4 days from first spring Marathon cough and cold

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spood1969 Mar 2013 4:15pm, 13 Mar 2013 2 posts	0 spood1969 Hi all ....4 days away from the Barcelona Marathon and I'm still suffering from a terrible cough and cold. Has anyone got any experience running a marathon with a cold ??? Cos lets face it 16 weeks of punishment training in this awful winter weather, not to mention hundreds of pounds on flights, accomodation and cars etc etc!!... I AM GOING TO START !..... well or not
Puddington Mar 2013 4:21pm, 13 Mar 2013 48,883 posts	0 Puddington I've no experience of running a marathon with a cold, but usually find running generally with a headcold is fine. A cough may be a different matter though. Best of luck, in any event!
minardi. Mar 2013 4:33pm, 13 Mar 2013 1,764 posts	0 minardi. you poor bugger, what a pain. I have no advice to offer, just sympathy. good luck
Son of a Pronator Man Mar 2013 4:41pm, 13 Mar 2013 6,902 posts	0 Son of a Pronator Man That's a shame. I know what it's like. Go, start, take it easy and see what happens. You'll still be having a few days in Barcelona so have a great time.
jog-on Mar 2013 4:45pm, 13 Mar 2013 780 posts	0 jog-on I ran my first marathon suffering from a horrible head cold / cough. When I got going it actually wasnt that bad - but I doubt it did anything to help the recovery! BUt like you I hadnt done all that training for nothing! I couldnt tell you if it affected my run or not being my first marathon but I rather suspect my legs gave out before my lungs did
spood1969 Mar 2013 4:45pm, 13 Mar 2013 3 posts	0 spood1969 Thanks all......This will be my 3rd Barca Marathon... And annoyingly my first without carrying an injury !!! Typical !
ndellar Mar 2013 4:51pm, 13 Mar 2013 1,981 posts	0 ndellar I was in a similar position to you when I came down with a cold last year a few days before what I considered to be the biggest running event of my life. I was gutted. I got through it fine (with the help of total rest beforehand, sinex to keep my nose clear and paracetomols) but like Puddington says I had a headcold - all above the neck. I don't think it really made a different to how I performed. I don't know what I would have done if it had gone to my chest though. It's a hard one to call, have you done any runs since you came down with this, if so how were they? I would personally err on the side of caution and maybe just go out there for the holiday or do the race but start very easy with a view to being sensible and pulling out if you need to. Easy for me to say. Good luck.
Da Big Guy Mar 2013 4:58pm, 13 Mar 2013 548 posts	0 Da Big Guy Happened to me 3 years ago before Blackpool. I actually went off too fast as well and had to stop at 20, but I am sure the cold did not help. All I'd say is to run slightly slower than target pace - maybe 10-15s/mile. After 13 miles, if its going okay then ease up to marathon pace. Overall though, I'd say you have to expect to run a slightly slower time than if you were fuly fit.
runner duck Mar 2013 5:02pm, 13 Mar 2013 10,526 posts	0 runner duck ugh! poor you. i'd say just take it easy and enjoy it as much as possible.
Pedro_Perez Mar 2013 5:19pm, 13 Mar 2013 687 posts	0 Pedro_Perez Coughs, colds and general illness have been real pain for me ever since our little one went to nursery and mixed with other germ spreading little bundles of joy. I have tried to run as much as possible when she has spread the germs lovingly to me and must admit just before Christmas I probably made myself much worse beacuse of it. Head colds have never bother me that much, just loads of snot and lovelyness! Chesty cough......I would be vary careful as these can get bad very quicky from experiance, the last one I had lasted bloody ages probably prolonged by running on it and even racing! (not advisable, I felt like shit and didnt enjoy it but I got my T-Shirt). Personaly if it was me I would run it (but I am an idiot) and enjoy it as much as you can. Having said that I dont know how bad you are. Take it VERY easy and after you have done that run even slower. Bugs come and go so do races, turn it into something positive and hit a race in a month or so when you are well. Your training is not wasted, you still have those miles in your legs. Be very careful, listen to your body closely and enjoy!