What Getting Sick Forced Me to Remember

I didn’t plan to disappear for two weeks. But that’s exactly what happened. 😷

Almost 2 weeks ago, I had this crazy onset of congestion in my ears. I was sitting in the nail salon, wondering what the heck was going on. I swam that morning, so I thought “maybe I didn’t get all of the water out of my ears?” Then I thought it was allergies, made worse by the terrible dryness here in CO.

It was still there on Saturday morning, but I had my usual energy. So I did a pretty hard bike ride. I was fatigued at the end, but nothing that made me second-guess my health. Then that night, I woke up with a sore throat that I haven’t had in years. I thought: Oh shit… here we go. A lot of my co-workers had been sick with colds (or so I thought) for weeks, so I figured it was my turn (the joys of being back in an office).

Fast forward one week. I wasn’t getting any better, and now the congestion was in my chest. And to top it off, Lars was starting to feel crappy. Chest congestion always scares me because of the possibility of damage to my lungs, so I made a doc appointment. Turns out, I have a sinus infection (shocker), and “severe” bronchitis. Yay me. 🙄

All of last week, all I could do was sleep. I tried to squeak in some work here and there because being in a new job, I don’t have a lot of PTO built up yet. And if you know me, you know how uncomfortable and frustrating all of this is.

Because this time of year? I’m training; I’m focused on the upcoming triathlon season, which starts in early June. I’m building momentum.

But for the past 2 weeks, everything stopped. And to make the timing even better, I have the Colfax 10-mile race in less than two weeks. I love this race; it’s always a fun running tune-up, and I’m on a streak of 12 years doing this race. The last thing I want to do is break that streak (hi, Type A freak…)

So no, this illness wasn’t part of my plan.

We love to talk about consistency.

Showing up. Doing the work. Stacking the daily wins. But no one really talks about what happens when you can’t.

When your body forces you to slow down. When your routine disappears overnight. When you feel like you’re losing progress. That’s where your mindset gets tested.

What My First Reaction Was (If I’m Being Totally Honest)

Frustration.

Not just because I was sick—but because of what it meant.

Missed workouts. Lost momentum. A race coming up that I’m not prepared for.

And if I rewind a few years? This is where I would’ve spiraled (or better yet, panicked). I would have tried to rush back too quickly, and pushed through when by body wasn’t ready. I likely would have turned this setback into a much larger one. But thank God, I’ve matured with age, and I have an amazing coach to guide me through trying times like this (and to knock some sense into me).

So Here’s What Getting Sick Forced Me to Remember

1. Your body isn’t the problem

OK, all my Type A besties out there. Yep- I’m talking to you. It’s really easy to feel like your body is working against you when something like this happens. But it’s not. It’s doing exactly what it needs to do to recover. Fighting that never ends well.

2. You don’t lose everything as fast as you think

There’s this fear that the second you stop training, everything disappears. It doesn’t. Fitness is more resilient than that. What matters more is how you come back—not how quickly.

3. Rest isn’t a setback—it’s part of the process

This is the one most of us struggle with, especially if you’re used to pushing. But rest—real rest—isn’t weakness. It’s what allows you to rebuild stronger. It’s common for our bodies to tell us when we need a break, even if we don’t realize it at the time.

4. You don’t need to “make up for lost time”

This is the BIGGEST trap.

The urge to:

🏃🏼‍♀️double workouts

🍽️cut calories

💨go all in the second you feel a little better

That’s not discipline. That’s panic. And 9 times out of 10, it leads to another setback.

5. Your identity isn’t tied to one race (or one week)

This one hits a little deeper, because when you care about your performance, it’s easy to tie your worth to how things go.

But one race?
One bad week?
One interruption?

It doesn’t define you. What defines you is how you show up over time.

Where I’m At Right Now

I’m not 100%. Tomorrow I will try to ease back into training with a short ride.

And I’m heading into this race with a very different mindset than I originally planned. This isn’t about chasing a PR. It’s about showing up, enjoying the atmosphere, listening to my body, and respecting where I’m at. If I have to walk more than I want, I’m OK with that.

And honestly? That’s probably the lesson I needed most right now.

If you’ve ever:

gotten sick and lost your routine
felt like you had to “start over”
worried you were falling behind

You’re not alone. And more importantly—you’re not back at square one.

So here are my final thoughts. Getting sick didn’t set me back. It reminded me of something I think a LOT of us forget:

You don’t build strength when everything goes perfectly. You build it in how you respond when it doesn’t.

As always, thanks for being here and thanks for reading.

Paige xo

P.S. On a much lighter note, Lars and I are thoroughly enjoying the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Avs are currently 6-0 and are in the midst of the 2nd round with the Minnesota Wild. Although we have tix to all of the playoff games, we are selling some to be able to pay for the rest (they actually cost more than the entire regular season 😵). But you bet we will be at every game for the Finals. Below is a pic of us and our season ticket buddies who sit in front of us. Go Avs Go!!!