Here we go again–Every year, the kids return to school and I get a cold. Even with my runny red nose, body aches, coughing and sore throat, I find myself feeling guilty if I slack on my workouts. But should we reach for our running shoes while we’re in a state of upper-respiratory misery? It can be a tough call. Here’s a good guideline, recommended by most immunologists: If your cold symptoms are above the neck, a light workout is fine (ACSM). Specifically, if you have muscle/joint aches and pains and headache, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, extreme tiredness, or a worsening …
Trainer’s Tip #13: Train properly for your marathon.
Tip #13: When you sign up for a marathon, properly train for it. This sounds pretty straight-forward, but not training is both tempting and common. Because training is hard. It’s grueling and time-consuming and takes you away from your other commitments. Some mornings I talk myself around in circles for a good 20 minutes or so before I even get out of bed for my run. And once I do, I shuffle around the house for another good 20 minutes, sighing, grumbling, ready to willingly accept any excuse that seems feasible for skipping. It’s snowing/raining/dark/windy. I’m sore/exhausted/too busy. I’ll add the miles to tomorrow’s run. One little run won’t …