I did my final long run this past Sunday. 22 miles on a Sunday morning is a daunting thought. I was looking forward to tapering and to not having to drag myself out of bed at 4 or 5+ on Sunday mornings any more. I have been having problem falling asleep Saturday nights and have been doing my Sunday runs with insufficient rest.

I felt lousy during the run this Sunday. The mind was not there. The body loses it when the mind is not in control. Still, I made myself complete my run. And you know it when your body is about to lose it. Long runs are taxing to the body. I have came across articles that say that a runner’s immune system is generally weaker after running a marathon. The truth is, it does not even have to be a marathon, all it took was a long run like what I had this past Sunday to make my body feel so vulnerable.

Sunday afternoon, I felt as though my body was ready to open its doors to viruses and bacteria. Sunday night, I took a plane to Nashville for a meeting the following day. The flight was delayed and I had to spend some time at the airport where the air conditioning was cooler that I had expected. Nashville’s nocturnal air was pretty cool too and I probably caught a chill that evening. I went to bed immediately after arriving at the hotel, exhausted.

Monday, my sore throat began to make its presence felt. Tuesday, my nose started to leak. Wednesday, I felt groggy waking up. I did not work, went to the doctor, who reassured me that it was not the flu. While it feels miserable to be sick, earning some time off to rest is a nice break from the laborious routine. Not something I wanted to happen during my taper period, but well, what else can I do now apart from rest?