Expert: Bailey - 2/4/2007

Question
I have had Asthma since birth and I'm 32. For the past 6 weeks I've been running 4 times per week. I have always been active and into sports throughout high school and college. Being away from college for over 10 years I haven't exercised on a regular bases until recent. I'm for health reasons and training for a 5K race that is in October. I've been running around 2 miles each time I run and my body feels great, my problem is that I feel like I can physically run more however when I get to 2 miles I hit a wall with my Asthma and I find I can't go on much more then 2 miles due to this. The 5k race is around 3.25 miles, I would like to be able to train the right way so that I can finish this race. Can you give me any suggestions as to how I can train the most effective way with my asthma condition?  

Answer
Hi Matt,
 A good way to decrease asthma symptoms while exercising is to gradually increase the amount that you do. If you are having symptoms after running 2 miles for the past several weeks, then this approach is probably not going to work. Instead, when you run, don't run continuously for those 2 miles. Run for maybe 15-20 minutes, and then walk for 5-10 minutes. This will give your airways a chance to recover and your symptoms should improve after a while. If this is an option, you may also want to get some exercise by swimming. This is usually excellent for people with asthma and can help increase your lung function as well. You may also want to take a puff of albuterol, if you have an inhaler, before you exercise. This is probably not the most effective or best thing to do, but it can prevent you from having a serious asthma attack during exercise if you ever have a problem with that. I hope this works out for you.
-Bailey