I went for my last long run this morning before it is time to conquer the hometown beotch. Initially I had planned to go out and do a specific number of miles. Instead, I just ran for time this morning. Two hours total.

I had a good reason however. A couple of people I work with have been hacking up a lung for the past month and riding public transit means you run into quite a few people who apparently never learned how to properly cover their mouths / noses if they have cough or sneeze.

In essence, I have come down with a cold. As the week has progressed, a cough has gotten worse and my sinuses are all stuffed up. I’ve been loading up on vitamins, liquids and tea. I’ve even taken to getting extra vitamin c thanks to packets of emergen-c (even though I don’t believe that stuff actually works.) Extra vitamins won’t hurt and at worst, I’ll just sweat the extra out.

As for this morning’s run, it was a little painful. Seems that this cold is determined to settle in and make breathing miserable. SCREW YOU COLD! I’m determined to stave this off and be able to say on the evening of October 9th right before Dexter starts that I finished. I just want to finish this year. After being a DNF in 2006 and then having a hard time getting going after injury in past years, I need to not have a repeat of 2006. Especially after having a summer of really bad training.

For the record, I do not actually plan to be finishing up the Chicago Marathon right before Dexter starts. That just seems like a great time to brag that I did finish. C’est la vie. Whatever happens next Sunday is gonna happen. I will just have to accept it. BUT, I’m going to make sure I do everything possible to ensure that I get my finisher’s medal and thus figure out how much time I have to shave off the PR (funny how finishing a distance for the first time automatically makes it a personal record) so I can qualify for Boston in the next few years.