When are you too sick to train?

Once you've reached a certain level of training you hate to lose it. Normally the guideline of more than two days off one starts to lose training effect unless you're trying to taper for a huge event on your calendar. One must retain their sanity! One rides/runs/hikes to live better not living to ride/run/hike. So what do you do when you feel ok, but you know you're sick?

Firstly, if you have a fever or you're puking your food, then don't ride/run/hike. The fever is telling you that the body is working hard to cure something. Plus, if you're puking and you chose to work out you'll get dehydrated. So what can you do? Stay home, drink lots of fluids sans caffeine and rest. That's what your body needs!

Secondly, if you are taking a medicine that promotes dehydration or uses an antihistamine beware. You're further stressing your system by going and working out. Antihistamine accumulates in your system over time, that's why there are guidelines on the box as to how many days you can take the product safely. If you chose foolishly to take the medicine longer than suggested then be prepared for your heart rate to be affected by said accumulation.

Thirdly, you must be smart about this! Your health is more valuable than the little or no gain that you could get from working out when your body is not ready. You may pay with more valuable training time because you trained too early in the life cycle of an illness. Some colds and such take three days to get you in its grips, three days in the throes of the illness and three days recovering from it.

Fourthly, as you recover from your illness spinning in a fixed gear/recovery runs/hiking at a conversational effort that allows you to spin/run/hike like a hamster on the downhills, but also allows you to crest the hill without breaking anything but a light sweat.

Lastly, err on the side of caution. Better safe than sorry! Better tasting, less filling! No, that's something else entirely. Live to ride/run/hike another day! Or try the WWLD? In other words What Would Lance Do? I always use this one when considering the weather in South Texas and Central Texas.

Get out, click-in, get fit!

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