Returning to Training after Illness

RacoonQueen

Really unsure how to approach a return to training now. As most of you know I'm supposed to be running the marathon in Barcelona on Sunday week, I did just over 2 miles on Monday which was an effort at first given I was wrecked before hand but I did feel fine during and after the run. Yesterday I rested, not because I felt ill, mostly because I slept when I got home from work so my meal time wouldn't have fit in with running(eating is more important than training right now) and today I was hoping to go out again and try to push to maybe 3.5 - 4 miles, while I feel OK now, at lunch I was whacked and looked it too as a load of people I work with were showing a lot of concern. Could have been my blood pressure just dropping and I just needed a feed or it could have been the virus kicking me in the teeth again.

Obviously, I don't want to overdo things and put myself back to where I was last week but obviously I also want to know whether I'm in or out of Barcelona.

I'm thinking tonight is a no no - I don't feel great but I've gone out many, many times when feeling a bit off and done 10 milers and the like.
These are the decisions which are really, really, really difficult to make. Coming back from injury is so much easier than coming back from being ill.

ecoli

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Really unsure how to approach a return to training now. As most of you know I'm supposed to be running the marathon in Barcelona on Sunday week, I did just over 2 miles on Monday which was an effort at first given I was wrecked before hand but I did feel fine during and after the run. Yesterday I rested, not because I felt ill, mostly because I slept when I got home from work so my meal time wouldn't have fit in with running(eating is more important than training right now) and today I was hoping to go out again and try to push to maybe 3.5 - 4 miles, while I feel OK now, at lunch I was whacked and looked it too as a load of people I work with were showing a lot of concern. Could have been my blood pressure just dropping and I just needed a feed or it could have been the virus kicking me in the teeth again.

Obviously, I don't want to overdo things and put myself back to where I was last week but obviously I also want to know whether I'm in or out of Barcelona.

I'm thinking tonight is a no no - I don't feel great but I've gone out many, many times when feeling a bit off and done 10 milers and the like.
These are the decisions which are really, really, really difficult to make. Coming back from injury is so much easier than coming back from being ill.

At this stage your training has already been done. Anything you do between now and then is only gonna take away from your race. While ideally taper is the best option on this incidence i would recommend taking it off till the race as you are obviously not over illness so now i would recommend staying in and fighting it otherwise you are not gonna have your immune system restored.
I have had this happen before in a shorter race i took the week off and came back with a PB. Wrap up fight it and lots of stretching and you should be okay.
best of luck

RacoonQueen

Thanks.
The fact I haven't been itching to get out speaks volumes. I've been out once in the last 10 days and it doesn't really bother me at all. Granted for much of that time I was in a deep sleep, I never thought I'd be abloe to handle not being able to run. :eek:

gerard65

Have to agree with ecoli. Just look after yourself and tick over. Around this time last year I ended up in St. James' because I did'nt take enough time to get over a flu and it came back to bite me hard. If you just tick over you'll lose very little but gain alot in the long run. (no pun intended).

Condo131

Well, for starters, I'd say you're best following ecoli's excellent advice.

RacoonQueen wrote: »

...... I did just over 2 miles on Monday which was an effort at first given I was wrecked before hand but I did feel fine during and after the run. Yesterday I rested, not because I felt ill, mostly because I slept when I got home from work so my meal time wouldn't have fit in with running(eating is more important than training right now) .....

Effectively, your body is saying to you that it needs to recover. You *CAN'T* jump back in where you were before the bug. In any case, you should now be in taper mode, under 'normal' circumstances. You probably feel that you should make up a bit for the lost time/ground. It can't be done - pure and simple. Accept that and you're more than half-way to recovery.

RacoonQueen wrote: »

and today I was hoping to go out again and try to push to maybe 3.5 - 4 miles, while I feel OK now, at lunch I was whacked and looked it too as a load of people I work with were showing a lot of concern.

Another clear indication that you need more time - and you've got some. I can't say if you've got enough. You're the only one that can make the final call, but you don't need to make that today or tomorrow.

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Obviously, I don't want to overdo things and put myself back to where I was last week but obviously I also want to know whether I'm in or out of Barcelona.

I'm thinking tonight is a no no - I don't feel great but I've gone out many, many times when feeling a bit off and done 10 milers and the like.
These are the decisions which are really, really, really difficult to make. Coming back from injury is so much easier than coming back from being ill.

The key decision you need to make is whether you can do the marathon or not. You'll need to realise that, if you're not up to it at all, then it is best to let it go. There'll be other marathons. Take it from me, your health is your wealth and I certainly *know* that.

On the other hand, while you may not be able to perform at the level you'd hoped for before the illness, if you've sufficiently recovered, you may be able to do a marathon performance that YOU are happy with.

While I wasn't ill, I once did a marathon coming off a 103 hour Very heavy work week, finishing at lunchtime on the Sat. I was absolutely incapable of running on the Sat. and still exhausted on Sunday. On the Monday, I got round by repeating (unspoken) the mantra "long, cool and easy" over and over, ad nauseum, and finished 6 mins behind my best. I know it's not the same as coming off illness, but maybe it might help you too.

Btw, I've no idea how I managed to concentrate on that mantra for so long

mitresize5

Listen to your body - its trying to tell you something at the moment

Rest for the next few days and if you'll know if your capable of doing the marathon by early next week

If your not - let it pass - they're be other marathons and its not worth compromising your health for

Peckham

Training when not suitably fit just creates more problems. It's the ultimate false economy...rather than getting yourself to race fitness, you're pushing yourself further away from it.

