Iron Pol

There are few things that will get me to take a break from training or racing.  I've raced with pulled muscles, high fevers, and sinus infections.  I've trained through pelvic torsion, ruptured eardrums, and other, more typical, maladies.

Recently, I found that a complete bathroom remodel was sufficient to totally derail training.  Last week, I was excited to get back into training.  And this week...

The beginnings of an upper respiratory infection.  Because I refuse to accept the potential that it's the flu.  Regardless, lung related issues are one thing through which I'm unable to train.  Little things like pulmonary doctors ready to skewer me if I hurt myself.  So, whether it's a simple chest cold, a more severe infection, or the full blown H1N1 flu (remember, it's NOT the swine flu, it's H1N1, so don't call it swine flu), I'm taking a few more days off.  Given the progression of my son's infection, it could be another week.  He's been coughing for about 10 days, and getting better, now.

Each morning I wake up and consider going for a run.  Fifteen years ago, I would have found myself laying in bed trying to find a reason NOT to run.  Now, I find myself unable to get back to sleep thinking, "Really, just a short run.  That won't be THAT bad."  And then, I have to roll over and admit that the rattling cough in the lungs is the one thing that I'm not allowed to "run through."

Damn doctors.