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Media Relations

What to do when allergies, weather, drive runners indoors

Sometimes allergies and inclement weather can drive even the most devoted outdoor runners to the "dreaded" treadmill, indoor track or even the pool.

While training indoors isn't the same as being outdoors, if done right, it can be just as effective, says Andy Fry, fitness expert at Indiana University's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. "I myself suffer from allergies," he said. "When it gets real bad I stay indoors."

Fry offers these indoor workout tips for runners:

• Put the treadmill between 0.5 and 1 percent incline for your base. This helps to simulate air and wind that runners face outdoors.
• Change the elevation up and down frequently. This helps runners who are used to hills because running on a flat treadmill induces a gait that never changes.
• Vary running speeds on the treadmill. This helps decrease the doldrums of treadmill running and helps the runner stay motivated and focused.
• Stay hydrated. Running outdoors allows for air and wind to circulate around your body which helps to keep you cool. Unless there is a fan nearby, you don't have that benefit inside.
• Aqua jogging. This is a good cardiovascular exercise that mimics running form and should be performed for 20 minutes or more.
• Run on an indoor track. It is important to alternate the running direction each day the runner exercises to avoid developing strength imbalances in the hips and legs. Fry said running back-to-back days is best because facilities usually change the direction runners and walkers travel on tracks each day.
• Stairs or elliptical machines. This is also a great way to provide cardiovascular benefits to the body aside from traditional running.

For runners willing to brave the pollen, ragweed, mold and other environmental allergens, Fry offers these tips:

• Check the pollen count in your area. Local and national pollen levels can be checked at the following site: http://www.pollen.com/allergy-weather-forecast.asp. This will help the runner avoid highly allergy-prone areas.
• Frequently wash exercise clothes. The same exercise clothes should not be worn from day to day due to their tendency to accumulate pollen. It is important to shower directly after exercising because research shows that an hour after having contact with pollen is usually when the most severe allergic reactions take place.
• Exercise during the middle of the day. The pollen count is lower during this time of day.
• Run after it rains. The water washes pollen away.
• Practice good breathing. Nasal passages filter pollen out, which is why it is good to maintain the old running tip, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

To read more articles from Campus Recreational Sports in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, visit http://newsinfo.iu.edu/cat/page/normal/354.html.

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