[Piedad Barillas-Bird]

Hello coaches.

Wow did I need to hear that call today. I got nailed with shingles two weeks ago that ended up being an extreme case which then moved into cellulitis as it had gotten infected. Landed me in hospital with IV antibiotics which helped immensely. The pain and discomfort come close to child birth but this unrelenting itch and nerve pain is still present. Only today really able to walk normally with no worry about the skin sensitivity.

I have done the uphill athlete female forum last year and absolutely was blown away by the progress it allowed me to have as a runner. At first it destroyed my ego. I built up to 35km running and wanted to hold onto that as I was so proud of that and when the programme literally asked me to do nothing close to that – my ego was feeling a bit nervous. I kept saying to myself this is about learning and building an aerobic base. Start from scratch build up/learn on the way/so that I can keep doing what I love with knowledge. The Goal is to keep it sustainable, the running. So, I bit my lip and did exactly as the programme asked of me. My z1 runs. Dear god- I called them sweater runs bc you could literally knit a sweater (SO SLOW) I even had to walk it to keep in proper heart range. I thought this can’t be right. But the coaches assured me to keep going and keep doing what I was doing. Sure, enough little by little I was getting faster and faster but within my heart zones and I was like WOW!

Right before the shingles exploded. I couldn’t have been happier with my training and where I am at pace wise and health wise. Truly the strongest I have ever felt. Then BANG.

I can’t help but feel sad. But I KNOW I have a good base. I KNOW I won’t lose it all. How I found Uphill Athlete was because I had nerve damage in my foot and needed to realign and strengthen my foot/leg again. I found NEIL! Love Neil. When the female forum came up, I was like perfect!

So, Coaches, thank you for your words today about the ego, about the whispers in our head that we’re losing fitness, we’re flat, you won’t get back again. I was told by a health practitioner back then, that my nerve injury would limit me. Man, did I see red. It certainly has not, and I took it – worked with it – learned about it and treated it. Took a while but I relearned how to move my toe and foot again and calm the excitatory nerve action.

My question: Is there a way in training peaks to move the two weeks that I have been down forward? I wanted to add two recovery weeks for next 2 weeks then start back in again.

I am not biochemically depleted. My actual blood count/liver panel/Kd panel and crp (inflammatory markers) were all normal. Lactate normal. Electrolytes normal. I somehow contained the infection to my leg and treated it did not move out systemically. It has 3 dr’s scratching their heads. I am an acupuncturist, I do not drink, I follow a tight nutrition plan and supplement plan and meditate every day. And of course, have an awesome training plan that I follow ?

With Gratitude,
Pie in Kaikoura, New Zealand

Topic

[Piedad Barillas-Bird]

Piedad Barillas-Bird on March 24, 2023 at 1:42 am #76599

I figured out how to move my training plan.

[Chantelle Robitaille]

Chantelle Robitaille on April 6, 2023 at 11:00 am #76942

Hello Piedad!

Sorry that we missed seeing your message here. I hope by now you are feeling more like yourself and back to your sweater runs (love that term!).

Happy to see you were able to move your plan and get things back on track. What a remarkable recovery!!!

C.