Cedar Fever

Well, I found out last week that I am really, really allergic to cedar. Who knew? I have had asthma since I was 20 or 21 and have been dealing with it a little this winter. In January, I did a 10 mile race and while it wasn't the greatest race (or the smartest) I have ever run it seemed like my lungs weren't awful and I was hoping that going down to Texas for a race would help since it is warmer, there is more oxygen and the course is fast. Unfortunately the weather and the cedar had other ideas. I woke up the morning of my race with congestion in my lungs and a really swollen face...not good! I went ahead and ignored it and hoped for the best but things didn't work out quite that way! I was really, really conservative the first couple of miles just in case my body wasn't quite ready for the race but when things went ok I picked it up and dropped in a few quicker miles but by the time I hit the 6.5 mile mark I was really struggling to breath. I got dizzy, started having an asthma attack and had to sit on the curb for about 7 minutes while I was trying breath. It worked but my body was wrecked after that. So, I made it into a workout by doing some fartleks and then jogging the last few miles. At the time I wasn't sure what to attribute the breathing trouble to until after the race and heard about all of the "cedar fever"... My asthma has always been allergy-induced so this was definitely the reason, but it was still an upsetting finish to say the least. I am hoping my next race will be better! We'll see.