What do you do about the runny nose?

**Lise** · 11-09-2005, 06:42 PM

Hi, all! I'm new to these boards--what a fun discovery. I'm 45 years old, did my first triathlon 2 years ago. I was a an active kid, then life happened, and I became completely alienated from my body. By 40, I was "crippled" (my perspective) with chronic pelvic pain from endometriosis. I was 30# overweight, and going through a nasty divorce. I made some new friends, and tagged along when one did the Accenture Chicago Triathlon. I saw old people, fat people, a woman in a clown suit, and thought, "I wonder if I could do that?"

You know the answer, of course! NO! Not in a clown suit! But YES! In regular tri clothes! My first tri was completely un-researched. A friend and I did it together. We picked the Lake Zurich triathlon , an international distance, because, well, we didn't know anything. We didn't know there was such a thing as a "sprint" distance. So we swam across Lake Zurich, rode the hills of Lake County, and ...walked 6.25 mi. We were dead last across the finish line, but the organizers put our picture up on the website with congratulations to all the first-timers. I was bitten by the tri-bug when I did it again the following year.

This year I've done two sprints, one international distance tri, a metric century ride, two 5Ks runs, a 1/2 marathon, and the Chicago Marathon. If you're going to have a mid-life crisis, turning into an athlete is not a bad one to have. I'm doing the 8K Turkey Trot on, you guessed it, Thanksgiving Day.

So, the title of my post--the runny nose. It's awful. During the marathon, I rubbed my nose raw wiping it. I use a nasal spray (Ipratroprium bromide) and Sudafed. I put lanolin under my nose. I don't know what else to do. I try to carry tissues with lotion, which is better than wiping it on my sleeve. Any suggestions? It gets really painful.

Mostly I am tickled pink to be an athlete. There's still so much to learn. This is the first winter when I'm seriously committing to training all winter. My goal is to do a 1/2 Ironman. After the 100K bike ride, I was sure I had no desire to do the Ironman. Kudos to those of you who do!

I'm a certified nurse-midwife, which makes for some creative scheduling of the training. For example, today I meant to run before clinic, but got called in early, then tried to sleep for a few hours, because I'm on-call tonight from 10 PM to 10 AM at the hospital. Like anyone else with a busy life, it requires some thinking ahead and committment to doing the runs when I say I'm going to do them. The swim is my weakest area, and the hardest to train in. I have to plan pool time when there's no kids' classes or pool aerobics or whatever going on at my YMCA. Again, planning and committment.

Looking forward to any tips about the nose, and really enjoying reading all your stories!

Lise

**Veronica** · 11-09-2005, 07:37 PM

I do "snot rockets" because my nose runs constantly when it's cold. It seems kind of gross, but at least I can breathe.

V.

**crazycanuck** · 11-09-2005, 07:50 PM

Ah yes, snot rockets...something i've been trying to master for a while...

I understand your nose problem lise as mine just runs when i exercise but i have a bike glove or a snot rocket..

c

**Lise** · 11-09-2005, 07:54 PM

ummm, ya mean close one side of your nose and blow hard out the other, trying not to get snot on yourself?! Yes, I've done that, sometimes more successfully than others...

My problem is more of a slooow and constant drip. Who knew my own snot could be so corrosive to my skin? It's this little runny, runny, runny drip. Argh. I can put all the salve and balm I want under my nose--I just wipe it right off again! I even tried "skin shield", that alcohol-based stuff I paint on my little cuts. OMG did that hurt, painting over the raw skin under my nose. And it peeled right off, anyway. Sheesh. My ancestors are from Northern Europe, where it's cold all the time, right? You'd think we'd have evolved tough nose-skin or less corrosive snot.

Problems I never had as a depressed couch potato. Ha!

Lise

**snapdragen** · 11-09-2005, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by Lise

Sheesh. My ancestors are from Northern Europe, where it's cold all the time, right? You'd think we'd have evolved tough nose-skin or less corrosive snot.

Mine too, and I get the runny nose, stingy snot thing too. I wonder if a cloth "hankie" would be less abrasive?

Out of the question, I suppose, to just stuff a couple kleenex up each nostril.......

