Living in southern Wisconsin, you don't always think to check the air quality forecast before going outdoors. This isn't exactly a highly polluted area. But, yesterday I noticed that the NWS issued an Air Quality Alert for our county, which meant there would be elevated concentrations of fine particle pollution (aka smog) in the area. It was advised that active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
I disregarded the warning and decided to set out on my first winter run after work. My route took me from the west side of Madison to the Capitol and ending with three sprints up Bascom Hill for a total of 11.1 miles. It actually went pretty well, but they weren't kidding about the air quality. I definitely noticed thicker air in low lying areas - making it more difficult to breath. I have been really good at coming up with excuses not to run outdoors this winter, and I might just have to add 'Poor Air Quality' to the list.
So, my tip for the day is to check your local air quality forecast before heading out for that long winter workout.
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