Wheeze, sniff, atichoo…snot rocket. Just when the joy of putting winter running behind you arrives, so does the dreaded feeling of running with allergies that can irritate even the happiest Spring runner.
A running nose, watery eyes and runners itch can make for a terrible run any time, but during allergy season we often have all three at once combined with difficulty breathing while running!
You’ve never had asthma and now suddenly, you’re struggling to find the air, having fatigue and you don’t even know that all the pollen in the air is to blame, not your training.
If you’re doing everything right with training and recovery, but suddenly feeling more fatigue and headaches it might be time to consider allergies.
A number of studies have shown that we can develop or lose allergies roughly every seven years because of the cycle our bodies go through eliminating and growing new cells.
After years of my own running through pollen itchy skin and sneeze fests, I’ve learned a few tricks for running with allergies.
Running with Allergies Key Strategies
First let’s cover a few of the most common questions:
Is There a Best Time to Run with Allergies?
While in some cases it depends on what’s causing your symptoms for the most part the answer is no. Pollen count is thought to be highest early in the morning, while poor air quality is highest in the afternoon.
Avoiding those peak times could lessen your symptoms, but often not by much.
The exception would be rain! It’s your best friend.
Running right after or even during a rain shower means cleaner air!
The dust, pollen and ragweed. is knocked down and can make for easier breathing. It could also help to find out what time of day your allergen is highest and if possible adjust your runs.
Does Running Make Allergies Worse?
No. But because you’ve warmed up your skin or exposed yourself for a longer time to the allergen, your symptoms might become more noticeable.
I.e. my skin starts itching while running during a long spring training run where I haven’t taken an allergy meds. Because I’ve increased blood flow, my skin is warm and interacting with the allergen.
The one exception is if you have exercise induced asthma, which is not an allergy, but we often confuse it with one.
The difference is you’ll have it year round and to far more intense level that most runners notice issues with breathing from allergens. Then I’d recommend checking in with your doctor for an inhaler as well.
Is There a Good Running with Allergies Mask?
Instead of a mask, I recommend grabbing a Buff. I like this brand because you can find light ones for summer or heavier ones for cool spring mornings, super easy to wash and use again!
Then you can pull it up or down as needed, but yes if you have severe allergies to pollen, ragweed or trees then this can provide another filter before things enter your nose and lungs where it will cause irritation.
10 Tips for Running with Allergies
Allergies can be annoying as snot slides down your face on the run, but we don’t want them to keep you from running. So here are some ideas you’ve probably thought of and a number that might be new to you!
100% I’ve tried a lot of things over the years to ensure I feel better on the run. It’s no fun to end up with a headache or itching.
1. Use medicine correctly
The obvious first solution if you’re having a lot of symptoms is to try an over the counter solution like Allegra or Claritin. However, as I can attest, this alone may not be enough to make your runs great during the high pollen season. What it will do is mitigate symptoms, meaning less sneezing, snot rockets, coughing, itching and headaches while you run.
**NOTE: After trial and error, I’ve found it’s best to take medicine AFTER your run. Experience and studies I’ve found show it can hinder breathing during the workout.
Additionally, you don’t want to use a nasal spray to open your passages and allow in more of the allergens before a run.
2. Try Foods To Help
A long time home remedy for helping with a sore throat, a teaspoon of LOCAL honey is also great for curbing allergy symptoms.
Consider it your pre-run fuel by combining it with your PB and bread before heading out the door.
The theory is that because bees jump from one flower to the next end up covered in pollen spores, which are then transferred to their honey, it acts like a natural vaccine.
This may not be true, but honey is anti-bacterial which can cut down on sniffles and make it easier to breathe while running.
NO HONEY? If you’re not a honey fan or it’s not local, consider taking an oregano oil pill, it’s easy and also anti-bacterial. I was turned on to this for when I travel by a functional medicine dr and works like a charm.
Another potential option is eating more anti-inflammatory foods. There’s some evidence this can also help.
3. Extend Your Dynamic Warm Up
Give the lungs time to open up through first your dynamic warm up. You might throw some slightly higher intensity movements like jumping rope in to the warm up as well. Then adjust by stopping after the first 1/2-1 mile of running to walk or stretch for a few minutes, then you should be able to continue the run much more comfortably.
This one seems strange, but I’ve tested it out myself and with other runners.
After doing a normal warm up and then beginning their run if they’re having trouble catching their breath, they stop after a half mile or so and walk for a few minutes. Usually when they restart everything feels better.
This is a big tip that seems to help those running with asthma.
4. Stop Bringing Allergens Back In the House
If you have neighbors, you might wait til you hit the bathroom 
. Otherwise, start making a habit of removing shoes and stripping off layers immediately when coming in from a run.
It’s easy to spread allergens throughout the house via shoes or clothing as you sit on any surface.
