Q: When you are sick, should you run?
Hi Lauren,
First of all, HUGE fan of Picky Bars. Serious delicious.
I’m currently ramping up my workouts for a marathon (revenge tour) in June. I plan to redeem myself after a very humbling first experience post college (played Field Hockey, not a runner at the time.)
I’ve been fighting this mild to moderate winter sickness that’s mutating and growing stronger in my veterinary school for nearly 3 weeks. Some days I feel fine to run, and do, including some longer and harder runs, but then I just don’t seem to (EVER) get better.
What is your rule on running while sick?? Run with a little cold, run with a cough, run with a persistent cold?
-Hedda Burnett
A:
Hi Hedda,
I’m extremely conservative when it comes to getting sick and running. If I feel the slightest inkling of getting sick, I take the day off and change my workout schedule around so that the next day can be easy as well. 90% of the time, this knocks it out and it never amounts to anything, (leaving me feeling like a big wuss who unnecessarily took time off.)
Then I determine my effort level for the next few days by a few things:
- Fever- Never run, go to the doctor.
- Infection below the neck – only run easy (avoiding chest infections)
- Above the neck – go ahead and get after it (but avoid balls-out 100% efforts).
I know you are bent on marathon revenge, but pushing through chronic illness without seeing a doc is a great way to totally screw the pooch.
If it were me, I’d see a doc about getting on antibiotics. If you’ve already seen a doc and they’ve done the typical “its a virus, dear, so there’s nothing we can do so drink your fluids and rest” thing, try not to kill the doctor and follow the three bullet points above until you are better. As long as you are avoiding maximal efforts, and you are hydrating and eating properly, your marathon revenge is right around the corner.
-Lauren
P.S. That’s totally badass that you are a Field Hockey convert to running. And excited to hear you are a Picky Bar fan!
If this were facebook, I would like this post, because I never know what to do when I’m sick…and I’m in medical school. Common sense + all that school tells me I should take it easy whenever I feel sick, but my psycho side usually gets the best of me and I make myself “suck it up.” I’d like to be one of those smart people who takes it easy when sicks ie a person who makes mature decisions and not decisions based on fear that you will “get behind.” So, I’m glad you posted this to remind myself that people MUCH better than me take it easy when sick!
Its never easy Meggie. I’ve done plenty of “sucking it up” and suffered the consequences. I know, without a doubt, its always worth it to be conservative with illness. However, I still screw up sometimes by getting too married to my training schedule, not wanting to miss something. But usually I’m smart about it now (that’s the benefit of 15 years of experience). I have to admit though, during the rest time, I’m usually edgy and annoyed and it takes a lot of mental energy to accept the situation and keep perspective (per Malindi’s comments).
I think taking time off for injury or sickness can be explained similarly to economics and decision theory…ie. people’s tendency to strongly prefer avoiding losses to acquiring gains. In many studies, loses are twice as powerful, psychologically, as gains, and people react more emotionally to losing money than gaining it (although I am not sure I agree…give my money and I will let you know how I feel!).
So we have to miss a few days or a week for an injury or sickness and it is more significant to us than twice that amount of time of consistent and strong training. I always try to remember that you basically un-train at the same rate as you train so if you are set back a few days…well chances are a few days ago you didn’t have any doubts about your fitness. I know…maybe too much of an academic approach to the question but it made me think of that old econ theory!
That is awesome! Lets geek out on this some more. Any more academic theories out there to enhance this conversation?
Not so much an academic theory, but, if your immune system needs energy to function, using energy on running, tennis, or whatever could be detracting from your immune system and therefore will extend your illness. In doing so, it would most likely ADD extra days of rest or useless training, which is the reason you (or rather me) didn’t take those initial days off in the first place. I should actually email myself this so I will remember it. I like the econ theory though — and adds to my economics knowledge which basically consists of Freakonomics and Malcom Gladwell books. It actually makes perfect sense though — kind of like you always remember your losses, but not so much your wins (or bad tests vs good tests).
That’s one of the key pillars of good sports psychology…finding a way to combat that. With practice, and affirmations, and your new collage 🙂 you can make time in your day to remember your good races, and your good decisions, and your goals.
So, maybe I’ll add that thought to the collage! I’ve never used affirmations before. I’ve repeated certain key words to myself, both in tennis and running, which works pretty well. But, maybe I’ll try the affirmation thing — are they stuff you remind yourself while youre running, before, day-to-day? How does it help you differently than a trigger or key word?
I remember watching you run with a flu in your Freshman year at Stanford. After the 10K was half over you had to run off the track to ralph! The next day you won a shorter race….1500? Anyway, as you know I have lots of excuses for not running…Mainly my breasts flop around too much and no amount of girdling helps…When I go all out,
or “tits-out” I put on my walking shoes and head for the boardwalk…Thanks for any advice you can give on diet…Piki Bar order is in the mail!
Ahh! so excited you answered my question! I’m not new to running, but it has only been about 3 years that I’ve become very serious about running and followed a solid/hard training program. My previous issue would have been finding an excuse NOT to run (lazy, lazy) and so it is a relatively new feeling to freak when I’m NOT following the training program. I’m so worried I’m reverting to behaviors of times past. So I feel good about having taken some time off and scaling back but not all out abandoning my training. And, I’m happy to report, feeling 100% as of today. Had I not, I think a trip to the MD for some antibiotics would have been in order. Btw – when I’m trying to convince the doctor I need antibiotics my “go to” is green boogers, gets them every time.