Bay Area Smoke: Train normally, dial back, wait it out?

I'm in the same situation.

Not an expert, but I think the small particles can give you respiratory problems and the big particles might cause cancer and stuff. Unless you're near the fire, the big particles may not be an issue.

Anyhow, I figure coating your lungs with soot probably won't be great for them, so I'm trying not to be outside too much. I bike commute, which was pretty awful this morning. I've been running at night, when the winds are stronger from the west and blow out some of the smoke (the particulate index says it's better too), and I've been mostly sticking to the treadmill, which sucks.

I'm about to leave the office right now and I'm going a bit crazy on the treadmill so I might try to go outside for a couple miles today.

Yeah. Treadmill is a great call.

I’ve been running early in the morning. Air Quality Index graphics look better then than during most of the rest of the day. But, they look even better at night. Especially really late at night...

If running track workouts in the evening have taught me anything, it's that there's a reliable easterly wind right before sunset.

I've been paying a local auto body repair shop to use their paint booth at night, just running laps around the inside of the booth, it's cramped and the turns are awkward but it's fully filtered and temperature controlled, so it's really my only option as I do not believe in treadmills

http://www.polarpaint.com/files/large/c5c8e80f71af5990d1019a65f7319653.jpg

Treadmill + Movie/TV Show on my phone. Not risking it outside, especially since I had childhood asthma.

Although, I'm really hoping the air is good for the weekend long run...

3m mask, or treadmill..or both

Did this for weeks this summer actually wasn't bad.

Don't be a goddamn wussy and go outside. In fact, you should be chain smoking as you run, too.

Run towards the fire and don't stop.

Come race day, you will podium because your competitors were waiting it out while you were out training your lungs to handle rough air quality.

I'm waiting it out - just been doing core indoors since Sunday. I live inland, and things have been pretty fvcking horrible here. Ash raining down from the sky, local schools closed; it's bad.

I've been monitoring the air quality throughout the area and San Francisco at least is getting some relief at night. If I lived in the city I'd probably chance a run, but over here, hell naw.

I’m in the taking time off/core/yoga boat. Hoping this doesn’t keep up much longer.

There’s a pretty good time lapse map here...

https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=317

Also in the Mission, haven't run since Sunday...Other poster, how the f do you run with some sort of mask on? Why?

Mission SF wrote:

I’m in the taking time off/core/yoga boat. Hoping this doesn’t keep up much longer.

Pretty much anything north of Gilroy has cancelled all practice and meets (football is not happening this weekend as well). It's not 👀 my good for races next week either.

I did a 5 miler in the South Bay. It was ok and windy but my throat hurt a bit after. Similar to races I've run in the LA Area. It's a mess. Best to hit the treadmill or go to the beach.

XC coach of my children's team having them run all week thus far inclusive of a LT workout; today the whole team ran indoors (using the cafeteria)

Football and all other real sports teams are observing carefully to assess if any of the harriers develop cancer or even die!

I ran 6 miles this morning because the air where I am was at 50. I sent our high school kids home in the afternoon because it has risen to 180. I'm going tomorrow morning will be low again, but i doubt I will get lucky again. Keep monitoring the nearest measuring station to you and get in a run if you get a good window.

I've been running in it. South bay here, so it's not quite as bad as other areas. It's a little smokey at some points of the day but it's usually gone on the evening. Too bad I run twice a day, ha.

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons...very bad...wait it out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycyclic_aromatic_hydrocarbon#Human_exposure

The smoke will "disappear" but the air will still be dangerous. Very bad air , high cancer rates too many fossil fuel burning cars.

https://www.bestplaces.net/health/city/california/san_francisco

I'm wondering how much better the air is indoors compared to outdoors? Buildings don't have any separate source of air other than what comes in from the outside, so after it's been smoky for a while outdoors, isn't it also smoky indoors?

I live in the central valley, nearly 150 miles from the big fires. Most of this week our air has been OK, in the "good" or "moderate" range (AQI below 100), but for a brief time when the wind blew from the wrong direction it got very smoky and the AQI was up close to 200. The air looked and smelled awful outdoors, but it was also pretty bad indoors. I was just glad I had run in the early morning that day before the smoke moved in, and by the following morning it had mostly cleared out again.

We had a similar situation in Eugene earlier this summer. I was able to run easy if the AQ was @200 or less, but ran once with it over 200 and had a headache all day long as a result. Not worth doing that again. I spent most of the next 4-5 days on a treadmill in the basement of the hospital I work in. Stick to the treadmill as much as you can. I'd only run on a treadmill 4 times in my life prior to that week. It sucked but got through it.

amkelley wrote:

I'm wondering how much better the air is indoors compared to outdoors? Buildings don't have any separate source of air other than what comes in from the outside, so after it's been smoky for a while outdoors, isn't it also smoky indoors?

I live in the central valley, nearly 150 miles from the big fires. Most of this week our air has been OK, in the "good" or "moderate" range (AQI below 100), but for a brief time when the wind blew from the wrong direction it got very smoky and the AQI was up close to 200. The air looked and smelled awful outdoors, but it was also pretty bad indoors. I was just glad I had run in the early morning that day before the smoke moved in, and by the following morning it had mostly cleared out again.