asthmatics

woody1

just curious
are there many athsmatics among the boards a.r.t. people.. given the high percentage in the country id imagine there should be

just wondering..
do you feel you train harder to achieve a similar standard..
consequently does seeing people seemingly do much less in comparison to you and achieving the same results or better annoy you ..
do you have any training insights..

i have very mild athsma and my take on the questions is

yes ..much harder

yes..really ( there is a story behind this , or a number of them, but ive deleted it as it was taking the post in a very depressing, oh poor me, direction, and 99% of the time i dont have that attitude )


the only insight i have is dont miss any sessions as the aerobic base thats been built up just seems to dissappear very quickly if training isnt kept up regularly.. gaelic and soccer pre-season training always seemed to take twice as long to get up to speed as others..

dont really want this to turn into a negative and depressing thread, feel free to drive it in a more positive direction..add your own questions if you have any..

i suppose i better say..this is not about or looking for medical advice, just for yer own observations on whether being athsmatic makes any difference or not

maybe i need to htfu...:)

Shoe Lover

I've asthma as well and yes, I do think that I have to train harder than ppl without That said, I don't let it get in my way! I just make sure to take a couple of puffs on the old Ventolin before I go running and bring it with me just in case.

As a child, my asthma was very bad, but now thank god, it's not too bad. There are things that trigger it - I work very hard to keep my immune system up during the winter as even a cold would have me off my feet for three weeks :mad:

In terms of training, the only thing that really affects me is the heat. I find it very hard to catch my breath if it is hot and get very tight chested quickly. But I can't complain - when I was younger, I struggled to run half a mile so now running 10k in an hour is a major achievement for me :D:D

Krusty_Clown

Nah, I don't think I have to train harder than those without asthma. In fact gasping for air for 35 years has left me with a heart so strong I could suck air from a straw while running, if needed. The big change for me was getting correctly medicated. I now use a preventative and a fixer.

Everyone is different. There are those without asthma who have to train significantly harder than you to reach the same levels. I don't think asthma is a significant differentiator.

kennyb3

Haile has asthma, doesnt seem to affect him too much.

Quit your whining and get training:P

keithrus

Shoe Lover wrote: »

I've asthma as well and yes, I do think that I have to train harder than ppl without That said, I don't let it get in my way! I just make sure to take a couple of puffs on the old Ventolin before I go running and bring it with me just in case.

As a child, my asthma was very bad, but now thank god, it's not too bad. There are things that trigger it - I work very hard to keep my immune system up during the winter as even a cold would have me off my feet for three weeks :mad:

In terms of training, the only thing that really affects me is the heat. I find it very hard to catch my breath if it is hot and get very tight chested quickly. But I can't complain - when I was younger, I struggled to run half a mile so now running 10k in an hour is a major achievement for me :D:D

Its good to see people not let get things get in their way like shoe lover. I've a slight dose of asthma but it only affects me with dampness. Good luck shoe lover for the Ardee Run!!

woody1

kennyb3 wrote: »

Haile has asthma, doesnt seem to affect him too much.

Quit your whining and get training:P

didnt know that,
and like i said 99.9% of the time i dont think of it or consider it in any way a disadvantage , but from watching and talking to friends and well known fellow competitors lately , it seems they find things easier, being out of breath 5 minutes into a race is not something theyve had to contend with..

its probably nothing to do with athsma and more to do with not being as fit as id like to think i am...or maybe im expecting too much improvement from the training im doing and just going too hard

the original post is still probably more negative than i intended it to be, i was having a bit of a rant after nearly being caught in a race by an in-law that did nothing ( literally ) beforehand..and ive got a year and a half behind me ... and he was delighted with himself too...

yes it is nice to hear that it doesnt hold people back but i kind of expected that..i spent the first couple of years after being diagnosed giving out to my aul fella who tried to stop a 12 year old doing anything mildly strenuous despite my level being marginally worse than having a bad cold..

as for getting training..im on a day off today thank god cos its lashing outside

cwgatling

Had it fairly bad as a child. Never bothers me now. Running has helped no end. I'm susceptible to chest infections, but in terms of training/racing it doesn't affect me.

Oryx

Had it pretty bad till I was in my twenties. I started going to the gym then and had months of wheezing and coughing up a lung every time I went on the treadmill. And.. then it cleared. As long as I stayed fit, no asthma. I stopped training for 8 years what with kids and lack of interest, and of course it slowly came back. But now that I train hard, its gone again.

So no, I can honestly say it does not hold me back in comparison to others. The level of training is the factor there. And you will get people with natural ability, who take to it easy. Thats annoying but I don't think its because they don't have asthma

A friend in our club has asthma, I never knew till she mentioned it. She is a damn good swimmer and runner, in spite of having to work with her symptoms and always be wary if her breathing goes bad.

Shoe Lover

woody1 wrote: »

the original post is still probably more negative than i intended it to be, i was having a bit of a rant after nearly being caught in a race by an in-law that did nothing ( literally ) beforehand..and ive got a year and a half behind me ... and he was delighted with himself too...

I hear you on this one - it's very annoying! A girl at work did an 8 week "Learn to run" course and signed up for a 10k run and did it in 58mins! It's taken me a year to get down to 62mins! But everyone is different. Her physique is completely different to mine so that probably played a bigger part than the asthma in the time differences!

robinph

Do I train harder... Nope.
Do I get annoyed with people who train less than me and beat me...Yes, but I'm probably doing the same to a lot of people as well.
Any training insights...Huh?!?

I did get left out of school teams as a kid due to the games teacher not wanting to pick an asthmatic, repeatedly beating those picked for the team in other races soon put a stop to that though. I don't have it quite as bad as when a kid, but it is mostly down to where I happen to be living at the time. Ireland was a very good place to live for my asthma, the UK not so good, and where I grew up I'd be avoiding going anywhere near during the spring/ summer if at all possible as I know the asthma would come back to give me a good kicking.