This seems silly, but is constantly recommended by allergists. And it makes sense! We want to limit our exposure so we aren’t just feeling that aggravated sniffle all day.
In line with this is wearing a hat, so you don’t need to wash your hair constantly.
Not only does a hat keep particles out of your eyes, but also from catching in your hair. Hair gels and sprays act like a magnet holding on to pollen from the air, which means even after you return inside the allergens are with you.
It honestly doesn’t matter what kind of hat you wear, though I’m partial to a dri-fit hat like this one that I can toss in the washer to get off the ragweed as well vs some of the trucker hats that I worry about a bit more.
Lotion is a hit or miss option.
It puts the lotion in the basket… sorry that’s really all I can think of every single time I hear that word. And if you don’t know the movie reference, I’m sorry.
For some a light layer of lotion creates a barrier that feels good, but for others it just causes all the debris in the air to cling to the skin. As warm sweaty skin mixes with allergens we come back to that runners itch mentioned above.
So play with this option and don’t use it as an excuse to stop the sunscreen, instead following the next tip.
5. Shower Before Bed (Or immediately after workout)
Be sure to shower before changing in to fresh clothes post run or before laying down at night (especially if you’ve been back outside since your run).
The goal is both to clear off your skin and to ensure you don’t transfer any allergens to your pillow, which will result in waking up more dog tired than bright eyed and bushy tailed.
Pillows from Gone for a Run
6. Use Sunglasses To Keep Particles Out of Eyes (and eye drops)
I’ve harped on wearing athletic sunglasses for UV protection and to keep your face relaxed (result less energy expended), but during allergy season they have the added benefit of keeping all the flying debris in the air out of your eyes.
You can wear any old pair that you like, but here are my best sunglasses for runners because of the way that they not only fit, but treat your eyes. They are more expensive because they don’t distort your vision which happens with most sunglasses and results in headaches.
For consistently itchy eyes, use eye drops before you head out and as soon as you get home to keep them washed out and moisturized. Most of the time if you are taking an over the counter allergy medicine, you don’t need anything extra in your eye drops. Just the basic brand will do.
The summer I worked in Atlanta, we thought I had pink eye for over a month! One little normal eye drop and everything cleared up revealing that my only real issue was the magnolia trees!
7. Embrace the Essential Oils Trend
I know these might seem like a total fad, but I think there’s something to it, hence my recent purchase of a diffuser that I can turn on while I work post run and increased stock of a variety of oils.
According to studies the most beneficial are:
- lavender
- peppermint
- eucalyptus
- chamomile
- lemon
You could dab some on your wrist or just below your nose before running for a heavy effect or use the diffuser throughout the day to consistently open up your airways. Most are also good for just boosting total immunity and worst case your home just smells a little nicer.
(Here are 5 essential oils that are great for athletes.)
8. Consider Chiropractic Care
This one might surprise some folks, but I’ve definitely seen it work for myself and others! In fact, I wrote an entire post to help you understand how to find a sports chiropractor and why.
Here’s a little science to say why
“The strength of both the immune and respiratory systems depends largely on proper communication between the brain and spinal cord to control and coordinate their functions properly….adjustments may also help regulate the rush of histamine and amount of cortisol produced during high allergy season.”
In other words, when you’re out of alignment, which happens due to the pounding of running and our sitting culture, your body has to work harder to keep your immune system working.
9. Adjust Your Breathing Patterns on the Run
Are you a mouth breather when you run?
Allergy season is your chance to get better at breathing while running!
In through the nose, out through the mouth is optimal because it allows the nose to filter the air. Read the link above for more tips on optimizing your breathing year round.
10. Consider Some Indoor Miles
If all else fails, it’s time to embrace the technology age and jump on the treadmill! You’re still going to get in a fantastic workout and if you happen to finish without feeling completely gutted from not being able to breathe, then it’s a major win!!
Here are my top tips for surviving long runs on the treadmill.
While you could opt for a running mask while dealing with allergies, I’ve heard many people say it just left them feeling a little claustrophobic or they felt too silly. So do what works for you!
Also remember that a headache after running could be allergies or a few other common causes!
How Do I Know What My Allergies Are?
While you could get an in depth test done at your Dr’s office, honestly they don’t all love to do them and you can do it at home now with Everlywell.
I’ve used their blood tests for hormone tracking and feel they’re pretty darn good and quick. Helped me to know that ragweed is the thing which really triggers me and I can then plan ahead for spring. 
This uses finger pricks you take to test for 40 indoor and outdoor allergies. Turns out this helped me realize I needed to get ahead of my allergy medication when ragweed starts to increase so that I don’t get headaches!
Click here for an Everlywell Discount of 15% and do this at home, ASAP.
Now onward with the tips!
Hopefully this gave you some ways to deal with seasonal running allergies and keep on getting in those miles!
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Post may contain affiliate links, but is not sponsored. All opinions are my own.
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