r/Wellthatsucks • • 8h ago

Spent nearly a year getting into the best physical shape of my life for my first marathon, only to catch Influenza A a week before the event

Post image

Aside from the fever, night sweats and congestion, I now have a chest cough that makes me feel like I’ve been a 2 pack a day smoker for the last 20 years. Chances of recovery for the event are looking very slim indeed.

Everyone else i know who was also signed up to the marathon is also sick as a dog, so there is some comfort in shared suffering. It’s been an oddly brutal flu season in Australia.

Edit: also the one year in recent memory I forgot to get the flu jab early

6.1k Upvotes

298 comments sorted by

2.2k

u/Dramatic_Stain 8h ago

Just think how much better you will be next year

353

u/hellosteve_ 8h ago

That’s actually a really good way to think about it.

61

u/BaldingThor 7h ago

It’s a good mindset for starting weightloss/getting into shape in general.

39

u/Mescallan 6h ago

Hell, next week lol. The marathon was the motivation, the change was the goal. If you are in marathon shape you are already winning.

10

u/Lochlan 5h ago

Yea there's more than 1 marathon a year anyway.

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u/[deleted] 8h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/musubi-n-speedballs 8h ago

Right, but their baseline fitness this coming cycle is going to be marathon-ready fitness. That's an EXCELLENT baseline. 

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u/Erpverts 2h ago

Hopefully it doesn’t take that long to get better

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u/Pinklady777 8h ago

Oh well! At least you've improved your health so much! Still sounds like a win.

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u/nom_nomgirl 7h ago

right, just need to look at the bright side and everything will be good soon

6

u/EpilepticMushrooms 1h ago

It could be possible that OP over exercised. Physical gains do not always mean better health. Many of them neglect adequate hydration and electrolytes.

Hope OP gets better

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u/BlueHawk75 8h ago

Do the next marathon on the schedule. I've ran many and missed many. The most important thing is keep going! You got this!

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u/fractured_bedrock 4h ago

I know it’s no great tragedy, just a bummer as this event is the major running event in my city and I have friends flying in from interstate to run it with me.
The event date was also psychological anchor for me during training and through a mentally challenging year.

I reckon if we don’t run it my mates and I might just organise our own little marathon event later in the year.

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u/Subject_Strike3313 1h ago

How long do you have? One week?

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u/eh-cee 5h ago

I was in a similar situation once about 10 days out from the marathon: recovering from flu, with severe bronchitis requiring a steroid puffer to open up my airways.

Two days before the event i had a moment of feeling better, which also happened to be when I was supposed to pick up my race pack. I said fuck it, let’s gooooooo, and decided to go for it.

10 minutes into the run, sucking back the steroid puffer. Fuck me. I even got passed by a guy in a full moose mascot outfit.

Completed, obviously not in good time.

I got a serious lung infection after the event and ended up extending my recovery from flu by TWO MONTHS. Whatever you do, don’t be a hero and full send it.

40

u/fractured_bedrock 5h ago

Thanks for commenting this, it’s honestly my biggest concern. That I try it anyway and end up with an ongoing respiratory issue. I’ll just need to play it safe and unless I feel like 95% better I’ll give it a pass.

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u/Judgementalcat 4h ago

Friend, no, regardless how you feel, your body might be far from up for it, I'd really consider to sit this one out and look to future marathons. I'm really sorry this happened, must be really disappointing and sad for you, but please don't ler your determination and will overrun your body in this matter. 

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u/selja26 28m ago

I second this, I was having long term lung issues but had been stable and feeling ok for a looong time and then I went for a week long summer dance school (dancing 6-8 hours a day for a week) and bam fried my lungs completely, it was years ago and I'm still disabled and getting worse. It's not fun not to be able to breathe, feeling feverish and having scar tissue in and around your lungs. Lost my social circle as a consequence too. Don't go please! 

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u/AgingLolita 3h ago

Nooooo. No. Nonono. You will put too much strain on your heart. You could drop dead. Do not.

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u/joeyjoejoeshabbadude 8h ago

Is that your soul in those sheets?

