I had an initially mild cold and basically trained through it for a few days, feeling a little worse after about five days but good enough to keep on my schedule. Of course like an idiot I worried more about missing a workout than anything else.
Long story short I woke up one morning with a 101.5 degree fever and a sinus infection. Looking back I wish I had taken a day or two completely off and just rested. My unimpeded training simply weakened my immune system to the point the cold kicked into high gear.
Anyway, be careful with that old rule of thumb about training through a cold if it's above the neck and you have no fever. Didn't work well in my case.
Z-pack anyone?
Sounds like this article is right up your alley (or your eustachion tube)
[url]http://www.trifuel.com/training/health-nutrition/staying-healthy-riding-...
Thanks for the link, Anton. This quote is particularly relavant:
Most of us know when we are on the edge of illness, just as we can sense an injury before it actually happens. The key is to quit while you are still ahead. It is always true that a couple of days off while you are healthy will be better than a week off being sick
But it is soooo hard to give in and actually do what we know is right.
I got slammed with a cold on Tuesday and then immediately kicked into convalesent mode including staying home from work (that part's OK) and dropped workouts the next day. I know it was the right thing to do because I was able to get on the bike yesterday, but still I feel like a total louse not doing the workouts. I really think this is where we need to support one another...in knowing when to let our bodies heal.
Hope you're feeling better now!
One of the biggest lessons to learn in this sport or any endurance sport for that matter is to listen to your body. Being off for a few days due to illness is really no big deal..if anything you'll be back rested and ready to pick up where you left off. Ya can't train or race when you're sick or injured and the only way to avoid that is to listen to your body and rest on a regular basis.
It's the razors edge. (the name of my blog)
Good luck you guys...get better
The "razors edge" is a good way to put it. Most of us reach those high mileage and intensity portions of our schedule when we push it as far as possible, but hope to stop just short of illness and injury. It's a fine line.
I think a lot of folks avoid injury but just become stale and tired. Listening to your body is easier said than done.
I've been told that the best thing to do when feeling a little ill is to still train but do it lighter than usual. Than get a lot of fluids and some rest. However, I don't know the validity of that advice.