Vincible

I got the crud. Don't feel too bad for me, though. This is my first cold since 2007. In fact, I can't remember being sick since being banded that March, although I think it MUST have happened...

Anyway, I tried to go to clinical today. I did go, and made it through one case (internal defibrillator placement) before realizing that it would be very embarrassing to pass out in the angio suite. The hacking, sneezing, and nose-blowing I can handle, but the dizziness had me worried. So I came to my senses and sent myself home.

I'm all hooked up now with some Benadryl, Kleenex and Throat Coat tea. I always go to Walgreens when I am sick (mainly an excuse to go to the drug store...for some reason I love going to the drug store; office supply store too...) but it's funny because I refuse to take most cold remedies. I can't stand anything with menthol in it, so Halls and Vicks are out. I can't swallow any kind of syrup without gagging. I can't stand how Sudafed feels, even if I could actually get it without an act of Congress. So I get by with ibuprofen and Benadryl and Jolly Ranchers for my throat. It's not that bad. This time I bought some TheraFlu and Mucinex (pills!), but will see if I take them more than once.

Oh yeah, now I remember my last cold. It was November 2007, right before I moved to Spokane. Maybe the Inland Empire is good for my health? Or maybe there is less mildew here and I don't get sick as much. I remember having my baggie of Jolly Ranchers and my Kleenex in our empty Portland apartment after we had moved most of the furniture to Spokane.

I think colds are kind of like life's speed bumps. They force us to slow down when we should have had the sense to do so already. It's no great surprise that I would get sick now; I'm sure my immune system has been limping along for the last two months, waiting for some drop in my cortisol levels indicating that Orange Alert stress levels had finally dropped. And I've finally started feeling somewhat less stressed in the last few weeks, which is when we seem to get sick after prolonged stress.

Anyway, my last run was Thursday, and I'm not taking it up again until I'm sure I'll keep both lungs inside my body for the duration. Also, passing out on a treadmill (or in the street) might be embarassing. I'm all about sparing myself public humiliation. But I am planning on doing Bloomsday this year, which is in 5 weeks. It's 12K (7+ miles). It's huge: until last year it was the world's largest footrace, with around 50,000 participants each year. (Last year, 2 races had over 70,000 participants and surpassed Bloomsday. But it's still the largest in America.) I don't really desire to run any other races, and I've never even run a 5K. But this one is so big that unless you are in the first starting groups, you really can't run the entire distance (at least without being a giant a-hole). So even though I'm not back up to running 7 miles a day, I think I'll be okay with running and walking this.

Bloomsday is huge in Spokane; it's one of the largest tourist events here, and they make a whole weekend of it, with a trade show and several events around town. The run itself is well-supported, and there is live music all along the route. The one thing I must do in my training in the next month is run Doomsday Hill, which is the famous part of the route that I've never tried before. (Check out this cool slideshow from Bloomsday 2006.) Several of my classmates want to form a team to do this run. We're toying with team names: Team Sweet Dreams, or maybe Gas Passers? We're too poor to make T shirts, though. I have to get well enough to run again this weekend if I hope to run even half of this event. I'm excited about it, though!