Dodging travel bugs

Airplanes are a germophobe’s worst nightmare, thanks to the close quarters, grimy seats and recirculated air. The last thing you need on a running vacation is to pick up a bug on the way there. But studies suggest that the biggest danger to your health actually occurs when you arrive at your new destination, not on the f light itself.

A 2012 study by University of Cape Town researchers published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, monitored the health of 259 rugby players during a 16-week tournament that featured games in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. As you’d guess, the players were two to three times more likely to get sick after long f lights to away games, no matter where they were f lying to or from. But they didn’t have any increase in illness when they f lew back home, so the f light itself wasn’t the culprit – instead, the unfamiliar environment and disrupted routines at the destination left the athletes more vulnerable.

So how do you stay healthy post-f light? After the Norwegian Olympic team was ravaged by illness during the 2006 Winter Games, they instituted a new protocol for the 2010 Games, instructing their athletes to avoid shaking hands with fans, carry disinfectant hand gel and even cover their hotel carpets with plastic. The result was a reduction in illnesses to less than a third of the 2006 rate, and a jump from two to nine gold medals. You don’t need to be quite that extreme, but be extra vigilant to avoid or wash off the unfamiliar germs you’ll encounter in your new destination. If you’re crossing time zones, you can also hasten your recovery from jet lag by re-establishing your running routine at its usual time as soon as possible: exercise is a powerful. It sets your body’s internal clock.