Strep Happens

In training we take the good with the bad. This past weekend was a whole lot of good, followed by a whole lot of bad.

Friday night was amazing. It was beautiful outside, a sneaky, hidden breeze that I can never identify before I actually get out on my bike. About 65-70 degrees. As you all know I go through this cycle of great ride - bad ride. I struggle with the wind and it infuriates me to no end. Well, sometimes fate takes over. I had everything ready but my Garmin, that's dead, and my bike computer that's spewing me false numbers. I work on it for five minutes and decide that fate doesn't want me to keep track of time. I knew the distance and I suppose that's all that matters in the end right? So, I hop on and away I went. Some three hours later I had completed my first ever 50 mile ride. Aside from some lower back soreness, I was in good shape. I had hill climb left in my quads and frankly, I was shocked. I won't tell you how bad I fueled.

Anyway, got home about 8pm. Woke up at 6 am and went for about an 8 mile run with my friend Courtney. Funny enough, I could run. I was preparing myself to be a cripple when I woke up but I was shocked to find myself functional and in a right frame of mind to move. I was a bit sluggish but I still had gas in tank. Must have been the half a gallon of chocolate milk I drank after the bike ride or the mound of bananas and beef jerky?? Whatever, it worked!



Two hours later, I took Thing 3 to his first soccer game of the season. Don't be fooled by the smile. He's shorter than everyone else but can clear out a ball like none other. I'm pretty sure he's also the reason we keep our home security system up to date. So, after the game we're walking back to the car and I felt like I was desperate for sleep. Desperate. I asked for everyone's forgiveness and that I would be back to join everyone in about 15 minutes. Try, 2 hours and 15 minutes later. My husband walks in and laughs at me. I can't swallow and my fever has set in.



Dum dum dummmmmm, strep throat. Accompanied by it's favorite friend, fever. HIGH FEVER. Ice bath fever.

When I get sick, really sick, I don't care if I ever run across the street, ever again in my life, much less run a race. It's now Wednesday and I've done ZERO since that run on Sat morning. I feel fabulous and I'm ready for a cycle tonight but at one point, when I was holding the walls while trying to walk downstairs, I thought to myself "if I can't take a week off after all these years of being the poster child for adhering to a training schedule than screw it, I'll take up cake baking." See friends, this is what fever will do to you.