Nothing's a more fun surprise for a runner than realizing they've developed asthma.  Adult-Onset Asthma is definitely a bummer, but it doesn't have to be a career-ending “injury” by any stretch of the imagination. If Jackie Joyner-Kersey can do it, why not the rest of us?

If an athlete over 20 develops asthma, this is considered Adult-Onset Asthma. According to WebMD, adults who develop asthma typically fall into one of these categories:

• Women who take estrogen following menopause for 10 years or longer
• People who have just had certain viruses or illnesses, such as a cold or flu 
• People with allergies, especially to cats 
• People who are exposed to environmental irritants, such as tobacco smoke, mold, dust, feather beds, or perfume. 

Adult-Onset Asthma can be diagnosed in a few different ways: doctor listening to your breathing and symptoms, a lung function test, a methacholine challenge test, or a chest X-ray. As you probably know symptoms include: 

• wheezing
• chest tightness
• shortness of breath
• coughing
• occasionally rapid heart rate and sweating

There are also different severity levels of asthma, ranging from mild to severe. Treatments for asthma can include anti-inflammatories, bronchodilators (open the brochials), and with various monitors or action plans. Asthma effects 12%-15% of the population...

As a runner, your best bet is to run in warm, humid temperatures. Cold air is even more shocking to the lungs when we run because we're breathing through open mouths.

Generally, air comes in through the nostrils and gets warmed before it reaches the lungs—not so when running with your moth open. So a warmer, moister environment is ideal for an asthmatic runner. Also, it is essential to properly warm up before you begin running to allow your lungs to acclimate a bit. To just step out the front door and take off is the harshest shock of cold, dry air to your lungs. 

Bring your inhaler with you—just in case. Drink warm fluids only before, during, and after exercise. If your lungs are really hurting after a workout, hop in the shower and breath in that warm, moist air to relax your lungs and give them a rest.

Famous athletes with asthma:

• Jerome Bettis - former NFL halfback
• Tom Dolan - Olympic swimmer
• Kurt Grote - Olympic swimmer
• Nancy Hogshead - Olympic swimmer
• Juwan Howard – NBA player
• Jim “Catfish” Hunter - former MLB player and Hall of Famer
• Jackie Joyner-Kersee - Olympic runner
• Bill Koch - Olympic cross-country skiier
• Greg Louganis - Olympic diver
• Debbie Meyer - Olympic swimmer
• Art Monk - former NFL wide receiver
• Robert Muzzio - decathlete 
• Dennis Rodman - former NBA player
• Jim Ryun - Olympic track medalist
• Alberto Salazar - past winner of the New York City and Boston marathons
• Emmitt Smith – former NFL pro-bowler
• Isaiah Thomas - former NBA player
• Amy Van Dyken - Olympic swimmer
• Dominique Wilkins - former NBA player and Hall of Famer 
• Kristi Yamaguchi - Olympic figure skating medalist 
• Alex Zulle – Olympic cycler