The Windmills of Your Mind

We, runners, are perhaps one of the strangest species on the planet, to say the least.

Is every runner out there as stubborn as I am?  It definitely seems to be the case.  For one thing, we don’t like to skip our scheduled running sessions – rain or shine, snow or ice, healthy or sick.  You could say that we live by a creed that simply won’t allow for any deviation.  In my case, as you already know, rain or shine makes no difference, however, running while sick has always been a topic of hot discussions, both with family and friends, as well as during those precious moments when I loudly argue with myself.

Deciding whether or not to go out for a monster run while ill has never been easy.  I have always felt that if the symptoms are not serious enough to keep me in bed, I might as well go out there and give myself that mental and physical boost that may actually cure me.   I also remember reading about a scientist, most likely in some other parallel universe, who had been a proponent of the “neck” rule – if the symptoms are below the neck, such as chest congestion, etc. – you don’t run.  However, if the symptoms are above the neck – running none, cough, etc. – you’d better stop crying, take it like a man and head right out!  Some other nutty professor in yet another study suggested taking one’s temperature and if you registering over 99, you may want to take a morning off.

Well, back to the present days – at this point, I think I have been sick forever… definitely since 2011.  Nothing seems to help – traditional medicine, non-traditional medicine, abstract medicine, vodka, garlic – all have been attempted in vain.  And so I go on living with these flu-like symptoms for weeks on end, at times even feeling normal, whatever that may be.  However, one of the symptoms has really been fun!  For some odd reason, when I get up or sit down or lie down, my entire world begins to spin around like a carousel, flying by like a merry-go-round, which lasts for about 4-5 seconds!  I am telling you – it’s a feeling like no other, and as long as you are holding on to something stable, you may just be ok.  However, the entertainment value of the experience is simply unreal, a total rush!

As I discovered during this morning’s extended run, the same symptoms apply when you are 5-AM-Running; I suppose when I was taking hard-enough steps at various points in time, the visual spinning would begin, making me feel as if I were running inside a magical wheel, some sort of a kaleidoscope.  Hey, nothing wrong with occasional surreal settings, wouldn’t you agree?  What’s the point of the same identical thing taking place over and over, day after day, until the routine becomes biologically attached to you on some molecular, sub-atomic level… ?  Well, I am sure we all have different views on that, but that’s a topic of discussion for yet another forum.  Until then, keep your life spinning and

Keep it running!