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It’s never fun being ill. Whether you’re following a training plan for a race or depend on your regular runs for your wellbeing, it can be very frustrating when illness gets in the way of running. You might have heard that running helps our immune system, but it’s also important to know that running when we’re not physically well enough can cause all kinds of health problems. It may even put us out of action for longer than anticipated.

As a general rule, we’d always advise resting when you’re ill. But if you still need or want to run, it’s good to know when you can still lace up your trainers, and when to just get back to bed. Many of us will have heard the adage, “above the neck”: advice that says we can continue running if symptoms are only felt in your neck or head. But is this a good basis for deciding if you can run when you’re ill? Not in all cases. So we asked our resident GP, Dr Juliet McGrattan, to share her advice on when it’s OK to run, and when it’s not, for specific illnesses.

We do want to underline though that you should always check with your GP if you’re unsure, and to ease up on your intensity if you’re feeling under the weather. “Always listen to your body,” says our Dr Juliet. “If you feel light headed, shaky or just weak, then have a rest, head home and try again in a day or two.”

And if you do need to take a break due to illness, all is not lost. It might feel as though you’re losing all the progress you’ve made, but returning to running after illness can actually be very doable, even if you’ve had a few weeks off.

Should you run when you’re ill?

Can I run when I have a cold?

OK to run: Your nose is a bit runny or stuffed up and you have a mild headache or a slight sore throat. All your symptoms are above your neck.

Miss your run: Your nose is streaming, you have a high temperature, you feel shivery, your joints or muscles ache and you need regular paracetamol.

Can I run when I have a cough?

OK to run: Your cough is dry and tickly, and the irritation is in your throat. You don’t have a temperature and are only coughing occasionally.

Miss your run: Your cough feels like it’s coming from your chest and is producing phlegm. You feel short of breath or wheezy. You have a temperature.

Can I run when I have a sore throat?

OK to run: Your throat feels dry and a bit scratchy, but it isn’t too painful to swallow and you otherwise feel fine.

Miss your run: You have a temperature or feel shivery. Your glands are swollen, making your neck feel stiff. It hurts a lot to swallow.

Can I run when I have a sinus infection?

OK to run: Your sinuses feel mildly congested and a bit tender. You feel fine otherwise and you can breathe easily.

Miss your run: You feel lightheaded or dizzy. You have a temperature or feel shivery. Your face or teeth are hurting.

Can I run when I’ve got diarrhoea?

OK to run: You have just had one or two small bouts of loose stools and you don’t feel that there’ll be more. You don’t feel sick or have tummy pain, you’ve drunk plenty of fluids and have had something to eat.

Miss your run: You’re getting stomach cramps and know there is more diarrhoea to come. You feel sick or have vomited, have a temperature, haven’t eaten and you’re a bit dehydrated.

Can I run when I have a urinary infection?

OK to run: It’s a bit uncomfortable when you pass urine and you are doing so a bit more often than usual, but you feel well and don’t have a tummy ache or a temperature.

Miss your run: You feel shivery, have a tummy ache, lower back pain or feel sick. It’s stings when you pass urine or there is blood in your wee.

Can I run when I have the flu?

OK to run: Never! With true flu you’ll struggle to get out of bed, let alone run and you shouldn’t even consider exercising. Don’t attempt a run until you feel fully recovered and can cope easily with your normal daily life.

Feeling better? Here’s how to return to running after illness.