Sick of Being Sick!

For the past month I have had to tone down training tons and it sucks but I am looking forward to getting back into the saddle soon.  I finished my report cards a week early late on the first Friday of December.  I went to bed feeling accomplished, happy, relaxed and woke up with that devilish little tickle in the back of my throat...you know the one...tell tale sign you are starting a cold.  Since Saturday December 6 I have been sick.  I didn't take time off work and had a Christmas concert that I was helping with plus Christmas parties so I just kept trucking (mistake #1).  I think I trained maybe 2 or 3 times between the 6th and the 20th (the second time in 3 years I haven't worked out at least 3 times a week ~ first was after my appendectomy in August).  Once school ended on the 19th I was so fatigued and had a horrible sinus head cold type thing.  I also saw the Optometrist on the 18th and was told I have severe dry eye ~ she was blown away that I wasn't in a lot of pain daily!  Have scratches and little hemorrhages on my eyes so had to do special drops, wear contacts less, warm compresses, etc.  Tomorrow I have my appointment to check in and see where we are at with that.  Supposedly I have ZERO fluid in my eye!

My life for the last few weeks:)

So super bad head cold (thinking I had two in a row), very tired and bad eyes.  Had to cancel my 32nd birthday celebration with family because of how sick I was plus my two babes were sick with colds and my husband had a flu.  Of course, as a mom I still had a bunch of things to do to prep for Christmas so I kept on trucking but rested a little more when I wasn't shopping, wrapping, decorating, etc.  On Christmas Eve I took my kids and myself to the walk-in clinic because they both complained of sore ears the evening of the 23rd, plus I was now hacking up a lung.  Turns out they both had fluid in one of their ears from their colds and I had developed bronchitis.  OH LOVELY!  So antibiotics for all of us.  6 days later and the kids are doing great and Paul is back to healthy too.  As for me I am still congested and headachy with a bit of chest congestion.  I am taking vitamin C, my multivitamin, anti-viral, and my anti-biotic.  And doing neti-pot a few times a day which seems to help.  I so desperately want to train and was hoping to get out last night but I am just not feeling ready.  I have signed up for a Ryde class on Friday and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can do it!

What have I learned?  
1.  Well I really think that if I had slowed down a bit when I first got sick and took care of myself more from the very start I may have gotten over this a lot quicker.
2.  Even though being sick over your holidays sucks I think it would suck more to have to deal with work and be sick.
3.  Being sick forced us to have a low-key holiday season which I think was what we needed sick or not.  It has been full steam ahead since the end of August and I think we were all a little worn out.
4.  Naps are a requirement on holidays, especially when you are sick.
5.  Don't jump back into training while you are sick ~ rest, fluids, eat.

I think that in addition to exposure to different germs from school kids and my kids being in daycare PLUS stress from being back at work in a new position was the perfect storm.  I am going to try to be more proactive in the future, stress less, rest more and give myself a break at the onset of an illness.  A bright side is I spent a lot of time just being with Marley and Jonah ~ I didn't have the energy I usually do to constantly be working on chores, etc. so I just hung out with them:)  We all know how important balance is and I think being sick for this past month was the universe shaking me up, telling me that I was out of balance.  Another good thing about being sick is being reminded of how we should not take our health for granted when we are not ill.

I am SO excited to hop back into my training once I am better.  As I am sure many moms and dads can attest too ~ it is a learning curve to figure out how to balance working, kids, life and training and I think the hard part (the start) is now out of the way for me.  Take care of yourself first moms and dads!  I am SO very ready to lead a healthy and happy life for 2015!  Here's to kicking butt in 2015!