Normal to get sick hours after a long race?
mistyh10
Posts: 42 Member
So, I ran my first ever half-marathon yesterday. It was awesome and I actually ran much faster than I expected. Immediately after the race, I felt fantastic. No puking or anything crazy. So I go home, take a shower and a take 2 hour nap... And I wake up feeling like garbage and have ever since (last 24+ hours). Headache, nausea, chills, and now a sore throat. Could this be race-related and if so is there a way to prevent it in future races? I realize it could totally be something in the air that has nothing to do with the race but it's odd that it happened so soon after, especially when I felt great before the race.
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Replies
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Sounds like you've just picked up a cold1
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It can happen because you are around people who could be sick and/or you stressed your immune system by racing at a level beyond what you are accustomed to. Hopefully it will pass quickly.
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Apparently, our immune system could be compromised by some hard workouts:
http://www.runnersworld.com/ask-the-sports-doc/why-do-i-get-sick-after-a-race
https://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/running-and-getting-sick-part-ii/
It happened to me once and it was only a 5k race. I started to have a runny nose about 2 hours after and then sore throat and all that stuff. I did PR'd in the race, so, I guess, it was still a hard workout0 -
If you were already exposed to something, a really hard run that really wore you out would probably weaken your immune system and allow the bug to get you for real. Rest up and feel better soon!0