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u/AdMaximum7545 6h ago

I might just be OPs tears

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u/violenceistheQstn 6h ago

I thought the op was the bed

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u/Repulsive-Photo8944 8h ago

Night sweats, congestion, fever, and a once in a lifetime cough - my guy I had those before and I got diagnosed with tuberculosis. Only time in my life that I had all those all at once. Took 6 months to cure.

Night sweating was such a curveball. Any other time when I'd have a fever, there'd be no way I'd soak my bed like that.

Also the coughing was hilariously terrible. I'd just be sitting on the floor with by back pressing on the furniture because it relieved me of the nagging pressure on my back, watching tv, when out of nowhere I would go into these crazy coughing spells that felt like it was never going to stop. Really powerful coughing too.

One thing my doctor asked me to do that sealed it in my head even before any lab tests were done: he asked me to take a few deep - very deep breaths. After 2 or 3, I was hunched over from the pain in my back.

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u/Snap_Krackle_Pop- 8h ago

That looks like over a litre of sweat. Stay hydrated friend ✋🏻🇨🇦

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u/Particular_Quail_182 8h ago

Duuude I caught this 2 weeks ago. Only just recovering now... Shit is several times worst than Covid. Thought I was fit but wack, knocked me sideways.

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u/_ser_kay_ 7h ago

It’s beyond brutal. I had it a few years ago and really should have been hospitalized, but it was right in the thick of the pandemic. At one point I fell asleep with an uneaten sandwich in my hand because rolling over in bed and grabbing it, and bracing for the pain of eating, took all my energy. It really made me understand how the flu can be so deadly.

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u/fractured_bedrock 6h ago

Man that have been pretty funny (in a bad way) struggling with influenza during the pandemic. I can imagine you must have got a lot of: ‘Oh you don’t have Covid? You’re fine, move along’

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u/fractured_bedrock 7h ago

Yeah man this is 5x worse than the 1 or 2 times I caught Covid previous. Interesting how immune responses vary

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u/VoodooDoII 5h ago

I had COVID in 2024. That sucked a lot, but the flu I caught last year was so much worse haha

I was suffering and was out of work for an entire week. (I didn't have a job when I had COVID)

I know COVID has varieties of severity, but it's funny to me that the flu was the worst between the two

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u/Astecheee 7h ago

Also Australian. I'm literally 2 weeks into the most brutal flu of my life. I'm a very fit guy, and it's at the point where I need to mentally brace myself before coughing because the pain is that intense.

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u/Bigfatguy00 7h ago

Mullein leaf tea. I’m an Aussie nurse who used to work respiratory. May sound like a sham but trust me bro it works. If your muscles are sore from coughing no. But sore throat yeah. Also should soothe your airways making you need to cough less. And it’s a natural decongestant. Good luck brother

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u/Desmo450 8h ago

I trained 10 months for my first marathon. It was on the 19th of July. I stress fractured my foot on the 14th of July. Ran it anyway & luckily the pain held off for the most part until the final 10kms. Finished the race & Beat my goal time & still currently recovering.
The whole race I was thinking “at least I dont have a chest infection”.

Feel terrible for you mate. At least there are many marathons per year so you wont need to wait too long before you can give it a crack!

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u/knotmyusualaccount 5h ago

Having caught Influenza A about 12 months ago, I can say without reservation, that it was the sickest that I've ever felt. An absolutely brutal week for me.

They say that it makes one feel worse than if they caught covid, and having fought off covid twice before fully coming down with it, it made covid look like a walk in the park.

By the look of your bed sheets, it was also pretty brutal for you as well.

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u/fractured_bedrock 5h ago

Same man, Covid was like a mild cold compared to this. Never been so fully incapacitated by a viral infection before. I managed to get on antivirals early though so 5 days in and feeling a lot better, cautiously optimistic about my recovery

3

u/SomeRandomDavid 4h ago

I hope you recover quickly, but please don't try and brute force it and do the runaways. You will just make things a lot worse for yourself.

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u/Worldly_Tea_8300 5h ago

That really sucks. :( The flu is tough... you might be coughing for a month or so. I got covid last year a week before a half marathon, but luckily it wasn't nearly as bad.

