Seasonal Allergies and Running
Ahh East Tennessee. The mountains. The rivers. The temperate climate. The pollen.
Yes. The pollen.
Flowering Dogwood on the Greenway
According to the Chattanooga Allergy Clinic, on a scale of 100 (with 100 being the worst) our area received a spring pollen score of 83.91 and a fall pollen score of 86.18.
Yikes.
And for those of us who love running outside, that pollen count can really be a downer during (and after!) those warm springtime runs. Especially during the age of COVID, no one wants to experience the side effects of seasonal allergies (“it’s just allergies, I promise!”) triggered by our sky-high pollen count.
So what is a runner to do?
While switching up your running habits won’t fix the pollen problem, there are some things that runners can do to help combat the worst of seasonal allergies.
Run later in the day.
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, pollen counts are usually worse in the morning (especially between the hours of 5am to 10am). The advice here is simple. If your schedule allows, a later afternoon or evening run is a better idea for those who experience seasonal allergies.
Pay attention to the weather and the pollen count.
It is probably no surprise that rain will wash away a lot of pollen, whereas wind will stir up pollen in the air. If you have aggravating seasonal allergies, it actually might be a great idea to go on a run during or after a nice rainstorm. There are also plenty of resources for checking on the pollen count on any given day. Chattanooga Allergy Clinic keeps a 14 day record of the area’s pollen and mold count and pollen.com has a national pollen count map that also has detailed local pollen count information; the Weather Channel app will even give you an allergy forecast.
Be strategic about taking over the counter allergy medicines.
Sure, it’s a no brainer to take allergy medicine when symptoms flare up but it is also a good idea to plan ahead with allergy medicine since some medications take some time to get into your system. Especially if you have a long run or a race coming up, it can be a good idea to plan ahead and start taking your medicine a bit in advance. At the same time, noting which medicines will cause drowsiness (I’m looking at you, Benadryl!) is also worth considering before heading out on your daily run.
Shower and change clothes as soon as you finish your run.
Showering right after a run is a helpful strategy to wash pollen off of your body and keep exposure as minimal as possible. In the same way, changing clothes after a run (hopefully, you’re not putting on those same clothes after your shower!) will help reduce exposure.
Get tested for allergies to identify which days will be worse for you.
If you notice that your allergies are really starting to become a problem, it could be a good idea to find out what some of the culprits are. This is because different allergens peak at different times and seasons. An allergy clinic can also help give you more direction on how to combat debilitating allergies.
Run inside.
This is the saddest of all the options, especially when the sun is shining, but if your seasonal allergies are getting out if hand, there’s always the handy dandy treadmill ready to take on a run no matter the time of day.