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Training Changes While Sick?
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I've had the misfortune to have picked up a common respiratory virus (cold) about six weeks ago than lingered for about two weeks. I did virtually no training during that period. Some of that time, it would have been miserable to train, based on how I was feeling. But much of the time it would have been possible, I think - but I had no motivation and was pretty exhausted in trying to keep my normal work schedule while under the weather.

Well, I'm sick again. Too many end-of-semester events with handshaking and finger food, I think. In any case, this one isn't as rough as the previous and I thought about a gentle run today (two days of sore throat and today is the 2nd day of pretty significant sinus issues/drainage, so 3-4 days from the start of symptoms). But I couldn't get the enthusiasm to try.

What do you do when you have a common head cold (not the flu) wrt training? Power through it, mostly? Continue at reduced duration/intensity? Super light, but active? Or like me, a Couchlandrian while sniffling. I wish that it were different and I'm hoping for some motivational responses. Tu and Th are my morning training days, but I'm having trouble seeing that happen in 10 hours or so...
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Re: Training Changes While Sick? [giorgitd] [ In reply to ]
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Listen to your body. If it was just a head cold then you'd still have the motivation and ability to do some reasonably decent training. Taking 2 weeks to shake it off, then almost immediately getting sick again, and the kind of loss of motivation that you're talking about are all signs that there's something more going on. Maybe overtraining, maybe too much stress in other parts of your life, maybe a virus or something. Forcing yourself off the couch to suffer through training is highly unlikely to be beneficial.

My advice would be first off to go see a doctor. Get a blood test and any other tests they recommend, check this isn't something like an iron deficiency. If they don't pick up any medical problem then assume this is a case of you just being run down and needing to recover. In which case take it easy until you actually want to train again. And do everything you can in other parts of your life to get healthy. Pay attention to sleep and diet, reduce work and other stress as much as you are able to. You'll come out of it, might take a few days, if you're in a real hole it might take a few weeks. The goal for the race is to be toeing the start line feeling fresh and raring to go, even if the training hasn't been ideal.
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