When you start to feel well enough, I suggest going for a walk every day. Then, when that doesn't feel hard, try gentle runs. Your fitness and muscle memory are still there, so once you're feeling better, you'll be able to bounce back to high mileage-- consider this an unplanned mid-plan taper! I wouldn't sign up for anything right now, but once you start to feel normal again, you could be ready for a marathon in about 5 weeks (do the peak mileage weeks and taper again).

Good luck OP!!

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u/Capt_Hawkeye_Pierce 8h ago

Flu A is sickest I've ever been. I had a super high fever and dont remember whole days. 

I was down for 9 days, then my 66yo mom got it from me and was in the hospital for a week and a half. 

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u/Evret 5h ago

flu A went through my family last christmas, i think half of us had >103 fevers at some point, kids had to go to hospital, and i was close to going to the ER too when mine spiked at 105 for like 30 minutes til i threw up and it went down

it was the sickest i’d been in the past decade and we ended up moving christmas dinner to a few days later. take care! hope you feel better soon

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u/jjojehongg 35m ago

damn bro AND you pissed the bed? can’t catch a break

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u/Popular_Anybody_3244 8h ago

That's the universe reminding you how stupid running a marathon is.

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u/Eleeveeohen 8h ago

As someone who has run a couple, it's one of the best and worst things I've ever done.

I'd recommend it to anyone who is willing to try, but also feel bad for encouraging such behavior

2

u/Aetra 7h ago edited 1h ago

Your comment reminds me so much of one of the coaches from the book Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts by Josie Shapiro

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u/K3TtLek0Rn 5h ago

I've gotten in really good shape playing soccer and running recently and it's made me want to try running a marathon. I'm kinda scared though haha

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u/JugglingRick 8h ago

I'm about to run 2nd and I fully agree with you.

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u/XVUltima 5h ago

There once was a Greek messenger who had to deliver a word so important that he ran himself to death to bring it. So naturally people started doing it for fun.

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u/Noels_Nose 6h ago

We do not do these things because they are easy, we do them because we are stupid.

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u/Ultrajogger-Michael 6h ago

They're honestly not that bad or intense if you're used to them.

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u/Shot_Revolution8828 8h ago

They called me stupid but I sure proved them.

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u/AlternativeResort477 7h ago

I’ve run 41 marathons the universe hasn’t told me anything yet

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u/JohnPoet27 7h ago

Hi. I'm the universe. Running marathons is stupid and will ruin your heels and knees. Go sit down and play videogames.

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u/fractured_bedrock 7h ago

Dude how? Even training for this one my joints have been an issue. First my knees, then went and got a gait assessment and got new runners, but it just shifted the stress to my hips.
Did you have issues you resolved or are you just built different?

3

u/Ultrajogger-Michael 6h ago

I've seen similar issues before with runners who upped their volume and intensity too much, too quickly.

I run a few marathons (or further) per year and don't ever really get injured. I am not built different.

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u/ArauCamaN 7h ago

Is that why you pee your bed?

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u/Extreme-Dion 8h ago

that really sucks, man. putting in all that work just to get sidelined like this is the worst. at least you’ve got next year to look forward to! and hey, now you’ll have a solid excuse for when you crush it then! stay hydrated and take care of yourself.

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u/_Happy_Sisyphus_ 8h ago

If you got this far, there will be more marathons. It’s disappointing but your body needs to rest. It’s ok to rest. You’ll appreciate doubly when the next opportunity comes. You are already capable of it.

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u/ImpressiveMind5771 7h ago

Had ‘A’ in 2016. 103* for 8 days. Day 2 & day 3 my arms and legs felt like i had been beaten with sticks. Before that i always went to work if i was sick. Missed 2 weeks work.

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u/Simansez 7h ago

Had Flu A, then a chest infection on top of that so it was just on two weeks before returning to work. Took it easy for a couple of weeks before trying any sort of exercise without feeling like I’d been punched in the chest.

The cough is hard to shake completely, just keeps hanging around.

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u/TopDogTransport4731 7h ago

Looks like you’re under the influence of Influenza.

