Marathon Next Sunday & Getting a Cold

aelphabawest

Hello! I'm running my first marathon next Sunday (hopefully). Not going for any crazy PR, I just need to finish in under a 14 min/mile pace (when the bridge closes, I'm actually shooting for 10:30/11 min/mile).

I have all the signs of the beginning of a cold (tiredness, achiness, sniffles) and colds with me tend to go straight to my chest because of my asthma. Now - I also tend to have a pretty strong immune system and if I can take it easy for a day or two and sleep for the majority of it, I can usually kick it.
My questions are:
If I sleep/take it easy for a few days and simply skip over those days of the training (including my last taper "long" run, which would have been today) in the process, is this going to be a big deal on the day of?
What should I be aware of if I've been sick relatively recently when I run the marathon?

Thank you!

_runnerbean_

The last week of training is a taper week- you have done all the hard work up to now. I would relax for a few days to build up your strength and you should be ok for next week. If you have a fever on the day itself you probably shouldn't run

goanothermile

The last few weeks of marathon training are tough. Fatigue takes a toll as you push the long runs further and aren't allowing your body time to fully recover.

I've had a similar experience with getting sick the week before a race.

Your training is complete at this point. The last taper runs are less important than rest right now.

Not much you can really do about the cold. Focus on extra rest, solid nutrition, and extra hydration. I'd probably take some higher dose vitamin C supplements also to help with the cold. Don't do anything physical that you don't have to do. Maybe work in a couple of walks just to loosen up a bit.

If you do have a cold and feel like you need to take decongestants, I'd recommend hitting that right away for a couple of days. Don't let it become a sinus infection. It would be better to get off that stuff in time to let all medicine clear your system prior to the race.

By the end of the week, you may have a lot of nervous energy. Some of that feeling will be because you are fully rested for the first time in weeks plus the anticipation of race day. Perfectly normal.

BrianSharpe

^^^^^ They pretty much covered it.......anything you do now is not going to improve your fitness, take it easy and get better.

goanothermile

@aelphabawest - How did it go??