What's a Taper Without a Crisis, 300th edition

Although I've had things go right leading up to races more often than not, it's easier to vividly remember when things go wrong! There was my intense stomach illness before the Prairie Fire Marathon 2016, vertigo before CIM 2017, bronchitis before the Bill Snyder Half 2019, bronchitis before and during the Houston Marathon 2020, my hip malfunction before Bass Pro 2020, and my TFL freak-out before the Frisco 50k 2021. Prior to starting this blog there was also a walking pneumonia diagnosis the day after the Heart of America Marathon 2009 and a DNF due to cryptosporidium at the Run for Your Momma Half 2015, among others. Add to the list: stomach flu and a cold before Boston 2022.

Not the kind of carb-loading I had planned

I did my final little long run a week before the race like usual, which meant 12 miles with 4 at marathon pace in the middle on Monday, April 11. The MP miles felt much harder than MP, but that is not unusual for that workout; often it is my worst long run of the season and I have lovingly titled it "The Last Long Run Workout That Always Feels Much Harder Than It Should" (not to be confused with "The Taper Week Workout That Everyone Runs Too Fast"). My stomach felt a little off before and during the run, but I just figured something I ate hadn't set well or it was related to my menstrual cycle.

I went to bed that night with my stomach bothering me a little more, but I figured my dinner just wasn't agreeing with me. Then I woke up around 3 a.m. on April 12 with much more stomach discomfort. I got up and took some Pepto Bismol, then curled up in the fetal position until my alarm went off. I then got dressed to go to the group run through continued stomach pain, telling myself that I'd feel fine after going to the bathroom. I could barely stand upright though, so soon acquiesced that I should go to the couch instead of the group run. I remained on said couch from about 5:00 to 4:00 p.m., and called in sick to work.

After a day of rest, electrolytes, saltines, hot tea, and meds, as of now (April 12 evening), my stomach is doing better but I've developed a sore throat and cough. I don't even know! My husband convinced me to take a COVID test, and it was negative at least. The sore throat and cough have me much more paranoid than the stomach issue did, because this kind of illness tends to hang on for me and at times turns to bronchitis.

In hindsight, I was probably fighting this off over the weekend; both days I took 2-3 hour naps during which I was completely dead to the world, on top of sleeping ~9 hours a night. I didn't feel great on my weekend runs either, but just chalked it all up to tapering.

I admit this is stressing me out a lot. I don't have super specific time goal for Boston and of course I'm not going to place, but I sure don't want to show up on the starting line sick! I also learned my lesson from running Houston 2020 when ill (which in turn made me extremely sick), but this Boston pro start thing is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, so I'm doing it.

I have time, I know. Maybe this is just my reminder to be thankful for every day of health and every race that I'm able to start! I just know that running a marathon not being 100% is not the greatest, and it can be hard to imagine feeling normal again when you don't. I am thankful it is Tuesday and not Saturday, but I am nervous...

Official diagnosis