One of the great things about having a blog, is it gives me another place to whine! On a serious note though, I skipped my run yesterday, even though it was just a small one planned. It seems my throat was developing that familiar scratch.. My muscles were starting to ache, and no matter how many layers I put on still cold… With occasional bursts of being REALLY hot. Yup, time for my Spring illness that I get every year as the weather hits the “hot one day, cold the next” stage.. But it did raise a question – Do I run while sick? I had seen several places on line over the last month, that if your illness was below your neck, you could run. This didn’t sound very medical to me, so I decided to do some research on it.
According to Runners’ World, the concept that running will help you “sweat out a fever” – Not so valid… In fact, It is likely to increase your body temperature – and increase your fever/flu symptoms. With the achy and creaky feeling that our muscles get with a fever – running on them can actually help increase the chances of injury.
From the Daily Mile, its evident that many people do go under the “below the neck” rule, and the achy joints & Muscles definitely rule out working out for most. Running Times supports the same rule – and even quotes a sports Dr. (Dr. Randy Eichner is a physician for the Oklahoma football program. Dr. Cathy Fiesele advises that not following the neck rule could lead to some major issues – such as developing myocarditis—infection of the heart muscle
So there you have it… If you have no fever, then as long as your sickness is not below the neck – Enjoy your workout!
I run, because I am a runner. Having realized that I have always "been a runner" - even when I went years with out running, I am learning how it has integrated itself in all aspects of my life. When I started running in highschool, my perspective on life changed. Funny that I didn't realize how much it had affected it until just recently.
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