You’re sick, so what now? This situation ranks up with the larger dilemmas that athletes face in their training: How much should I do, how much should I rest, can I stay active to avoid a loss of fitness, or how do I stay on track for my big event? These are all questions athletes wrestle with when their health goes south.
Since we’re in the depths of winter and flu season, this is a timely and important topic.

When we dig deeper on the issue of sickness and training, it shares similarities with the subject of injury and training. You, the athlete, are faced with the same mental hurtles as when you’re injured. Herein lies the key: MENTAL hurtles. Fortunately, if we allow ourselves rest, our bodies know how to take care of themselves and get rid of most of the bugs. It’s our stubborn heads that butt their way in and introduce risks that prolong sickness, setting us further back. Sickness and training then becomes a mental challenge rather than a physical one. Here are a few pointers and tips about how to approach your fitness and training when you get sick. Caveat: I am not a physician, so please do not take these tips as gospel and above all else, be smart about your training!

{1} You’re Not Losing Your Fitness This is first and foremost, so just get it out of your head. The thought that you may be losing fitness is your biggest challenge. As soon as you embrace this fact, you will be able to let yourself rest properly. As long as you think you’re behind on your training, you will not allow yourself to rest and be tempted to exercise when you should be in bed. It takes a long time to build fitness and though it takes less time to lose it, laying in bed for a few days with the flu is not going to take away your last three years of training.

{2} Stop, Don’t Run Yourself Down! You can only fight sickness if your body isn’t run-down. So stop working out! This sounds so simple, but it’s the hardest thing for people to do. I can’t tell you how many sick people still try to squeeze in workouts to keep themselves from losing fitness. But what they’re really doing is trying to trick their minds into THINKING they’re not losing fitness, while hindering their body’s abilities to heal. Stop working out and take a few days off. Though it sounds easy, it’s the hardest thing to do. Completely resting a few days will get you back out training sooner than if you keep pushing yourself until you completely break down. Resist the temptation to keep doing workouts while sick.

{3} More Harm Than Good By keeping up any kind of training regime, you’ll often do more harm than good. Going out for that 30-minute jog may make you think you’re doing well, but really you’re prolonging your sickness and risking more severe complications such as respiratory infections or pneumonia. If you prolong your sickness, you’ll be in a much worse mental state than if you’d rested for a few days at the onset of symptoms. In fact, I knew a runner who refused to take time off when he had a chest cough because of his marathon training. After a week, he came down with pneumonia and had to take much more time off than if he had rested in the beginning!

{4} Head vs. Body The only pointer on the subject of training and sickness I’ve found from my experience to be effective is the head vs. body rule. If your symptoms only exist in your head, you may be okay to continue to train. Once the symptoms are not limited to your head, it’s time to stop. This means that if you have sinus issues or a runny nose, you can probably keep up your training. I’ve trained through several minor head colds and many allergy days. As soon as those symptoms move to your chest (or other parts of your body like fever or achy joints), you have to stop completely and rest until they’re gone. If you just have a stuffy nose than you can probably go for your run, but continuously monitor your body’s symptoms.

{5} Antibiotics If you take antibiotics, be very careful when you return to training. Although they quickly clear up your symptoms in a couple days, they remain in your system for some time. I’ve always believed that they will adversely affect your performance for about 10 days. You will feel ready to go far earlier than your body can actually perform. If you take them and return to training, make sure that you go very easy and keep your heart rate low. The biggest mistake people make comes with antibiotics and racing. It’s very common for people to get sick before races and scramble to the doctor to take antibiotics so they can be ready for their big day. If you do take them within a week of your race, be prepared for the worst run of your life. I’ve had many friends take antibiotics several days before a race and think they feel ready to go on race morning, only to have a horrible race. If you get sick the week of an event, you have little chance of racing if you take antibiotics. Be aware of what they do to your body if you decide to take them and return to training.

{6} Give Yourself One “Insurance Day” Depending on the severity and duration of my illness, I like to give myself an “insurance day” before I jump back in. There’s no concrete rule, it’s just something I’ve learned from experience. You’re usually mentally itching to get out of your house and since you’re feeling much better, it’s easy to think you’re ready to hit the trail. Resist the temptation. I’ve made this mistake. Take an extra day to ensure you really are 100 percent. You’re still in a weakened state and can risk a relapse, so just give yourself an extra day to be safe.

{7} Ease Back into Training You’ve had a few down days and you feel much better. The worst possible thing you can do is jump right into your 20 mile group run the next day. You may feel ready to go but find that 10 miles into your run your body wasn’t quite as ready as you thought. A few days of easy activity will help you feel like you’re not losing fitness, while building your confidence that you are indeed back in the game.