Allergies are no fun

For those of you without allergies, count your blessings. Allergies can really mess you up. While I may not ever actually sneeze my head off, it feels like I could sometimes. Having seasonal allergies is kind of like having a nagging cold for a couple months at a time or more.

During the first two fall semesters of college I would frequently carry around a ridiculous amount of tissue or toilet paper for nose wiping and even then it wasn't uncommon that I had to leave the room to get more. It stinks. Since then I've had better control of my seasonal allergies but as anyone with hayfever knows your success at fending off the inevitable all depends on the day.

Today and tomorrow are supposed to be bad days with pollen scores in the "High" range according to the pollen forecast on Pollen.com (yes there is such a thing as a pollen forecast). While I used to think that a significant amount of willpower could simply push aside the ill effects of seasonal allergies I have been proven rather wrong time and time again. When it comes down to it, the pollen always wins. No matter how hard I try I just can't stop being allergic. Too bad, huh? Maybe that's something I can figure out during one of my pharmacology classes or something.

The worst part is when allergies mess with your physical or mental performance. Both of which are problems for me as an amateur athlete and professional student. It's not easy to roll out of bed and go to class when your eyes are burning and hard to open first thing in the morning only to give way to a runny nose, incessant sneezing and itchy eyes during the day. Luckily it's not that bad yet, but the season is just beginning.

On the bike is a totally different story. Fall is generally my allergy season, but thanks to lots of rain and a cool spring, our spring allergy season hit extra hard in Minnesota this year causing unsuspected difficulty on the bike. My hopes for a 3-4 week track racing season in early June were obliterated when I realized that just stepping foot into the infield and getting ready on the freshly cut grass made it difficult to breathe. It's no fun trying to ride 25-30MPH when you have to catch your breath just standing still. It's the first time I've been able to empathize with asthmatics. Not cool.

All this to say that you have to pick your battle strategy carefully. Obviously I can't avoid going to class, but I can avoid racing during the times that my allergies are at their worst. Central air is always a useful tool in combination with daily antihistamines and all those other prescription-style solutions. But sometimes, even all that isn't enough. I was relieved to find that even pros like Alberto Contador and Oscar Freire had to call it quits for a little while this spring to wait out their allergy season.

Now if only I can find a professor who will cancel class on days that the pollen count is too high...