I always feel great; except when I don't. On Thursday the familiar signs started cropping up: fatigue, runny nose, sore throat. And another feeling quickly followed: a sense of injustice. Everything I eat I cook from scratch, I get plenty of sleep, I workout constantly. Shouldn't I always be healthy?
Of course even athletes get sick, but a part of me clings to that questionable logic even as my hands cling to yet another tissue. Those of us who really take care of ourselves have the good fortune of feeling good almost constantly. Eating well keeps you at a healthy weight, wearing yourself out during hard workouts ensures a good nights sleep at days end, and a constant string of workouts leaves you on a consistent endorphin high. Put it all together and you start to feel invincible.
But when sickness inevitably comes, I always think, "How could this happen to ME?! This should happen to the guy who eats nothing but junk food and never laces up his running shoes. But me? After all that I do?" This is the righteous indignation of the sick athlete, and like most righteous indignation it is unfounded and a little selfish.
I try to take solace knowing that this unfamiliar crappy feeling will soon pass and I will get back to workouts and soreness and general good health. But maybe athletes need these rest stops into sickness to keep our egos in check and remind us that we are regular people too.
P.S. To keep my spirits up I've been listening to this French electronica band "Justice." It is the most righteous pump-up jams you've ever heard. Check them out.
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