Do or Doubt

  I doubt that I am the only person who suffers from my current affliction, but this particular problem seems doubly persistent this week.  Doubt has been a constant monkey on my back since I don’t know how long.  This week it has been even more burdensome, more like a gorilla than a monkey. 

  For the last week or so I have been battling some kind of bug that has decided to call my nose and lungs home.  You might remember my previous post Hurt or Heal.  The problem with this non-sense is that it severely cut back my opportunity to run, bike and swim.  I hate not working out, I miss the open road and the cool (or frigid) breeze in my face.  But anything more than a shallow breath, and my lungs feel it necessary to cough uncontrollably.  It has become extremely tiresome and it encourages the development of doubt and worry.

   I have spent the last 7 months fine tuning my body, burning off pound after pound.  I’ve gone from barely running/jogging a mile to enjoying a strong 8 mile run.  With the current illness making itself comfortable in my respiratory system, I worry that I am losing that hard-earned improvement.  At what point does the human body lose the level of fitness it has gained, and what level of intensity do I pick up with when my body is finally healed (which will be soon I hope)?

   I don’t know how many of you out there deal with this form of doubt too, but I worry that soon my body will lose all the improvements.  I am also a little concerned that this week off will “encourage” me to slack off even further.

So here is what I know so far.  I am not dead, and that is a start.  From there I know that I can still run and my heart rate doesn’t even increase the slightest, although coughing is on the rise.  I feel great, minus the flood of mucus in my body and  I have not gained a single pound in the week without exercise.  I know that I love working out and all the pain and gain that come with it.  So to those of you who feel the way I do when you get sick, focus on the good that you know, hope for quick recovery and hit the trail again.

Advertisement