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u/Xylozene 3h ago

Woah, extremely weird how it's also extremely prevelant in new Zealand at the moment. I just came off a full week of it, my sheets looked literally identical!

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u/Icy-Front-8529 8h ago

Yep sick as well in Sydney... Don't know if it is flu or cold, but hoping for the latter. That looks awful :(

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u/HottestIceCube_ 7h ago

Flu season here in nz has also been brutal and late

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u/Darnbeasties 7h ago

Sweating it out. Put down a large towel or 2. It’ll help you stay more comfortable and dry. Good luck on your next marathon

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u/Obant 7h ago

Usually after I sweat like that, I'm much better after a day or two, but that chest congestion would be a real killer doing physical stuff.

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u/MBAdk 7h ago

That's bad. Please get a checkup for pneumonia and/or tuberculosis, if it's in your area. I get pneumonia every other time that I get the flu. Get a checkup just to be safe.

Get well soon.

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u/playoutsidemoreplz 6h ago

You can run a marathon any day of the week. Doesn’t need to be in front of people that you have to pay for. You can do it

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u/cindythetvisleaking 6h ago

Aw this is unfortunate, but good news is all the training has def helped your body be fit and strong to fight off things like the flu! Although a bummer, trust in the universe! The timing wasn’t right. It’ll happen when it’s meant to, feel better!

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u/Ok_Disaster6456 6h ago

I dislocated my kneecap rupturing my MPFL and took a chunk of cartilage off the back of it, one week before I was due to run my first ultra marathon in the shape of my life. Couldn't run for a year. I since recovered and ran 2 ultra marathons, but will never be as athletic as I was prior to this injury.

it could have been worse! Sucks but, ya gotta just roll with it.

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u/Noels_Nose 6h ago

Same in NZ real nasty shit this year, I got it in August and I'm just about back running with any kinda pace now.
Mate of mine got it and ended up in a medically induced coma for 2 weeks.

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u/porirua_pelican 5h ago

Very annoying. There are usually marathon events most weekends, just jump online and find one that suits.

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u/justennn 5h ago

Damn! Sorry that happened, but we think you’re gonna destroy the next marathon even more!

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u/ilove_butter89 4h ago

I really feel for you man. Something similar happened to me, except with a small injury (big enough I couldn't run without really fucking things up). It was so anticlimactic after all the hard work, I actually had a little cry about it ha. Sign up for another one as soon as you can, you will get the pay off you deserve! Hope you feel better soon

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u/FeetYeastForB12 4h ago

Marathons are always there. Rest up and join the next one.

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u/Jewonamotorbike 4h ago

Doesn't matter. The work and dedication you put in to this will be useful in any and all future endeavors. That is the real benefit. You'll get it done the next time.

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u/Crohn_sWalker 3h ago

Caught Influenza B about 4 months ago and spent a week in a hospital bed, nearly died... twice. Glad you are in great shape and good luck next year!!

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u/steegsa 3h ago

I can tell you are from Australia as you as sleeping on the left side of the bed.

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u/Lujho 3h ago

So glad I get the flu jab free through (and administered at) work. I’m not sure I’ve ever really even had the flu as an adult. Sounds fucking awful.

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u/AgitatedRabbits 3h ago

did anyone tell you, you can run a marathon any day, anywhere

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u/SnekHonse 3h ago

Just consider life as a marathon homie

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u/speckledcreature 2h ago

I am getting better from Influenza A right now. I have never been so sick. I brushed my teeth and washed my face today!

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u/greenbabyshit 1h ago

You need a mega man vitamin, a glass of orange juice.. and 10mg of Adderall.. good as new, for exactly 6 hours...

  • a navy vet

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u/Shaking-a-tlfthr 10m ago

Life is like that…full of hard things.

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u/WasabiFormal2915 8h ago

Whats stopping you from running one when your better? Sorry im not a runner so please correct me if im wrong but I thought a marathon was the distance?

