The fires were really bad last night.  A slight change in the winds and the air became filled with a smoky haze.

Hoping against hope, I woke up this morning and it seemed as though the tide had turned...the air looked pretty clean.

I started out on my 4 miles pretty slowly, but no sooner did I come down off the hill that I live on (aka "The Beast"), when the air was filled with a smokey haze and you could smell the fires really distinctly.

OK, so I tried to breathe through my mouth, but that made me feel really breathless.  By the time I made mile three, the air was really starting to affect me.  I felt extremely tired and my throat was sore.  I barely made it back up the hill, completing my time on this course a full minute slower than normal.  There were absolutely no cars out this morning (thank God) - I can only imagine what it would have felt like running in this stuff a little later in the day.

All I can think about is that this can't be good for you - running in the haze.  But without a treadmill or a gym membership, what else am I to do?  Skip my run?  No way!

Even living in LA - where they say just breathing normally is like smoking a pack a day - this is beyond bad air.

Sure hope I didn't do any permanent damage.

• Currently 3.0/5 Stars.

Tags: running in smoke, LA fires

I was gone for the weekend, but it sounds mad...geez. I usually run, no matter what. Posted by: Karen on Jul 07, 2008 at 05:44 PM

Thanks for the tea idea KD. I was out running over the weekend and I ended up cutting it short...I guess I could have kept going, but well...I ran on the treadmill for awhile...listening to fave tunes and just inhaling dinner..on the stove ...what can I say, I'm spoiled. Posted by: Sarah on Jul 07, 2008 at 04:51 PM

Yes, I was out in the air here...and it sucked, still flushing it out. Something I love after running in LA air (=smoke this time!) is a detox tea...I love YOGI teas, that and water ...but the tea is very soothing for the throat. Come on, we can't give in because of the 'weather'...but that would be interesting to know whether or not we are doing more harm than good? Posted by: KDface on Jul 07, 2008 at 04:36 PM

Geez lady...you're a trooper!! Props for keeping the run. Posted by: Betty on Jul 07, 2008 at 11:00 AM