Should you go for a run with a cold?

Can you go for a run with a cold? Well, common sense dictates. It really does depend on where your cold symptoms persist. The rule is simple – is your cold above or below the neck?

If the niggly cold that is threatening to ruin your race preparation is above the neck then you may be ok to carry on running.

‘Above the Neck’ cold symptoms

These would be classed as typical ‘Above the Neck’ cold symptoms:

• A Blocked Nose
• Sore Throat
• Sneezy/Watery Eyes
• Headache

‘Below the Neck’ cold symptoms

And likewise, these would be classed as ‘Below the Neck’ symptoms:

• Tickly Cough
• Wheezy Chest
• Aches/Muscle Fatigue
• Feverish Sweats
• Stomach Related (Sickness or Diarrhea)

How does it feel to run with a blocked nose?

You really do need to exercise common sense before exercising your body. Flu like symptoms need full rest, have  a word with yourself and stay in bed, or remain sofa bound until your body begins to recover. Keep yourself hydrated and rested.

Despite the above or below argument, running with a severely blocked nose means breathing in heavily through your mouth, which could exacerbate a sore throat.

Worse still, dizziness and light headedness could creep in, leaving you in a fairly dangerous predicament if you’re close to traffic.

It’s worth differentiating between the common cold and allergies too. There are a few rules of thumb here to bear in mind too.

For instance, an allergy will cause tiredness the more running you do, whereas a flu bug or head cold will cause unnatural levels of fatigue regardless of whether your run or not.

An allergy won’t cause a fever or body temperature spike, whereas a cold will – your body will try to sweat out the infection.

Also, look out for changes in the skin – a rash or blotchy itchiness is usually caused by an allergy but a cold doesn’t usually result in these symptoms.

How to Make Snotty Run Comfortable

After you’ve applied some common sense to the ‘should or shouldn’t I’ thought dilemma, and you’ve decided a run with a cold is a good idea, then there are a couple of things you can do to ease the discomfort of your snotty run!

Firstly, steam your head over a bowl of steaming water, better still, put two drops of olbas oil in the steam and cover the bowl with a towel to maximise the steam entering your airways.

Next, warm up using a variety of different positions, lie on your back, do the downward dog, jog on the spot, do a few planks…shifting your head and therefore your mucas filled ‘pipes’ may help loosen the situation before you head out. Use a vapour rub on your clavicle area and on your tshirt.

There is evidence that pushing through the malaise and lethargy of a cold may actually kick off the body’s white blood cell production helping to boost the immune system, though much more scientific evidence is needed in this regard.

Nevertheless, embarking on a run when you can feel a cold ‘coming on’ is a good idea, you’ll be giving the airways a blast, encouraging endorphins and all the good immunity boosting benefits that come from running and exercise in general. You may be able to dissuade the cold from taking root in your body!

Conclusion

The best advice around running with a cold is to take it easy. Don’t rigidly stick to a plan that will set you know deep down will set you back in the longer term.

Instead, don’t put pressure on yourself, lower the intensity of a run; do a gentle 5k instead of a full on 10k, stop every 10 minutes, stretch and go again. Your body needs help to beat a cold, it could do without having to kowtow to a training plan print out!