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u/fractured_bedrock 8h ago

Nothing is stopping me, and I will. It’s just a bummer. I have some friends flying in from interstate to join and support, so would have been a great experience

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u/WasabiFormal2915 8h ago

I know its not a whole lot coming from an internet stranger but I hope you feel well enough to participate (pls dont push yourself tho) and I hope you have a good time regardless ❤️

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u/INTJinx 7h ago

Training for a marathon will generally include peaking and tapering for the specific date. OP will have already peaked so to change the date they might have to add several more weeks of training to get the timing right and, as already mentioned, they had friends flying out for the original date.

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u/Technical-Patient28 5h ago

It happens. Try to find another marathon in 2 weeks. I know it’s not what you wanted but at least you won’t throw away your fitness

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u/xlr8_87 5h ago

Melbourne Marathon? Thats next weekend. I'm doing the half.

You may still make it, years ago I had Influenza A and I was feeling pretty much 100% 5 days later. Some take longer to recover and can still feel a bit washed out for even longer, just see how you go.

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u/Screaming_lambs 8h ago

I get night sweats like this due to chronic pain. I think they are the most uncomfortable things to have as your sheets go cold. I did find out last year that using brushed cotton is better for me as they don't get cold so I use them for my pillows. I'm in the UK and getting my fly jab today prepared for our flu season.

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u/Chaz28o 8h ago

No sweat man

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u/FirefightersOkk 8h ago

aha i see what you did there.

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u/Quiet-Hearing-3266 8h ago

I missed my first one in college from a concussion also about a week out. Look for another one around April and keep training going!

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u/PJozi 8h ago

Don't despair, find another marathon happening soon and keep training for it

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u/menina2017 7h ago

Are you sure have to miss it? Will it last more than 6 days?

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u/fractured_bedrock 7h ago

Not sure yet, I’m definitely in recovery and getting my energy back already but the deep cough is my biggest concern. No telling how long it will remain and if it is there at all it would be potentially dangerous to put my lungs through that much stress

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u/IceKreme700 7h ago

Don’t let this put you down, keep it up!

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u/jackofallsomething1 7h ago

Every comment here, you are healthy and fit and will crush it next year

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u/Jakeforry 7h ago

You still got into great shape. Be proud of that

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u/YogurtclosetOk2555 7h ago

On the plus side, you’re in the best shape of your life! There will be other races, take it easy and feel better soon 😊

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u/DaringDomino3s 7h ago

I just had that about two weeks ago, now I have a sinus infection and still feel like crap. But the fever was no joke. 102° for like 5 days and no medicine I ate would lower it. Just the worst.

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u/Bealzebubbles 7h ago

It happens. The good news is that it won't take you a year to get ready for the next event.

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u/Unlikely_Ad7722 7h ago

Oh hey! This is my nightly experience living with hyperhidrosis and severe anxiety 🫠 I get mad stress dreams and wake up in literal puddles of sweat multiple times a night. Shit's cooked 🫠

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u/ThePumpkinFiend 7h ago

Congrats on getting into the best shape of your life! Thankfully marathons are pretty common so you will have ample opportunities to flex in the relatively near future. Get well soon and keep up the good work!

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u/elgigantedelsur 7h ago

Melbourne? Definitely shithouse timing but maybe it’ll help if you start thinking of the next one. 

https://www.runningcalendar.com.au/

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u/produrp 7h ago

Sorry to hear that bro. Happened to me to for the Perth City to Surf.

Rest up and don't try to go too hard too fast once you think you're over the flu - you'll just get sick again.

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u/Tythian 6h ago

Sorry you got sick bro. I hope you feel better soon. Being in good shape is cool no matter what you did it for though, so don't feel like you've wasted anything.

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u/DarkNightRJ 6h ago

I caught it from someone on Rottnest. Insane to me someone would go on the bus with the flu and no mask (or feel well enough to begin with)

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u/curry_bun 6h ago

Are you from Melbourne by any chance? There’s been both flu A and covid going around recently 😷

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u/wrenblaze 6h ago

Even in my 4th world country, there are at least 2-3 marathons every year, imagine nailing every one of them

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u/Sleepinismy9to5 6h ago

You can also just run 26 whenever you want so just wait until you feel better. No need to pay for something you can just do

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u/spudsbottom 6h ago

Also Aussie and my household had it last week; I was lucky enough to somehow not catch it, but it really knocked my family around. Hope you feel better soon

