I am fortunate to live in FL where it doesn't get real cold. Today I get a call from school clinic at 10:30 saying my son came in from running the track outside & was throwing up. He doesn't have a fever & is feeling fine now. Clinic nurse said same thing happened with other students after running the track in the cold. Just thought this was poor judgement of P.E. teacher because at 10:30 it was 38 degrees. Thoughts?
Thank you all for responses. He's been fine since i brought him home. He had oatmeal for breakfast & dressed warm. We're just not adjusted for cold. Before I left the school, I asked the clinic to ask P.E. teacher to keep my daughter inside today because she has asthma & seasonal allergies &
has to go to clinic before every P.E for treatment & I didn't want her out in the cold. They kept her in a separate room, yet her P.E class was INSIDE!!! lol Mis-communication?? All's good:) Stay warm !! :)
My daughter is on the cross country team and has just joined the track team at school. She runs when it is 30degrees and the only time she has gotten sick is from eating--or not eating.
I would love it to be 38 right now.
Probably the kids just aren't used to the colder weather. I mean in certain parts of the world people would consider 38 downright WARM, but their bodies are more acclimated to the climate.
38 is considered warm around here. That isn't even freezing. It had nothing to do with the cold weather it had to do with eating before, running too fast (perhaps to get out of the cold), something, but cold temperatures doesn't make you throw up when you run, the running does.
Hehehe, our cross country team runs through the streets of our town every single day, today it is 15. Last week it was -3 after school.
For PE they go out if the temp is above zero.
Maybe it's a thing you get used to?
:)
Depends on what they were wearing. I run all winter and actually prefer 30-40. At 38 degrees, I would be wearing long running pants, a long-sleeve shirt, a headband to cover my ears and running gloves. The gloves actually get too hot but I prefer hot hands to cool.
Unless they were out there in shorts and tank tops then it's fine and not something that should make otherwise healthy children ill.
FWIW, our track and cross country teams run outdoors all winter and many of those kids ARE in shorts and t-shirts.
I think the thing to keep in mind is that you are in Florida, where it never gets that cold. So I think if they weren't properly dressed, it's a big problem. If they were properly dressed, it still may not have helped much since they aren't used to that kind of cold. 38 is COLD no matter where you're from. Though I'd LOVE to hit 38 around here soon :). MD has been insanely cold this year, but I don't do much outside.
People run in shorts here in 38 degrees. If they are dressed properly I don't see it as a problem. Maybe they were running too fast, had eaten too soon or weren't conditioned for it? I would also ask if all of those kids had eaten the school lunch and if there could be an issue with the food. Those would be my first thoughts. However, I don't know if running in colder weather can cause this reaction if your body isn't used to it. Here we have track meets in the snow if necessary, but our kids are used to it.
ETA: This got me wondering and I also thought about all of the kids who exert themselves playing hockey (one of the highest uses of energy amongst sports) and skiing in cold weather so I was curious and checked out a running website. They report the most common causes of vomiting during or after running are 1) overexertion, the intensity of the workout, 2) running in the heat, and 3) too much sugar in the bloodstream. I also wondered how old the kids are, as that might be a factor. I do understand that you are in FL and the kids aren't used to that temp. There was nothing on the website that I could find about that.
I'll bet part of the problem is acclimatization; this is not a temperature that many bodies are used to. And large quantities of cold air in the lungs can cause angina (constriction of blood vessels in the heart) in sensitive people, which would probably include children. I've recently been unable to exercise in extreme cold because of this, so I've done some research. Here's a note about angina and associated nausea:
"…Angina is typically precipitated by exertion or emotional stress. It is exacerbated by having a full stomach and by cold temperatures. Pain may be accompanied by breathlessness, sweating and nausea in some cases." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angina_pectoris)
I'd want to talk to the school principal and nurse about this. Obviously, even if it isn't angina that's affecting the kids, nobody enjoys nausea, and it indicates that this cold-weather running is NOT optimal for the children's health.
I'v run in cold weather. I had a...sweater like thing that covered the lower half of my face and I was in high school so I was much younger.
I think if he got dried out a lot in his throat then he might have started gagging when he tried to swallow. Then might have puked up a bit due to the gag reflex.
If he has a stomach virus he'll puke again. If not then suggest he cover his mouth or use something where he can breathe air off his chest then expel it out his mouth. They used to sell a device, thing, don't know what it was called but it went inside the shirt and down towards the chest. The air you were breathing came from under the shirt so it was warmer and not so harsh.
They run here in much colder weather. Guess if they are not used to it, some kids can't do it. Hell, 38 is a heat wave for us. Actually, IMO, I don't think it is that cold. How was he dressed. That could be a big factor.
38 is not cold. Our kids go out for recess unless it is -4. Running in 38 degree weather did not make your child sick.
I used to be on the cross country team for track, in high school. We ran in all types of weather even rain, because races occurred no matter the weather.
I remember wearing tights, with running shorts, a thin turtle neck a sweat shirt hat and gloves. We warmed up with a 5 mile run.. THEN we started the training.
We did not get sick from the weather.
I have a couple of friends who are runners and they have been running outdoors all winter in fourty below. 38 degrees is perfect running weather where I am. I guess if you aren't used to it and aren't dressed for it, then it wouldn't be pleasant, but I can't imagine kids not running outside at that temperature!
I agree with acclimatization to both the weather and to the activity. On my drive home this afternoon, I saw track teams from about 7 different public & private schools running on Old Georgetown Road. And it's much colder here in MD than in Florida.
Chickpea is 7 and her school has outdoor PE and recess unless it is below freezing. She thinks it's normal to run around in the cold.
I'm not an expert, but I don't live too far from you... (an hour away?).. and we just are not acclimated to these temps. My husband runs several times a week, and has for years. He will go run 5 miles when it is 90 out... but he doesn't even attempt a run if the temperature drops below about 50. We just aren't used to it. It makes my sinuses hurt. (I run a little also, but not as regularly as my husband).
It could be that he worked too hard too quickly without a proper warm-up, too. In these temps, he may have not realized how hard he was exerting himself.
38' sounds like a heat wave to this upstate NYer. :)
If your blood pressure gets too high too fast, you'll vomit. Unless he has asthma, he shouldn't have a problem running in cooler weather. Most runners I know prefer cooler weather. Your son probably ran too fast or too long or both.
But, it wouldn't hurt to take him to the doc to make sure all is okay.
