from bugs. In fact, it might give them more chances. Into May, I trained four
days a week since recovering from a back injury and the joy hadn't lasted a
month! So overall, since fall 2024, I fell sick about four times.
Compare that record to 2023 when I went through one year untouched. It made me
miss running. I did not run in 2023 either, but sure was more active, training
harder and more often or maybe the previous years of jogging paid off
particularly well that year.
What I've been denying, which I felt in the pit of my stomach, might the fact
that my peak had passed and I was getting older, as my 18-year-old often pointed
out heartlessly.
A good sleep often helps. During the early morning hours when I woke up and
couldn't get back to sleep and when all the worldly troubles started to crowd
the mind, I used to try to meditate, count my blessings, or recall certain
jiu-jitsu setups and moves. None was guaranteed to work.
I met up with my friend Louis on a Wed noon for a one-hour trail run. We hadn't
seen each other for almost a year. He looked great at 67 and broke the news that
he finally won the lottery to run the Western States 100 Mile race. What an
inspiration! In my memory, Louis was never sick but he admitted that the bug got
him last year. As he was my standard, it made me feel I deserve some slack.
