It’s been one of those weeks. I started getting a nasty headache Monday night and woke up with a full-blown head cold and fever Tuesday morning.

Not conducive to running. Not at all.

And you know what? I never get sick. Like, ever. The last time I had anything was in 2009 when I got the Swine Flu over Thanksgiving break. It seems that when I do get something, I get it real good.

So now it’s four days later and I haven’t been running at all. Part of me thinks that I’ve been pushing myself a little too hard: work, training, work, keeping up the house, work, social events, more work. I’ve been a busy bee. But now I’m toe-up in a sea of my own tissues, and the question is: “Can I push through it and go for a run?”

Clearly you shouldn’t suit up for a 5K if you’re head-in-toilet sick, but are there any hard-and-fast rules about running when you’re under the weather? And, more importantly, how do I get back into my routine when I’m (hopefully) well enough to train next week?

Let’s face it: When you only have a certain number of weeks before a race, missing one feels like an eternity.

According to the experts, here are some solutions for the running + sick equation:

around the web

2 Comments

  1. Just in time. I’ve gotten a fall cold and I am on the fence about contining to train.

  2. I continued to workout last week and over the weekend with the onslaught of a head cold, and I must say it did not help but may have made it worse. This week I have had to sit out as the congestion is just now starting to break a bit.
    These nasty ass people I work with come to work sick cough and sneeze freely in the air spreading germs. I spray lysol but it didn’t help me this time.

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