October 15, 2012

Borrowed time

I've been on borrowed time for a while now, and I think my time is up. I haven't had so much as a head cold since May of 2011. I used to get sick at least 3-4 times a year, but it's been 17 months now. Jerry has been sick for a couple of days, and today, my throat is very sore.

And I'm running a marathon on Sunday. Worst timing ever to get sick!

I am hoping and praying that this thing runs its course before the weekend. Usually when I get sick, it gets pretty bad. I almost always wind up with bronchitis. But if I have the same bug as Jerry, then it shouldn't be too bad. Right now, it's just a sore throat, so hopefully I won't get any other symptoms. I don't know if Airborne actually works, but I've been taking that to minimize the damage.


Yesterday, I really had the urge to go out for a short run. This rarely happens to me, and I figured an unscheduled three-miler couldn't hurt, so I got on my running clothes mid-morning and went outside to run. I started my Garmin, and made it about halfway down my street, and then I thought, "I want to run hard today--I haven't run hard since the 5K race I ran in March."

So I picked up the pace, and I ran hard. The first mile, I wasn't really trying to run at a race-pace, but eventually, that's what it turned into. I was running as hard as I comfortably could for the three miles, just to see where my body is right now in terms of speed.

It was rough. I felt like a beginner again, running for the first time, where my lungs were burning. I'd almost forgotten what that felt like. But knowing it was only for three miles helped me to push through, and I felt SO good! I felt like I really worked my legs, and I was out of breath when I got back to my house. I miss that breathless feeling of a good workout.

I was surprised when I saw my splits--I haven't lost my speed as much as I thought I did this year:
9:01, 8:54, and 8:15... average pace of 8:42/mi. If I had run just a little farther, to finish out a 5K, I probably would have been right on par with my personal record for a 5K race (26:57). Seeing those numbers was exciting for me! It makes me want to work on speed training after this marathon is over.

What's kind of crazy is that my "hard" pace for this three-miler was Renee's pace for her 20-miler; and Rik's pace for his full marathon! The thought of running that far at that pace just blows my mind.


Today, Jerry and I had a "date day" while the kids were at school. He was off work, and we decided to go see a matinee. I also still had 26 weekly PointsPlus to use up (tomorrow is the last day of my week, so any weekly points I don't use by tomorrow night will be gone--and I don't like to waste points!)

At first, I was thinking about using them on a cookie slice from Mrs. Fields (with buttercream frosting, of course). I looked up the nutritional info on my phone, and I knew the 26 PP would cover the cookie, but the amount of fat and sugar was scary! I decided I should probably save a treat like that for a day when I do a long run (maybe Sunday after the marathon?)

I looked up the PointsPlus in movie theater popcorn, and it was 7 PP for 5 cups (without butter). That just wasn't worth it to me! I want butter on my popcorn. We went to Target to see if maybe there was a box of movie theater candy that looked good, but none of those seemed worth the amount of sugar and PP.

My throat was feeling sore, and I thought ice cream sounded good. So we decided to splurge on lunch at Taco Bell, and then after the movie, we'd get a vanilla cone from McDonald's. Taco Bell is the only fast food place (other than Subway) that I don't feel bad eating. I haven't eaten McDonald's or Wendy's food in over 3 years, because it brings back bad memories of binge eating when I was obese. I didn't eat Taco Bell much when I was obese, so I don't associate it with binge eating (if that makes sense). Maybe that's just really weird. I don't know!

Anyway, I wanted to spend roughly 20 PP at Taco Bell, so I ended up ordering a CrunchWrap Supreme and a Fresco Crunchy Taco:
The CrunchWrap Supreme was 14 PP, and the taco was 4 PP--so it was definitely a splurge for lunch, but at least it wasn't pure sugar and butter like the cookie would have been ;)

We saw the movie Taken 2, and I loved it! I loved the first one, and was skeptical that the second would be as good, but it was. Liam Neeson's character is great in those movies.

As planned, we got a cone from McDonald's on the way home, and I am so glad I decided to spend my weekly PP the way I did. Those cones are the perfect treat, and only 5 PP.


I got some new tea from Teavana called Caramel Almond Amaretti, I was in heaven when I opened it and smelled it! But I have to admit, I was a little turned off by the color. All I kept thinking about was that gross strawberry-flavored milk:
I'm sure it wouldn't look like that if I hadn't added cream to it, but how could I not add cream to a tea called Caramel Almond Amaretti? It tasted good, so I just tried not to look at it while I was drinking it. I've been drinking lots of hot tea today to soothe my throat!

