POW…right in the kisser.

Sick. Soooooooo sick. Clearly, it is some kind of cold or flu virus that immediately hit my chest, then worked up into my head. Very bizzare.

I ran 10 miles on Thursday without blinking an eye. In fact, the weather was mild, and I was feeling very light on my feet for the first time in weeks. By all intents and purposes, it was a stellar run. I chose a rather hilly route to start and then doubled back over a flatter one at the end. It was a little breezy which made for a bit of a chill at the start. But for Minnesota, I couldn’t complain.

Thursday’s Run

By Thursday night, something was amiss. It felt like I had just run a 5k sprint in -10° weather. My chest was heavy and my throat scratchy. And my voice was sounding just as bad. My daughter had just recently come down with something similar, although she was already on the upswing. Her twin, however, denied she was getting sick. But I come to find out that her symptoms began about 48 hours prior to mine. BINGO! We have a winner!

My husband was out of town at the time, so he escaped the onslaught. Me? Not so lucky.

Friday, I did my P90X workout. In fact, I attempted Legs and Back which I have not done for months. When it was over, I was too exhausted to do any kind of cardio workout, so I opted to run my errands first. One of which was to drop off 10 dozen cookies at my church for a Ronald McDonald house dinner they were preparing. I made the cookies on Wednesday, in between intervals on the Zero Runner. Yes, I’m that efficient. I was more than happy to get rid of the cookie dough in my freezer. And, I’ll have you know, I didn’t eat ONE cookie…not ONE! That is willpower, folks.

Cookie Multi-Tasking

Anyway, after I dropped off the cookies, I headed to Target and Walgreens, and then to get my girls. When I got back to the house, I tried a little Zero Runner workout, but by mile 1 my lungs were burning. It was scary! And it was uncomfortable. So I ditched the workout by mile 4.

Saturday morning, I knew I was out. There would be no run or workout that day, and I had so much to do. I just tried to stay on my feet and keep moving.

My husband called to let me know he was an hour out from home and heard my raspy voice. He told me to go to Urgent Care because he didn’t like how suddenly it all came on. So I did…and they suspected my heart. Really? But, I didn’t argue, because it kept me from having to wait 90 minutes. They saw me right away.

Needless to say, my EKG was flawless. My heart rate was 59, my pulse ox was 100%, and my blood pressure was 116/57. The doctor said that I was in “disgustingly great health” despite the face that I was in there with a chest cold. And that is what it was diagnosed as. My lungs were clear, and there was no sign of pneumonia or bronchitis. He recommended I go home and rest. Like “sit on the sofa and watch TV” rest. Which I never do. And NO running.

((((((sigh))))))

Not like I feel like running anyway. I can only believe that this is my forced rest. I needed it. So, my body forced me to take it.

I don’t have to like it, though. I just have to accept it. But, I’ve used it as an excuse to sleep…a lot…and get out of some other chores around the house. Tonight, I feel like I may have finally turned the corner on this one. Hopefully, all will be better in a few days.

Yep, it’s the Christmas Crud. I guess I can be grateful I didn’t get in on Christmas.

But all is NOT lost. I’ve managed to get a few things done for my runner friends! First, my Huma Chia Seed Gel #giveaway is live now on my Facebook page. Be sure to go check that out! Also, check out my post about GNC and it’s new PUREDGE product line. I’ve included a One Minute Muffin recipe for you! There is the Mega-K Krill Oil review and #giveaway, too. And, tomorrow, we’ll have a review and #giveaway featuring Tiux Compression socks! Plus, a twitter chat with ENERGYbits about Cold Weather Running Tips. I’ll be hosting! Just log on to Twitter (or tweetchat.com works GREAT) and use the hashtag #Poweredbybits to join in the fun. It is at 8pm ET. Yup. No rest for the weary.

Finally, I must add that all of this took place while Minnesota took on a mini winter reprise with temperatures in the 50s this weekend! Just my dumb luck, eh?

Well, I guess that is how the cookies crumble.

And, this too, shall pass.

How about you? Are you staying healthy this holiday season, or did you get hit with the crud, too? How do you cope with being sick?