I’m Sick, Should I Run Today???

Have you ever woken up feeling terrible from a head or chest cold???? 

And your training for something and trying to stick to your plan??? 

What should you do? What is best for your body? 

Here’s a quick video of what I do:

Or read the transcript here:

I was thrown off of my program last week when I was overcome with a chest cold. I shot a video for you that outlines the top three things you can do to get through your sickness while not giving up on your running. Take a listen:

I just wanted to touch base with you today about being sick. I am on day 3 of a serious chest cold and wanted to share with you what to do when you’re feeling sick or what I do, and maybe that will be helpful for you.

 

First.

I love to be really comfy and cozy! I bundle up and really cover my body and make myself physically comfortable.

 

Second.

The second thing I do is clear my schedule to the best of my ability. I know that I love to keep appointments and keep my schedule pretty regimented, but I also know that my self-care is the priority when I’m sick because the more I focus on healing, the faster I heal. I know from the past that if I stick to appointments I just push and force through things and I don’t heal as quickly, and my sickness hangs around a lot longer.

Third.

The third thing I do is listen to my body. I allow it to tell me if it’s okay to get outside or not. If I’m scheduled to do a run, it may turn into a walk or it may be a bundle up and read a book kind of day. 

I really have to listen to my body to let me know what I can do that day. 

Again, research on my own body has shown me that when I push through a sickness and I run, I deplete my body even more. I know that there’s the theory that says something like, ‘If you miss a week, I’ll never catch back up.’ 

In reality, if your body is working so hard just to get back into your healthy condition, running is only going to extend it a little bit longer. Don’t push through things. Allow your body to tell you what’s right appropriate at a given time. 

 

In Conclusion.

When you’re sick, be really kind to yourself. This is when you have to be the most gentle with you, really gentle, and amp up the self-care.

During my programs with clients, I always emphasize that there are running days, and there are self-care days. It’s not a rest day where you do nothing. It really is about how you repair your body in between your runs. The same is true when you’re sick, so here I’m on day 3 of my sickness. I went for a short jog/walk/hike on day 1 of my sickness. That was a little much, so I took the last 2 days off, and I’m totally okay with that. Then integrating back in is just as soon as my self-care catches up, and I feel 100%, then I’ll get back out there. I trust my body to inform that decision.

I hope you found these tips helpful today and I seriously hope you do not experience this cold I had! Have a great day and a great run!

Hi, I'm Sarah!

I help struggling runners ditch excuses so they can get consistent, feel good and love running again. 

Learn more about me and how I can help you here.

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Sarah Richardson

Sarah Richardson

Sarah Richardson, M.S., M.Ed., is a certified educator, Master ChiWalking/ChiRunning® Instructor and co-owner of ChiLiving. She is also the best selling author of From Sidelines to Start Lines: The Frustrated Runner's Guide to Lacing Up for a Lifetime and has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Running for Good. In addition to teaching and running, Sarah loves to travel, write and take photos.