Getting sick is no fun.
Getting sick takes you out of training which is also, no fun.
Getting sick-er is even worse.. and is.. yep, no fun.
….When you get sick follow these hard rules and be honest with your brain (how you think you feel) and body (How you actually feel/sick you are).
When you get sick the decline is usually over several days and energy levels will lower. I call this “your on the way in”… then you are sick and you are “in the thick”….. lastly you turn the corner and are “on the way out”. This process and how long you stay down depends the following and here is what to do.
#1. Get some sleep. (Go to bed one hour earlier.)
#2. Hydrate.
#3. Do NOT train if your energy level is lower than a 3 on a scale from 1-10. If your energy level is 3-5 you can do “light” workouts only. RPE < 2/3 and a heart rate never more than Z1/low Z2.
#4 Once you have turned the corner, “on the way out”, take one more day of total rest. This is critical as your body is still fighting to get better.
#5 Once you are “on the way out” and feeling at a 5 or greater, go ahead and take the body for a test drive. If things feel ok, dont push it. (Just minimally work the energy system that is prescribed) ….Otherwise you risk the chance of slipping backwards or delaying getting back to much greater health and fitness (CTL). It may be tempting to go harder since technically you are “fresh” and “tapered” from not being as active.
#6. Reduce total stress levels if possible. (This is an ongoing process ; )
#7. Take wellness formula (Can be purchased at whole foods.) if you are flu or cold sick..
#8. No material fitness can be gained when you are sick.
#9. Low heart rate generally high Z1 can actually have a positive impact on total cardio maintenance (provided you are feeling better as described above) so that you dont lose as much fitness while you are “in the thick”.
#10. The key is to minimize the total time down and REST. Taking a day off may seem hard but one day and being down for 3-4 days is no big deal. Contrast that with a three week period where you train through the “way in”… limp training through the “thick” and create a very long period “on the way out”!
Update your training peaks metrics with how you are feeling in general and once the dust settles, try to just do what you can volume wise until the energy levels come back.
PS: think about how you got here? …lack of sleep? Stress? Lack of carbohydrate/Nutrition? Training to much? Too much too quickly, aka ramp rate?!!
~Coach Cliff