Another wrench in the schedule this week. My last run on Saturday, in the aftermath of the ice storm, was a good day to catch a cold. Apparently when I stopped to talk to someone I knew on the trail for about 15 minutes, I quit sweating & got chilled before starting again & then finished the run never really getting warmed back up – especially with wet socks & shoes. I can usually pinpoint the cause of my colds as I always feel the first effects (sore throat) about 1 ½ days to 2 days afterwards. A deep chill, high stress w/no rest or coming in contact with someone sick are the culprits for me. But, following some advice that has seemed to work the last few years -- at the first sign of catching a cold (the sore throat is a guaranteed sign for me) I take a “megadose” of vitamin C for the 1st couple days and add in some mandatory bed rest. This has lessened the usual 7 – 10 days for the cold to run its full course down to less than 5 days – in addition to greatly lessening the severity. So, right now I feel I’m ready to get in another run tomorrow and hopefully the remnants of my cold will be gone in the morning.
2 comments:
For almost 7 years now I've been taking 500mg of vitamin C every day. The first year or so I was taking 1000mg a day, but a nutritionist told me that might be bad for my heart. Since I've been taking the vitamin C I rarely catch colds anymore. It's been over a year since my last one and when I do catch a cold now it doesn't seem to bother me as much as before. Of course in addition to the vitamin C being physically fit plays a big part in having a healthy immune system.
Thanks for your comment.
I’ve taken vitamin supplements for many years too & would like to believe they have kept me healthier. I concur, 500 mg daily is sound & would recommend it to all. I’m sure all the mega C goes down the toilet eventually . . . but then again maybe it’s a mental thing or it’s the best rest or I would have been sick that shortened amount of time regardless – I’ll never know. I do know that the megadose is just for a couple days & have had good results. It may be next week or several years till the next cold, but will keep it up till it proves me wrong.
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