It is February 24th and the Los Angeles Marathon is March 19th. I have been sick three times since November, so as you can imagine, training has not been going to plan. I have run 18 miles, all at once! That’s progress. But I have skipped out on numerous training runs with my run club, due to cold, rainy nights and THE FACT I KEEP GETTING SICK. I’m watching my peers get stronger and faster, and while I am a stronger runner than I’ve ever been (18 miles run!!!!) I feel left behind.

18 mile run, about 6 or 7 miles in! Photo via BlacklistLA.

That’s not what this post is about though, that’s just me being frustrated with my process, which is probably inevitable during a 16 week training program to 26.2 miles. Especially when the training is during the dead of winter, even if that dead of winter just so happens to be in sunny LA.

Mike and I running together during the beginning of the 18 miler. Photo via BlacklistLA.

I have run while sick a couple of times this winter. The first was during a half marathon, in Las Vegas. The thing about races is, sometimes you sign up for them months ahead of time. You plan, you train, you buy plane tickets and book hotel rooms. Getting sick is NOT a part of that itinerary. I started to come down with a slight fever, combined with a sore throat, coughs and sniffles. A few people told me not to race, but that was not an option. I had to go! I had to try! Besides, those people weren’t runners, and even if I crawled a couple miles, I had to be there! All of the sudden getting my goal time wasn’t as important as just finishing the race, which was starting to seem the impossible feat. The stress of running while sick was starting to get to me, so I consulted the internet! And then I felt a million times better, because running with a cold is totally fine. It sucks, it’s not obviously not ideal, but it’s fine. I took some DayQuil, made sure to stay hydrated and I survived. With tears at the finish line, because that race took everything I had.

Rock n Roll Vegas Half Marton completed!

Here are some resources about running while sick:

Runners Connect: Am I Doing Any Harm By Running Through a Cold or the Flu?

Runner’s World: Should You Run When You’re Sick?

Runner’s World: Should I Rest or Run With a Cold?

Marathon Guide: To Run or Not to Run…What To Do When You’re Sick 

Okay, okay, so in some cases running while sick is actually the worst thing you can do, and only you can make that call. I ran that 18 miler even though I was sick again. I had my heart set on that training run, and I’m glad I did it. But at this point in time, I’ve taken some time off running (except for a 3.5 mile fun run!) and at various times during this week and a half, felt as though I was hacking up my insides.  OH WELL, IT WAS WORTH IT. I’ve had to sit out a few more long training runs, but that 18 miler gave me the confidence to know I will finish this marathon. Even if I can’t run with BlacklistLA again for marathon training, I will do a 20 – 22 miler on my own. The race is now three weeks away! I signed up for this on July 1st, and now at 35 years old, I will be running my very first marathon!