Forums >General Running>Sick, but not sick? Race coming up
So, I feel fine...doing my day to day stuff I don't feel sick at all. My husband has been sick for a week, and I thought I had dodged that bullet - except that I feel horrible during my runs. I hit a wall at 2.5 miles and have to walk home. I'm wondering if I am fighting some bug but I'm only feeling it when I exert myself.
I've only been running for 6 weeks, and I have my first 5K race on Sunday. I know I am able to run the distance, I've done it a couple of times at a pretty good pace, but I'm nervous now that my past 2 runs I couldn't do it.
So frustrating - I was getting so excited.
Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever raced while a little under the weather? I'm hoping the adrenaline of the race will carry me through and will try not to be disappointed if I have to do a couple of short walking intervals.
I guess I'm just looking for sympathy, but if there's any advice to be had I'll gladly take it.
Wandering Wally
Symptoms above the neck, you will be OK. Just run it as best you can and have fun. Symptoms below the neck, you are a spectator. Yes, it's normal to feel a little out of sorts on your run when you are coming down with something. However, sometimes I find that a good run can burn out a cold and beat it off.
Run! Just Run!
Trail Runner Nation Podcast
Sunday's still a few days away. You might feel a lot better by then! I'd say to go ahead and plan to race and try not to let these past couple of runs psych you out.
+1. And if you have no other symptoms, you may just be tired. Take it easy, run slower than usual until Sunday, get some extra sleep, and you'll be fine.
That said, if you have a fever, I'd be careful racing--be more conservative than you would otherwise if you choose to do it. I tried to race a 5K with a 104 fever once. It was a spectacular blow-up, but, then, I am an idiot.
"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." Emil Zatopek
Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever raced while a little under the weather?
Happening to me right now, in fact, although I hope to finally shake it off completely before my race on the 9th. Also came down with strep 9 or 10 days before the Boston Marathon a few years ago, which was a bummer.... but I still ran (poorly!). :-) More than likely you can do it. Stay the course. Worst case, you don't perform as well as you wanted to, but it sounds like the race has some meaning for you, so go for it. (Now, if you wake up on race morning with a fever you might reconsider, of course).
- Joe
We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.
Samurai in Training
This is my general rule of thumb.
Chief Unicorn Officer
Yep, I bet race day adrenaline will help you out. I did a full marathon in 2010 with a bad head cold, and it sucked, so I basically just had to lower my expectations a little, but I muddled through. The best thing for me in terms of getting better as fast as possible is getting lots of rest. I take the worst day of the cold off from work and just medicate and sleep and it usually seems to help a lot for the next day.
Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54
Well...I was definitely sick...later that evening I started to get stuffy and sneezy. I haven't run since Wednesday because I really felt crappy. I'm just glad that I didn't end up with any chest congestion.
I picked up my bib and race shirt today, though - I'm trying to convince myself that I'm going to feel a lot better in the morning.
We got snow today, but it's supposed to be 50 tomorrow - Going to make the best of it and see how it goes.