Runny nose in aero position

gonnzo

I thought this might have been covered in the past, but couldn't find it in searches.

Any idea why my nose had been running like mad whenever I ride my new tri bike?  Been happening for the last 2 months now. Any temp, any speed, and only when i'm down on the aero bars.  No problems during run or when riding road bike.  No allergies historically.

Anyone have a "cure"?  This is driving me nuts!

Coach Rich

My snot production on the bike is the stuff of legend locally. I take pride in it...

Jeff Unruh

Snot rockets to the rescue...

It happens to all of us I think

GregSVan

Hi Brian,

Probably just the slight change in your head position on your new bike. Or, it could be the freakish allergy season that has been happening overall. Maybe enough stuff in the air this year to just give your nasal passage enough irritation to run finally. Maybe try a Claritin and see what happens.

Otherwise, just get really good at the “farmers blow” on the bike. My sage advice is to take note of the wind before. I once let her rip into the wind….I looked  like Venkman just as some chick flew by:

 

jburbatt

I seriously got nailed by some dude's snot rockets in Muncie this past weekend. So please look before you let loose

That being said, as Greg mentioned allergens are CRAZY this year, and even people I know that don't usually suffer from allergies have been at least irritated by stuff in the air. Aero position definitely lends itself to a runny nose (I have hella-bad allergies and the picture above pretty much sums up what I look like after a long Saturday ride!) I'd try out some basic OTC allergy meds and see if it helps dry you up. I added basic benydrl (diphenhydramine) onto my normal allergy stuff and it's really helped with the runny nose issue.

ghernand

funny!

i try to be a tough guy, but i cannot spit luggies (i am not even sure how to spell that word!) nor blow my nose without kleenex.  can't even make noise with hand in the armpit.  oh well.

anyway, two other stimuli will make you produce mucus in nasal passages, other than allergens.

1) cold air;

2) increased blood flow (e.g. sudafed constricts blood supply to mucus membranes and decreases mucus production---don't use this remedy since it was not designed to be used for aero position induced mucus runny nose!);

if your mucus occurs only when in aero, then:

1)  you start to breath more thru your nose, especially if you are not completely comfortable in that position = more cold air passing thru;

2) when you get in aero and if it's kind of a strain, then you increase the blood flow to your head, kind of like same effect as standing on your head.

anyway, here are a couple more explanations in case you have no allergies.

gh

GregSVan

Just be careful with Benadryl...it can really sedate you and dry you up. If you want more allergy info, I wrote about this recently on the blog. I don't even need a copy of your insurance card!

http://ironvan.com/2011/07/10/tip-for-triathletes-with-allergies/

jburbatt

Greg is right about Benadryl and sedation. It doesn't have that effect on me, but it does on a lot of people, so you'll want to see how it affects you first. (Definitely check the side effects of all allergy meds as they can definitely cause some serious complications if you just take them willy-nilly.)

gonnzo

Benadryl or claritin may be a good idea. With no history of allergies I don't know which might work for me. Certainly worth a try, though, and carefully to make sure I don't have troubles with drowsiness on the bike.

As a few suggested, I have had similar issues in cold weather (skiing, etc). But never had any problems in summer before.

The explanations about head and body position make sense when connected to blood flow - never knew the two were linked.

I'll be sure to watch for others on the farmer blows. I generally do pretty good, but did splatter my own shoulder last weekend . For some reason I told my wife the story. I now have the honor of washing my own workout clothes. And Greg - that was a brutal pic to pull out on this subject. I'm glad you didn't have similar inspiration on my questions about saddle comfort

Thanks all!

Beth_S

I know that biking problem -- for me, the freakish allergies of the season have been helped by my friend, the neti pot. Nothing like saline up your nose at 5 a.m. to start a brisk day and a good bike ride.

GregSVan

Just to clarify, Beth is talking about an actual pot that holds water, not the green stuff. That stuff will only give you a case of the Infinit munchies.

susanfu

Brian:

I have had this problem for years anytime I go fast, ie: skiing, biking. My allergist gave me a prescription for a nasal spray called ipratropium bromide. It is an important part of my training and racing preparation now. A squirt in each nostril dried me up for the duration WITHOUT side effects, like drowsiness, etc. I am serious....it does the trick.

ebe4zippy

Brian,
For training, I use one of those old 70's style wrist sweatbands on my right arm to "wipe" my nose. You can rotate it around a few times on a ride and get a fresh spot as you go :-)
I am racing in a speed suit, so I have sleeves for my really long rides and IM races, so I just wipe and go.
I would advise you perfect your snot rocket technique before you try it in a group ride or race setting...you never know who is gonna be on the recieving end of said rocket!!!

gonnzo

Tried a zyrtec this weekend - seemed to help a bunch, even the next day. But noticed today that I had stronger allergy symptoms this morning than ever before. Backlash?

@Susan - I'll check out that spray, too.

@Greg - "Infinit munchies". That should be chiseled in stone to last forever - Priceless!

Thanks all!

trigirl1203

Second on the Neti pot- as a teacher, I use that thing religiously. I have the same problem witha runny nose biking....but Im all about the snot rockets. Just try to miss your leg. Its pretty gross

Brian Quarton [OLD]

Brian, Do you think it is sweat getting in your tear ducts?

GregSVan

Sometimes you can get rebound symptoms from taking allergy meds, but probably not on this short of use. I would just keep it at and see how it goes. After 2 weeks, if things are no different, maybe time to try something else.

ghernand

brian: more like tears draining into nasal cavity.

gh

Brian Quarton [OLD]

Could also be postural. Gravity just lets the sinuses drain. Atrovent nasal spray (ipratropium) is really good advise. Comes in 2 strengths. Both are ~$100/bottle. I was going to recommend the 0.6%, but it only has half the medicine. The 0.3% has twice as much volume. See what Susan thinks. I've used them both. A patient and EN member with the same complaint "Aero Rhinitis" told me the nasal anti-histamine Astelin/Astepro worked great. Sedation becomes a non-issue. Your doctor might have a sample too. Haven't seen Atrovent Nasal sampled in years. You could also us Afrin or Neosynephrine for race day only. Try it once on a long ride. It is a topical decongestant, Sudafed is oral. But Caution! Afrin/Neosynephrine can cause rebound congestion if used for more than 3-4 days. This is really common too, so be careful.

gonnzo

Done the neti pot thing. Not a fan. No fun to do and didn't seem to help.

@Brian - no clue if it's sweat in the tear ducts - looks like snot $100 a bottle is outside my sanity range - I'll blow rockets instead. But maybe the doc will make it a prescription.

I'll try the Zyrtec again this weekend and see if it works as well a second time with minimal or no rebound.

Thanks all!