Help! Can I get your votes on whether it is risky to run a half marathon on Sunday after 4 weeks off due to injury & now a cold? The injury (piriformis pain causing referred pain through the leg) is under control but I'm worried than I will have lost fitness and muscle condition and therefore risk causing secondary injuries. I've been in the gym but for only half of those 4 weeks due to the head cold. I've been running for 5 years doing on average 2 or 3 organized halves every year but this year I've been off more than on due to a variety of injuries. I've kind of accepted I shouldn't run but I'm flying over anyway and I fear on race day I'll get caught up in the atmos and what to run! What to do?!
0 ·
Comments
From the sounds of it, you have plenty of running experience behind you and are likely to have retained a good level of fitness. If your head cold hasn't got to your chest, then you should be OK.
As its Casablanca rather than a local race, I'd still run it - but I'd reduce my target pace by about 1 min a mile (e.g. if you normally run 8 m/m then run it at 9 m/m). If your running better than expected, you can always increase the pace in the second half.
Mind you, I just ran a Half on Sunday after having almost two weeks out with a chest cold that I thought had cleared on the Thursday before. I ended up with my worst ever half time, and really suffered in the last three miles. With hindsight I probably sholdn't have run!
Thanks!