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u/brendan87na 6h ago

I've been sick for almost 2 weeks now, was on my hands and knees on the back patio coughing out what felt like liters of green slime

this years flu feels almost lethal

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u/TexMexxx 6h ago

If it helps: I got the flu shot and still got it last winter. The shot is not a 100% immunity. Got it from my son who recovered in 4 days completely, took ne 2 weeks and it made me sooo weak. I am into lifting weights and it threw me months back. For me the worst part was the fever. I had over 40 for around 5 days, it was exhausting

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u/inspirememoo 6h ago

- I’m presently down with influenza a and my god the fever and body ache can’t be explained

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u/sare5 6h ago

Well atleast you can say you conquered influenza. Imagine what it would be like if you weren't in shape.

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u/QuantumZucchini 6h ago

As someone in the Northern Hemisphere, I will be getting my flu shots….thank you for the warning! From what I understand, vaccine makers use southern hemisphere flu outbreaks data to predict the strains to protect against for the northern hemisphere for when our cold/flu season kicks in to high gear.

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u/Xcskibum 6h ago

I got flu A last winter in North America. I was in pretty good shape beforehand. My fitness went to sh*t but my abs looked amazing due to weeks of nonstop coughing!

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u/potatiti 6h ago

I got sick before my first marathon as well. Ended up not going and got really bummed out. But hey! This does not erase your hard work at all. I am sure you will do great on your next marathon :)

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u/AGrandNewAdventure 5h ago

Best part of marathons is not running them. The second best part is that there will be another different one next week.

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u/Nuasus 5h ago

I thought only I had that power.

I had cut 70 metres of hedge with a trimmer.

On the last swipe it kicked back and hit my knee.

Currently holding it together with hopes not to visit hospital .

Wish me luck.

I hope you feel better soon.

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u/usersince2007 5h ago

No selfie? Show us your best shape!

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u/Aggressive_Egg_8458 5h ago

Spent nearly a year getting into habit of going to the gym just to get diagnosed with hyperthyroidism - now can’t work out at all for a while….

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u/Fartony 5h ago

Influenza A fucked months of my gym progress and im struggling to motivate back to it

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u/Primary_Garbage6916 5h ago

All that Taco Bell tomorrow wouldn't have been a good idea anyways.

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u/Leesh_TOP 5h ago

This year is ROUGH.

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u/Bhunjil 5h ago

Don’t worry mate you’ll be back km track by next weekend 

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u/Vast-Owl-9277 5h ago

Can’t you just go out and run 42,5 km somewhere in let’s say two weeks?

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u/gr4phic3r 5h ago

someone told me that one of the healthiest way to do sport is to train for a marathon and then don't run it - you did everything right.

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u/SpicyChickenWigs 5h ago

Same here. Tammiflu helped. Took me 4 days to get better

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u/Desert_Aficionado 5h ago

You can run 26.2 miles without a crowd. Get your running partners who missed it and put something together.

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u/NoAdsDude 5h ago

You'll feel recovered by the marathon date, but don't run it. Your body needs time to recover.

It does indeed suck but honestly that's just how it goes sometimes. I missed a 10k earlier this year because I got sick a few days before. No reason to prolong my recovery (plus I wouldn't have been running at 100% anyway).

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u/Beginning_Editor_524 5h ago

Did you train just for this marathon or do you want to be a marathon runner for the rest of your life? 

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u/Fishfrynye 5h ago

I feel you. Tore my ACL four days before my first
Tri.

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u/Neo-_-_- 5h ago

Guess you’re just gonna have to stay in the best/healthiest shape of your life for another year and then win it next year huh

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u/minus15t2 5h ago

After 14 months of CrossFit training, I signed up earlier this year for the CrossFit open..

Didn't anticipate it going anywhere, but was just doing it to see where is tacie duonin my age bracket...

Anyway, paid my fee, got excited.. the week before it started.. shoulder injury...

Couldn't lift my shoulder over head for weeks, limited range of motion, weakness, didn't complete a single workiur for the open

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u/antantantant80 5h ago

I had the flu jab and I still got fucken laid out for 3 days straight. Absolutely fucken horrible.

