asthma and exercise

I don't know how helpful this is because my problem is mild compared to yours, but I was getting some exercise-induced asthma when I started couch to 5K a couple of months ago. We were having a lot of pollen and I run outside. I made sure I took my allergy med and used my inhaler before starting, which seemed to help. I haven't needed my inhaler in a few weeks now, so it looks like I conditioned out of it, although I do continue to take an allergy med daily.

I think that if this was the only time, you should keep working on progress slowly, as you have been, during those time when you don't have it. Perhaps you will also condition out of it. If it continues, check with your doctor. A different inhaler might be more effective for you for exercise-induced asthma than the one you have been using for your allergy-induced asthma (which I also used to have but seem to have recovered from following resolution of some other health issues).

Here's what my allergist told me, but you should talk to your doc instead of getting medical advice off the Internet.

For me, my doc has me use two puffs of my rescue inhaler before any moderate or vigorous exercise. I also take a daily inhaled steroid for allergies and another for asthma. The inhaled steroids made the biggest difference. I've tried going off pulmicort with my doc's ok, but every time at right around 6 weeks the smallest bit of exercise makes me wheezy-even just jogging down a block to keep up with a toddler on a trike.

I have allergies and exercise induced asthma, both real bummers when it comes to wanting to work out. My aim was to increase my lung capacity through exercise and thus getting around the inhaler.
I have worked on it and through a lot of it. I have been very diligent about my medication and also increased my exersise at what some would say is an absolute snails pace. However it always felt like a challenge hen I upped it and in the end it worked to a large extend.
Initially I needed my inhaler before any significant workout. I was also instructed by my GP to use it that way. As she said, "first clear the air and then work on it". I could walk for a bout 2 hours by then, but not if there was any incline involved which every hampered my wish to hike.
I did both the Great Glen Way and Hadrian's Wall Path using my inhaler and standard allergy pill.
These days however (3.5 years down the line) I walk, hike, cycle and everything just on standard meds. I now even run 3km without needing my inhaler.

As said for me the way forward was to take it slow. I listened to my body/lungs and still pushed it gently forward.

Agreed with everyone who says to take two puffs before working out.

Also, do you have a nebulizer? I wonder if using that before working out would be more effective since you're having so much trouble. After that, I agree with indy_cruizer that perhaps another exercise instead of walking or running might be better to start with. My asthma can be pretty bad, but find yoga is a good workout without causing me to need my inhaler. I imagine weight training would help similarly.