I tried to get back on my run streak again, but it didn’t happen, and I am okay with that. My wonderful colleagues gave me a beautiful Christmas gift of a cold, so I haven’t run since Thursday, and now not only is my streak over, but my goal of running more miles than 2017 is also in jeopardy.

I guess that’s okay. I’ve run a lot of miles this year, and I’ve done a lot of other things, too. Does it really matter if I ran 10 or 20 miles less than last year? Not really. I’ll do the math tomorrow and see if it’s possible for me to make up the mileage in the next week, or if I’d have to run myself into the ground to do it. If I have to go crazy with the mileage (and, say, run 60 miles between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve), I’ll accept it’s not something I want to pursue.

Last week was supposed to be my first week of Zumbro 50 training, so I’m extra disappointed I caught a cold and couldn’t get many miles in. Whenever I get sick, I get extra dramatic in my head and think I’ll never be able to run another ultra again. It’s that yucky fatigue talking, when my head and lungs are so full of phlegm that I can barely think. Then I get over it and remember there are 15 more weeks of training to go, and I will survive.

I suppose this is another word of caution, that run streaks aren’t for me. Or at least they aren’t for me during cold and flu season!