When to run if you are sick?

[matthewxcountry]

What is your opinion about running while sick? I once heard someone say as a general rule of thumb don't run if you have any symptoms below the neck, but its fine to run if all of your symptoms are above the neck. So run if you have the sniffles, head aches, etc, but don't run if you have nausea, coughing up phlegm etc. Is this a general rule you go buy, or do you do something completely different?

A long time ago I ran with bronchitis during the whole XC season. It basically never went away, so that was probably a bad idea. What are your experiences?

[spikeysam71]

Yea I also follow that rule. You can read more about it here: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-286--9082-0,00.html

[Crystazul]

I rarely get sick *knock on wood* but when I have it has just been the common cold and I think if you have the common cold you should probably just suck it up and run easy miles for a few days. Do some strides if you feel like it, but don't stress out. If you have the flu (or bronchitis) then you should probably take some time off. I am not a doctor but I feel like the flu and bronchitis both affect your pulmonary system differently from the common cold or something else simple so it makes sense to treat them differently.

Looking at the above article it seems what I thought was mostly correct so that is good.

[fallout]

If i only feel a little sick i'll keep training but i if i get actually sick with a cold, ill take a few days off because I have found that running while sick makes the sickness last longer IMO. And of course if its anything worse than a cold (like a flu) then you have to stop running, I think at least. But general not feeling well I run unless during teh run I have to puke or something

[Vano]

I can never run when I'm sick. I tried one time a did a 2 miler with a cold and the next day I was so much worse. I just take time off now.

[crowman21]

Yeah, i ended up running through bronchitis this winter track season and definitely wouldn't recommend it. The below the neck rule is a good one, but also i go by if you find yourself actually coughing or feeling sick while you running you probably shouldn't. with most colds and common sicknesses you will feel better on the run and after as well.

[martyr]

I was diagnosed with meningitis this past xc season, and actually learned something quite interesting from the doctor who I was seeing. Running during any kind of cold is actually a severe risk. Supposedly, even with a very small cold - anywhere from nasal congestion to just a slight cough - you are not supposed to get your heart rate elevated at all. I can't remember what exactly he said (duh, my brain was swollen), but I do remember him saying that if I tried to run I was at risk of developing a much severe life threatening illness called something I can't remember, but since my mom is a nurse at the hospital, she can ask him and I'll report back. Obviously I was at the far end of the spectrum, but he says it applies to all colds, no matter how small they are.

[kick'em.down]

I was diagnosed with meningitis this past xc season, and actually learned something quite interesting from the doctor who I was seeing. Running during any kind of cold is actually a severe risk. Supposedly, even with a very small cold - anywhere from nasal congestion to just a slight cough - you are not supposed to get your heart rate elevated at all. I can't remember what exactly he said (duh, my brain was swollen), but I do remember him saying that if I tried to run I was at risk of developing a much severe life threatening illness called something I can't remember, but since my mom is a nurse at the hospital, she can ask him and I'll report back. Obviously I was at the far end of the spectrum, but he says it applies to all colds, no matter how small they are.
Really? I was told to run if I was "just a little bit sick" because it boosted the immune system

[fireonthetrack11]

I can never run when I'm sick. I tried one time a did a 2 miler with a cold and the next day I was so much worse. I just take time off now.

definitely this. rest up, you'll feel like a champ afterwards. listen to how your body feels. I know that when I'm sick, if I'm feeling a nap, that's gonna be more beneficial in the long term than fighting my body in exchange for maybe two or three low-quality miles

[okko]

being sick pretty much never affects my running. i've run some of my best races with pretty bad colds and stuff. i am probably just lucky in this regard, but it does make me wonder sometimes if most of the difficulty some people have running through colds is just in their heads (that is, in their minds). it's also possible it has something to do with the fact that i eat much more healthily than most people that i know who tend to get completely knocked out by colds and the flu. the only time i ever got the flu (swine flu last fall) i wasn't running anyway because i had a massive laceration in my foot, but i'm guessing that would have forced me to take a couple days off had i not been on crutches at the time.

oh, and when i get sick i usually compensate by sleeping a lot more than usual, even if i don't cut back on my running at all. this usually seems to do the trick within a few days.