UKC

Finally got out yesterday - to complete a local fig 8 circuit in the forest. The final hour of the day and v pleasant except for squelchy mud. Been putting it off a while for reason of a lingering cough - but now with counter reasoning that perhaps the run will help finish it off.

How do you other runners interact with chest infections; do they stop you running? Does running prevent / help recovery?

In reply to LeeWood:

Don't run with chest infections: in the head => go ahead, in the chest => give it a rest.

In reply to Bob:

Yes I do agree with this. If you are chesty/coughing up stuff, you probably shouldn't go running, especially in cold air for a prolonged period. I guess you might get away with the treadmill for 20 mins, but really better to rest completely, as frustrating as that might be.

I didn't do this and ended up prolonging (I believe, though for all I know this could have happened anyway) a chesty cough (in fact, it got worse, before finally shifting a couple of weeks later).

Now, despite my advice, I would probably do the same again, because I'm a stubborn idiot.

In reply to LeeWood:

Glad this has been brought up, I have had a chesty cough since December and although I don't run I do lots of hill days in the mountains and this seems to me to be the best times to get the stubborn sticky stuff up that's been hanging around for a while, I seem to be alright all week with the odd splutter but while out good chunks of coloured stuff coming up from low down in the lungs.

Will be interesting to hear peoples thought on this.

In reply to Wesley Orvis:
Coughs/Colds....
Look after it, it lasts seven days.
If you don't, lasts about a week.

In reply to LeeWood:

Of course there are always grey boundaries to these ailments which challenge decision making. Coughs linger way beyond either 7 days or 1week whatever you try; when is a cough not a cough ...

24hrs after my run I'm coughing less - its got to be a good thing. I mean - a moderate run at a moderate pace; brisk walking would be a good alternative. It also depends what you do afterwards to help recovery ie. rehydrate, eat good food and sleep well.

In reply to LeeWood:

Anything from the neck down I rest. If it's in the head I let my mood decide. If I feel tired and without interest in running I take this as a sign that my body wants rest. If I feel like I run (and that is really fancy it, not just feeling guilty for missing another session) I go for it.
Other than that I try to eat little and healthily, drink a lot of spiced tea and try to sleep as much as possible. 15 minutes of very light Yoga seems to help, not sure why.