Well, it happened: I’m sick. Not terrible, just moderately miserable and disproportionately whiny.

Today’s workout was a 10-mile run. This was also the Girls on the Run 5K. Because I’d served as a substitute coach, I could sign up as a community running buddy for free. There were two schools I’d coached at twice, and I felt a connection with some of those girls. I asked to be a running buddy if any of those girls needed one.

Just like last year, the girl I ran with took off like lightning. She was easier to keep up with, though. She get ahead of me, see how far back I was, and then wait for me to catch up — and then, she’d take off again. This lasted for a little over a mile, and then she grew weary of running. We walked the rest of the way.

My running buddy said she doesn’t like running, and she doesn’t plan to sign up for GotR next spring. If I coach again, it’ll likely be at her school – I hope she changes her mind.

Her mom snapped this picture of us. I asked if I could share it, so long as I didn’t include her name.

Since I’d just run three miles, I only needed another seven to complete the day’s workout. Because I’m sick, I decided to stick to a flat course and keep it to an easy pace. I switched to trail shoes and headed over to Chamna.

I ran up to W.E. Johnson Park, and then back into Chamna. It’s not as muddy or soggy as it was a few weeks ago, but it’s still muddy enough to slow me down. I appreciated the challenge – my feet should have been propelling me forward, but they were going sideways. It gave my ankles & lower legs a good workout, too.

This run was slow, but I felt good. My cold medication wore off, and I could really feel it. I’m going to have to take some potent stuff tonight, or I won’t sleep. Tomorrow is supposed to be a 7-mile easy run. I’m hopeful I can do that before church; I’m afraid if I don’t do it early, I won’t have time to do anything else in the afternoon. (I want to watch the Seahawks game, prepare pie crust, tidy up the kitchen…. You get the idea.)

I’m not happy I’m sick, but I’m glad it’s just a cold. I’m keeping in touch with how my body feels. I don’t have a fever. If I can get enough sleep tonight, I’ll be in good shape tomorrow. If I need to take some time off from training, I will, but I don’t want to make that decision lightly: I still have a lot of ground to gain. I need to be healthy to do it, though, so I can’t ignore it if my body tells me it needs a break.