Precisely one day after posting this entry extolling how wonderful my half marathon training was going I was handed a serious change to my training plan.  I headed out for my regular Wednesday evening training run with the Run Wild Missoula group thinking I would run through the return of a head cold I’d had a couple of weeks before.  I was scheduled to run an 8 miler, but cut it to 6 when my energy turned from bad to BP bad.  I was lightheaded, dizzy and hemorrhaging snot.  By the time I’d made the drive back to the house, I was shaking hard from chills and had a fever of 103.6.  This was not a cold.

It didn’t take long to diagnose walking pneumonia, but even the quick hit of antibiotics couldn’t keep me out of bed for the next two days.  Fast forward nearly three weeks and I’d managed to run exactly twice.  Both of those runs took place in the heat and humidity of my trip to Virginia in a misguided attempt to dislodge the crud that stuck to my lungs like the soap scum on my shower. Uh . . . . scratch that last part. 

What does pneumonia do to you?  Annoyingly and repeatedly makes you think your strength and energy are returning . . . until you try to exert either. That, and preventing your lungs from taking up sufficient amounts of oxygen for anything more strenuous than pouring a bowl of cereal. From a seated position.

In two and a half weeks I missed 70+ miles of running at a time during the eighteen week training schedule when you really focus on building up endurance. Only through cautious optimism and a bit of bull-headedness was I able to get back into the training.  The 14 miler I reeled off while over in Spokane a week ago was important more for the psychological reassurance than the training effect.  With thirteen days until race day (Sunday, July 11) I’d say I’m back to about 90% on the energy front and about 80% on the lungs. Pushing the pace makes my lungs object. Yeah, that’s normal, but I’m tired of feeling the air fight through the crud. 

During my down time I missed running. Not just because I was falling behind on my training, but because I’ve reached the point where I enjoy getting out on the roads several times a week.

Oh, and did I mention I got hit by a car while running? That happened two weeks before the pneumonia. Fortunately, it was at low speed and I only suffered some cuts on my hand.  The driver, on the other hand, needs a new bug deflector and some hood work. I thought briefly about calling the cops, but I was only a mile into my evening run.  I wanted to finish it and didn’t want to wait around. See? I’ve caught the bug.  So I ran to a nearby restaurant, washed off the blood, wrapped up the cuts and finished the run.

One of the many things I’ve learned during my training is how important the mental aspects are. Some days everything lines up and running feels like a . . um . . er. . . walk in the park.  Other days it’s a struggle to overcome low energy, or aches and pains, or stressful distractions, or all three.  Setting goals is important, but even more so is revising those goals when perfection doesn’t land on race day. 

When I started running back in January, I thought it would be a minor miracle if I could work my way up to 13.1 miles at a 9:00 minute/mile pace.  I hit that mid-way through my training.  I revised my goal to try for 13.1 miles at an 8:30 pace.  I wasn’t likely to hit it in the short amount of time, but it felt good to set an ambitious goal. Then pneumonia hit and the effects linger a month later. I’ve had to revise my goals again, back to the 9:00 minute/mile pace.  After all the training, finishing is a far better result than failing to hit an ambitious goal.  Besides, I’m guaranteed a personal record.  I’ve never run a race.

So wish me luck. My training hasn’t been what you’d call smooth and I could use a little. If you’re running or walking the Missoula Marathon or Half Marathon, let me know. I’ll gladly share a beer with you when it’s all done. I know what it took to get you there.