Imagine. You’ve trained for months, logging hundreds of miles, in all sorts of weather conditions to prepare for your marathon. Then ten days before your big event you start to feel badly. You develop a persistent cough coupled with tightness in your chest and troubled breathing. Thinking all you need is some medication you head to the drug store. Now it’s the weekend before your marathon. You start taking an over-the-counter cough suppressant, but it fails to alleviate your discomfort. Monday morning you go to see your doctor. You inform her about your marathon in six days. During your visit she pokes and prods for a few minutes while asking you a series of questions. Afterwards, she begins to communicate her thoughts. You try to focus on the words coming out of her mouth, “blocked airways, sinus infection, allergies, wheezing, inflamed lungs…,” but you drift off thinking about your marathon on Sunday, January 17, 2010. Her only solution is to prescribe you steroids and nasal medications to open your airways and reduce inflammation in your lungs. Trying to remain optimistic, everything inside of you is hoping the medications will work.
A day later, you still have the cough. You call the doctor and inquire about a prescription for a medicated cough syrup. She calls in a prescription for you and wants to see you on Thursday. After one dose of the cough syrup you start to feel some relief. Even better, you can sleep throughout the night without coughing. On Thursday, after her examination, the doctor schedules you for a chest x-ray to make sure you don’t have walking pneumonia. Thursday afternoon she calls and informs you that your chest x-ray has come back clear indicating no evidence of pneumonia. She believes you’re okay to run your marathon. Thursday evening you drive from Dallas to the Houston area with the continuing persistent cough that is now starting to produce mucus. You think, Okay, this is good. Now the congestion in my chest is breaking up. The reality, though, is that it’s time to admit to yourself that the medications will not get you 100% (or even 80%) healthy by Sunday and your breathing capacity is not up to par. And with that, the question becomes, do you run on marathon day or not?
Having completed four full marathons with good finishing times, I would have never imagined me in that scenario. When you train for months to run 26.2 miles, the one constant thought on your mind is to stay injury-free. That’s why so much emphasis is placed on following the weekly training schedule, training smart, using non-training days to rest and recover, and eating healthy. But, there I was the Saturday before the Houston Chevron Marathon contemplating what to do after picking up my race day packet at the George R. Brown Convention Center. That same evening, one of my friends who’s a nurse, listened to my chest. Then, she confirms, “You are still wheezing and your colored mucus indicates infection. Your breathing capacity for the marathon will be diminished.”
So, ask me if I ran that Sunday? The answer is yes. After taking a dose of my cough syrup on Saturday night, I awoke feeling rested and ready on marathon day. In a crowd of more than 20,000, I knew it would be a long journey. I started out conservatively. Although I was coughing and expelling mucus along the way, I was doing okay. Then around mile 10 something special happened. I ran upon Ken, an ex-supervisor who inspired me to start running over 15 years ago. I hadn’t seen him since 1995. After a quick embrace and few moments of chit-chat, I proceeded on with a pace that was now starting to slow. Around mile 13, I began to struggle more and more. My pace became slower and slower. I was cautious about each labored breath and stopped frequently. At mile 20, I just wanted to give up. I hurt like I’d never hurt before in a marathon. Coming out of a portable toilet around mile 22, I saw Ken ahead of me. I ran fast enough to catch up to him. When I made it alongside of him, the only thing I could say, Ken, I’m having a hard time and I need you to get me to the finish line. His reply, “Come on. Let’s do it.” It’s funny. From that moment, it seems like the run got easier as me and Ken ran slowly while reminiscing about the old days. Of course I didn’t PR but I finished.
So, should I have run my marathon? The answer is no. I’m blessed to have had a favorable outcome. According to David Nieman, Ph.D., who heads the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University, and has run 58 marathons and ultras, uses 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) don't pose a risk to runners continuing workouts. Another doctor, Jeffrey Hall Dobken M.D., allergist/immunologist and ultramarathoner in Little Silver, New Jersey, says some sinus infections, when stressed by exercise, can lead to pneumonia or, in extreme cases, respiratory failure.
