Zinc lozenges (at health food stores) usually help me, along with a lot of water.

I want piping hot chicken soup when I have a sore throat.

All the Sunny-D you can drink.

Also, i can just feel the snot starting to build up in the back of my throat. Thanks so far. Lots of water being drunk.

rest, water, chicken broth, rest, vitamins (b seems to help?) and really hot showers.

Sleeeeeeep.

Well, once symptoms have started, I don't know. On the Doctors, they said if you gargle with salt water four times a day, you have a 40% less chance of catching colds. That sounded like a lot of gargling to me, but I wish I'd done it when Jon and I went up to Maine last weekend. Fun trip, but I brought back a wicked cold (Jon's adorable little niece Frannie the suspected source) that started with a bad sore throat and took up residence securely in my chest this past week. In fact, not that your cold will go this way (Jon seems to have a milder version), but I ended up in the ER Thursday night with a fever and what they diagnosed as acute bronchitis (no pneumonia, luckily). A couple of days on antibiotics and a strong expectorant (gross word, I know, but the stuff helps), and I feel like I can at least breathe again, but it's left me incredibly tired. I wasn't able to go to work all week (luckily we had Monday and Tuesday off for the Jewish New Year). Not the way I wanted to start the new school year, but what can you do? Man, what a misery. And it's our anniversary tomorrow (it's okay -- I may not feel up to going out, but we can always order in, and Jon's been wonderful, very sweet and supportive).

Anyway, sorry to launch into my own illness woes (your post was very timely), and I hope your sore throat doesn't progress or your cold stays manageable. I admire anyone that can run a half marathon, with or without a cold. I don't know if doing so can worsen a cold or not -- maybe something to check with a doctor about, just to be on the safe side?

Zinc lozenges. Cold-eeze I think is a popular brand. Get some and start right away. And good luck with the race!

Antihistamine - preferably a non-sleepy brand, except for overnight when you can take Benadryl. Benadryl tablets are my favorite, but they do make you a little sleepy. I've managed over a week with an imminent cold, experiencing only a slightly sore throat in the morning, using this approach.

Miso soup. At least a quart of it.

I tried a couple zinc lozenges for a cold about 5 years ago, and they did a real number on my sense of taste. It took months for it to return to something like normal. Not worth the risk, in my opinion.

I just want to hug you for knowing the word "staving" and not typing "starving." Except, you know, you being a sickie. GTF away from me.

I'm a fan of making curried chicken soup. Usually I start with a split breast of chicken and make a strong stock with it, then debone and return the chicken to the pot, and add plenty of good curry powder, carrots, celery, and onion. The special Healing Compounds in the Curry and the Essence of Chicken Bone do the healing; it is very scientific.

Grind some ginger, and drink the juice like a shot. Helps get rid of a cold too.

You guys are awesome.

I was staying in a little motel and had a kid to corral and a mother to entertain, so I couldn't really do the cooking or sleep all day thing, much as I would have liked to.

So I picked up some chicken soup from a diner and dumped a load of sriracha in it. That just made me feel better kind of magically. I drank a shit-ton of water and gatorade. I got mucinex from the pharmacy to try to ensure that all the snot didn't take up residence in my nasopharynx and I could breathe while running. I took antiinflammatories.

It all seemed to work OK. I still had a bit of a sore throat and headache the morning of the race, but nothing had progressed much. Ran the race. Still kind of surprised that I can run for 2 hours without stopping.

pips, sorry to hear that you got so sick. That really sucks. Hope jon was looking after you well and happy anniversary!