I do have asthma and I’m fine in dry heat but once it gets below about 10 Celcius, it doesn’t matter what the humidity is it’s bound to set off my damn lungs. Stupid monkey.

About the cold – I have problems with it, too. Seriously. You North Americans may laugh, since I’m talking maybe 25-40 in your degrees, but once it gets down there, just breathing hard hurts. It feels like my lungs are freezing. I have to give up cycling for winter. And I’m not sure I buy the dryness thing, because I am just fine in dry heat. I don’t have asthma, though.

Those doctors so sounded like they were spouting theories rather than speaking from any kind of first hand experience. Hate that shit. Like the “experts” who tell me that I should never play tennis again because they claim it’s too “unbalanced” of an activity (it favors one side of the body more prominently than the other). Well, so does writing with pen and paper and wiping my ass and a lot of other things, but I fucking love tennis, and I’m gonna play! Of course, they don’t play tennis, but they just know it’s bad.

Grrrrr.

I totally thought the same thing. Like, that’s just swell that it’s actually the dryness making it harder for me to breathe, and that I’d have just as much trouble in Phoenix or something, but the fact remains… CAN’T BREATHE. Knowing it’s dryness rather than cold doesn’t actually put the moisture back into the air and make it easier. Around here, only warmer weather does that.

But he agreed to let me teach him swing dance, as soon as I brush up on my long-forgotten steps. (We went to one of those huge “beginner classes” once, and he got completely confused by the instructor, so he wants me to teach him one on one, and then he’ll go dancing with me.)

And for me to go running in -20 degree cold, firearms would have to be involved. No thank you.

Also, the thing about the asthma not being induced by the cold but by the dryness was interesting, but not really useful. In practice it correlates really highly. What would have been useful would have been to suggest using a preventive inhaler on cold/dry days before exercising. Works like a charm.

In spring, however? I’d love to try the Lunt and Sheridan to Wilmette walk.

My brother sent me that article today. The same one that sent me the thermal gear. ;)

I’ll keep you in mind for weekend hikes come spring. It’s a great view.

“You should feel cool before you start exercising,” Dr. Castellani said. “You should not feel comfortable.”
That means, Dr. Noakes said, that even in temperatures as low as 10 to minus-20 degrees, a runner probably needs to wear no more than a track suit, mittens or gloves and a hat.

Uhhhhhh …. huh? I realize that most people are smart enough not to go out in the cold and run around under dressed because they read an article in the NYTimes, and I know the doctors are talking about not getting too sweaty and wet in the freezing cold so as to avoid hypothermia, but … wow. In -20 degree weather, I would typically wear four layers on top (t-shirt, turtleneck, sweatshirt and gortex coat) and three on the bottom (leggings, shorts and sweats) along with two pairs of socks, earmuffs, a scarf, a hat .. etc. Not trying to derail the thread, but if anyone here is getting inspired to try new activities, please trust your inner voice about what’s “comfortable” for you no matter what “experts” might say. Sheesh!