How to change your week schedule do to sickness

[Matthew Rowley]

I was debating on putting this in the running section or training request.

I was planning on running about 62 miles this week with a 20 mile long run planned on Saturday.  Monday and Tuesday went pretty well.  I was planning on going out wensday night to do a 12 to 14 mile run, then I got home and spent then next 6 hours, ok I won't give you the details.  I was sick.  Running was not an option.  I know everybody has been sick.  How do you adjust your schedule accordingly.  Friday I feel pretty good, I feel like I can go running. 
Do you adjust Friday and Saturday's schedule or just do the workouts you had planned as if wensday and thursday didn't happen?

[Joe Furse]

I usually end up bagging any big plans for a week in which I get significantly sick.  I certainly wouldn't do a 20 miler after anything bigger than a little cold.  In my experience, running hard or long workouts before you are completely recovered usually does more harm than good.  I got a nasty flu a couple of weeks ago, and I just took the entire week and some off, but I felt fine when I started up again and have had no ill effects since.  On the flip side, I've tried to run before when I still felt bad but "could handle running" and I just ended up being sicker for longer.  If you feel good, that's great and by all means go out, but if it were me I would wait until the next week to do any big hairy workouts, otherwise you might end up paying more homage to the porcelain throne and be back at square one and lose more fitness than you would have in the first place.  Anyway, that's my approach--err on the side of caution.

[Matthew Rowley]

Bagging the rest of the week sounds like a good idea.  The risk of getting sick again is pretty high.  Hard workout combined with weak body and bad weather is not a good combination.