I’m doing my first 1/2 IM distance race this year so I’ve upped my weekly hours to about 11-15 hrs/wk. I currently have my third cold of the season. It seems like ever since I’ve been training more I get more colds. Anybody have any good techniques or sugestions for avoiding colds on such a regular basis? It seems like it’s a very fine line between stressing your body for gradual improvement and stressing it too much and getting sick.
Some people (like myself) seem to be more inclined to catching them. I’ve just got over my first for a while. Try to take vitamin supplements where possible (just to back up your diet), echinacea I’ve heard is good for a prevention if those around you are coming down with something…plus pay attention to your own hygiene in flu-season…ie washing hands before handling anything going into your mouth or rubbing your eyes when tired/itchy etc. Typical grandma advice but hey they usually knew best.
I believe in plenty of sleep. I didn’t realize how little sleep I was getting untill I started logging it.
Now I average 7.5 hrs of sleep a night and would like to bring it up to 8.5 but I also have a life outside of Tri’s
jaretj
During the peak training months, I try and up my sleep, take a high potency multi-vitamin (e-caps Premium Insurance Caps), wash my hands incessantly, avoid plane travel (if at all possible) and spend as little time as possible at large public gatherings.
At the end of the day, I just think you have to get lucky. However, if you do get sick, rushing back into training is only going to put you at risk for the next cold/flu thing going around.
Simple, sleep more and stop doing intervals of any sort until you are 6 weeks without a cold. Keep your HR sub 180-age-5 beats range until then. Keep your sleep above 8 hours. Easy to say, hard to do.
Here is what to do. Go out to GNC or wherever. Get yourself the following.
1 miltivitamin (I recommend MegaMen)
100 mg Zinc as gluconate
100 mg Selenium
2000 mg Vitamin C
500 mg Vitamin E
in addition to all the other good ideas, may i suggest Greens +? i started taking it this November as i’m not a huge fan of veggies to begin with and in the winter they are even less tasty. this is the first winter (knock on wood) that i haven’t had a cold this season.
once the farmers markets start up again i’ll stop supplementing with it.
k
oh, and don’t get plain. berry flavour is the best. and don’t let the colour gross you out…it’s really not so bad 
sleep
wash hands and keep away from your face
vitamins
zinc (I use Zicam nasal gel, supposed to shorten colds)
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Get as much sleep every night as you can
Take a multi vitamin and be sure that you DON’T take it when you drink coffee.
Wash your hands like a freak.
Don’t have or be near kids( just kidding), but know that kids in the 3 - 8 age range who are in schools/day-cares are breeding grounds for all maner of things - good for them as they build up their immune system and resistance, bad for you who has to live with them.
GARLIC & LEMMON works for me…
Seriously, both these are part of my meals on a daily basis. Additionally, during winter, I double my regular vitamin C intake (pills).
Oh, and 8 hours sleep/night is mandatory! 
Massage, fluids, sleep, good food and avoidance of people.
That’s all it takes.
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Wash your hands before touching your eyes or your nose!
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Wash your hands before touching your eyes or your nose!
3.Wash your hands before touching your eyes or your nose!
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Plenty of Sleep!
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Eat lots of fruits and veggies. Add wheat germ to your cereal in the am.
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Zicam does appear to shorten your colds. Swab it, don’t spray.
(use the Zicam 6-8 times per day from the onset of the cold. It is not a preventive.)
Take a multi vitamin and be sure that you DON’T take it when you drink coffee.
How come?
I recall something from my biochemistry & nutrition classes at university that caffiene inhibits the absorbtion of a wide range of Vitimins.
In numerous studies Vitamin C has been shown NOT to prevent colds, even taking one gram daily, despite what Linus Pauling said. (He had NO scientific evidence.) The Garlic probably helps to keep people away. I know that that works for me.
I used to suffer from this all of the time when I ramped up my training. Once I remembered to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night, eat healthy, remember to rest when I was supposed to be resting, and take my vitamins the colds magically disappeared.
Not to say that I don’t get sick occasionally when everyone else on my team is ill, but for the most part I’m a lot healthier now.
Hope this helps
Tom,
Sleep is numero uno for me. Since I work nights, sometimes I miss out. If you’re looking for a supplement, try Platinum Performance granular. It’s an omega-3 supplement with minerals. I’ve eaten it almost every day for the past 3 years on yogurt (it’s delicious) and I’ve never been so healthy. The omega-3 fatty acids are great for immune function and the stuff isn’t bad for performance either. I no longer take any vitamins since Platinum has most of the vitamins and minerals I need. Bradventures.com carries it, or you can buy direct from the company.
Colds suck. Used to get them often, too. Really sucks when training for big event that you have your heart set on, doesn’t it??? I’ve taken vitamins on and off for years, but in the last few years, not at all. HOWEVER, I bought some Damage Control Master Formulas, with great trepidation. I’ve been on them for 30 days. I’m a vitamin/supplement skeptic, but I have felt great while taking them, noticeable better. I thought the advertsing was all jive, I even emailed the owner of the company, who lists his email on the site - primalnutrition.com. He gave me the company line, with a money back guarantee. Real expensive, but so far so good and no colds.
At the beginning of my second year in tri (first year actually training), I couldn’t stay well. I was on antibiotics every 4 weeks. This year, I’ve been relatively healthy. I added a One-a-day vitamin and take a super B complex. I also try to eat more fruit. I think your body has to adjust to the volume of training. Wash hands and sleep. When you feel a cold coming on, try to attack early and often. Back off training and keep HR down. Garlic and Zinc seem to reduce duration of cold. If it hits the lungs, stop training.
- Wash your hands
And when you can’t wash the hands with soap, hand sanitizer will do. And don’t touch faucet handles and washroom doorknobs without some protection! A paper towel will usually do. Wear deck sandles. yadda yadda yadda.
I too have caught a lot of illness in the 1st 2 months of 2004. 2 colds and 1 food poisoning. March was good food me and April is shaping up well too - KOW.
I think the biggest difference for me was to keep the work/life stress under control and ramp up the training volume gradually. Until this year, I was a total land lubber and the sudden high exposure to the pool and the changing room was prolly too much for my immune system.