How many days after getting COVID is it safe to start running again?

the older variant took 10 days to get over.

the newest one you should be ready in 3-5 days. I always take one day extra past the day I feel like I am ready.

Cue incoming antivax circle jerk

There's no set timeframe. Everyone is different. You know your body and how you feel.

The real risk is probably more relaterad to inflammation in your heart If you start running hard to soon.

Depends how you feel. Not much different than any other viral infection. If you feel like crap then don’t run.

Like 1 or 2 days.

You're not going to get "long covid" which is primarily psychosomatic.

So many people run through illnesses and get seriously ill from it.

Please go on the side of caution, it's just like running through a chest cold (a bad idea).

It really depends I think

The first time I got it, I started feeling better after a week, tried to start running again and made it way worse to the point I had pneumonia and severe cramping for another 10ish days, probably should’ve been hospitalized.

The second time I got it I was sick for like a week but could handle a light jog after like 3 days and was back at full training load after about 10 days with no issues.

The third time I got it I just took a week off and returned to running fine the next week.

What I’ve learned with my numerous bouts of Covid is that it’s not much worse than a regular flu if you respect it and let yourself rest, but trying to push through it and trying to convince yourself it’s just a cold can bring on some of the scarier more painful symptoms.

The first time I got Covid (Delta), I was in bed for 3 weeks and almost passed out on a 15 minute walk after that. I started jogging about 4 weeks after and felt horrible for about 1 week, but rapidly improved after that.

The second time (omicron), I OTQed while sick (tested positive right after). I don’t think I would have raced if I had known it was Covid, but it goes to show how much it can vary even within the same individual.

If you start running again and feel like you are in significantly worse shape than you would have been after X weeks off (whatever you’ve taken off), then you’re probably going to improve more from recovery than you will from additional exercise stimulus.

I hope I don’t get sick again, but if I do, I think I’d start my recovery with light weight-lifting. It’s relatively low risk, builds back lost strength from being in bed, and you can stop at any time (without being 3 miles from home).

"getting COVID" ? Do you mean becoming infected while not getting sick ?

I would run right through it.

Depends on the person, probably. I had big bad covid, less than 72 hours after initial symptoms I was fine. I was running again a week after initial symptoms. To be fair I almost never get sick, it's amazing what happens when you exercise daily and eat (fairly) well.

says the tough guy who runs a 26 minute 5K and brags about it

Not to be dismissive and abrasive, but are people really still getting Covid? None of my unvaxxed friends and family are, so I’m just not aware of it anymore.

I run 70 miles a week, eat healthy, lift, and cross train and Covid knocked me down and almost gave me pneumonia. I guess I am just a wimp?

Got it in Summer 2021. I ran 3 days after first symptoms. Felt a little worse after that run. Took 2 more days off, and I was fine.

It’s a weird disease. Different for everyone.

It's definitely a case by case basis. I ran 25 miles the week I had it. But a friend got it and was in bad shape for three weeks.

Why would you stop running?

+1.

I don't stop running with a cold and getting covid isn't even as bad as cold these days.

My resting HR is usually elevated when I am seriously sick. Once it gets back to normal, I slowly start resuming training. I figure by that point my body is done or almost done fighting the infection. Usually 3-5 days for most illnesses. Minor colds or sniffles usually won't elevate my HR so I continue training as normal.