61 comments:

  1. I watched a 5k this weekend and the first person to cross finished at 15 minutes! I can't even imagine running that fast!

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  2. Get Bolthouse's C-Boost drink. All it is fruit but has a ton of vitamin C and always helps when I get sick! I usually find mine at Wal-Mart.

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    1. I've seen that before--I wonder how it compares to Airborne? I'm going to check it out!

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    1. Ick. You're right. But it tasted really good!

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  4. I was feeling sick earlier this week. I took 2 packs of Emergen-c and echinacea throughout the day and it kicked the cold pretty fast! Hope you feel better! Now I'm craving a crunch wrap supreme! yum.

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    1. I've heard good things about echinacea, but never tried it. I'm willing to try almost anything to kick this cold!

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  5. Emergen-C twice a day! Hope you feel better!

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    1. You're the second one to suggest Emergen-C... so I will have to look into that one as well!

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  6. I have been sick for weeks! I did read somewhere sugar suppresses the immune system & tomatoes are great for bring up white blood cells. So avoid sugar and eat tomatoes! (Or drink bloody marys! HA!)

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    1. I know sugar is supposed to be terrible for, well, just about everything--good thing I didn't get the cookie with frosting! ;)

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  7. Try a tsp of honey 3 times a day. Supposed to really help ease cold symptoms!

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    1. I agree!! Honey in my tea always soothes a sore throat!! I love drinking tea and honey is a nice way to sweeten and soothe. I know it will cost you some points, but if it helps you to feel better and ease some soreness it might be worth it.

      I hope you get to feeling better soon!

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    2. I LOVE honey, and despite the fact that it's 2 PP per tablespoon, they are points well spent if it helps me get rid of this cold!

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  8. Can I have some of your extra PP?;) I'm all out and already used my AP s ! Extra work outs for me before fFriday! Eek. Feel better.

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    1. Don't you love that you can earn some when you need them? :)

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  9. Airborne is good and, if you can stand to splurge on the PP, marshmallows are GREAT for a sore throat! Hope you feel better soon!

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    1. So I am not the only one who thinks marshmallows help with a sore throat =)

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    2. If only marshmallows weren't a binge trigger for me! I love marshmallows, but it's very hard for me to keep them in the house :(

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  10. I found this on Pinterest and it is awesome for a sore throat - worked like a charm for me and my kiddos. Here is the link: http://nancyvienneau.com/blog/articles/home-remedy/

    I would also take a probiotic. Hope you feel 100% by race day!

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    1. I've been drinking ginger tea with honey, so I think I'll try adding the cider vinegar to it as well--can't hurt!

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  11. Get well soon!!!!

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  12. NOOO! I will send lots of good thoughts your way and hopefully you will get better before Sunday! And, umm, hello fast runner! The 8:xx/mile pace is freaking awesome, I run hard and get like a 9:20-something. So you are a beast.
    That tea is making me giggle for some reason lol I think it looks yummy! Did you like the actual taste?

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    1. The taste was actually pretty good! Next time, maybe I'll drink it from a travel mug with a lid, so I don't have to look at it ;)

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  13. I like doing hot water, lemon juice, and honey mixed together for a sore throat. I hope you don't have the same cold that is going around my area, I've had it for four days and still cough every time I breathe too deep- not good for running a marathon, I am sure!

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    1. So far, no cough--so I'm crossing my fingers that it stays that way!

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  14. Oh I hope you feel better soon! I have been sick for 6 days...hopefully this is the last since I have a 10K Saturday. I almost passed out after only walking 4 miles this past Saturday. So I agree...worst time ever to get sick!

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    1. Oh no! I hope you get better before your race.

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  15. I've had a cold/ sore throat for a couple of weeks, I find lemongrass and ginger tea really helps, add some honey for a bit of sweetness. Hope you're well for your marathon!

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    1. I've been drinking ginger tea with honey--I don't love the taste of the ginger, but I am hopeful it will help.

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  16. Oh no!! I sure hope you feel better very soon. :( But holy crap, your "fast" pace is just that! I cannot even imagine holding that for three miles!! Great job!!

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    1. Thanks Steph! I have a feeling that you're going to be running that pace very soon. You're getting really speedy!

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  17. Have you ever tried Echinacea? It's supposed to boost your immune system. I do NOT take it regularly. However, if I feel a cold coming on, I will take 3-4 capsules 3-4 times a day for a couple days. I know that sounds excessive, but I have been doing this for years. Since I've been doing this, I only get a cold ONCE every TWO YEARS!! I swear by it. It's just an herb you can find in the vitamin aisle.

