The sick athlete

It happens once every year, I come down with some illness in the midst of training.  During my first marathon it came at the week of my 18 mile run and this year it comes at week 9 of Wildflower training.  Luckily I still have 9 more weeks to go, but any illness just like any injury is definately a setback.  My training usually continues if the illness is just a head cold, but if the illness hits my chest then I'm in trouble and I have to stop any heavy cardio workouts.  Otherwise I risk getting bronchitis which will put me out of commission for even longer.  I can't lie, I'm definitely stubborn, I don't ever want to give up my workouts for an illness, but I'm trying to get better.  Here is what I do to keep my mind and body as healthy as I can while fighting an illness.

Do some yoga: Stretching and flexing won't bring my heart rate up or cause me to cough up a lung so there is no reason I shouldn't take some deep breaths and get in touch with my chi.  Don't have a gym pass, that's okay there are several locations that offer yoga for free, just wash your hands and bring your own mat  and towel if you are sick.
Sports Basement WC:  Pilates Weds. 12-1
Pilates Sat. 9-10
Yoga Sun. 11-12.  If you want to look up a location near you go to this link Sports Basement
Also Lululemon WC offers yoga for free on Sundays 9:30 a.m.
You may be able to find other classes or just pop in a DVD

Hit the pillow: rest is key to getting better so call it an early night!

Get some weight training in: once again wash your hands but lifting some light weights won't hurt you if you aren't putting in vigorous effort

Your trainer can become your best friend: I mean your bicycle trainer.  Although you can't put in heavy workouts you can put in some base miles at a steady pace.  Make sure you control your speed so you don't raise your heart rate too much and start breathing heavy, but a nice steady pace will add a few miles to a fairly inactive week.
Don't have a trainer?  You can always get on a stationary bike and put it on a low setting.

Drink lots of fluids: You may not be working out as much but your body gets dehydrated a lot easier when it is working hard to make you healthy so focus on taking in fluids and it is always good to throw in a glass of electrolytes as well.

Roll: You may not be working out but it is still important to get in your daily myofascial release, especially since you may be sitting and laying down more.  I know when I sit for long periods of time my piriformis and IT bands ache.  Even though you may not be lifting heavy weight or putting in lots of miles it is still good for you no matter how much it hurts.


Take in Vitamins:  Even if you aren't usually good about taking them be sure to take them now.  I try to get a lot of Vitamin C in hopes it will chase all the bad guys in my system away.

Review your training schedule: Take a look at your plan for training and make adjustments for your illness.  You don't want necessarily pick up right where you left off or you might risk injury.  I will probably cut back my mileage a bit next week to adjust or reduce my number of speed workouts and focus on longer easy pacing.

I hope this helps anyone dealing with an illness during this cold and flu season!  Stay healthy, take care of yourself, and wash your hands!