Sick Day

Well it was just a matter of time really. The change in the weather and the associated sniffles seem to have caught up to me and I think I have a bit of a cold. It is still early days and so I am trying to head it off before it becomes full blown manflu.

I hate trying to train sick, and I particularly hate being sick for a prolonged periods of time. So if I am getting sick I usually call a pretty rapid halt to training to try and give my body a chance to recover, and to stop it escalating from a mild cold to a major one. To aid in this I keep a semi regular check on my resting heart rate. That way I generally know if my body really is trying to fight off an illness, or whether I just have the sniffles for some reason. The idea being that if I am starting to get sick, I know about it and can act before it gets worse. As a result of all this I am giving myself a rest day today.



Of course I am a triathlete, and so like all triathletes (and probably all athletes) I struggle to give myself time off. I instantly assume that because I am having one day off all my fitness is going to suddenly evaporate and I will be back to square one by tomorrow morning. I know for a fact that this isn't true, but I struggle with it all the same. I just have to keep telling myself that the benefit of having a day of rest to help me recover, probably outweighs and damage it is doing to my fitness.

I am also a big believer in giving my body all the help it can get. I know people for whom their body is the temple and so won't put any sort of drug in it, balking even at panadol. I tend to have a similar approach when I am well. But once I am not well, I will take it all. Anything legal and available, if it might help be recover a bit quicker, in it goes. When I had a bulging disc I had a very good relationship with Voltaren. When I get a cold there is nothing I won't try, superdosing vitamins, overload fruit and veg, Lemsips, particular decongestants etc. Most of it probably just passes through my system and I have read a few studies showing that anything beyond rest and hydration is a waste, but if it gets me back to training quicker, then it was worth it.

Speaking of taking anything to get you back on the road. If you have ever wondered whether that decongestant you are taking is a banned substance or not, try this website

ASADA - check your substances database

Whilst it is an Australian government site, the results are based on the World Anti-Doping Code Prohibited List so I am pretty sure it could be used as guidance for other countries as well (although I would still check your specific country if you aren't sure).

In terms of recovery, I also had 11 hours of sleep last night, which probably won't have hurt. With any luck I will be back in some form of training tomorrow.