“If only I had known” – one of the most disconsolate phrases in the English language. Tracing this sinus infection back to its probable cause, I think the 1K in a chlorinated pool on March 27 and the .5K at Lake Pflugerville on March 28 kicked it off. Wish I had used several home remedies right away – neti pot with warm salt water, ear drops of vinegar and alcohol, warm dry clothes, Vicks Vaporub, no dairy products, steam treatment, extra water and electrolytes, extra rest, hot tea, and so on.
I need to get my head around adopting these remedies every time I swim. My main stumbling blocks have been denial (I’m too tough for all this babying!), denial (I’m not allergic to chlorine or lake water!), denial (I don’t have time for all these home remedies!), and denial (I can train as hard as I want whenever I want in any conditions I want!).
Okay, I hereby accept the fact that I need to exercise self care after I swim. Many people do. It’s okay to take special precautions. Many people do. It’s better to take a few little steps after every swim than miss a week or more of training and a race because of a sinus infection. Anyone would agree with that.
Instead of beating myself up for being so hard-headed and slow to learn, however, I’m going to congratulate myself for finally accepting responsibility for my part in this current illness. I could have done better by myself and hereafter I will. The home remedies may not prevent every infection, but they’ll help a lot. They’ll become part of my training regimen.
Although I’m feeling a little better today, I’m not racing the Danskin tomorrow. One hour of standing in line at packet pick-up wore me out. I got my shirt and race bib mostly to get out of the house for a while but also in case a miracle occurred and I felt like racing tomorrow. Not a chance!
Training log: Sick day.
Motivation log: Took care of myself by resting a lot and promising to add self care to my swimming routine.
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