Influenza is NOT your training buddy

Thought I'd share what I've learned about viruses, specifically the influenza. The lack of information on the Internet was lame, and I couldn't get myself to the library so I found a few articles that helped me understand what was happening to my body during and what to expect in the aftermath. The runner's body is so durable and extremely adaptable, but can I bounce back quick enough after being "laid out" for 7 days  to run an ultra?  I rested a lot, right? 

Flu feels like the end of Broken Arrow 50k, and you're suppose to jump up and " ring the bell".

Nope.

It's Tuesday, the "two week out taper" has commenced. But something feels off on my run today. Heart-rate is higher, and I'm thinking well at least I'm resting this week and the next in prep for FOURmidable 50k. I wake up Wednesday morning to find out work has been called off due to snowstorms impacting road conditions. So I sleep, and I sleep and more of the same. Body is beginning to ache, slight fever and chills. NOOOOOO. I slam the immune boosting everything in my house, and continue to sleep. The aches get more achy, my head hurts. 

Ugh, " where is my mind".

Thursday, Friday... more of the same. I end up getting a head-cold starting around saturday, and the roll of toilet papers start to unravel from their posts and pile up in mucus wads in the adjacent trash-bin. Then just when I thought it wouldn't get worse my throat aches and feels sore. I give into the body's needs, and basically am confined to my bed, sleeping 15-17 hrs a day. Following a wake up, work, sleep, eat, sleep routine.

Rested but....

So it's  race week, I'm thinking there is no way I'm going to race. I try to walk up the road to take the dogs for a walk. Monday,Tuesday, I barely make it through work. I get home and pass out for four hours and depend entirely on Paul to feed me. Wednesday I start to feel alive, but this is what I want to talk about. THE TRANSITION.

So it's Wednesday. I've now " rested", "drop tapered" seven days.
Research shows you shouldn't be too worries about losing significant fitness if your break from running is less than two weeks. 


However, apparently the flu has an affect on the body which takes much longer than a common cold or an upset stomach bug. The reason why I've looked into this so much over the past few days is because I wanted to know if my perceived recovery matches the science behind the time it takes to heal 100% from the flu. I found some answers on Irunfar. In this article, Joe Uhan does a great job comparing and contrasting ( cold vs virus affect on the body). He goes on to clarify that the influenza can infect cells throughout the body.

• It continues to infect lung cells, embedding deeper into the tissue and closer to the bloodstream, until those new viral copies enter the bloodstream, where the classic flu symptoms including fever and body aches are then experienced. From there, the influenza virus can infect cells throughout the body.
• Research indicates that various strains-namely the N1N1- can severely impact muscle cells.

The effect on my poor fit running body was that I'm now looking at restarting my training and rebuilding into speed work with caution. This means the 50k this weekend wouldn't be worth my time. 
On a positive note I listened to my body and learned to accept my current situation,and that there could always be a worse training/racing hiatus. It took 2 weeks for me to rest completely, and then another 3 weeks to build back up. My lungs were labored and legs heavy. I kept my heart rate low and trusted that my fitness was there, but I would need time to recover fully. I'm now looking back and thankful that I was cautious and mindful of my long term goals. 


Hope this little blog post helps you if you're in my situation.