It is a question that comes up often in our running club. Should you run when injured? Should you run when sick? I think there is no definite answer, and it depends on how injured, or how sick. After a really nice long run last Sunday, I got hit later in the afternoon with a scratchy throat. This developed by Monday to a full blown viral attack, of the real virus kind. My voice plummeted two octaves to the croak range, and I felt weak and easily fatigued. By today, though, it seemed the worst had passed, although I still felt a bit shaky. So, I headed out this evening for our usual Wednesday night group run, not sure how I would feel. As it turned out, not so bad. Keeping the pace easy made it possible to actually have a decent run. Running when injured also can be mysterious. Some injuries seem to do better with a controlled run, while some just get worse. Some injuries seem like they will never get better, and mean the end of running, but then magically improve. The ones runners fear most are the cartilage and tendon tears, which can be a game ender. Stay loose, don’t overtrain or push too hard, and have a good run.
Today’s run, 7 miles at an average pace of 8:45.
Frank