My cousin played ice hockey when he was a teenager, and started playing again too soon after having a flu. That lead to a heart infection, and almost killed him. He never played ice hockey after that.
So yeah, please be careful when doing sports while sick.
Rule 0 of training as an athlete was: you do not train when sick
Rule 1 of training as an athlete was: you do not train for N extra days after N days of fever
You do not want a heart infection.
Keeping track of you morning resting heart rate will tell you exactly what is going on.
I came here to say this, running while being sick is incredibly stupid, more so for men.
i had similar experience as author. so run few times a week for 7 years.
i was run in pine forest(it produces air with antibiotics), sub zero, down to -20c(in light clothes and sneakers).
for simple throat and nose conditions it was immediately healing, body temperature under 38c.
there rule was - never stop. nor walk. only run(until get to shower). or will get ill. tested few times.
in hockey people does not seem to run all time
also, i was run on frozen randomized ice pieces, dirt and snow like things. i had to adapt my posture for that, basically it does not streess same joints same way, not like thread mill or flat city roads. it was good. rule was never walk. when i started to walk, slipped to ground fast.
How is it worse for men?
I was under the impression that the risk is higher for men than for women.
According to https://www.myocarditisfoundation.org/about-myocarditis/:
> Men however are twice as likely as women to develop it, but women do develop myocarditis.
Why more so for men?
I don't have a specific thing to back it up but from my exercise science degree(in another life) men are at a greater risk for pretty much all heart/cardiovascular problems.