Runner (Wannabe) with Asthma

emsoquena

I've been running, well it's more of a run-walk, for more than a year. My legs don't get tired. I take short walks in between runs because I always need to catch my breath. Because of my asthma.

My goal is to finish a half marathon, even though I would walk in between. But I would so love to at least run longer distances before needing to slow down. Can you suggest any food, meds, or exercise that will help me with my asthma?

FP4HSharon

As someone who has had asthma all my life, I can certainly sympathize. I will tell you not to give up, because the more I exercised, the less trouble I had w/my asthma. When I was younger, even into my late 20's, I was on weekly shots. But it got better as time went on, until for the last 20 yrs or so, I only have trouble if I eat and/or smell triggers.

Here's what I'd recommend, w/your doctor's approval of course...start out w/30 min of your walk/run & keep track of how many minutes you run of the 30. Then every day try to add 1 more minute of running, than what you did the day before, until you're running the whole 30 minutes. I'd also recommend after doing 30 minutes pushing it, that you try to follow it w/30 min of a fast walk to keep your heart & lungs working for a while. Try to find a place to run where it's inside, or on grass, but try to avoid dusty and/or polluted areas. And try to make sure you're well hydrated, so dryness doesn't trigger wheezing. Because it sounds like your asthma is exercise induced, I don't think any foods/meds would help much. But I do think continued exercise will...hang in there.

All the best in your journey. ;-)