Walk in the Park, Err - Zoo

I had a good run yesterday in the Jakarta Zoo Race, covering 11 kilometers – my longest ever. The time wasn’t good, over 2 hours – not nearly the pace I put in for the Singapore 10K last December. However, I was pleased with the outcome for a few reasons. One, I wasn’t nearly as well-rested, coming into the race after a series of very tough workouts. Two, despite major pain – muscular and joint – I pushed through to finish. Three, it was a hilly course, which with the weight I am lugging was bound to push the time down from Singapore, a fairly flat course.

Unfortunately, it seems the strain may have been enough to get myself sick. I have been running a low-grade fever since the race, accompanied by headache and what seems to be early stages of ear/throat infection. Lots of bugs in Indonesia, fun and unique microbes, bacteria, and so on, so I think it’s easy for one to slip into your system when you are pushing it hard. It’s another fine balance to run, push yourself hard enough to make good gains and improve – but not so hard you risk injury or sickness, as you don’t make any improvement when you are on the shelf.

Amid sickness and travel this week, I plan to target trying to recover more than focus on tough workouts. Next week, a holiday week, I hope to hit the gym – fresh and healthy.