Running with Allergies or Medication Side Effects?

I have been forced to stop running.

 

 

Not forever. But it sure feels like it.
 

It’s been happening for a few weeks now.
 

Every time I go for a run, I either have to stop in the middle of it because my allergies make my nose super sensitive, or I get home and can’t breathe for the next few days.
 

This usually happens to me in the spring.
The trees and grasses and flowers are letting their pollen loose and it’s making my nose run…like usual.

 

 

Except this time, it’s not so usual. This time, it’s much worse. This time, it lasts for days!
I only ran 2.5 miles on Friday night for a Relay for Life event (my goal was 10 miles) when my nose went crazy! I literally couldn’t breathe through my nose without it burning. It was super sensitive! And it still is!! I literally breathed through my mouth all weekend giving me the worst dry mouth feeling.

 

 

I am afraid to go for a run. I am itching to go, but I am terrified of the repercussions. I can’t smell anything. And without smell, my taste is affected. I have been having trouble eating because everything tastes funky. These allergies are putting my in a weird state of mind and I have trouble doing everything because of it! Teaching, especially.
 

Something is telling me to stop running. I swear. First, it was the ridiculous cold sores after any long run over 15 miles (which still happens; I’m still looking for a cure), and now this! What’s next? Actually, I don’t want to know, it will probably make me feel worse. :/

 

UPDATE:

Okay, I wrote this on Monday thinking it was allergies. But it’s NOT.
 

I figured out it’s the new medication I was taking. Of course, I stopped taking it (starting this morning, I only just came to this conclusion when I woke up).


But it makes sense. I have had the worst dry mouth for the past few weeks. And recently, when I tried running, I got this horrible feeling in my nose. As if it wasn’t already hard enough to run with a dry mouth. Every time I took a breath in, I felt like my nose was on fire. I would end my run super early (2 miles in) and start this fit of uncontrollable, endless sneezing. It was AWFUL! I think this medication is drying up my mucus membranes or something...something that's not beneficial for an endurance, trail runner. We need all the water/moisture we can get! Especially since I live in the desert...

I am planning on going for a solo run in the cool pines on Mt. Lemmon this weekend. I’m hoping that the medication will leave my system by then. *crossing my fingers*

Has anyone else had this problem before?
Allergies OR medication side effects? How did it affect your running?

My Usual Route

Thankfully, most of my runs don't take place on sidewalks on the side of the road. 

I am lucky enough to live next to a beautiful running path that runs alongside a wash (or a river during monsoons). This path goes for miles. I've done a 16 mile training run on it alone. The city is trying to connect it with other paths so it will be like a bike super-highway. :)

Some parts of it even have a nice, flat dirt trail along it. 

     

          

During the spring, the palo verdes start to blossom. It is such a beautiful sight!

A blossoming Palo Verde tree. 

 Sometimes, I get lucky and see some cool wildlife along the path.

On a few of my night runs, I've seen a barn owl just hanging out on the railing. It was huge! 

I've also seen coyotes, hawks, snakes, and prairie dogs. 

One night, I may have seen a bobcat prowling the wash, but I'm not too sure...

On this run, I only saw a few prairie dogs. But aren't they cute?

Watch out!
There are a bunch of these holes along the path.
They can either be prairie dog holes or snake holes.
Or they can just trip you. 

Sometimes the snakes are hiding in bushes like these.
I've seen a few slither away.
Also, when the wind blows certain plants, they sound like rattlesnakes.
That will definitely make you jump on the trail! 

Sometimes, I like to shake it up and take a different direction. There are so many different paths to take, I never get bored. I love my route! :)

New Blog

Hey all, 

I'm trying out a new blog for awhile. I have a feeling like I may stick with it (changing interests) but you never know. Don't worry, running is still a HUGE part of my blogging. I just want to focus more on the outdoors (like trail running, camping, summer camp, etc). 

Come follow my new adventures!

@ Running 'Round the Campfire

:)

Happy Running!

Official RNRAZ Photos!

These are way overdue! 

I ran RNRAZ back in January and I never found a chance to post them until now!

I loved running in my new green Sparkle Skirt! :)

Isn't it cute?

                              

                              

                               

                               

     

I had a blast running my first marathon! 

My overall time was 5:13.

