Sick, or faking it?

Today was episode 8 of the Multisport Boot Camp. I felt awful all morning. Thursday I’d triggered my first full migraine in about 17 years (with, I suspect, some blue cheese at a cocktail reception). I’d nonetheless done my full swim work-out (a thousand yards, a nice round number, swallowing a lot of chlorinated, peed-in water in the process). Mona, driving home, picked me & my bike up; she said I looked pretty sick.

Friday I thought I was just feeling the after effects of the migraine (though I don’t remember ever having much in the way of after effects. It was an off-day, because Boot Camp was project to be the toughest yet, but I felt I could’ve worked out if it’d been scheduled.

This morning (Saturday) I woke up absurdly early (3:55 a.m.). Had a coffee. Didn’t feel very good: scratchy throat, mildly headachey, and a bit dizzy. But I don’t trust myself; I tend to be feel vaguely unwell when I don’t want to do something—like work out in a social setting!

So I drove to Boot Camp—first time in a long time. (It’s only six miles, and even last Saturday, when it was cold & raining, I biked.) And waited. I was early, half an hour later; Jeremy came right after; and we waited. Coach Lindsay was 15 minutes or so late—an accident on the 401.

We went into the dynamic warm-up, and on the fourth turn I knew it was a bad day. There was no snap in anything I did; I thought I was working; but there was nothing there. So I bailed, and drove home.

I was glad I went. I knew I wasn’t faking it. At the dry cleaners, Bill asked me why I wasn’t at boot camp, and then didn’t wait for me to finish my answer: “You look sick.”

I was wondering why it always seemed I was sick on weekends. Mona pointed out that if I was sick on a weekday I’d still go into work. After all, I can have a useful day even if I don’t have a lot of energy—I can answer the ’phone, write e-mails, file. But weekends are when I’m physical, whether it’s working out or just chores, so I notice the lack of energy I get when I’m fighting off a virus.

I think the world of multisport will do without me for this weekend.