As a P.E. teacher I work with a lot of students that are asthmatic. Kids generally have one of two approaches toward their handicap; they either use it as a crutch to avoid all physical challenges in life or I never know about the handicap until the child has an attack or asks me to hold an inhaler. There’s never the child that gives you a warning that they have asthma, but want to do all they can despite it.

Of those that use it as an excuse to be released from all physical activity, I always think of Jackie Joyner-Kersey, the United States Olympic gold medalist track athlete from St. Louis, Missouri. Joyner-Kersee never let her severe asthma slow her down. She learned to deal with it proactively so that it wouldn’t prevent her from reaching her full potential. I also think of President Theodore Roosevelt who actually used a strict regimented exercise routine to help him overcome his severe asthmatic attacks that almost left him dead as a young boy. The barrel-chested, fighting, rugged rough-rider image that stands out in our minds started out as a puny, sickly, vulnerable child that rarely went outdoors because of all the toxins in the air.

Those of you that have asthma know this, but for those of you that don’t asthma occurs when muscles around the airways constrict and make it difficult to impossible to breathe. Medication, such as inhalers (a steriod), are used to relax these muscles. There are those with chronic asthma, like Teddy Roosevelt, in which symptoms aren’t triggered by any activity in particular. And there are those with exercise-induced asthma, like Jackie Joyner-Kersee, that only notice symptoms upon strenuous exercise.

I cannot empathize with any of you that struggle with asthma, but my sympathies for those of you that live with this and yet have that Jackie-Joyner Kersee or Teddy Roosevelt spirit influenced me to do a little research on the subject and offer these tips.

Avoid Prime Pollen Times
Because a high pollen count can be detrimental to the asthmatic runner choose early morning hours when pollen count is most often at its lowest point during the day.

Humidify The Airways
Dry lungs and dry airways cause inflammation which causes the asthmatic to suffer, so if you find yourself breathing in cold, dry air try covering you mouth with a scarf or even you hand to humidify your airways. This may feel a little restricting on your run, but not as restricting as having to stop entirely because you have a full blown asthmatic attack.

Be Deliberate in Diet
All runners should drink plenty of water, but particularly the asthmatic. Water reduces inflammation in the lungs by preventing them from becoming too dry. Also, choose foods that are high in magnesium, such as leafy green foods, lentil beans, and potatoes.

Warm-up
Before intense work-outs or races a warm-up is key for everyone, but especially the asthmatic runner. Experiments have shown that those that warm-up hard enough to induce a mild asthmatic attack will not likely have another attack for 4 to 6 hours.

Keep Inhaler Handy
Inhalers are small enough and light enough to be carried anyway without hardly noticing them, including on a run. If you have experienced an asthma attack before or fear the experience occurring then don’t be caught dead without one (pardon the pun).

I hope these tips will be helpful to at least one asthmatic runner. If you are one of those students with asthma that doesn’t use it as a crutch then do tell your P.E. teacher about what to look out for, but keep the can do spirit.

Are you an asthmatic runner? What famous asthmatics have inspired you? Let me know if these tips were helpful to you or if you have any to add.

Running Life with Character.

Tags: Running Tips