Once set, I stick to my training plan. If it says “60 minute bike, zone 2 heart rate” I bike for 60 minutes in my zone 2 heart rate.
Not 59 minutes. Not zone 5.
60 minutes. Zone 2.
It’s not that I never deviate – it just causes me considerable angst when I have to switch things up for some reason, such as illness, let’s say.
On Wednesday morning, when I awoke for the third day in a row with an animal of a cold living inside of my chest, my training plan mocked me.
“Brick: 60 minute bike (Zone 2)/30 minute run (easy).”
Na-na-na-boo-boo!
The inhumanity–Oh, how it taunted me!
I was practically reaching my zone 2 heart rate zone just walking to the bathroom. I couldn’t breathe without wheezing. The rattling in my rib cage was a warning to those around me: contagious germs! Stay away or risk infection.
The day before, I had foolishly completed my scheduled workout. In a desperate attempt to breathe, I snotted and sneezed my way through 2500 yards in the pool. Because that wasn’t torture enough, I embarked on a 60 minute steady tempo run, after which my heart and lungs felt contorted. Is this what a heart attack feels like?
I should be punished for bringing my contagion to the pool. I would have been insufferably angry at anyone else who brought their pestilence to a public place. What a hypocrite!
But the training plan…It said I had to do it! So I did Tuesday’s workout, like the dumbass I am.
When I woke up Wednesday morning, with the thought of Tuesday’s suffering (and contagion spreading) in mind, I weighed the pros and cons of doing my scheduled workout. My original thinking was that I would “postpone” the workout until the afternoon. I’d go to work, and when I returned, depending upon how I felt, I would do my workout. Yes, that seemed reasonable.
“I don’t think I can workout today,” I said to John. “But, I’m going to see how I feel this afternoon and reassess.”
John looked at me, surprised. “Well, that would be smart–for once.”
Harumph. It’s not like I would work out if I had pneumonia or anything. Oh, wait–I did do that two years ago. Hmmm. I guess he had me.
So, I went about readying for work, all the while feeling more and more drained. I drove 10 minutes into my hour commute to Rowan University, sneezing, coughing and snotting all the way. I thought to myself, What am I doing?
Drive a little further.
Is this worth it – bringing contagion to the campus, and making myself even more tired than I am now?
Drive a little further.
I have sick days. I think I’m going to have to use one.
Turn the car around.
Once back at home, I immediately put on my pajamas, and realized that my “postponement” of the afternoon’s workout would have to be a full cancellation. Angst, angst, angst.
I spent the day tending to my illness: expectorant, cough syrup (mostly so I could rest), water, vitamins, juice, rest, rest, rest. In fact, I rested so much so much that my head started to hurt from lying down for so long.
Turns out, however, that my angst and workout sacrifice was worth it. I woke up Thursday morning feeling better, and this morning even better still. While I hate to deviate from the training plan, it seems that giving my body time to recuperate works. While I’m not 100% yet, I feel much, much better.
And, yes, I successfully completed today’s workout.
If you are deciding whether to do your workout or bag it, here’s some tips that I received from some of my online training partners:
- If the symptoms are from the neck up, go for it. If the symptoms are from the neck down, bag it.
- If you have a fever, definitely bag it.
- If you feel physically tired and very run down, you should consider bagging it or at least tone down the intensity. No sense risking injury due to poor form from being tired.
- If you are having trouble breathing due to your symptoms, don’t swim. You may want to do a light spin or run, but take it from me, swimming is not the best exercise when your snot locker is full of gunk. And, your lap mates in the pool will thank me.
What are some signs that you use to help make a decision about whether to work out when you aren’t feeling 100%?
