Runners this past week got the full understanding that winter is finally here. It is fun to get some of those winter warm clothes out of the closet to wear on a daily run. If you ran early in the morning or later in the evening, the temperature was close to freezing, and mittens and wool caps were welcome additions out on the road.

The windproof jacket and pants were also nice to keep muscles from getting cold and leg muscles from cramping up. I still saw a few die-hard runners in shorts and T-shirts going out for a run; and if you run fast enough, it does help a body keep warm. Several of them had on a double layer of shirts, and wore gloves and a hat; but it still had to be chilly during that first mile until the body warmed up.

The other thing that the cold weather seemed to bring was the cold season; not the temperature-type cold, but the runny-nose-and-coughing-type cold. It seems that I talked to more than a normal number of runners and people in general who had a cold for a few days.

Having a cold is no fun, and trying to get over the symptoms is a real challenge; and the remedies for curing - or at least easing - the symptoms are enough to fill an encyclopedia or a full web page on the internet.

Research reports have put a damper on the over-the-counter drugs by saying they really do not do much for shortening the length of the cold or making it any better, no matter what the TV ad claims. The latest reports do not want children taking the cold remedies. Some of the side effects are actually dangerous if the remedies are taken in heavy doses above the recommended amount, or in combination with other medications.

Studies are in conflict about the benefits of healthy attempts to ease the symptoms of colds, such as high doses of vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc tablets or echinacea drinks. Some reports find a minimal benefit, and others find no help at all. Some of the studies report that some types of these efforts may result in getting better one day faster.

While taking various forms of medication or vitamins may help some, the one item that isn’t mentioned that much is the benefit of moderate exercise. I know that when a runner is training for a marathon and putting in those long tiring runs to get in shape, it seemed that during the last week is when the cold struck and wasted much of the previous months’ efforts. Long and hard runs will tire the body out, and this seems to lower the immune system in the body; and if that cold bug is around, it seems to take advantage of this weakness.

Moderate exercise such as shorter runs, brisk walks or a nice jog for a few miles seems to be of benefit. Some studies even suggest that this form of exercise can prevent colds from ever taking place, because moderate exercise boosts the immune system. There are several theories on why moderate exercise helps prevent colds; but a few researchers seem to think that when a person does moderate exercise, the core temperature of the body is elevated, and that this increase in body temperature kills the bug that causes the cold. Moderate exercise is the type that is enough movement to cause a person to sweat and warm up while moving about.

There are some remedies that will have a person breathe some steam coming from a tea pot with a towel over the head to clear the nasal passages; and one of my favorites is a hot shower. Both are readily available after a nice easy jog or run, and do not require any pill swallowing or drinking some sticky nasty-tasting fluid. I usually settle for the long hot shower only, but that is just personal preference.

The exercise remedy is at least worth a try for some folks. It does not cost anything; no trip to the pharmacy to look at all kinds of stuff to take in the morning, afternoon or evening or for getting a full night’s sleep. It will take you almost 30 minutes or more to go to the store and buy the over-the-counter remedy. Instead you could use that time to go for a moderate jog and possibly come up with the same results; and don’t forget the hot shower afterwards.