Ask Dr. Dumb: Should I Run When I'm Sick?
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Readers, have you ever woken up with a cough, a scratchy throat, and a nose that mischievous sprites (it seems) have packed overnight with QUIKRETE® brand Quick-Setting Cement Concrete Mix and that green slime they use on Nickelodeon? And then you ask yourself, “Should I run today?”
Of course you have!
It’s a good question, and there are no easy answers. A lazy writer would end the article there and go take a nap. But I am not a lazy writer. So I called up Dumb Runner’s go-to expert on mucus and mischievous sprites, Dr. Dumb, for some expert advice.
Dumb Runner: Greetings, Dr. Dumb, and thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
Dr. Dumb: You’re welcome.
The traditional rule of thumb says that it’s OK to run if your symptoms are above the neck, but not if they’re below the neck.
Right. Like most rules of thumb, that one is 100% clear and accurate.
What if I have one or more symptoms below the neck, but I go running anyway?
No one has ever done that and survived.
What if my symptoms are in the exact, mathematical center of my neck?
That rarely happens. But when it does, my advice is to go for your run but monitor your symptoms. The moment they fall below the center of your neck, even a fraction of a millimeter, get into bed immediately.
So in that scenario I would be running… in my bedroom?
Correct.
Let’s say someone has no clear symptoms above or below the neck, but feels a bit groggy and is pretty sure she’s coming down with whatever it is that her toddler brought back from day care last week. Should she run, or rest?
I would recommend running, but a bit easier than originally planned. For instance, if she has a 10K run scheduled, instead try a six-miler.
Isn’t it better to err on the side of caution and take a rest day even if you just suspect you’re getting sick?
Absolutely not. If you skip a run you will LOSE FITNESS. This loss is very serious, which is why it’s in all caps. I’ve watched someone LOSE FITNESS, and trust me, it isn’t pretty.
On a related note: Can “immunity boosting” powders, pills, and drinks help runners recover faster from illness or avoid getting sick in the first place?
No.
But they say they can.
I know. Weird, right?
I’m going to recite a list of symptoms. You tell me, for each one, how a runner should respond.
Shoot.
Projectile vomiting.
Don’t run.
Fatigue.
Run.
Diarrhea.
Run, but only if you’re feeling lucky.
Fever.
Don’t run. (Seriously.)
Vertigo.
Run, but close to the ground and with arms outstretched.
Paralyzing existential dread.
Run.
Raging headache, dry mouth, surrounded by empty beer bottles.
That’s a hangover. You can, and should, go running.
I got chills, they’re multiplyin’.
You better shape up.
Rapid heart rate, dizziness, intense isolated pain, blood loss, gash in skin.
I’m no trauma surgeon, but that sounds like a stab wound to me.
Now that you mention it, I was stabbed earlier.
Sometimes the answers are right in front of us.
Thanks again, Dr. Dumb.
My pleasure. Stay well.