I was having a but of trouble breathing last night in some speedy training session up and down hills as I'd forgotten to take the inhaler before hand. I knew well enough where I was at in the scale of badness of my asthma so just kept going.

mfdc

I'm asthmatic, and taking up running pretty much made it a non-issue. It doesn't affect me at all anymore (have had the same ventolin inhaler on standby for about 3 years now), so I don't think I have to train any harder than anyone else.

Back in school I had an excuse every week to sit out PE, and any time I actually did run I got less than 30 seconds before collapsing in a wheezing pile. I decided a few years ago I needed to get fit and so started on the couch to 5k, which nearly killed me. Every single run at the start, I had the inhaler along and was suckin' on it within 5 minutes. Kept it going though and gradually it became less and less of an issue, to the point that now I can knock out 300km on the bike or 30km running no problem.

For quality of life, persevering through those first 5 weeks of the couch to 5k is the best thing I've ever done.

Krusty_Clown

mfdc wrote: »

(have had the same ventolin inhaler on standby for about 3 years now), so I don't think I have to train any harder than anyone else.

You should probably check the date.

mfdc

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

You should probably check the date.

07-2009 :eek: Might have to finally fill my prescription! I had no idea they went off...

robinph

mfdc wrote: »

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

You should probably check the date.

07-2009 :eek: Might have to finally fill my prescription! I had no idea they went off...

The propellant probably goes off if nothing else.

Muff Richardson

Hi all,
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I would be interested to hear from any runners who have asthma and how they deal with it. My situation is that I have been asthmatic all my life and require a preventative and Ventolin inhaler from time to time. I have the usual triggers of smoke, dust, pollen, feathers and animal hair. What I am struggling with at the moment is that I can go for a 10-15 mile long run and have great breathing one day and then go for a 3-5 mile run another day and within a half mile be struggling with asthma throughout, I am thinking diet could be a contributing factor and am considering going for a diet specific allergy test if any asthmatics that have this done could they recommend a clinic? I have no medical cover and am a student at the moment so if you could let me know costs or alternatives also it would be great. Maybe I should mention I am fit, eat well and in good shape, this is purely asthma related and not down to being in poor shape in one way or another.
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I know we all have differing triggers but if there is any general advice regarding food that asthmatics should avoid especially the day of running please tell all.
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Thanks,

Muff.

Dermo

I used to be a chronic asthmatic up until I found out about the Buteyko Method: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buteyko_method

Have a read through it, the material is all available online and costs nothing to try out by yourself (just practice breathing through your nose). I have not had a breathing problem since I started doing this, now breathing through my nose comes naturally to me and by coincidence my hayfever hasn't affected me since then.

Bugsy2000

Asthma is the bane of my running life!

I'm running about 2 1/2 years now & for the first 6 months I put down the chest tightness to lack of fitness (although I've never been unfit or overweight in my life). After completing Gaelforce a couple of years ago I could hardly talk I was so wheezy & the next morning my chest was still crackling away. My doc diagnosed exercise induced asthma. I was 30 at the time & had never suffered asthma in my life. Since then my asthma has steadily deteriorated whilst my amount of training has increased. I've gone from just the Ventolin reliever through the full range & strenghts of preventer inhalers & steroid tablets to no avail. I'm having Lung Fuction Tests next Tuesday (Pulmonary Function / Spirometry Testing) so hopefully this will throw some light on the problem. Anyone here ever had these tests done?

In answer to the original questions;
do you feel you train harder to achieve a similar standard?
I seem to have hit a plateau. I can't increase my pace at all. I have mixed up my training to include LSR's, tempo / speed sessions, inetrvals & hill runs but once I try to increase my pace my chest seems to decrease in size and my breathing becomes laboured. And I'm not talking Haile speeds. Small increases have me shagged. I'm no expert or ultra runner but until recently was running 20 plus miles weekly. I keep a spreadsheet of all my completed races and my times for different distances haven't increased in over 2 years.

consequently does seeing people seemingly do much less in comparison to you and achieving the same results or better annoy you?
It used to as I couldn't accept before that the asthma was as big an issue as it was. I regularly finish amongst the back markers in races, (last 2 races suffered bad attacks for the first time ever, had my first big fat DNF) whilst my girlfriend who is only running about 7 weeks is nearly matching me in times. (Never ran in her life beforehand) Now I'm completely ignorant of anyone else around me timewise, small increases in my times are bonuses.

This isn't meant to sound like a big whinge. My doctor has always insisted that stopping exercising is not the answer (I'm fine in everyday life, its just the training where I'm shagged). It's just a matter of finding a way of controlling it. I'm fully aware of the need to warm up properly & warm down but once I try to increase the pace at all thats me done. Football is completely a no go for me now as one good burst / sprint down the wing & I'm back in goals for the rest of the match as I wouldn't be able to breathe. Regardless my aim is to complete a marathon next year. Connemara or Dublin probably.

Anyone else suffer like that when they pick up the pace a bit?

ontheditch2

Have had asthma all my life. On the preventer and reliever every day. I do a bit of recreational exercise (running and cycling) nothing too hectic of either, and a good bit of GAA. I find that the biggest problem for me is the drastic weather changes. For instance, if the weather goes from mild to really cold during the winter, then my asthma really struggles.
My biggest problem is the amount of time i need to recover. In a match, i would be able to sprint, but would be totally drained for about a minute after each one. That is the only time asthma really effects me negatively.
I am going to take some of the advice on here and increase my training load regularly and see if that helps.

Also, try to get outside as much as possible, i work outside most of the year but during my holidays, i spend most of my time inside and my asthma gets worse at these times.