Soweto Marathon Digimag Official Race Magazine | Page 43

DOCTOR’S ORDERS
Runners don’t like to miss a race that they have entered and trained for, especially not for a mere
cold or the early onset of flu, so here’s how to decide when you should rather play it safe and
race another day.
P
icking up a head cold is usually not enough to deter an avid runner from
heading out the front door, or lining up for that bucket list race, but there
are times when running can do more harm than good. The general rule of
thumb applied by many runners is called the ‘Neck Rule.’ Symptoms below the
neck (chest cold, bronchial infection, body ache) require time off, while symptoms
above the neck (runny nose, stuffiness, sneezing) usually don’t pose a risk, as
long as you don’t push yourself too hard.
However, the doctors say that you should still err on the side of caution, as
running with anything worse than a minor cold can escalate into more serious
conditions affecting the lower respiratory tract and lungs. For example, sinusitis
is an inflammation of the sinus cavity, with symptoms that include a runny nose,
cough, headache and facial pressure. With a full-blown sinus infection, you rarely
feel like running anyway, and the experts recommend a 72-hour waiting period.
“No running for three days,” advises allergist/immunologist Dr Jeffrey Dobken.
“Even without the presence of a fever, some sinus infections, when stressed by
exercise, can lead to pneumonia or, in extreme cases, respiratory failure.”
THERMOMETER TEST
If you’re still in doubt whether to run or not, take your temperature. If it’s above
37 degrees Celsius, rather skip the run. “Some people think that they can ‘sweat
out’ a fever by running,” says medical researcher Dr David Nieman. “That’s
wrong. Running won’t help your immune system fight the fever. In fact, running
with a fever makes the symptoms worse, and it can lead to other complications.”
CAN YOU TAKE ANTI-
INFLAMMATORY DRUGS DURING
THE RACE?
The answer to this commonly asked question is a big no! It is not safe or
recommended to use anti-inflammatory medication during a race, because
while these meds treat the pain and inflammation associated with injury,
they can also mask the severity of the injury, thus allowing a runner to
carry on and potentially leading to an even more severe injury.
Furthermore, an unfortunate side-effect of anti-inflammatory meds is that
the same molecules that cause inflammation are also responsible for
maintaining the flow of blood to the kidneys, so taking these meds could
block the flow of blood to the kidneys, potentially resulting in kidney
damage. If you become dehydrated during a race, this effect could be
further enhanced, and thus damage to the kidneys could be more severe.
Also, during sustained exercise, blood is diverted away from the gut
and to your muscles. Most anti-inflammatory medications list ulceration
of the stomach lining as one of the possible side-effects, so taking anti-
inflammatory medications on an empty stomach and in a setting of lower
blood supply to the gut will increase this risk of ulceration.
For starters, during exercise, your heart pumps a large amount of blood from
your muscles to your skin, dissipating the heat your body generates. If you have
a fever, your temperature will rise even higher, and your heart will be put under
greater strain to keep your temperature from soaring, and in some cases, this can
cause an irregular heartbeat. Also, a virus can cause your muscles to feel sore, so
running when your muscles are already compromised could lead to injury. MEDICAL ASSISTANCE ON RACE DAY
“I recommend that runners with a fever or the flu hold off until the day after the
symptoms disappear – and then only go for a short, easy run,” says Dr Nieman.
“You should wait one to two weeks before resuming your pre-illness intensity and
mileage, and most importantly, obey your body and the thermometer, not your
training programme, or the race calendar!” In the event of a medical emergency, the official race emergency telephone
number, 083 666 1636, is printed on all race numbers. Contact this number
and you will reach the Venue Operation Centre (VOC), which will dispatch
medics to your location as quickly as possible.
Should you run into problems on race day, or a fellow athlete needs medical
assistance, there will be medics stationed at the water points and at the finish.
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