Monday night I departed from PIT in route to LAX. Once I got to the LAX airport, I met up with my boss and co-worker Mike and we drove to the hotel. We got in sort of late, but I was starving and hadn't eaten in some time. I had something small to eat at the hotel, and it was off to bed. I set the alarm for 4AM PST, so I could do run #1 for the day. When I woke up, my throat had a little tingle, but I thought nothing of it. I proceeded to lace up for my tempo run, but something just wasn't right. I managed to work through the workout, but my throat kept getting more sore by the minute. By mid-day Tuesday, it was official....I was sick. :(

We worked a really long day at the factory, and didn't get back to the hotel until around 6pm. Mike and my boss Terry wanted to go out to dinner at the beach, but all I wanted to do was go to my room and sleep. But I sucked it up, and thought that it would help if I go out to dinner with my boss since we typically have little interaction. The plan for dinner was seafood in Long Beach at a restaurant called "Parker's Lighthouse". Terry had eaten there before, and had rave reviews, and boy he wasn't kidding. The food was fantastic. We started off with some raw oysters, and sushi as an appetizer, then all three of us had a 8oz Ahi Tuna fillet, and a piece of cheese cake for desert. I'm really glad I went, and was praying that I wouldn't regret it in the morning. And best yet, the restaurant was right across the harbor from the Queen Mary.

As the alarm went off Wednesday morning, I knew I had a long day ahead of me. By this point, the cold had gotten worse and not only was my throat sore, but I now had a wicked cough. We put in almost 13 hours of work, and I was running on fumes. After work I drove my co-workers to the airport, went back to the hotel, and was fast asleep by 9PM.

Day 3 (today) in LA had to be the worst. When I woke up this morning, not only was my throat still sore, but I was now getting the typical flu symptoms (aching body, congestion, that feeling that your head is compressed in a vacuum). NOT FUN!!!

As soon as I was done with work I drove straight to the hotel, and got my butt in bed. I managed to get 1-2 hours of solid sleep in prep for tonights long flight. I'm currently at the airport in LAX, awaiting my 10:35 PM flight. I arrive in Pittsburgh tomorrow morning, and plan on spending another day in bed, and am very excited to get home to my wife. The past two weeks have really been hard.

Talking with coach this morning, he made sure to tell me that I rest up, relax, and do not workout. With that said, I haven't worked out since Tuesday morning, and feel like a complete slacker. Tomorrow is a big 4 1/2 hour workout day and I really hate missing it, but I need to get better first before I get back into things.