What I Tried This Week: Avoiding Pre-Race Illness

I find it exceptional that as the date of a big race draws closer, the people around me get sicker. It could be a heightened awareness of seasonal bugs which come and go during colder Canadian months, but the last couple weeks have left me paranoid and with an exceptionally thorough hand washing routine leading up to the Boston marathon.

Attending family dinners and events with friends over the Easter weekend and travelling for work felt more like maneuvering a minefield than fun social events. Thankfully, I’ve made it to the race weekend completely unscathed. I like to think it is not just luck but a combination of good fortune and taking precautions to to not get sick.

I slept. In fact, I’ve recently gotten rid of my TV and currently do not have wifi in my condo. Minimizing my screen time before bed, this allows me to log at least an extra hour of sleep each night. Not only is this helpful for my taper, but it helps to support my immune system and keeps me feeling healthy.

I drank water. I have been serious about getting those eight cups of water per day. Whether it’s tea, lemon water or sports water for my work outs, I have been hydrating to make sure I am flushing out my system and ridding myself of any nasty bugs.

I washed my hands thoroughly. I have been taking more care than usual to ensure that my hands are squeaky clean and topped off with some sanitizer. I am a little more aware of hand shaking and how many people I touch.

I loaded up on vitamin C. I eat a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables in my day-to-day diet, but I added an extra dose of vitamin C over the past couple of weeks for immune support. Being on this side makes me reconsider the days that I wake up feeling under the weather.

I find that a lot of runners are go-getters. It can be tempting to want to power through a day at work when you’re feeling a bit ill, but it is always better to stay home and be aware of who you are affecting while at the office, running errands or visiting friends.

Although I’m the far from a germiphobe, as I headed into race weekend I breathed a big, congestion-free sigh of relief. I’m feeling strong, healthy and ready to work hard on the race course.

You can find me on twitter @lacesandlattes and my personal blog.