Running in the summer heat.

[Spartan]

I went for a run today, and usually I can do this route fine, but today I felt like I couldn't breathe and my chest felt tight, and I started to get a nagging pain in my left shoulder. Eventually I had to stop and walk, which has never happened before.

It was a really hot day and the pollen count was high. I run through the countryside, so there are a lot of trees and plants etc. I suffer from hayfever, but I didn't get the usual symtoms such as runny nose etc, I only got the asthma related ones I mentioned. Do you think this is asthma related? And what does the nagging pain in my left shoulder mean? I have noticed this before, but always in the left shoulder only!

[VacMan]

Spartan,

No fun!

I've noticed that running in the heat can be much harder than cooler weather too.

Specifically when it's humid out.

When it's humid it seems to be harder to breathe too, that may be part of what you were experiencing.

Also, the pain in your shoulder could be from the way you were running, and might be a cramp. Cramps generally amplify when you haven't drank enough water which could be complicated/amplified by the heat.

Was it your shoulder or more of your trap? (the area that connects your shoulder to your neck) Either way you use your shoulders and traps a good deal for stability/swinging your arms when you run. My guess is that it was a cramp.

Overall, I'd say you were probably just not used to running in the heat, and you may not have drank enough water that day.

This may not be the case, but it's my guess.

Here's to a better run next time

[Jennihul]

I think you need a cardiac visit. Those are the key symptoms of heart disease and/or heart attack though I doubt you had one.

Your age, level of fitness and relative health are meaningless. Heart disease can strike anyone. Any age.

So be paranoid just this once. Make an appointment and explain your symptoms carefully.

Jennifer

[Restrikted]

Spartan, I experience that shoulder feeling when I run as well, although it is always in my right shoulder. But I think the pain is in the trap that VacMan was talking about. It's always baffled me as well lol.

[Spartan]

I don't think I need to see a doctor, I extremely doubt I have heart problems! I'm only 20 and very active. Plus I don't smoke, I don't drink much alcohol and I eat fairly healthily. I'm not overweight either.

I think the symptoms were brought on by my hayfever?

Yes, I would say the pain was in my left trap. But it's always the left one for some reason? I don't over tense my muscles or run with bad form.

[PianoManGidley]

Why can't you just find a community gym or something and run on a treadmill indoors?

[Kanger]

I read in a running magazine once that it's a good idea in hot weather to have a cold shower before going for a run, it means your heart doesn't have to work so hard. (Cos in the heat your heart has to work even harder to cool you down as well as the running)

[Jennihul]

Ok, not to beat a dead horse but what the heck.

The symptoms don't have to be indicative of ischemic cardiac disease. The kind old people get. They can be indicative of ANY kind of cardiac or vascular malformation, something 20 yr olds are statistically more susceptible to than older people. (Mainly because young people die of them before they have a chance to GET old.)

Running in the heat puts even more stress on your cardiovascular system than normal which can put you, symptomatically, over a threshold where you now FEEL discomfort where usually this potential malformation may otherwise be asymptomatic.

Athletes die of this. Kids playing at school die of this. Nary a symptom and boom, dead.

You have been given a gift. A symptom.

Jennifer

[Spartan]

Err, thanks Jennihul *looks around in silence*. I will keep running though, and keep working my heart to the max!

I think it has more to do with my hayfever, no? As although I currently run outside, I am accustomed ro running in hot gyms with broken air conditioning! So I have ran in worse heat!

[mlc82]

This is probably the most obvious idea possible, but are certain that you're properly hydrated (and staying that way if you're running a long distance)? Even mild deyhdration can cause some nasty muscle cramps (you mentioned your left trap) along with all kinds of other awful feeling symptoms.

The chest tightness could also be due to pollen and such making it much harder to breathe, similar to a panic-attack type of feeling.

[ThoughtAddict]

Originally Posted by Spartan

Err, thanks Jennihul *looks around in silence*. I will keep running though, and keep working my heart to the max!

I think it has more to do with my hayfever, no? As although I currently run outside, I am accustomed ro running in hot gyms with broken air conditioning! So I have ran in worse heat!

Please, get yourself checked. Jenniful was absolutely right that heart disease can strike younger people. I had an extremely healthy friend in college, age 19, who had heart trouble. He could not believe it until he went to the doctor for what he thought was a muscle pull. Had he not gone to the doctor, he may have had serious problems.

As to running in the heat, hydration has already been mentioned. I've found that good amounts of water the day before does well for me. Also, if it is a muscle cramp, you could be running tense. Unless you are sprinting, run tall, run relaxed, and run naturally. Occasionally drop your arms and shake them out. Keep your upper body loose.

Do get checked out, though. The doctor's visit would be quick and he could rule out heart disease, give you something for the hay fever, and tell you what great shape you're in. If it is even a 1% chance of heart disease, it is better to be safe than dead. Be well.

[Stu]

I have to agree with Jennifer too, those are very classic heart problem symptoms, I would at least go and get it checked to be sure.