If it's not injury, it's illness

When my multitude of injuries finally began to fade in to the background, I began to believe that due to the work I had done, I was far less likely to get injured again. Hopefully, that's true. What I didn't expect to scupper me, was illness.
A few posts ago I described how I became ill with successive colds and then a really nasty flu over Christmas and how long it had taken me to finally get back running. The last few weeks things had been going well. I completed my first marathon, recovered well, then began speed training again. For the first time since the illnesses over Christmas, I had no calf problems. In fact, I had no problems at all.
Which is, of course, why sod's law has been applied to me yet again.

Sod's Law: Category: Sport. No 29845. Subsection 4:
"If one has finally over come one's running injuries after a long period of problems; one will come down with a lurgy. A lurgy like you have never known before. Expect to see purple boils, projection of bodily fluids that could win an Olympic throwing event, a temperature like the surface of the sun and hallucinations surreal like a Mighty Boosh episode."

No running pics this week, so here's a picture of my lion-head rabbit, Mufasa, instead

I was really looking forward to my first outing at the Leeds' half marathon yesterday. Ironically, my entry this year was a deferred entry from last year because of injury. During the week I felt the first tickle in my throat. I did what I could, vit c, zinc, fluids, etc..  All to no avail. I had to move house on Saturday and the house move finally pushed me over from feeling a little under the weather, to feeling like I had run, mouth open, in to the Gillette factory and swallowed for all I was worth.  Even so, I wasn't going to let a sore throat stop me, it would just stop my attempt at a PB. I am, after all, a medal whore. I could saunter round and collect my winnings.
But no. Sunday morning came and I knew there was no chance. The infection had migrated downwards, once again pouring cement in to my lungs. As an asthmatic, I have to be careful. Usually my asthma is well controlled and it doesn't effect my running; but if a chest infection gets me, it can floor me.
Not to give you too much detail, but my cough has become productive and every cough is very painful. So no running for me, but even worse, no work. As a contractor, this isn't good news.

The frustration that runners experience when they can't run is well documented, especially when you start to miss races and especially ones you've already paid for. (The Yokshireman in me again)
This weekend is the Jane Tomlinson 10k in Hull, my home city. Another race I have been looking forward to very much. It's flat and another I had hope for a PB at. No doubt this week will include some difficult choices, unless the choice is taken away and I stay too ill.
The decision of when to restart training is always very difficult. Too soon, or too much and it's easy to become ill again; it's a mistake I've made before and am keen not to make again.

Well, I will keep this short and go back to my wallowing on the sofa (At least I am now sitting back on my own, huge, comfortable sofa now) Wish me well in my convalescing!