I ran my first marathon just before my thirtieth birthday and my last marathon a few months before I retired. I don’t know the exact number of marathons that I ran but the total was around twenty-five. After the first couple of marathons, I researched training methods and eventually settled on a 16-week plan. The first 8 weeks were foundational running: gradual milage buildup mixed with interval training and shorter races. The final 8 weeks were 80-mile weeks ending with a three-week taper prior to the race. My last 3-hour training run was scheduled no later than the start of the taper period.
During the taper period, I ran short interval sessions at a nearby track and concentrated on leg speed rather than distance. I remember running three 800M intervals five days before a marathon and was astonished at how easy it felt to run fast after my weekly milage dropped. I knew that I was ready for the marathon when my body felt strong after tapering.
During my first London ex-pat assignment, I entered the 1995 London Marathon lottery and did not get an entry. The marathon had an entry ceiling and due to high demand, it was difficult to get into the race on the first try. I entered again in 1996 and was confirmed for the April marathon. I did my 16-week marathon training plan and felt fit. I was encouraged by the cool spring weather and looked forward to achieving a good time.
On the Thursday prior to the Sunday London marathon, I developed a cough plus nasal congestion. I rushed to my British doctor who diagnosed me with bronchitis. I told him that I was running the marathon Sunday. He emphatically replied, “No, you’re not running. You are going home and resting.” I dutifully complied. I turned in my marathon entry due to my sickness and automatically received a confirmed entry into the 1997 London marathon, which I finished.
Upon returning to the USA, I signed up for the Houston marathon and once again, I fell ill the week prior to the marathon. My training went well and I was never sick until the final week of tapering. I began investigating the cause of illness just prior to a major running event. I discovered “leisure sickness,” a medical term used to describe illnesses that occur when a stressed person relaxes. Emeritus Professor Ad Vingerhoets, a retired Dutch psychologist who taught at Tilburg University (The Netherlands), researched psychosocial stress and is credited with the term.
Conditions vary greatly and not all researchers agree with his diagnosis. Dr. Vingerhoets experienced illnesses similar to me during the December holiday period. Some workers noticed that illnesses developed at the start of the weekend or holiday. Common symptoms included fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, and flu-like conditions. In my case, my flu tests were negative, but it felt like the flu.
Scientists speculate that leisure sickness occurs when the body is under stress and gives greater resistance to diseases, then once the stress is removed, the body relaxes its immune defenses and becomes more susceptible to diseases. Adrenaline levels going up, then down might also be a cause. Workaholics and people who operate at high energy levels with little relaxation are more prone to leisure sickness. Dr. Vingerhoets estimated that around 3% of individuals experience this condition.
During my final month of work, my days were filled with many activities: training my work replacement, moving our London belongings to Austin, and moving into our new Austin home. We filled the weekends with regional travels and retirement gatherings. Our last week in London was crammed with nightly social events. The morning we boarded our flight to Austin, we were fatigued and looked forward to some rest. Upon landing, we both had colds and felt poorly. We went directly to an emergency care facility where we received an injection and prescriptions. It took a week to feel human again.
I learned during marathon training that rest is just as important as exercise. It is like a good marriage; opposites attract. The same is true with work or other phases of life. God created us to both work and rest. This is why God commanded the Sabbath (Deut. 5:12–15). “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt …” The Sabbath is to be kept holy because we are commanded to concentrate on the eternal. We have the other six days to deal with material things. When individuals do not adequately rest, bodies rebel and eventually break down.
Knowing that I might succumb to an illness during my taper, I altered my marathon training and scheduled a few mini-tapers during the 16-week training period. I watched for signs of fatigue and listened closely to my body for signs of overtraining. These modifications made a difference as I did not get ill again prior to marathon races. My experience is not enough to definitively prove Dr. Vingerhoets’ theory, but his leisure sickness theory resonated with me. It also parallels God’s commandment to schedule regular rest and focus on something other than yourself.