Going Viral

It is a tradition in our home that the kids immediately get sick upon the start of school, and then they share their sickness with their parents. The family virus this year was a combo platter of upper respiratory misery, head pounding despair, body-aches that could've been induced by an encounter with a Mack truck, and a sore throat one of my kids described as "swallowing a cactus". Actually, I usually don't get as sick as the rest of the family, which I attribute to many years of exposure to the astoundingly ill in close quarters at the hospital. But this week it all came crashing in on me. I finally succumbed to a 7 hour nap yesterday.

Is it wise to run through illness? Maybe, maybe not. Though I wouldn't have been able to run for a million dollars and a chocolate donut yesterday. Do runners freak out when they can't run? Um, Duh. And this week is a key one as far as I am concerned. I have just a handful of 20 milers left to do before the race. If I didn't feel so lousy, I'd be apoplectic. Fortunately, I just don't have the energy to panic.

As a scientist, I ought not anthropomorphize, but viruses are awful and mean and brutal and strong and clever. Which is pretty impressive for a thing that isn't even alive.

The Gu is on my dresser, my tunes are charging, my outfit picked out. So I think maybe I can run my 20 tomorrow. My husband says I oughta bring some tissues along. But I think that's what sleeves are for.