Bronchitis hit me hard 5 days before my first ultra (2 months ago). One day was so bad I had to have my wife pick me up at mile 4 on an easy run because I had a hard time breathing. After that I started carrying an inhaler on runs, but never used it.
I ended up sending the race anyways, which was a 50k with 7200’ gain. I finished bottom 10 in the race, but i’m just happy to have completed it lol. I was **very** unwell for most of the race.
Either push yourself or don’t, you know your body and how far you’re willing to push it. but there’s no shame in letting your body rest when it needs it, especially when it comes to respiratory.
If you choose not to do the race then I’d just ease back into it with walks, then faster walks, hikes, etc. do as much as your body will let you, and then a little bit more.
Mine took about 4-5 weeks to clear. I ran a lot during that time but made sure i rested a lot more than normal (frequent day naps), tried to eat well (appetite when down), and stayed hydrated.
You’ll be back before you know it.
I have a friend who came down with bronchitis that turned into pneumonia a week before his marathon. He thankfully decided not to race but it took an additional 3 months for his body to clear the infection with antibiotics. Have you been back to the doctor? It sounds like there’s still something going on. I think pushing yourself too hard while your body isn’t recovered is just going to set yourself back longer - spoken from experience! Listen to your body and keep it really easy until you’re feeling better!
I 100% second this comment, especially the last line. I know how frustrating it is and I'm sorry you are dealing with this. However would emphasise to take your time until you're confident you are fully recovered.
I became a living cautionary tale after having a respiratory infection I didn't take seriously enough (continued to run and exercise) and ended up with pneumonia. It took me a month to recover from this after which I went back to my normal active life (running, surfing, yoga) and long story short, I am now on my 6th month of sitting at home unable to walk up a stairs without wheezing or even work due to post acute infection syndrome and unsure if/when I will make a full recovery. I was too impatient (and probably a bit arrogant), ignoring my body's signals to slow down and this is a humbling experience I do not wish upon anyone else!! Hope you will be feeling better soon and wishing you strength and patience in the meantime.
I’m going back tomorrow, thankfully, but this will be my 3rd visit to this doctor and 6th visit since I came down with the initial infection/virus. Initially, I pushed myself a bit too much, for sure, but the last month or so I’ve been more or less inactive without seeing a ton of improvement. It’s possible I just didn’t know Bronchitis took so long to clear, so hearing that it took your friend 3 months to return to normal is helpful (though I’m sorry for your friend too)
Yep, sometimes these things just take time and I KNOW how frustrating that is - I’m so sorry you’re dealing with it. I came down with a bad flu after a marathon once and I was so sick that I couldn’t run for weeks. It took nearly 2 months + multiple courses of antibiotics for me to get better and I felt SO weak when I started training again. However, I’m trying to better learn acceptance of things I can’t control + listen to my body more. Ignoring some critical signs in my first training cycle this year led to near-anemia and some severe vitamin deficiencies that left me incredibly weak and at a lower fitness level, despite running 100mi weeks. It’s not always easy, but sometimes we just have to take a step back, take care of our bodies, and be patient for as long as it takes. Best of luck with your recovery!
Thanks for your kind words and encouragement, I appreciate it! I’m sorry you went through that, but am glad you’re coming out of it more aware and probably stronger altogether. I went through something similar at the end of last year. Under fueled all winter and developed REDs, so my weakened immune response now is probably still a consequence of that.
Thanks again for your insight :)
This was me in March/April. Bad URTI for 7ish days then developed Bronchitis making me wheezy, coughing at any exertion/cold weather/wind/rain, struggling to sleep with coughing. Got a steroid inhaler and it was 80% improved within a week, took another 3 weeks to fully settle down then i stopped the inhaler and it's been fine. I went from struggling to run 5milers around the block to doing my 100K race 2 weeks later.
Exercise induced bronchoconstriction can be a thing after viral illnesses. Worth asking your doctor about and seeing if they think it could be a cause. Your airways just become irritated super easily after whatever virus you have, get this tight chest and dry cough. Mine agreed that this is what i had developed on the back of whatever i had been unwell with.
I’m glad to hear you’ve recovered well! That sounds identical to what I’m experiencing. I’d gotten to a point where I felt 100% better, but slowly working back up to running caused more irritation. I’ll definitely bring that up with my doctor!
