Marathon Dreams Dashed

My half marathon is in approximately 2 weeks. And here I sit wrapped in my blanket, propped in my recliner, sniffling, aching and with sinus pressure out of this world. I have been feeling ill since last Sunday. I haven’t run in over a week, probably.

Correction: I was feeling a little better this past Tuesday, attempted to run and couldn’t even make it one mile because my body was so not ready.

I am frustrated because I feel like I’m not getting rest enough to fully recover. I’ve cut the exercise out completely but there is still a lot to do when you have to take care of a 3 year old who is also sick and go to work for 12+ hours (my paid sick leave in dangerously low so unless I’m unable to walk, I need to go to work).

I said all of the above to say this: I am not going to be able to run my full half. I just feel it would be dangerous to do so. Therefore, I will probably be walking a good deal of it. It kind of makes me sad, but it’s better than nothing.

Here’s an article on CNN.com that I found about working out while sick. I agree that one should listen to their body during these times and not try to “push through the pain” so to speak.

I tell people to listen to their bodies. If they are sick, their body is telling them something is wrong.” said Dr. Rick Kellerman of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Even though it may be tempting to not break an exercise routine, working out may actually prolong the illness,” Kellerman said. And, in rare cases “viruses can damage heart muscles,” he added.

Kellerman said it is a myth that you can sweat out germs and toxins. He acknowledges that “low levels of exercise increase endorphins and benefit the body, but an intense workout that creates high levels of endorphins can wear down the immune system.”

In other words, “Don’t count on endorphins to heal you,” he said.

Kellerman advises his patients to skip their workout if they have a fever. It puts too much stress on the heart, which already is beating faster because of the higher body temperature. If you’re suffering from chest congestion, coughing and shortness of breath, he said, you also shouldn’t work out. And exercising with a stomach ache will probably make you feel worse, he added.

But if you have the sniffles and milder symptoms of a cold, moderate exercise is probably OK, Kellerman said.