5 and a half weeks until my first HM. I have a cold but it is so light it is barely an irritiation. My throat is sore and I can feel some congestion. I should this week be putting in some of my highest mileage. Including a long run tomorrow of about 20km.
Should I:
1) Pack in training for 3-4 or more days to make sure the cold is gone before resuming.
can't really say. i've definitely worked out sick before, but doing so creates a big risk of developing pneumonia. a coworker of mine who does a lot of marathons usually gets pneumonia a 1-2 times a year from training through colds.
if you do decide to train, i would back off the scheduled distance/intensity until you are sure you are feeling better.
Guidelines that have worked pretty well for me are: (1) rest if you've got a fever, (2) so long as symptons are above the neck, OK to train (i.e., head congestion OK, lung congestion, not OK).
I want to follow the Winter Maintenance-Run Focus program (8 weeks), but don't know when to start. I also want to do the Intermediate Sprint-12 week program before my first race.
Training in the cold can be effective and fun with some planning. Overall, prepare for the environment, stay hydrated and dry, listen to your body and have a great safe cold weather outing.
I challenge all BT readers who want to shed the pounds to stay committed to their training during the colder months. Share this commitment with others.