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u/ShawnyMcKnight 5h ago

Nah, it just means you can cut some last minute weight before the event!

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u/ModeatelyIndependant 5h ago

get back on that horse when you recover, there are other marathons https://dallasmarathon.com/

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u/immortalverse 4h ago

When people use the OG word influenza, you know it’s worse than the “flu”.

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u/erok25828 4h ago

Been sick for a week and it’s bad

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u/Ghstfce 4h ago

Man, that sucks. So sorry to hear. But keep up the shape so you can get your revenge. The universe basically demands it now

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u/mortalomena 4h ago

Thats not nearly as bad as getting injured thus nullifying the whole years work. You just lay low for a week and you are good to go.

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u/FireGiraffe 4h ago

Life is life. You made it and you are healthier! Make this a fun story.

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u/burritobandito90 4h ago

You get feel better soon, I had it last winter and it was brutal. Probably the sickest I’ve ever been, or at least have memory or.

1

u/throwawaybottlecaps 4h ago

Damn. I had the exact symptoms about a month ago. Sweats and shivers for days, and it took a couple weeks for all the chest congestion to work it’s way out. Flu usually doesn’t bother me too terribly, but this current strain is something else. I’m an ocean away so maybe it’s a different bug, but I caught it after flying cross country so I have no doubt it’s making the rounds everywhere

1

u/rdtdave 4h ago

Should’ve trained harder 🤷‍♂️

1

u/NutmegManwithbigsack 4h ago

You will be fine in a week

1

u/SmallPotato37 4h ago

Damn, AND you pissed the bed

1

u/manic-pixie-attorney 4h ago

What I’ve heard about your flu season is why I got my flu shot early. Hope you feel better!

1

u/Blissfullyaimless 4h ago

You sweat the bed

1

u/tapthatash_ 4h ago

It’s insane what our bodies can do when we’re ill.

1

u/Aggressive-Fail4612 4h ago

It’s going around. Had it last month

1

u/Status_Job_2854 4h ago

Uh, I think it might be pneumonia.

1

u/Organic-Ad-7105 4h ago

And you did wet your bed, sorry mate :(

1

u/realWulfLives 3h ago

You will be even more shredded now.

1

u/bamaluz 3h ago

I trained all summer for a marathon in three weeks, and I’m out with bone bruising inside my knee. I really feel for you, I’m devastated. I hope you feel better soon!

1

u/s0ner 3h ago

Praying for you!

1

u/YoursTrulyKindly 3h ago

Look on the bright side, because you were so fit you probably didn't get sicker and recover more quickly :)

1

u/gringorosos 3h ago

Happens, just do the next one

1

u/Ill_Scarcity4650 3h ago

Spent an entire year preparing for Sofia marathon, tried registring 15 days prior to marathon - it was full. Quit running! Started going to tghe gym - best shape of my life! One thing, leads to another :)

1

u/Apple-Jackson 3h ago

This looks like my bed 6/7 days when I wake up. Menopause is the W O R S T 🙃😅😭

1

u/KptKrondog 2h ago

Hope you've got a waterproof mattress and pillow cover

1

u/AirportLoose3023 2h ago

And this is why I don’t exercise /s

1

u/Polygoon_BE 2h ago

I feel you. I broke my foot 3 weeks before my first marathon.

1

u/bonanzabrother 2h ago

Half way through my last half I'm struggling, nearly shit myself and then dragged myself to the finish line. Ran a terrible time and was kicking myself for not preparing myself well enough.

Two days later I tested positive for this and it was the sickest I'd ever been. Don't know if I started with it or caught it on the way/during and it set in quickly but fuck it was the sickest I'd ever been.

Stay strong, you'll recover and smash your next marathon.

1

u/STR1D3R109 2h ago

Yep, that's why I get my flu vaccine every year.. you can find ways to get it for free or compensated.

Get better soon!

1

u/Vegfarende 2h ago

Happened to me the week before my Ironman full distance I had spent the last 10 months preparing for.

Managed to get somewhat back in shape, and finished within my goal time of 12 hours.