I was shooting for 5 hours and I was trying so hard to stay in front of the 5 hour pace group (you can see me in front of them in the 2nd photo. They are holding the balloons.)

I lost them around mile 14. I was so defeated! 

I would love to run this race again just to beat my time (and beat the 5 hour pace group!!!). 

But the course is nothing spectacular. 

Very flat. No scenic views. And it got a little hot near the end (they used hoses to spray us down at mile 23). 

At least it's not freezing! ;) That's a plus!

Sorry this wasn't the most extensive recap. Sometimes I just run and and don't think to take photos. Glad they got a lot of photos of me. It helps if you are wearing a skirt. ;)

Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon Training Schedule

This is the training plan I used for RNRAZ this last January.

Please note that it is a beginner training plan; it's for those who are new to the marathon (which I was). 

I made Sundays my long run days so that I could run with TTR, so Mondays ended up being my rest day. 

Always try to make a training plan fit your schedule. If a plan doesn't work with your schedule, then change it. Otherwise, you won't stick to it. 

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Rest	3 mi	CT	3 mi	Rest	3 mi	4 mi
2	Rest	3 mi	Rest	3 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	5 mi
3	Rest	3 mi	CT	4 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	6 mi
4	Rest	3 mi	Rest	4 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	4 mi
5	Rest	4 mi	CT	4 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	6 mi
6	Rest	4 mi	CT	4 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	8 mi
7	Rest	4 mi	CT	4 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	10 mi
8	Rest	4 mi	CT	4 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	8 mi
9	Rest	4 mi	CT	4 mi	CT	Rest	12 mi
10	Rest	4 mi	Rest	4 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	10 mi
11	Rest	4 mi	CT	4 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	14 mi
12	Rest	5 mi	CT	5 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	10 mi
13	Rest	4 mi	CT	5 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	16 mi
14	Rest	4 mi	CT	5 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	12 mi
15	Rest	4 mi	CT	5 mi	CT or Rest	Rest	18 mi
16	Rest	5 mi	Rest	6 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	12 mi
17	Rest	4 mi	CT	6 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	20 mi
18	Rest	4 mi	CT	4 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	12 mi
19	Rest	3 mi	20 minutes	3 mi	CT or Rest	3 mi	8 mi
20	Rest	2 mi	20 minutes	Rest	20 minutes	Rest	Race Day!

CT stands for Cross Training. On these days, I tried different activities like swimming, biking, weights, hiking, ultimate frisbee, etc. Try to switch it up a bit. Make it fun. :)

Training Tip: Once you pick your final training schedule, write it down in your planner (if you have one) or calendar. Write every single workout down! That way, you'll see it daily and be more likely to do it. 

My Top 10 Tips to Get Motivated to Run Again

I have been struggling with starting to run again. Ever since I ran my first marathon in January and got sick (I also got sick after past long runs as well), I had to take a hiatus from running. I was becoming frustrated from missing work and missing races I'd had been waiting years to run. 

Honestly, I gave up. I kept telling myself that one day running will magically come back to me. 

Thankfully, I knew that was a big fat lie. 

I am realizing now that I need to get back to it. 

It keeps me fit, alert and most importantly, it keeps me happy. :)

So, I have been researching some ways to get motivated again. 

I found my top ten based on what has helped me in the past and what is helping me today. 

1. Find a new trail. This one doesn't only apply to trail runners. If you usually run on paved roads and need some motivation, try trail running. For us trail runners, go check out a map of your area and see what you'd like to try out. Or go run that trail that you've been dying to run. There's this one run that I have had my eye on for awhile now. It's a trail that starts in Sabino Canyon and makes its way up to the top of Mt. Bigelow (about a 20 mile run! about 40 if it's round trip). It's on the schedule for TTR (the Tucson Trail Runners) in April so I know I need to train for it.
2. Read a book about running. My most recent running reads were Ultramarathon Man and Born To Run (absolute favorite). I only had to read a few paragraphs and I was ready to go. Reading about someone else's adventures makes you want to have your own. You can even read blogs! Those are awesome motivators. Find a local runners blog, those always motivate me the most especially when I know the trails and races they run. It helps me make a connection. And it's always cool if you run into them!
                                                  