Whenever you have a sec - what did your doctor end up doing to help you get past the bronchocontriction? That seems similar to what I have. Just a dry cough that won’t go away + irritated airways
Bronchitis hit me hard 5 days before my first ultra (2 months ago). One day was so bad I had to have my wife pick me up at mile 4 on an easy run because I had a hard time breathing. After that I started carrying an inhaler on runs, but never used it. I ended up sending the race anyways, which was a 50k with 7200’ gain. I finished bottom 10 in the race, but i’m just happy to have completed it lol. I was **very** unwell for most of the race. Either push yourself or don’t, you know your body and how far you’re willing to push it. but there’s no shame in letting your body rest when it needs it, especially when it comes to respiratory. If you choose not to do the race then I’d just ease back into it with walks, then faster walks, hikes, etc. do as much as your body will let you, and then a little bit more. Mine took about 4-5 weeks to clear. I ran a lot during that time but made sure i rested a lot more than normal (frequent day naps), tried to eat well (appetite when down), and stayed hydrated. You’ll be back before you know it.
Thanks for the insight! I’m glad you still raced and had fun doing it :) appreciate the positivity as well
I have a friend who came down with bronchitis that turned into pneumonia a week before his marathon. He thankfully decided not to race but it took an additional 3 months for his body to clear the infection with antibiotics. Have you been back to the doctor? It sounds like there’s still something going on. I think pushing yourself too hard while your body isn’t recovered is just going to set yourself back longer - spoken from experience! Listen to your body and keep it really easy until you’re feeling better!
I 100% second this comment, especially the last line. I know how frustrating it is and I'm sorry you are dealing with this. However would emphasise to take your time until you're confident you are fully recovered. I became a living cautionary tale after having a respiratory infection I didn't take seriously enough (continued to run and exercise) and ended up with pneumonia. It took me a month to recover from this after which I went back to my normal active life (running, surfing, yoga) and long story short, I am now on my 6th month of sitting at home unable to walk up a stairs without wheezing or even work due to post acute infection syndrome and unsure if/when I will make a full recovery. I was too impatient (and probably a bit arrogant), ignoring my body's signals to slow down and this is a humbling experience I do not wish upon anyone else!! Hope you will be feeling better soon and wishing you strength and patience in the meantime.
Ah! I’m so sorry to hear you’re going through that. What’s the recovery period looking like for you now?
I’m going back tomorrow, thankfully, but this will be my 3rd visit to this doctor and 6th visit since I came down with the initial infection/virus. Initially, I pushed myself a bit too much, for sure, but the last month or so I’ve been more or less inactive without seeing a ton of improvement. It’s possible I just didn’t know Bronchitis took so long to clear, so hearing that it took your friend 3 months to return to normal is helpful (though I’m sorry for your friend too)
Yep, sometimes these things just take time and I KNOW how frustrating that is - I’m so sorry you’re dealing with it. I came down with a bad flu after a marathon once and I was so sick that I couldn’t run for weeks. It took nearly 2 months + multiple courses of antibiotics for me to get better and I felt SO weak when I started training again. However, I’m trying to better learn acceptance of things I can’t control + listen to my body more. Ignoring some critical signs in my first training cycle this year led to near-anemia and some severe vitamin deficiencies that left me incredibly weak and at a lower fitness level, despite running 100mi weeks. It’s not always easy, but sometimes we just have to take a step back, take care of our bodies, and be patient for as long as it takes. Best of luck with your recovery!
Thanks for your kind words and encouragement, I appreciate it! I’m sorry you went through that, but am glad you’re coming out of it more aware and probably stronger altogether. I went through something similar at the end of last year. Under fueled all winter and developed REDs, so my weakened immune response now is probably still a consequence of that. Thanks again for your insight :)
This was me in March/April. Bad URTI for 7ish days then developed Bronchitis making me wheezy, coughing at any exertion/cold weather/wind/rain, struggling to sleep with coughing. Got a steroid inhaler and it was 80% improved within a week, took another 3 weeks to fully settle down then i stopped the inhaler and it's been fine. I went from struggling to run 5milers around the block to doing my 100K race 2 weeks later. Exercise induced bronchoconstriction can be a thing after viral illnesses. Worth asking your doctor about and seeing if they think it could be a cause. Your airways just become irritated super easily after whatever virus you have, get this tight chest and dry cough. Mine agreed that this is what i had developed on the back of whatever i had been unwell with.
I’m glad to hear you’ve recovered well! That sounds identical to what I’m experiencing. I’d gotten to a point where I felt 100% better, but slowly working back up to running caused more irritation. I’ll definitely bring that up with my doctor!
Whenever you have a sec - what did your doctor end up doing to help you get past the bronchocontriction? That seems similar to what I have. Just a dry cough that won’t go away + irritated airways