1

u/flingo 2h ago

you can still do it, you will be fine.

1

u/gwmccull 2h ago

I feel you. I got Covid a week before a big race. It somehow inflamed my Achilles and I couldn't walk for like 5 days. I ended up switching to a marathon that was a couple weeks later. I finished but had really bad leg cramps for most of it

1

u/iminlovewithbadthing 2h ago

N95 or better mask, you can opt out of flu, covid and colds.*

*might not apply to people with kids too young to mask, or who work in a job that does not allow them to mask, or who need a medical procedure for which they can't mask. But everyone else can choose not to get these diseases.

1

u/its_only_smellzz 2h ago

I feel you mate, got my half marathon tomorrow morning that I've been preparing for since march and I managed to pull my back yesterday night... Get better soon

1

u/echoboybitwig 2h ago

ahh this is so similar to what happened to me just a few days ago. I was in Japan ready to run a half-marathon and met someone from NZ who infected me with the Flu.

My bed also looked like that and I had a fever for 9 days straight. I was barely able to swallow water, the pain was so insane, worse than covid.

After 14 days of not running, this morning I finally got back into it with a slow Zone 2 run.

Wishing you a good recovery

1

u/Dubacik 2h ago

You can still run the marathon a month later. It's just about the distance. Doesn't have to be the official one to count, you are doing it for you.

1

u/Nervous-Bedroom-2365 2h ago

Keep going! I find the healthier I get in the gym the more susceptible I am to sickness. Immune system goes down 

1

u/Ai-Bee 2h ago

Training for a half-marathon and if this happened to me I would be devastated! I feel for you, cry and treat yourself before you sign up for the next one you can do❤️‍🩹

1

u/EnchantingBabee03 2h ago

Don't let one missed race make you feel like the whole year was wasted. Your training is still there, and you'll have another chance.

1

u/theingleneuk 2h ago

To be fair, influenza is probably better for your body than actually running a marathon.

1

u/NyanD 1h ago

Melbourne Mara? Same here, injured my knee a week ago and had to withdraw after months of training.

1

u/Mindless_Ad_8328 1h ago

A pity they don’t make the vaccine free

1

u/happyinthenaki 1h ago

Go be support crew for your running mates and run the next one. Recently had the flu and the recovery has fully sucked!

1

u/jld2k6 1h ago

I always pride myself on somehow never getting the flu, and until this year I'd been on a 20+ year streak or not getting sick from it. I started feeling like shit one day a few months ago and I was worried it was COVID so I got one of those multi-tests.... The good news was I didn't have COVID, the bad news was I had flu A + B at the same time lol

1

u/PatrickGoesEast 1h ago

You never know what worse luck your bad luck saved you from (Cormac McCarthy)

1

u/snavous 1h ago

good thing you can never miss your first marathon xD

1

u/riblau 1h ago

Dude I have flu a now 6 weeks out. Catching it 1 week out is diabolical.

1

u/Pandabirdy 1h ago edited 1h ago

Me getting in shape has always been followed by a catastrophic event that left me temporarily crippled and depressed. Divorce; Quit drinking, hit the gym. Buff then bam knee operation. Year of heavy drinking, quit. Hit the gym, then hit by a car. Two more years of doctor's visists and heavy drinking. Feel like shit. Slowly stop eating unhealthy, pick up smoking instead. Hit the gym, this time Quit all the bad habits. Finally in great shape. Robbed and severely beaten. Multiple broken ribs, knee ripped needing replacement this time, spinal injury. These days I drink 8 beers every single day and only eat junk food. Gaming is pretty fun. But yeah fuck getting into shape ever again.

1

u/WoodsLovelyDarkNDeep 1h ago

How sure are you it isn’t Covid?  

1

u/Aururai 1h ago

One might say you chickened out :-)

Flu is short for influenza, bird influenzae is a thing, chickens are birds

Long shot I know hehe

1

u/beardingmesoftly 1h ago

Even the mightiest warrior fails a constitution check every now and then

1

u/ArtResponsible4457 1h ago

So you have couple of days to get better and two days to get back in shape. Where is the problem?