So, I am training for my very first half marathon. I’ve been looking forward to this damn event, which takes place in two weeks. I have been running faithfully every other day, but I have a cold. Damn! I’m so annoyed! Why does this cold have to come on at such an inconvenient time? It’s 1 am and I am sneezing. I am taking airborne , along with tylenol. Usually, I’d stay in bed for days. But, with this half marathon event coming up, I am going to be a fighter and “deal” with it. This whole “cold/flu” thing has got me wondering …..
Is it alright to jog / exercise when you have a cold?
When you’re running with a cold, it can be harsh and make you end up feeling worst. DUH! A hard or long running session can make you feel like hell when your nose is runny and you feel it in your chest.
Once a cold is resident on your chest and you have one of those coughs that irritate everyone around you, training MUST stop and only resume once you have had clearance from your doctor and an infection has been ruled out or killed off by antibiotics.
The general rule for runners as far as colds are concerned is that if the cold is above your throat, ie you have nasal congestion and don’t feel you have a fever, then a GENTLE jog should be ok.
If the cold is in your throat or chest, then DO NOT RUN under any circumstances. There have been a number of cases over the years where people have trained with chesty coughs and colds and the virus embeds itself deeper in the cardiovascular system ending up in the heart, with the consequences sometimes being fatal.
The advice for runners with a dose of flu is to not run at all until it is cleared up. Even if you take a week off training, it won’t take you long at all to be back where you were before and it eliminates any risk of you prolonging the cold and it moving south into your chest. It’s just not worth the risk – why not take the week off training and shake it off rather than run the risk of putting yourself off games for several weeks with a chest infection?
Right now, I have a runny nose and slight sore throat. I shall see how I feel later on today. Wish me luck!
Happy Running!
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Great tips! Get well soon!
Thanks, Todd. It’s a bit frustrating when you’re trying to train for a marathon and there’s sick people around coughing and sneezing constantly. I hope I recover soon.