Have COVID: Missed a week of training 3 weeks from 5k race - what do I do?

Personally I wouldn't count on running a PR in that race unless you were far under the goal pre-sickness. You could still use the race as a rust-buster but I would try to find another race. Use the next two weeks to try to get yourself feeling normal and then gauge where you are for when that goal race will be. Everyone is different but chances are this sickness will have set you back at least 2 weeks maybe closer to a month or more depending upon how much you're still coughing and how sore your body is when you return to consistent running. Older dudes have harder times coming back from layoffs than younger. Not that you're old but old enough where you'll be sore for sure even though you may feel like your legs are rested/fresh.

Just as a reference when I returned my first tempo back was like 20 secs/mile slower and cut short by a mile. 2nd one was 15 secs/mile slower and also cut short by a mile.

I'd vote for d) first get healthy and then make decisions.

Hopefully you'll be completely recovered in a few days and you can just hop back into training. But let your training come to you and don't force it. Like the previous poster, my first tempo runs back were like 30-45 seconds/mile slower and I could only manage 2 miles, except I had lingering issues for 6-8 months.

Thanks for your insight. I’ll temper my expectations when I return to workouts.

colder and wiser wrote:

I'd vote for d) first get healthy and then make decisions.

Hopefully you'll be completely recovered in a few days and you can just hop back into training. But let your training come to you and don't force it. Like the previous poster, my first tempo runs back were like 30-45 seconds/mile slower and I could only manage 2 miles, except I had lingering issues for 6-8 months.

6-8 months? Man. I’m sorry that happened. Hopefully I don’t have the same experience.

colder and wiser wrote:

I'd vote for d) first get healthy and then make decisions.

Hopefully you'll be completely recovered in a few days and you can just hop back into training. But let your training come to you and don't force it. Like the previous poster, my first tempo runs back were like 30-45 seconds/mile slower and I could only manage 2 miles, except I had lingering issues for 6-8 months.

This.

One of the effects of Omicron is lingering fatigue. I was tired for nearly three weeks after first symptoms appeared, but I was only sick for a few days. The good news is that the fatigue seems to be temporary.

Long or hard runs put a lot of stress on the immune system. Get over Omicron before you try to return to training. Unless this is a really important race, I'd suggest you just slip back 3-4 weeks to get back into your training plan and taper.

Thanks for your insight. It’s not an important race and I hadn’t signed up yet. I’m disappointed however, as up until COVID I was in the best shape of my life. That said, I should be able to get there again in a few weeks and race in March/April instead.

Letter C

It took a month to feel normal again. Focus on getting healthy and then easy running. Trying to race too soon will only frustrate you. You may need to push back a goal race even further.