I had similar trouble when I was in HS and college decades ago. I just had to suck it up - but that didn't help. All of my PRs were indoors as well. Some people also suffer from severe depression/fatigue during allergy season, especially during, but not limited to ragweed season. With all of the stuff that Rupp has done with Salazar, I am sure that he has developed a thick skin and stronger personality.
allergy/asthma problems wrote:
If you don't have allergy/exercise induced asthma issues, it is easy to dismiss just how much this problem affects performance. Even when I take all my medications - Advair, Albuterol inhaler, Singulair, nasal spray, and eye drops, my performance still suffers. However, before I began taking medication, I experienced some scary races where I could not get the air out of my lungs. I would literally start suffocating. Once I was allergy tested - allergic to just about everything outdoors-and placed on medicine, it helped. While my I don't every pr during allergy season, at least I don't feel like I'm suffocating.
For the poster who mentioned Allegra, be careful with that medication. I was placed on Allegra for a while and when I ran it caused an sharp increase in my heart rate.
It is important to have a coach who understands that allergy/exercise induced asthma aren't just frustrating to the athlete, but can be dangerous. A couple times a year, both in the fall and spring/into early summer, my running times suffer. Not surprisingly, my best times have come during indoor track.
Battling allergy/exercise induced asthma is incredibly frustrating. It doesn't matter how disciplined I am, how hard I train, etc. It only takes high pollen/grass/ragweed/mold levels to derail all the hard work.
I feel for Rupp. IThough I'm sure he still wanted to race, it was a wise decision to withdraw, because it takes quite a while to fully recover from an attack.