Just a little personal venting here

I go through this problem every season.... asthma during race season. For the past few years, I've had to deal w/ asthma and allergies either at the beginning of the race season or in the middle of the season. It usually puts me back about 4-6 weeks.

Last year I put in a good amount of base miles in the off season, started my intervals, won a race and placed top 5 in a hand full of others. Then within a weeks time, going into the month of May, I started riding like cr*p. My chest got tight, my legs had a piercing burn, and was feeling fatigued within 1hr of my normal 4hr loop. During the weekend club rides I was getting dropped quickly by the group in which I would normally be leading up the climbs.

I told myself last season that I would try and peak early in 2008 and take mid-spring off w/ the expectation that my asthma/allergies would kick in during the month of May. Well my problems came earlier than expected this season w/ my breathing problems and fatigue starting at the end of Feb.. It seems like the pollen popped up earlier this year. My training schedule has been put on hold due to the fact that I can’t go med/hard tempo w/o blowing up. I can only do easy/medium. Instead of starting my intervals, I’m going to have to extend my base mile training. So now it looks like I’ll have to play “catch-up” w/ all my teammates in the summer months.

From friends I get the usual, “maybe you’re over-trained”, “you’re tired”, or “you’ll be flying tomorrow”. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. I have a peak-flow meter that I got from the allergist a couple of years ago, and my normal peak flow #’s are in the high 800’s, but now they are in the low 600’s.

Now I have to try and wait it out for hopefully only a few more weeks, and hope all the inhalers and pills they have me on take some effect.

I’m curious to know if anyone else has to deal w/ asthma and allergies during the race season, and does it effect them this bad? And what do you take to help you get through the spring?