Breath and Will

I thought of Austyn again last night on my run when my breath and will got short--She is amazing-- not just in general because of her maturity and compassion and sense of honor but to go through so much pain and exhaustion and fight it out they way she has and how victiorous she has been against this cancer. One of these blogs, I'm just going to dedicate to the article she wrote, the beautiful/poignant article about what it took her to get ready for her battle and to win against the cancer.

So here's what my coach sent me

This week: Dec. 10- 16
2 days do 2 miles
1 day to 3 miles

weekend (15th/16th)
5 miles one day, stretch and rest the other

Week of the 17th
1 day do 2 miles
2 days do 3 miles
That weekend, 6 miles one day, S&R the other

Week of the 24th
3 days do 3 miles
That weekend, 6 miles one day, 2 miles the other

Week of the 31st
2 days do 3 miles
1 day do 4 miles
That weekend, 8 miles one day, S&R the other

Week of the 7th
1 day do 3 miles
2 days do 4 miles
That weekend, half marathon!

Well, guess what?

Mother Nature had another gift in store for me. Behind prize door number two in mother nature's attempt to thwart my marathon dreams: acute bronchitis. Yum!!!
so after last weeks 2 times at 1.87 miles I had not run until yesterday-- for 2.5 miles.

Everyone from my students to colleagues at work were sick and I was doing my usual not drink from any one's glass not let anyone drink from mine, wash my hands before and after every meal and ever trip to the bathroom, etc. But when what was going around got me, it hit me w/ a sledge hammer. Started w/ typical cold for a week or so-- no biggy so still ran last week-- just sore throat, stuffy nose, sneezing.
Create numerous herbal concoctions, tinctures, steams to battle it off-- Well seemed to get better, at least it left my throat and nose. Woke up one night to sound of my own coughing and never got back to sleep. Even went to the bathroom numerous times thinking I was going to gag. I actually thought I had swallowed one of those spiders "they" say you swallow in your sleep at least once a year and my body was trying to get rid of it.

Ah, no such luck. Got worse and worse, chest tighter, coughing non stop, cough syrup did nothing. Tried to teach w/ almost NO voice-- a difficult task, let me tell you. I Woke up last Saturday and could not only not talk but barely breath. Rushed to the hospital and they put me on some machine w/ a tube in my mouth and oh did it feel better as my bronchial tubes and trachea calmed down. Ahhhh. Breathing is soooo nice. I had felt like I was drowning or choking--it's a desperate feeling.
so they did chest x-ray-- gave me an inhaler and antibiotics and said (drum roll, please) NO PHYSICAL EXERTION FOR A WEEK!!!

Alright, Mother Nature, what are you trying to tell me? You have something against Arizona? Against the happiness running gives me? Think I should go back to ballet? What? What????
Well, here's what I learn-- I really do put a whole ton of stock in my will and what it can do, but I guess chance, fate, happens and can thwart your will. I get that. Okay? Listening Mother Nature? I get it. But please no more. I am going to run this race with my lungs falling out and my fractured leg dragging behind me. So please stop!!!!
Okay anyhow, for the stats:
Monday: barely moved
Tuesday: Same
Wednesday: 2.5 miles w/ Robbie-- it's great we are learning sign language. I had to trick our older dog into the kitchen w/ food and motion w/ my head toward the door and oddly, my precious Rotterman tip toed after me, w/out his usual bark so we could get out the door before Flappy realized we were gone. I feel so cruel but it would be more cruel to drag my very elderly hound dog w/ severe arthritis on a 2 mile run around icy Royal Oak sidewalks and roads. Robbie is much younger and more physically vibrant. He loves our runs and afterwards sits under the stars w/ me as I do yoga and even stands next to me while I do pigeon.

I was on the driveway, splayed out in pigeon at about 9:30 last night and suddenly Robbie started to bark his head off right by my ear-- I shushed him, looked up and saw a large man w/ a rottweiler coming down the sidewalk in front of our house.
I stood up and said "hi" and shushed Robbie again as he looked about ready to tear both dog and owner to shreds (a dog much bigger than him, I might add).
"What were you looking for down there?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing. I was just doing pigeon," I said.
He looked at me like I was a talking turnip.
"I just ran" I said.
He just laughed and kept walking.
stats:
Garmin-- the bugger never turned on--it tricked me into thinking it had turned on, but it didn't-- never got satellite but appeared to by showing me last week's mileage
Distance when I turned it on outside--
well got to my 1.87 point (my house is exactly 1.87 miles on this particular rout) and then ran back to the start of my course cut a bit off and ran back home again-- I estimate this as 2.5
Stops: 2 for dog-- bathroom break and I don't like this collar protest, one for me--stretched against on a tree
Walks-- walked a block after the 1.87
Pace-- slower than fast walkers but I was jogging
Immediate post run feeling-- Not bad, not bad at all. But still did 30 minutes of ice
on hip flexor (that's what ached when I ran)
Okay today, well, today: my thigh hurts deep down-- yes, feels like bone. But, I will go very, very slow and I'm going to keep training. Just take it easy and take coaches running schedule, which is much slower paced and fewere miles than mine own.
If I have to walk part of the half-marathon, so be it. But I will be there an I will finish.
Okay, Mother Nature-- thank you for the lessons in humility. I understand my will is but a part to your plans. But can we please work together? Please?