It comes down to a simple choice - training now and increasing the risk of the illness getting more severe so that you don't even make the start line......or resting now, and getting to the start line in a position where you will finish the race (a great achievement in itself) but maybe not in the time you hoped for at the start of training.

It's a similar decision that I've faced recently, and I've no intention of running until I'm fully fit. Whilst our situations aren't identical (I haven't run at all in 2 weeks, and only three runs in the week before that....however still have 8 weeks left to my marathon), the same principle applies.

aero2k

I'd echo all the good advice above and wish you all the best. I've heard of loads of cases of people benefiting from an enforced rest, and also loads of cases of people training hard when sick, and then getting really sick. Rest up and hope for the best, you don't need to make a decision about participation until race day. (I'm presuming flights and accommodation are booked so you might as well take the trip, Barca is a great city)

KentuckyPete

It's gonna be very hard to decide on race day. The buzz in Barca will be animal and if you're there you'll run whether you're up for it or not - emotions will just take over. A mate of mine went to Berlin in September with a pelvic injury that he wasn't sure of. He postponed his decision until the morning of the race but found that he just couldn't say no in the whole excitement of the event and unfortunately ended up exacerbating the injury during the run.

I'd say do nothing until the Tuesday beforehand then go out and see how you feel after 6 miles at PMP. Then make your decision on the Wednesday or the Thursday.

If it doesn't work out then Cork is a very cost-effective backup plan - especially with the new scenic (flatter ) route!

RacoonQueen

KentuckyPete wrote: »

If it doesn't work out then Cork is a very cost-effective backup plan - especially with the new scenic (flatter ) route!

I'm already doing Conn Ultra in April and Edinburgh in May, Cork already crossed my mind aswell. Barca was meant to be my fast marathon while I just enjoyed the experience of the others.

I'm not travelling if I'm not running. Went to Edinburgh last year when I was injured and I'm not putting myself through that again.

kennyb3

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I'm not travelling if I'm not running.

No reason why you shouldnt run unless your GP says otherwise. Easy to say from the outside but you need to stop worrying and come up with a strategy:

- First go see your GP and get checked to make sure its nothing serious (some bad virus that will take weeks to recover from)

- If not you should be back to normal within another week (given it's already been a week)

- Get the legs ticking over once your 100% right. Build up slowly but still remeber your in taper mode and do all runs easy and nothing long. (3-5 easy miles for example).

- Get your head right - whats happened has happened, you have to make the best of it. Psychology is huge in running. Focus on going out and running your best race giving everything at least then you ll know where you stand and have a recent time to better. Racing will also bring you on and make the other marathons easier and faster (if you were a beginner I wouldnt say this given your illness - but you ve serious mileage in your legs already and im assuming your 100% over a week before the race).

If you have the wrong mental state and use it as a jog around you may as well stay at home and do a long run (sure you ve done loads of them). Race as well as you can and see where your at.

My 2c anyway. I know its heartbreaking what has happened but you can use this as a springboard to a faster marathon the next time around.

Brian

ecoli

KentuckyPete wrote: »

It's gonna be very hard to decide on race day. The buzz in Barca will be animal and if you're there you'll run whether you're up for it or not - emotions will just take over. A mate of mine went to Berlin in September with a pelvic injury that he wasn't sure of. He postponed his decision until the morning of the race but found that he just couldn't say no in the whole excitement of the event and unfortunately ended up exacerbating the injury during the run.
I'd say do nothing until the Tuesday beforehand then go out and see how you feel after 6 miles at PMP. Then make your decision on the Wednesday or the Thursday.
If it doesn't work out then Cork is a very cost-effective backup plan - especially with the new scenic (flatter ) route!

Have to disagree with this comment in the fact that 6 miles PMP the week of a marathon i feel to be too excessive.
i can get the idea about your friend with a recurring injury but there is a world of difference between that and illness. By resting gives your body time to recover from the illness provided it nothing to serious. This means you will be rid of it come race day fully and can run without the worry off illness recurring (unless you are very very unlucky). If you were to run the 6 miles PMP not only would it be taking away from the race (he reason why tapers are common in most programmes) but there is also a risk that the body is only 90% rid of the illness and ultimately causing you to relapse effectively making your decision for you.
While i would always advise to test out bit quicker stuff before hoping into a race after injury i think that illness is something that needs to be tackled with a different approach

hot to trot

YOur resting heart rate will give you a good indication of how recovered you are. Mine is up by 20 beats today and i aint going anywhere after work except to bed.
It really is a great indicator of how well you are recovering post illness. It will show you whether you are well enough and is more reliable than how you feel.
HOpe to see you in Barcelona.

RacoonQueen

Went to the doc today who commented that I'm very washed out. I feel much better but I'm not doing much. Worst I've had today is a headache and some nausea. He's signed me off work for the week and gave me a nice injection to the backside and a prescription - 48 hours of COMPLETE rest :eek: whats that?

Something tells me if I'd not gone back to work last week I may have been right as reign now. :rolleyes: Doc reckons I'll be ok ''you won't be winning it with how you are but you'll be able to run it'' Result. :cool:

gerard65

Good news in that you can now start planning your rehab. Maybe a good idea to look back over the last few weeks and see if you can identify what went wrong and how to avoid it in future.

rovers_runner

As long as you've rested up until the illness passes through completely then there should be no reason why you can't still hit your targets RQ.

Even just a few miles on Sat morning in Barca to shake off the cobwebs should sort you out, remember it's not an injury so as long as the chest and lungs are ok you can trust the rest of the body.

hot to trot

Thats great news RQ.

Peckham

That's great news.

RacoonQueen wrote: »

48 hours of COMPLETE rest :eek: whats that?

I think that means no speed sessions in the next 48 hours, just recovery runs!