Bad cold with my half marathon coming up!

emilysusana

I’m scheduled to run my first half on May 4. Things were going great... till I did my long run on Easter. Two of my daughters had bad chest colds and I woke up that day feeling a little off but not like I had a cold... I thought maybe a little lightheaded due to more sugar than usual the day before.

Anyway, that long run was hard to complete in a way others have not been, and I was wiped out after. The next day (yesterday) the cold manifested itself. I was supposed to run 5 today but I knew I couldn’t. I’ve felt dizzy all day and took a nap (only happens for me when I’m sick). I went for a slow 3 mile walk In the morning.

My question is: what should I do while I have this cold? Should I try to go for a couple of short runs while feeling crummy, or wait till I feel better and do a longer one? If I don’t do a long run this coming weekend (one week before the race) is that bad?

As I said, this is my first time tackling this distance. I usually run about 5.6 mph on my long runs. My only goal for the half is to run all the miles.

dewd2

Rest, rest, and then rest some more.

You've done the training. Nothing you in the next 2 weeks will make you run better. But some things you do in the next 2 weeks could make things worse. Rest and get back on track when you feel better. Do NOT try to make up for the missed workouts.

Good luck and try to have fun. Remember this is your first attempt and most of us don't get it quite right the first time (or the 10th time ).

dewd2

PS - Which race are you running?

emilysusana

Oh thank the Lord, that was what I was hoping to hear.

emilysusana

The Indy Mini marathon. I grew up in Indianapolis but don’t live there now. I’m excited!

I trained for a half 10 years ago but had the flu on race day. This time it’s a cold and hopefully better timed!

spiriteagle99

You have plenty of time to heal and get over your cold. That has priority right now. Rest, hydrate, rest some more. Better to be a little undertrained on race day than sick.

nowine4me

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

You have plenty of time to heal and get over your cold. That has priority right now. Rest, hydrate, rest some more. Better to be a little undertrained on race day than sick.

This is great advice. You’re ready. It will come naturally. As long as you are healthy.

Machka9

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

You have plenty of time to heal and get over your cold. That has priority right now. Rest, hydrate, rest some more. Better to be a little undertrained on race day than sick.

Speaking as someone who has a really bad cold right now ... ^^ this ^^ .

Sleep lots!

lporter229

+1 more for rest. You should be in your taper anyway. Your training is essentially done. The only reason to run in a taper is to keep your legs moving and to keep your mind from going crazy, but the real goal of the taper is to rest and recover so that you are fresh on race day. Since life threw you a curve ball, you may have to alter your taper plan to get the outcome you need. You want to go into your race as healthy as possible. Best of luck!

deannalfisher

rest you should be in taper

emilysusana

Thanks all. My training schedule had me doing a normal week this week, with taper the final week, but rest now is clearly what I need. I certainly want to give myself every chance to feel good on race day. And if I made it through 11 miles while I was coming down with a cold, I can certainly handle 13 when I feel good!

BrianSharpe

You've already done all the hard work. Rest, recover and be healthy for race day.

cwolfman13

rest...especially if your cold is in your chest. Running or doing other aerobic activity is only going to push it further into your chest and prolong recovery.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Rest, yes, but you have do get some exercise as you recover. It's a balance that is achieved by carefully monitoring your symptoms. A little walking as you start to recover can be beneficial.