   
3. Start a blog. That's what got me started in the first place back in 2010. I was browsing some blogs and I came across this woman's blog from California. She wrote about running and I thought that was really strange. But then I started to really get into it. She seemed like she was having a lot of fun! I started my blog the very same day, even before I got a run in. I wrote on Heat Runner for a few years until I realized my interests changed. I have evolved from a 5k road runner who wanted to be fast into a trail runner, wannabe ultramarathon runner who wants to go farther. :) But I still blog.
4. Get a new playlist. Sometimes, it may be boredom that's stopping you. When I lived elsewhere in Tucson (near the University of Arizona) and I had no easy access to trails or interesting roads, I would refuse to go outside and run when I got home. It was too boring! The only thing that would push me out the door would be my music. I would buy new music every so often and it really pumped up my runs. Lately, I've been running with my phone which has Pandora Radio on it. I love the fact that I don't know what song will come on next. Keeps me guessing. However, it doesn't really work on the trails (no signal) so I have to revert back to my ancient iPod. I have a feeling I will need to update soon.
5. Sign up for a race. If you have a race looming in your future, you will be more likely to train for it. But make sure it's a big race. I have missed a few 5k's that I've signed up for. They obviously were not important enough to me. Now a marathon...that is something I would NOT miss.
6. Try a new workout. You can try a fartlek (Swedish for "speed play") workout or a cross fit workout. I get a WOD (Workout of the Day) email in my inbox every day. I may not do all of them, but it's nice to have a back-up plan for those days that you need to shake it up.
7. Join a running group. Or even a running buddy. I usually like to run alone for various reasons. Sometimes, I need time to think and sometimes, it's because I want to run slow and I don't like slowing others down. But once in awhile, it's nice to run with others. Even if you're not running next to them. TTR is focused on trail running and ultras. I joined the group to meet other runners and motivate myself to run some new trails. It worked! I found some new friends who don't think I'm crazy when I want to run a marathon. I found some new favorite trails that I would never have run had it not been for this group. I have their entire schedule in my planner. There's a run coming up this Sunday in the Rincon Mountains that I'm hoping to attend.
            You can even try to encourage a friend to start running. Hopefully, it's not like pulling teeth, because that's no fun. Start out slow with them and get them interested in some races. That's what Warrior Dash and those color runs are for.
8. Run with your dog. My German Shepard/Chow-chow mix LOVES to run. My time is always faster when I have to keep up with her. And when we run on trails, I let her off her leash so she can run free. She reminds me that running is so natural and we should do it often.
   
9.  Try cross training. Swimming, hiking, biking...snowshoeing. Anything else that's exercise that isn't running. It makes me feel like a well rounded athlete and it makes me feel a little guilty for not running instead. :)
                                
10. Walk more. You don't need to run the whole time. Don't be pressured to think that you have to. Enjoy the scenery. Stretch out your sore muscles. Take time to refuel. 

I hope these gave you some motivation!
They definitely got me motivated! I think I'll go for a run. :)

Trail Running: It's About the Experience

It is not about your time.

I run to have an adventure.

That's the main reason I got into trail running.

I know I'm not fast.

But that doesn't mean I'm giving up.

And I'm not just dismissing myself from ever running fast just because I don't run a 7 minute mile.

Sometimes I don't like running.

We've all been there.

If you know an avid runner that told you they love running and they always have...

They.

are.

lying.  

We have all had those moments in our life when we hate the idea of running.

I get tired.

And I'm also a wee bit lazy. :/
And I don't like the dreadmill.

And I will do some road running from time to time (usually the only option, like when I'm traveling).

So,

I am limited to the trails.

Which is just fine by me. :D

No complaint here.

I love the trails.

They give me the chance to let go and be outside.  

It's kind of like meditation for me.

I can think if I want. Sometimes it helps me clear my head.

But I can also let go. And think about absolutely. nothing.  

How blissful. :) :) :)

Here is a taste of some of the beauty I've experienced while running:

For me, trail running is such an amazing adventure.

If you ever want to try it out,

I have a few requests:

Be respectful to nature and the trail itself.

Take your trash with you.  

Forget about your time.

Enjoy the views.

:)

 HAPPY TRAIL RUNNING! 

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.” ~ Edward Abbey