Part of what is hard about winter running is the inevitable cold that winter brings. Last week, I was battling a cold and although I wanted to run, I had to be cautious, so as not to knock myself out of running for 6 weeks.
I’ve found over the years that the first couple of days of cold if I can get out and just walk around, the pressure in my head gets a little better. If I all out run, then I am in for a worse cold than what had started. After the first couple of days, I can run a little and it actually makes me feel better.
One of the best tricks that I’ve learned is running with a piece of gum in your mouth. That may sound strange, but if you can leave that piece of gum in your cheek than you mouth doesn’t get that dry, coldy kind of feeling that makes stopping a necessity. The same is true if you use gel or drink water as you run. Having a plan for how your weak immune system is going to react to intense cardio makes it possible to continue your training, albeit maybe taking it easy, while you are fighting a cold.
So, don’t lose heart. You aren’t losing a week of running, even if you have to scale back a bit to help your body get well!