My decision to ru
n the Houston Chevron Marathon will not make the list of smartest things I’ve done. Two days later, my doctor prescribed more steroids, an antibiotic, and an asthma pump to go along with all of the other medications. Yes, my lungs were worse off afterwards. And two weeks later, I’m still recovering. With all of that, though, I do believe everything happened the way it did for a reason. If I had been running at a healthy pace doing the marathon, I probably wouldn’t have crossed the finish line with the person who introduced me to the sport many years ago; the person who has made such a difference in my life. Although I would advise against running under such conditions as I did, I thank God for the mental strength and perseverance to reach the finish line. The realization: There will be many marathon events to participate in, but you only get one life to live. My advice: Don’t risk your life by running under less than favorable health conditions. Volunteer instead or stay home.
A day later, you still have the cough. You call the doctor and inquire about a prescription for a medicated cough syrup. She calls in a prescription for you and wants to see you on Thursday. After one dose of the cough syrup you start to feel some relief. Even better, you can sleep throughout the night without coughing. On Thursday, after her examination, the doctor schedules you for a chest x-ray to make sure you don’t have walking pneumonia. Thursday afternoon she calls and informs you that your chest x-ray has come back clear indicating no evidence of pneumonia. She believes you’re okay to run your marathon. Thursday evening you drive from Dallas to the Houston area with the continuing persistent cough that is now starting to produce mucus. You think, Okay, this is good. Now the congestion in my chest is breaking up. The reality, though, is that it’s time to admit to yourself that the medications will not get you 100% (or even 80%) healthy by Sunday and your breathing capacity is not up to par. And with that, the question becomes, do you run on marathon day or not?
Having completed four full marathons with good finishing times, I would have never imagined me in that scenario. When you train for months to run 26.2 miles, the one constant thought on your mind is to stay injury-free. That’s why so much emphasis is placed on following the weekly training schedule, training smart, using non-training days to rest and recover, and eating healthy. But, there I was the Saturday before the Houston Chevron Marathon contemplating what to do after picking up my race day packet at the George R. Brown Convention Center. That same evening, one of my friends who’s a nurse, listened to my chest. Then, she confirms, “You are still wheezing and your colored mucus indicates infection. Your breathing capacity for the marathon will be diminished.”
So, ask me if I ran that Sunday? The answer is yes. After taking a dose of my cough syrup on Saturday night, I awoke feeling rested and ready on marathon day. In a crowd of more than 20,000, I knew it would be a long journey. I started out conservatively. Although I was coughing and expelling mucus along the way, I was doing okay. Then around mile 10 something special happened. I ran upon Ken, an ex-supervisor who inspired me to start running over 15 years ago. I hadn’t seen him since 1995. After a quick embrace and few moments of chit-chat, I proceeded on with a pace that was now starting to slow. Around mile 13, I began to struggle more and more. My pace became slower and slower. I was cautious about each labored breath and stopped frequently. At mile 20, I just wanted to give up. I hurt like I’d never hurt before in a marathon. Coming out of a portable toilet around mile 22, I saw Ken ahead of me. I ran fast enough to catch up to him. When I made it alongside of him, the only thing I could say, Ken, I’m having a hard time and I need you to get me to the finish line. His reply, “Come on. Let’s do it.” It’s funny. From that moment, it seems like the run got easier as me and Ken ran slowly while reminiscing about the old days. Of course I didn’t PR but I finished.
So, should I have run my marathon? The answer is no. I’m blessed to have had a favorable outcome. According to David Nieman, Ph.D., who heads the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University, and has run 58 marathons and ultras, uses 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) don't pose a risk to runners continuing workouts. Another doctor, Jeffrey Hall Dobken M.D., allergist/immunologist and ultramarathoner in Little Silver, New Jersey, says some sinus infections, when stressed by exercise, can lead to pneumonia or, in extreme cases, respiratory failure.
My decision to ru
n the Houston Chevron Marathon will not make the list of smartest things I’ve done. Two days later, my doctor prescribed more steroids, an antibiotic, and an asthma pump to go along with all of the other medications. Yes, my lungs were worse off afterwards. And two weeks later, I’m still recovering. With all of that, though, I do believe everything happened the way it did for a reason. If I had been running at a healthy pace doing the marathon, I probably wouldn’t have crossed the finish line with the person who introduced me to the sport many years ago; the person who has made such a difference in my life. Although I would advise against running under such conditions as I did, I thank God for the mental strength and perseverance to reach the finish line. The realization: There will be many marathon events to participate in, but you only get one life to live. My advice: Don’t risk your life by running under less than favorable health conditions. Volunteer instead or stay home. 
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