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    1. I've never tried it, but a couple of friends swear by it.

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  18. when I feel a cold coming on I take a huge dose of vitamin C and repeat it every few hours, quite often it stops it developing into anything. In fact I did that over the weekend, I could feel in the back of my throat and my nose that something was brewing, and today I feel fine. Also, if you have a sore throat, Manuka Honey is what my friends recommended to me and it does work. I just ate it off a spoon but you can also add it to hot tea.

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    1. The Airborne I've been taking has a lot of vitamin C, so hopefully it's helping!

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  19. gargle warm salt water. gross but always clears my sore throat up within a day. praying for you!!

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    1. I did that this morning :) My dad always used to tell me to do that, and I never thought it had any merit, but Dr. Oz has talked about it on his show as well, and it's supposed to work!

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  20. I hope you feel better REALLY soon!!!

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  21. Airborne works, if you think it works! I load up on Vitamin C and Zinc. You are going to be fine! I'll be thinking about you.

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  22. So sorry you're getting sick. I don't talk about this, because I am afraid I will jinx myself, but like you, I haven't had as much as a cold in a very long time. I relate it to the weight loss. Since I lost weight I don't get sick. I know that has nothing to do with it, but it is kinda weird that I started getting fewer colds at the EXACT SAME TIME as I lost weight! I do get a flu shot every year however, have been doing that for years. In fact, I have an appt. tomorrow for one. I just hope you're all better by Marathon Day.

    WOW--I am impressed with those times, but like you, can't believe that Rik and Renee can go THAT fast for such long distances. Heck I couldn't go that fast for any distance at all! I get frustrated with my slow walking pace. I walk faster now than I used to, but I notice lots of other people walk a lot faster than me, just in their normal life. I'm pokey.

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    1. I was afraid of jinxing myself too! I finally talked about it last week with my Ragnar team. I should have kept my big mouth shut ;)

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  23. Until August of this year, I hadn't been sick since June last year. This one hung on for dear life, but in the past I have had great success with lots of doses of Airborne (3-4 per day) and similar dosing of Zicam, rest, scrubbing down the surfaces of the house to disinfect, and hand washing.

    Kick the cold's butt!!

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    1. Thanks Crista, I certainly hope that I do!

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  24. Hope ya feel better! Black tea works wonders! As soon as I feel a little bit of anything I start drinking a few cups a day and either it never really gets worse or is a mild issue for a day or two.

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    1. Black tea is what I usually drink in the mornings, so hopefully it will help :)

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  25. Kind of gross ingredients, but I've found that Oscillococcinum has helped with cold/flu/ear infections. Could be placebo affect but I improved overnight! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscillococcinum

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  26. I love Airborne and take it at the first hint of a sore throat or running nose. It seems to always work for me and I rarely get a full blown cold. My sister says the same thing for herself. Good luck!

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    1. I've used it in the past, and maybe it's just the placebo effect, but I find that it works for mild colds. It's worth trying, anyway :)

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  27. Have you ever tried throat coat tea? http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_6?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=throat+coat+tea&sprefix=throat%2Caps%2C332
    I don't really care for the taste of it - but when I was in college for music - all of us singers SWORE by this stuff. I once had a wicked sore throat before I had a performance - so I drank this stuff for two days straight and I was as right as rain! I hope you feel better soon! You're lucky to get sick so rarely! Especially with two kids! I am ALWAYS catching things from my son - he is so sweet to share his germs from school! :-)

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    1. After I read this yesterday, I had Jerry stop at the store and buy some. I'm drinking some right now--I hope it helps!

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  28. Gargle with a 1:1 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water for your throat.

    I never get sick and the first time I did in a couple of years and it was on our trip to Disney this year! Ugh! It always comes at the worst time.

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    1. It's ALWAYS the worst time! I'm starting to wonder if I made myself sick because of all the stress over the marathon.

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  29. Hi Katie, I've been reading all your blogs about Teavanna. I cringed at the prices but have been looking for some good tea. Well... I walked past one tonight and came out with Youthberry, Wild Orange Blossom and of course Carmel Almond Amaretti. It's so good!

    And I wanted to say thank you. You really inspire me. You are always honest and your peanut butter break inspired me to not hit a drive thru. Day 16!

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    1. It is expensive, but I was hooked after I tried the free sample!

      That is AWESOME that you're on Day 16 of no drive thru! I've found that the more time goes by, the easier it gets, so hopefully that will be the case for you as well. Great job!

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  30. I LOVE taco bell!!! I would definitely splurge for that!

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