with old college friends I hadn’t seen in a while. This is where my peak weeks approached and the trouble began.


Tired from the previous day I made it to the client site the next day by airplane. The week drew on and it became clear that my strenuously cold run, followed by lots of drinking, low sleep, travel. and dehydration was a recipe for disaster. One month from the marathon, I found myself busy at work, travelling without luggage (lost in transit), sick with a head cold, and stressed out. Looming in front of me were two 60 plus hour work weeks. This is where you throw out all of your previous plans for the next couple weeks and rely on the things you know:


1. Minimize the stress factor: In this case, I was in the middle of an important test cycle and I knew that regardless of how sick I was, I would be working every day for the next couple weeks. I approached my manager and told her I was under the weather and was going to need some help getting through the test cycle and getting better. Don’t be afraid to tell your boss when you are overwhelmed. I had to let her know from the beginning that I was overwhelmed and would need help getting tasks done. Any chance to get some extra rest was greatly appreciated. My manager responded well, lightened my workload, and allowed me to get tasks done at my own pace. I ended up working every day as planned but managed to actually get some rest as my cold was coming down with full force.


2. Get better first: Regardless of my marathon goals and the needs of my training, my number one priority was to get rid of my congestion and head cold. This meant I needed to catch up on sleep when possible, eat healthier, hydrate more, and minimize stress as mentioned before. When I got home that weekend I had a 18 mile run scheduled in my calendar. This was immediately cancelled. My boss gave me a minimum amount of work to do that weekend so I focused on two things: rest and preparing for the week. I made a grocery list that included 2 hotsputs, homeade chicken noodle soup, and plenty of liquids including hot tea and orange juice.


3. Don’t do too much too fast: I would have loved to gone out and ran 18 miles on Sunday when I was supposed to be sleeping. Instead I focused on making two healthy meals that would help me save time during the week, opening up time to rest or even work out if I started feeling better. By Tuesday, I was getting extremely antsy that I had not ran for over a week and a half. I was starting to feel much better so I gave into my feelings of being under-trained hit the treadmill. The first day I ran for 30 minutes just to gauge how I was feeling. The next day, I got a nap in and was able to muster 8 miles later that night. On Thursday, I biked 30 minutes and ran 30 minutes. These workouts made me much more comfortable with my situation


4. Work efficiently, time is your currency: I was staying away from caffeine because it was making me nautious. Whenever I was awake, I made a point of using my good brain energy to get some solid work done. With meals already made, all I needed to do was work, sleep, and when I started feeling better, train.


5. Stay strong and healthy: I was feeling much better with regards to my cold so now it was time to focus on staying healthy and getting back into training. I worked straight thru Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until I left for the airport to fly back to the client site. During those days I focused on the tasks at hand, kept eating healthy, rested when possible, and tried to stay optimistic. Although I was working basically around the clock, I made sure to take breaks when I could to nap or relax. On one occasion, I made time to leave the apartment and attend an amazing fundraiser that was put on by a non-profit group my friends are involved in. I also made time to eat with my family twice during the week. Listening to music puts me in a good mood as well. Small things to keep you happy, I believe, in turn make you healthier.


On Sunday when I arrived for another jam packed week of work in North Carolina I made sure to get my 18 miler in. The first 12 miles were challenging as I went up and down the hilly terrain in the neighborhoods of Winston Salem. It got colder when the night rolled so instead of ‘braving’ the cold I did the smart thing. I went back to the hotel and finished the last painful miles indoors on the treadmill where there was water and warmth. I continued that week and replaced my final 12 miler with a weekend snowboarding in Colorado and a hike to a teepee party (where I was the designated driver).


I may have sacrificed any race goals that I previously had by running in the cold and drinking with my friends. Thankfully, I think I was able to save my race by recovering smarter and adjusting my goals. My new goal may be just to finish, but at least I will be able to attempt the marathon after being sick during my peak week of marathon training.