When the candle burns out...

So I got sick with 'flu' or some such thing 2 weeks ago. I didn't feel THAT bad, but was snuffly and coughing and generally dead tired enough to take a day off work to rest, and then another after that since the next morning I just couldn't muster the energy to get up and dressed for work.

Both days I managed to get up and take the kids to school (in my pyjamas mind you!). By the second afternoon I got up and went and had my hair cut and ran a few errands. After which I needed to rest again.

The next day, a Friday, I went to work. Still sniffing and sneezing enough to be told I should have stayed off, but I thought I was ok. That evening I attempted a run with C. We did around 8km and I ended up having to walk some of it, because I simply didn't have energy. I felt SO flat.

That Sunday we ran the Women's Day 10km Challenge in Bellville. Again I felt less than energetic and thought I was going to die, but pushed on regardless and finished the race (albeit with much muttering & cursing along the way) in a fairly respectable official time of 52:56. Coming 109th out of 1628 finishers (93rd female). Whoop!

Anyway the rest of the day I was pooped, and I felt not much better on the Monday, which was a public holiday, to the point that when I took the boys to see Harry Potter 75 (or whatever number they are on now ;) ) I actually fell asleep and had a nice nap in the cinema. Oops.

On Wednesday last week I tried running to the gym and then doing a Power Plate class. The run ended up being a walk and the PP class broke me. TOTALLY. I could barely lift my arms afterward. I took my blood pressure, 3 times to be sure, and it was 90/50, and I was so pale. No wonder I was feeling half dead! On Thursday I kept feeling like I was going to pass out at work, so I took myself to the clinic to get a Vitamin B complex jab in the bum, and some expensive 'Super Cope' vitamins. I gave a nurse a 5-minute synopsis of my life and her response was a shocked, 'I am surprised you are still able to sit upright, never mind smile as well!'. LOL.

Anyway a week has passed and I have been taking Solgar Gentle Iron for my anaemia, and have had 3x Vit B complex bum jabs and have been taking the Slow Cope vitamins etc. and yesterday for the first time I started feeling like I have SOME energy again.

I am still not feeling strong yet, but at least I don't feel exhausted just at the thought of having to do simple things anymore. Even things I should enjoy and even want to do. I was actually starting to worry that I was getting depressed or just very lazy, so I was actually relieved to find an actual physiological reason for how I have been feeling.

I guess the past month or 2 (or 20) have finally really caught up with me. And my coping strategy of quite literally running away from everything - to the tune of around 150km a month is possibly catching up with me too...?

Time to SLOW down a little I think. That's what my body seems to be saying.

Tonight I did 7.5km anyway. But I was walking for at least half of it. Then I 'rested' by sweeping and back-washing the pool, hammering the boy's bed back together with 10cm nails. Making dinner. Getting a gift sorted for a party, and doing some shopping. That counts as slowing down, right? ;)