About a week before I left for Florida I got very sick- I had a 104 fever, a sore throat and a gnarly cough. I called my Mom in the middle of the night (lets be honest, we all want our moms when we are sick), and she said "Jess, are you sure your fever is 104? You would feel like you were dying." As I lay in bed, sheets soaked in sweat, my mom encouraged me: "at least your body is fighting it off!" I really just needed a hug.
I spent an entire day on the couch, watching marathons of Two and a Half Men (great show!), tried to hydrate and eat, and started to feel better over the course of the weekend. By the time Wednesday rolled around, I was packing up my things, feeling more human, and eager to race on Saturday. The one positive of being sick already was that I knew I couldn't get contaminated from the germs on the plane.
I ran through my normal pre race routine on Friday, had a nice dinner with Stephen Wright (team director of Off the Front Multisport), and attempted sleeping. I laid awake coughing the entire night, but remained positive that my body would miraculously decide to feel better come race day. Long story short- I toed the line, gave it all I had, and finished. I was happy that I made the effort, but my body was not, and I continued feeling worse over the course of the next few days. I went to an Urgent Care in Florida where the doctor concluded that I had pneumonia, and then I was put on antibiotics which proceeded to drain every ounce of energy out of me the following week leading in to Sarasota. But once again, I toed the line. About half way through the second lap of the swim I started coughing, throwing up fluids and overheating. I pulled the plug and decided that my health is way more important right now than trying to race.
I learned a lot these past two weeks:
1) It doesn't matter how fit you are if you aren't healthy enough to race.
2) Getting sick is part of life.
3) Having support from family and friends is instrumental in overcoming hardship.
4) Listening to your body is more important than anything.
I plan to regroup, figure out what is going on with my body, chat with my coach about the rest of the season, and continue working hard towards my goals. Congratulations to all the racers these past two weekends- there were some great performances! It was really cool to see the Elite Development Races take place, and there is certainly a great deal of talent emerging in the sport.
A little lyrics from my new favorite song by Imagine Dragons:
I could of gave up then but
Then again I couldn’t have ’cause
I’ve traveled all this way for something
Now take it in but don’t look down
And I know it’s hard when you’re falling down
And it’s a long way up when you hit the ground
Get up now, get up, get up now.
Best of luck to everyone as the 2013 season is now underway.
Jess
