Commuting Sick?
 

Yep I've got a head cold. It sucks. Is there any reason not to commute in the 25-30 degree mornings for my six mile ride to work? I mean, unless I just don't feel like it like today when I got a ride from the wife, but its a huge hassle to get the whole family out of bed to bring me to work at 6:30am.

I guess my real question is, even if I don't feel all that great, if I go riding that early in the am with the cold temperatures, and a head cold, will I get worse?

Yeah, you'll probably get worse. I don't usually let that stop me, but I don't have a family to think about, either...

My BF made me go mountain biking when I was sick. Gave me some BS about how you need to exercise to move the toxins out of your lymph system. Didn't seem to do any harm. But in February in Santa Barbara it's about 70 degrees.

It's supposed to be a myth that being cold gives you a cold.

I once heard the following:

If the cold is in your chest, or you have a fever, don't ride.

If the cold is in your head, and no fever, then it's okay to ride moderately, since the cold is supposedly passing.

I imagine if your lungs were congested, then riding in cold air could make it worse. Same with a fever.

Thanks everybody. Its just a head cold. I had a fever today but I think I'll be ok by morning. Ride I shall, for good or bad.

EDIT: Unless I wake up with a fever, then all bets are off LOL.

Funny you should mention that. I just bought a couple books on training on the way home from work tonight [1], and while thumbing through Chris Carmichael's book I read pretty much exactly that.

"If your symptoms are restricted to your neck and head...reduce your training volume and intensity and start your ride. If you feel miserable within the first 20 minutes of the ride, turn around and go home..."

That turning around part is probably not an option halfway into a commute.

If your symptoms are in your chest or are accompanied by achy joints, vomiting, or fever, don't even get dressed to ride... In the most extreme cases, intense exercise can lead to a viral infection of the heart, which can be fatal."

I'd guess that last part is probably associated more with intense interval training than a commute at a relaxed/moderate pace, and you're probably not gonna ride yourself to death on the way to work. Still probably not healthy to ride if you're that ill though.

There's more there, but it's mostly irrelevant to commuting.

[1] Gonna get a little more serious about race-training for the upcoming season. Not sure yet how a commute is going to work into a structured training regimen. In the past my training has consisted of simply going out and hammering as many times a week as I have time for, and putting as many miles in on the (non-race) weekends as I can. That kinda training only gets you so far...

-Trevor

You always need a Plan B in case of minor illness/injury.
Given the cost of cycle commuting, an occasional taxi ride is not extravagant.

I didn't bike commute last week due to a lingering cold. I didn't feel that bad, but was in between getting better and getting worse. It seems that a lot of the colds and flu that are going around this year can be extremely difficult to get rid of.
Feel fine this week, rode yesterday and today, the cold is almost gone. In previous winters, I usually rode unless I felt really bad, but this year if I'm thinking about not riding, I probably won't.

I think for six miles riding with a cold is no problem. I've had contradictory experiences with exercising while a little sick and in the winter. On the one hand, it relieved the congestion sometimes, but on the other hand, it seemed like I always had a cold.

Anyways, if you let a cold stop you from exercising, won't you be off the bike a LOT during the winter? I know I would.

I ride as long as it is just a head cold. Luckily, it has not gotten beyond that. I have noticed since beginning regular bike commuting 4 yrs ago that colds do not get as bad as they used to. For the most part limited to sniffles and sneezes without the severe congestion I used to get. Maybe it's all that fresh air.
FWIW,
Raymond

Looks like even more great info since I last posted. Thanks guys!

Well I wasn't feeling too hot this morning but I rode in anyway. The only thing that stunk was the ice-cold air in my lungs, I didn't like that at all. But beside that, I just took it easy and leisurely (sp?) rode on in. I don't feel any better or worse for it but while I was riding my sinuses seemed to clear up and I could breath, which was very nice.

My policy is that if I'm too sick to ride, then I'm too sick to work! ;-)

Seriously, with a head cold, I've found that work itself is much more taxing than the commute. I guess with a chest cold it might be the other way around, and you might want to avoid the cold air in your lungs.

Actually, the viral infection Carmichael is describing is a sneaky fellow. It can lead to cardiomyopathy, a condition in which your heart muscle becomes unable to work effectively, usually because it is dilated (though there are other forms of the disease as well). The damage may not show up for years, so that the infection has passed out of memory long before the heart problems show up. My dad died of a heart attack after living with CM for several years. He was a lifelong athlete, but rarely at intense levels, who played or worked out nearly every day - including days when he was not quite over a cold. His cardiologist believed that to be the cause of his disease: since he worked out when his immune system was still under stress from the illness, the CM-causing virus had an easy time taking hold.

Obviously, my personal experience has colored my feelings about working out when ill. I don't. Luckily, working out is the best illness preventive I have found! Since doing regular aerobic exercise, I haven't been sick with anything other than mild allergies.

I think the physical exertion is more of a factor than the cold weather. The body needs all the energy to fight the illness. However, I will ride with a head cold and do farmer blows. Great to clear the sinuses!

If you feel a good bit of pain while riding, don't ride. If you're sick enough where your ability to safely balance, watch traffic, and make safe traffic decisions, is truly impaired (and not just because you're being lazy) then don't ride. If medical professionals say that whatever you're sick will be aggravated by lack of rest, don't ride.

Otherwise, ride. Exercise cures many ills.