Training sick

I went to see my doctor today after fighting a nasal infection for the last 6 weeks. While we were in Seattle it went from nasal to throat and I finally gave up and am now on a 2 week round of Amoxicillin and corticosteroid nasal spray, the culture came back bacterial. I asked my doc if I could still 'exercise' and he said that would be fine.

In the past I was pretty much chronically overtrained so my immune system was almost always compromised. I've raced and trained with bronchitis on two occasions (one time I raced an Ironman in Japan at the very tail end of bronchitis with gurgling lungs), the flu, food poisoning, colds, a staph infection and ear infection (pools are filthy stews of body fluids). Something that has always been a rule (I didn't say I followed the rules) is that you train with a lower than normal effort so you don't stress your immune system, but exercise is still very good. Bundling up in multiple layers when training or using a dry sauna elevates your core temperature (as in a forced fever) and sends a message to the immune system to increase the white blood cell count. Extra hydration of course. And something that also works for me is to fast. It's been shown that fasting stimulates the body's immune system and stimulates beneficial anti-stress responses. I usually lose my appetite anyway which I take as a primal instinct (ever see a sick animal scarfing down food?), and I listen. The chicken soup thing has everything to do with electrolytes and hydration. Gatorade was all I took in today. 4 liters of it. Anyway... I digest. (and simply to explain my misuse of the word digress for future and past posts... that is a quote from Peter Griffin)

So tomorrow is either a 13 mile run up part of my Mt Evans II course or a long bike. I have a 53 mile mountain bike route that I am excited to ride. The original plan was to do both but I'm not sure yet. My doctor did say I could still exercise.