Training while sick

ntlbell

I've come down with a terrible bout of man flu...

I'm only in week 5 of my training and I really don't want to miss any days.
Is it a bad idea to be running when sick? or is it ok as long as you were some warm gear?

Stark

If it's a headcold, then I find getting out for an easy run can help clear the congestion. If it's the proper kind that knocks you flat, then you're better off resting now rather than losing even more days by making yourself even sicker.

tunney

Nope, not okay. You will make yourself worse. Or at best prolong how long you remain sick for.

Peckham

Would take a rest - your body might be trying to tell you something. No harm in losing a few days if only in week 5 - easily regained. Better than forcing yourself out the door and making a bad situation worse.

911sc

If you are sick, rest will do you best... See my post in Dublin Half Marathon thread. I thought i was superman, and that 13miles was a piece of cake. I stupidly started the race on Sat morning with a cold and bailed out after 5 miles....Lesson learnt.

And Tunney is right.... i was worse on Sunday/Monday than i was before my race attempt. And i am still not OK...Seems to drag on for ever.

Racing Flat

ntlbell wrote: »

I've come down with a terrible bout of man flu...

I'm only in week 5 of my training and I really don't want to miss any days.
Is it a bad idea to be running when sick? or is it ok as long as you were some warm gear?

Rest, rest, rest, rest, rest. You are run down so your body has gotten sick. You need to recover, by resting and then you will be flying when you get back into training. As Tunney said a few days off now will save you in the long run. When you go back, ease back, one or two easy runs before you do a long run or hard session. Unlucky, but time enough to get it and get over it. The last 2-3weeks is when you really don't want one, but lots of people get them then and this effects performance, even if you are better by the time the race comes around.

ntlbell

thanks all makes sense...

maybe time to book a week in the sun

tunney

I've learn from experience that the perfect time to get injured is just coming back from illness.

You've got most of the fitness that you had before you got sick but you're body is not quite ready for full on work outs. Ease back into it or you will be back on here in a week or so asking for a solution for your new injury.

(Then again hunnymonster would say that I am just not durable enough and that not everybody gets injured as much as me)

cfitz

I'm not disagreeing with the advise here, but I have a follow on question to the people who have replied here:

How sick would you have to be before you'd miss a day yourself (in the early to mid stages of your training cycle)?

I seem to stay fairly healthy throughout the year, but I know it would take a lot for me to miss a day. If I was in bits or if the sickness was taking a long time to clear I'd probably rest.

T runner

If sickness above the neck (head cold) Its OK to run easy but nothing anaerobic, long or hard.
Anything below the neck requires complete rest to allow your body to fight and recover from the illness.

Racing Flat

T runner wrote: »

If sickness above the neck (head cold) Its OK to run easy but nothing anaerobic, long or hard.
Anything below the neck requires complete rest to allow your body to fight and recover from the illness.

I wonder is this a bit simplistic? I think if you have a head cold you are run down so by training you are at increased risk of getting an upper respiratory tract infection?

In answer to cfitz, I'd be extremely reluctant to take a day off, but by listening to the body, you can minimise time missed. I've learnt the hard way, by trying to train through head colds and feeling run down I would have developed a worse cold and ended up missing 5 days or so. So now if not feeling great I might swap my day off around (I run 6 days a week) and that might suffice. Since I started using a heart arte montior I miss less days as if nearly run down the HR will let you know so you can go easier in training. Another thing I do - if feeling run down will lie down and check HR. normal would be low 40's when lying down so if it doesn't go below 50 I'd take day off. Fingers crossed I've only missed 2 days in 6 months for this reason.

tunney

cfitz wrote: »

I'm not disagreeing with the advise here, but I have a follow on question to the people who have replied here:

How sick would you have to be before you'd miss a day yourself (in the early to mid stages of your training cycle)?

I seem to stay fairly healthy throughout the year, but I know it would take a lot for me to miss a day. If I was in bits or if the sickness was taking a long time to clear I'd probably rest.

Cellulitis, pneumothorax, extreme food poisoning. Thats what I've lost training to in the last three years.

MCOS

cfitz wrote: »

If I was in bits or if the sickness was taking a long time to clear I'd probably rest.

All, common sense should prevail here. We are all guilty of not listening to our body when its tryng to tell us something, myself included. So listen to it

Signs,

If your resting HR is higher than usual, be wary
If you can still feel yesterdays workout in your legs and you normally wouldnt, be wary
If someone notices that you are not yourself or look 'tired', be wary
If you seem to need more sleep and its not just you being lazy, be wary

In reality training through your headcold may not kill you but it will detract from your performance and probably take much longer to shake off. You should have to wait until your head is in a toilet bowl to succumb to rest

Rest heals.

If the 5m after work feels like a slog when it is normally easy, then listen to your body, if you are not well you are not well.

One or 2 days will not hurt your overall progress and in fact the rest could mean you bounce back stronger.

I've learned the hard way too. However, I do remember a vommiting bug knocking be for six a few winters ago for about 2 days. I took a full day of rest also after it disappeared and just rehydrated. The next day I set a pb for a rowing fitness test and was quite suprised...

Racing Flat

MCOS wrote: »

If someone notices that you are not yourself or look 'tired', be wary

+1



Added to MCOS list - if you can't sleep.