Breathing troubles

phillipm said:

I'm hoping there are some experts out there who might shed some light on this.

My issue is that no matter how well I warm up, if in a race there is an early intense effort (HR=90-95%) I have serious breathing problems - to the point of panic. After I've had a brief recovery, I can (almost) happily compete at that intensity for the remainder or the race.

I try to build this level of intensity into pre-race warmup which has had some benefit but I don't notice any other riders suffering from this.

Any ideas if this is 'normal' or if it can be 'trained out' much appreciated

Some background which I suspect holds the some answers:

Age 44
Weight 66Kg Height 170cm
Pack-a-day smoker for 20 years (now clean for 3 years - me thinks this is a strong contributor)
2nd year competition
Training 6 days/week varied intensities

For sure smoking didn't help but is there a chance you might have undiagnosed asthma?

jhuskey said:

For sure smoking didn't help but is there a chance you might have undiagnosed asthma?

Thanks, I had thought of this. A friend discovered that asthma was causing his short breath but his symptoms were different, short of breath and fatigued for the whole race where I experience it only in the first few minutes (assuming the pace slows for sufficient recovery), after that I'm OK. This is what makes me question the situation.

phillipm said:

Thanks, I had thought of this. A friend discovered that asthma was causing his short breath but his symptoms were different, short of breath and fatigued for the whole race where I experience it only in the first few minutes (assuming the pace slows for sufficient recovery), after that I'm OK. This is what makes me question the situation.

I don't have asthma but my wife does, she uses an inhaler which helps. It takes her 10 miles before she really gets warmed up and breaths easier.
Of course when the air is cold and dry it is worse.
I have a friend who has a bike shop and has the same problem.
He commented that it takes him a few miles and then he is ok.
An inhaler opens up the lungs.
You may want to explore using an inhaler before you ride just to see if it helps.

jhuskey said:

I don't have asthma but my wife does, she uses an inhaler which helps. It takes her 10 miles before she really gets warmed up and breaths easier.
Of course when the air is cold and dry it is worse.
I have a friend who has a bike shop and has the same problem.
He commented that it takes him a few miles and then he is ok.
An inhaler opens up the lungs.
You may want to explore using an inhaler before you ride just to see if it helps.

Thanks again, definately worth a try.

phillipm said:

Thanks again, definately worth a try.

First of all, way to give up the cancer stick! Cycling will do wonders for your long term recovery.
As an asthmatic myself, I can tell you that there is not much to "explore", at least on your own. The over-the-counter meds are not the direction you want to take. I highly recommend going to an asthma specialist (preferably with a sports medicine background), as it does sound like this is the "source" of your trouble (no doubt that smoking is the true, long term source, but your symptoms now are like that of an asthmatic). Prescription meds are the only way to go, assuming they are necessary, but there is a range of options; fast acting inhalers, steroid inhalers, daily pills, etc.
As was mentioned, dry and cold conditions bring on an asthmatic response in some; a long, slow warm up and warm clothing around the neck and chest is the best way to combat this w/o meds. Should you have an asthmatic response under such conditions, open the collar of your clothing and breath the air coming from your chest/inside your clothing. The warm, humid air will counteract the environmental conditions.

jhuskey said:

I don't have asthma but my wife does, she uses an inhaler which helps. It takes her 10 miles before she really gets warmed up and breaths easier.
Of course when the air is cold and dry it is worse.
I have a friend who has a bike shop and has the same problem.
He commented that it takes him a few miles and then he is ok.
An inhaler opens up the lungs.
You may want to explore using an inhaler before you ride just to see if it helps.

Sounds all too familiar. It's 46 degrees outside right now and yet I will opt for an indoor session on the trainer. It seems that only during the hot humid summer time am I able to breathe well. Florida is sounding better and better every year.

Smartt/RST said:

First of all, way to give up the cancer stick! Cycling will do wonders for your long term recovery.
As an asthmatic myself, I can tell you that there is not much to "explore", at least on your own. The over-the-counter meds are not the direction you want to take. I highly recommend going to an asthma specialist (preferably with a sports medicine background), as it does sound like this is the "source" of your trouble (no doubt that smoking is the true, long term source, but your symptoms now are like that of an asthmatic). Prescription meds are the only way to go, assuming they are necessary, but there is a range of options; fast acting inhalers, steroid inhalers, daily pills, etc.
As was mentioned, dry and cold conditions bring on an asthmatic response in some; a long, slow warm up and warm clothing around the neck and chest is the best way to combat this w/o meds. Should you have an asthmatic response under such conditions, open the collar of your clothing and breath the air coming from your chest/inside your clothing. The warm, humid air will counteract the environmental conditions.

Thanks for the response Ric, I've been reading your posts with interest and have helped a lot, particularly those on strength and the recent arguments on periodisation.

As far as breathing issues go, I saw my doctor after the previous suggestions and had a check-up. There isn't an asthma issue and no sign of emphasema from smoking (although I still think some lung damage has been done).

So that brings me back to training and pre-race warmup technique. As I said, if I include some sprints or high-intensity efforts into the warm-up, I can better handle the early intensity of a race. I'll experiment with this more and see what the outcome is. Also, tonight I'll be taking your advise and including interval sessions into my training. Maybe that's what I need, what do you think?

Cheers

Doctor Morbius said:

Sounds all too familiar. It's 46 degrees outside right now and yet I will opt for an indoor session on the trainer. It seems that only during the hot humid summer time am I able to breathe well. Florida is sounding better and better every year.

Ditto that, I must admit to being a [censored] in the colder months, although Melbourne winters are nothing compared to some. I'm sure I could do with more base preparation over the winter.

You should try cycling in Estonia. The air is so cold the hairs on your nose turn into icycles every time you breathe. The cold even burns the exposed face.

phillipm said:

Ditto that, I must admit to being a [censored] in the colder months, although Melbourne winters are nothing compared to some. I'm sure I could do with more base preparation over the winter.

phillipm said:

Thanks for the response Ric, I've been reading your posts with interest and have helped a lot, particularly those on strength and the recent arguments on periodisation.

Just to clarify, and to stop Michael from getting upset :eek: 😉 it was Michael Smartt, one of my Associate Coaches who posted the reply.

glad to have helped with the other stuff though

cheers
ric

Hi, I have also given up the cancer sticks for over a year, I was more a social smoker (2-3 packs a week for 5 years). I don't have any great difficulty in breathing only when my heart rate gets above 85% and when it remains there for 5 mins or more. I was wondering will my lungs recover and how permanent is the damage for me. I am 29yr ride about 250-300k's per week have been riding on and off for years but in the last year have been training hard and wish to start some club racing next year.

Dan

ric_stern/RST said:

Just to clarify, and to stop Michael from getting upset :eek: 😉 it was Michael Smartt, one of my Associate Coaches who posted the reply.

glad to have helped with the other stuff though

cheers
ric

Opps, sorry.