I've taken Thursday and Friday off from workouts due to a nasty head cold and general malaise. I slept a lot in the hours that I would normally be working or working out. I feel 1000% better for it. I awoke with only a runny nose this morning--the head congestion has bid adieu! I spent the better part of the morning getting a little extra sleep and then around 2pm started chores around the house. Aside from a bit of dizziness, I feel pretty grand. After a protein-heavy, light-carbohydrate breakfast, tons of water, and some more chores (ironing while watching Top Gear), by 6pm I felt confident enough to head out for an easy ride.
I grabbed Amelia and decided to go out Glade to Merrimac and back on Prices Fork. I was careful not to push too hard and to keep it in Zone 3 or less. I have to say that I do still have a bit of a scratchy, sore throat. (That was quickly apparent as I am still breathing through my mouth because of the runny nose.) Other than that, I think I'm nearly 100% again. It's amazing how R&R really can and does work wonders.
I've been pretty worn-down this week. I've finally succumbed to a really bad cold complicated with an eye problem (I've got styes in my left eye. Ick!). I took today off from work and haven't exercised since Wednesday evening, but I plan to go cycling really easy tomorrow if I'm not still stuffed up. I'm hoping to go, and if I do, I'll go slow ... maybe for a longer ride of 2 hours? We'll see. I have to make sure to stay well-hydrated! The cold medication is making me so drowsy and thirsty! I'd be using my SinuPulse (sinus irrigation), but I'm so congested that nothing will go through. (Doubly Ick! Plus, breathing is a little tough; there's snot running everywhere! Ew!)
Have a great weekend and I'm looking forward to finding how Vollenda's bike ride this weekend turns out!
PS - Did I mention that I got my new commuter bike today? I bought a Schwinn World Tour Commuter Bike and I'm just dying to starting riding it to work and to run errands and stuff! The box was delivered today ... It's killing me to be sick right now. I want to be out riding it around! Maybe tomorrow will be different? (I've got my fingers crossed!)
I do sports. Well, I try to do sports as much as possible. Since moving to BBurg, however, the fall/winter mold is killing my sinuses. I hate taking drugs. Oprah (yes, the one from TV) suggested something called a Neti Pot. I got one for Florin (le boyfriend). He loves it and it helped him immensely. I tried it out. It works, but I wasn't so keen on the amount of (forceful) pressure that I felt was being delivered. It made me want to shove Q-tips into my ear canals.
I did some more research online and found out about something called Sinus Irrigation. It's a method of sinus cleansing that uses a device that looks amazingly like my WaterPik. Sure enough, they are more-or-less the same. So ... I have a WaterPik Model WP-65 and I bought the little "SinuPulse replacement sinus irrigator tip" (made by Health Solutions, Model SPST) from AllerG.com. It didn't say on the web site that it would fit WaterPik WP-65, but it did say that it fit the WaterPik 60 and 70. I figured that WP-65 was in-between and it would probably work. (It fits! It does work! To the left is a picture of it.)
I LOVE it. I like it so much better than the SinuCleanse Nasal Wash/Neti Pot (image on right), if only because I can control the pressure coming out of the WaterPik and thus, the sinus irrigator tip. I also really like the pulsating action; it causes less pressure upon my tear ducts and ears. I've also found that I only need to use it every 2-3 days to have completely clear sinuses for just about that long. It's amazing. I have to say that it's really making breathing easier which is making exercising a lot easier, too.
I only wish I had known about this sooner. I've told all of my friends and family about it. I really doubted it would work, but I'm glad that it does. Probably the best $15 I've spent in a long time.
Well, my training plan reads WEEK 1. There's lots of swimming, biking, and running to do, and only one of those things have been successfully attempted: swimming.
I felt the early pangs of a sore throat as early as Sunday night, so I drank a lot of water and went to bed early and appeared recovered by the next morn. I survived a 9 hour workday, went swimming for 1000 consecutive yards (easy freestyle), and came home to retire to bed.
The next morning, I felt as though someone stuck 100 cotton balls through my ears and packed them well into my head. I could barely talk and breathing was a laborious function. Needless to say, I didn't do anything except eat and sleep and watch free movies "On Demand" that day (namely, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and My Super Ex-Girlfriend).
This Wednesday morning, I'm not feeling all that much better. I'm not as stuffed up, but a runny nose and sore throat isn't helping. I am terribly sleepy. Working will be a bit of a challenge today because of it. Never mind the fact that my calendar reads: Cycling (90 mins). I'm thinking a half-hour walk with the dog is comparable, but of course it is not. I'm sick, though. What else could I possibly do?
What a bummer, though, to have actually started training only to be waylaid so soon! At least it's sooner rather than later.