Taking care of myself

My sore throat came on suddenly on Tuesday afternoon, and hurt badly enough to keep me up a while that night. The cold I thought I’d fought off last week was back with a vengeance, leaving me in a tea-chugging, soup-eating, Tylenol Sinus-popping cold haze all day yesterday.

Still, I spent a good hour yesterday afternoon mulling over whether I should squeeze in a quick stationary bike and core workout, despite the fact that I hadn’t taken an off day for a full week.

I’m proud to report that I succeeded in talking myself down (inner monologue: Easy, crazy lady. Resume your place on the couch so your body can rest. The bike will be there tomorrow.). And I feel much better today, though I recognize that this weird, mutant comeback cold is a sign that my immune system needs some extra love right now (seriously: Who gets a cold that hides for a week, then pop up again, like some horrible viral jack-in-the-box?).

But the inexplicable urge to avoid much-needed rest got me thinking about all the other ways I could be better about taking care of myself.

First and foremost, there’s the peroneal tendonitis I’ve been pretending I don’t have. It’s still there. It still hurts. Thankfully, I finally have my first physical therapy appointment this morning. I’m still of the opinion that my wonky and ever-present hip issues stem at least in part from ankle instability (read my post expounding on that theory here), and I’m optimistic that this will help curb another flareup.

But I want to make sure to be patient with myself. To that end, I’m taking care of myself by placing a “tentative” label on my plan to run the National Marathon in March — at least until I get a handle on this ankle stuff. If all goes well, I’ll start training in early January. But if all doesn’t go well, I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment or injury by starting to train before my body’s ready. Plus, the National Half Marathon was a heckuva lot of fun last year – I wouldn’t mind doing it again.

I also found two great Web sites offering some tips on spreading the self-love. I tried to write off OperationBeautiful.com as cheesy, but the sweet, hand-drawn pictures — and the stories behind the notes — made me a little weepy. Who wouldn’t like to see a sticky note with a happy message like “You are beautiful!” on the scale at the gym?

Also, the Web site FitBottomedGirls.com (motto: Keeping the lid on the junk in the trunk) offers this fantastic post on weight gain during marathon training. In addition to explaining some of the science behind why that slight weight gain is necessary and healthy, it includes a healthy perspective on why that weight gain doesn’t matter. I’ll definitely keep this in mind during my next round of marathon training, whenever that may be.

Wish me luck at physical therapy. Those calf raises and towel pulls won’t know what hit them!