take whatever days off you need and try to eat very little. Lose a few pounds towards a better race weight. At least you can "train" towards something. Ultimately this won't be your race most likely. But hey, easy excuse to do another one, right?

Many years ago I had been sick for a couple of weeks, saw the doc and was told I had a cold. Came back a couple of weeks later with no improvement and was told the same thing. Finally after 6 weeks, during which I had been training the entire time, I went back and received the walking pneumonia diagnosis. They also finally gave me the right meds and a week later it was completely gone. I decided to enter a road race (running) that weekend and popped a good one/

The walking pneumonia thing always puzzles me. I am a family doc never used the term. I think it is the guy with pneumonia that walks into the office. But almost everyone with pneumonia can still walk. I would say use how you feel as your guide. If training easy feels like going full out and you are suffering a lot rest a few more days.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

I'm not a medical professional, so any take any proper medical advice above my ramblings.

But...having seen both my wife and also a couple of friends develop pneumonia BADLY by not resting properly (laying them out completely for several months, developing both pluracy and pneumonia in the case of one, and then taking several months more to properly recover), I can only say please please DO rest. And when you think you're right... give it another week off before getting back on the horse.

The treatment and effects if you go on to develop it badly are dreadful. A particular highlight is the rinsing out your lungs with an antibiotic wash... it appears to the observer rather like the heath department's version of water boarding (no anaesthetic, just some mild sedation).

I say the above having not followed this advice for near 3 months with bronchitis... never fully got over before getting back on training, getting ill, repeat, repeat... until finally the lack of rest ends up in a proper chest infection, further antibiotics + steroids (that don't even make a dent in it), chest X rays, and 2 full weeks off work when I finally am forced to FULLY rest. Not just backing off training, but 2 weeks of doing NOTHING AT ALL. And needing to sleep. With a resting HR 20+ higher than normal, and it going 100+ just making a cup of tea. Of course this means I've had 3 months of half-arsed garbage training, followed by 3 weeks of zero training. And will be starting from scratch when I do get to re-start.

I know it sucks to be taking time off. I'm climbing the walls not getting out to train. But my non medical experience is that not getting properly well, will just rebound on you several times worse. If ever the phrase 'a stitch in time saves nine' was true, this is it.

What’s more important, your life or a 70.3? Seriously dude, follow doctor’s orders. A coworker’s wife came down with pneumonia and died within a few days. She kept working doubles and covering shifts as a nurse at the hospital. It was a huge tragedy I’ll never forget. There’s a lesson to be learned there.

I'm in the infectious disease block of my training, and they've said that it's a term from radiology that the infiltrates seem to migrate (walk) on chest xray.

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. Here's to better days ahead!

Out of curiosity what antibiotics were you prescribed? I'm hoping azithromycin and not the others for atypical. Fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin) have a rare but serious risk of tendon rupture, and with doxycycline there's risk of sun sensitivity/burns (not as serious, just make sure you protect yourself from sun). I'm an infectious disease specialist and see patients with pneumonia everyday, but most of them are very sick by the time I'm asked to see them.

Though I manage patients with pneumonia, I've never had it myself so take my advice with a grain of salt. I wouldn't worry too much about loss of fitness especially if you had a good build. As others have said, focus on recovery. When I've been sick with a cold or flu, I'll take extra rest days and/or lower the intensity with low threshold for bailing based on RPE, HR etc. I've also found my resting HR as a good indicator for progression of my illness.

You are right, I was prescribed Azithromycin. I've heard about the intense side effects of the others you mentioned. I agree - take extra days to rest. Thanks!

I ended up getting walking pneumonia at the tail end of my Europe trip and it took a good 3-4 weeks to kick loose. I would say the second week though I started to get a little more energy and basically treated my training like a recovery week slowly moving my body. My suggestion would be to take a week off, completely. If you have been training one week of notta is not gonna hurt you. The second week I would easy into it and then start building from there. With this in mind knowing Oceanside is a month out by then the weekend of Oceanside you should be peaking. Just my two cents. For me the end of Jan/ start of Feb i started to feel better and the power was coming much easier.

@Mgibo, completely agree with you. Aside from the rough cough, it's the fatigue that is draining and difficult to get up and going. Looking forward to Oceanside.

I wouldn't make any specific plans like "I'm going to just take a day/week (two/three, doesn't matter...) off." Rather, finish the full antibiotics course while resting up and and then see how you feel day by day. Remember, antibiotics assist your immune system, not do all the work. If you struggle to make it through a regular day without working out, obviously you're just not there yet.

Best guess (similar to Mgibo) based on my experience with it is in a week you'll feel pretty good, two weeks you'll still be feeling a little but mostly better and getting a regular day (no workout) without any material fatigue. Whenever that feeling is the case, then you spend a week or two working back into your program as best you can. BUT, everyone is different; i.e. your energy may come back but you have have a dry cough come race day; or energy doesn't come back, but you aren't feeling anymore pain, discomfort, coughing etc. However long you do take, your fitness will probably survive pretty well and you be best served to not overkill coming back, and simply make sure you're back in a rhythm before the race.

Side note, don't reduce your eating to lose weight, thats just foolhardy. When your immune system is already compromised starving yourself wont help and may make things worse (Your already fatigued and coughing your ass off for Christ's sake...) Feed yourself, but don't gorge like you are still training.

Good luck

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Matt Leu, M.S. Kinesiology
San Pedro Fit Works, Los Angeles, CA
Endurance Athlete and Coach
Consistency/time=results

Family doc here

Agree with most of the advise which is take the time to recover. Finish your antibiotics. Eat well rest up. Increase load slowly again. You wont lose all your hard earned fitness in a week or 2 but you will if this drags on for 6 months because you trained too hard too soon.

Good luck at the 70.3!

Cool. Never mentioned when I trained. I just you would have to do serial xrays to diagnose it then.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Thank you for your coments and experience Bob !

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"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - Les Brown
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn

Thank you.

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"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - Les Brown
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn

The long view, thanks.

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"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - Les Brown
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn

The real trick is to avoid the boogie woogie blues.

REST!

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Dr Jay
http://www.Tri-Pod.net

Rest, Rest, Rest !

Do not train, you will create more damage and not get any valuable gains.

If you do anything stay limber light stretching first week, very easy walking the second week.

Pneumonia no matter what grade/severity is nothing to fuck around with.

Their will always be another race.

Knowledge from experience

I had walking pneumonia years ago and didn’t rest enough. Put me out for almost a full year! Do not train until fully recovered!

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"Suddenly the thought struck me. My floor is someone elses ceiling"-Nils Ferlin