**Lise** · 11-09-2005, 08:20 PM

Don't scoff! I've thought of it! Believe me, if there were a product I could put up my nose that would allow me to breathe and not have acid-snot eating away at my tender flesh, I'd buy it. Wait, let me do a search on TE...no, still no such product! Heck, I breathe with my mouth anyways, maybe I'll try putting a little roll of kleenex up my snooter. I wouldn't look any odder than I already do, snuffling away.

I love your little snail on a scooter! Where do people get these little pix anyway?

Take care, Lise

**snapdragen** · 11-09-2005, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by Lise

I love your little snail on a scooter! Where do people get these little pix anyway?

Take care, Lise

I spend far too much time on the internet

**jobob** · 11-09-2005, 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by Lise

ummm, ya mean close one side of your nose and blow hard out the other, trying not to get snot on yourself?!

Not to mention the person behind you

Luckily, when I ride with V., she's usually much faster than I, so I'm generally out of range ....

- jo "snot rocket dodger" bob

**Veronica** · 11-10-2005, 03:17 AM

It's usually poor Bubba who's behind me - and I give warning - and wait until the person behind me says okay.

V.

**Trek420** · 11-10-2005, 06:55 AM

oops, so THAT'S what you mean when you yell "clear" at the intersection

**Pedal Wench** · 11-10-2005, 06:57 AM

I have the same problems and I tried a few things. Astelin was the first thing my doc prescribed. It works, but it wasn't great. I've now been using an asthma medicine that comes in a nasal spray, just for this use. Of course, now I can't remember if it's albuterol or atrovent, but it's one of those, and it works very well. I still get a few drips, but nothing like I used to get.

Every New Years, I go hiking out west in conjunction with a convention in early January. Every year, without fail, I would have a dry, peeling, disgusting nose at the convention after the drippy, wipey, runny nose while hiking. I hope for the first time this year, armed with this new spray, I'll finally meet my collegues looking like a normal person!

**Lise** · 11-10-2005, 07:07 AM

Thanks for the tip. I'll ask my doc. You're right, that's the other side of the drippy nose--when it's red and flaking off the skin that died from the acid snot dripping on it. Groooossss! And so very professional looking. Not to mention the constant sniffing. Have you tried Ipratropium bromide 0.03% nasal spray? It's pretty good, and inexpensive. By prescription only. But still, the farther I run or bike, the worse the slow, steady drip becomes. I have used various creams and balms under my nose as soon as I stop exercising, in an attempt to limit the damage. The lotion kleenex seem to make a difference, too.

It's 35 degrees in Chicago right now (10AM)--It was 55 yesterday morning. I'm heading out for a run. We shall see! I'm learning about running when it's cold, how to dress enough for the beginning, but not too much for the end. No matter how cold, I usually end up dripping sweat anyway. Hmmm, dripping seems to be a theme in my athletic life!

Lise

**SadieKate** · 11-10-2005, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by Trek420

oops, so THAT'S what you mean when you yell "clear" at the intersection

No, no, no. It's "Thar she blows!" at the top of your lungs.

**wabisabi** · 11-10-2005, 11:10 AM

One of the regulars in my riding group uses ipratroprium bromide and suggested I get a prescription for it, because my nose runs so much. I asked the nurse practitioner at my doc's about it, she looked it up, and said that it was actually a fairly serious medication for asthma and I should think about whether I really wanted something like that. I really don't want to fool around with potentially unintended consequences, so like others here, I have learned to embrace my runny nose and to blow a mean snot rocket!

**Lise** · 11-10-2005, 11:21 AM

weeeelllll, I just looked up ipratropium bromide (I'm an advanced-practice nurse myself, a nurse-midwife, so I _do_ have these drug references lying around the house)--it turns out that iprtropium bromide IS Atrovent, the med that Pedal Wench referred to. It's listed in the Nurse Practitioner's Prescribing Reference as a medication for "intranasal rhinorrhea". Which literally means "runny nose".

Therefore, I guess I'm back to square one! The ipratropium spray does help, it's not perfect, but it's better than anything else I've found so far. Thanks to every body for the input. Lise

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