High Desert’s smoky air breaking strides

Wildfire smoke is doing more than blocking views, it’s breaking strides.

“Actually I did not run yesterday because of it,” Sarah Graham, business manager at FootZone in Bend, said Thursday.

“Yesterday at our noon run, I think our numbers were down a little bit,” said Kraig Erickson, the floor manager.

Erickson has been running most of his life and said the thick blanket of smoke in town is making it harder to do.

“I ran in to work last night and then ran home, and I noticed that the air was very heavy and my throat was scratchy, a little bit of a cough, and then got that way just walking into work this morning,” he said.

Graham agreed.

“When it’s smoky out, I’ll end up with a little bit of a sore throat if I run,” she said. “My glands in my neck sort of swell up a little bit, and it’s harder to get a deep breath when it’s smoky.”

Many are being sidelined by the conditions. But people skipping their workouts don’t need to feel too bad. The American Lung Association recommends people don’t exercise outdoors when there’s smoke in the air, especially if you can smell it or notice eye or throat irritation.

“I don’t push through it,” Graham said. “II don’t want to impact my lungs in a negative way unnecessarily.,”

Bottom line: When the smoke clears, the trails will still be there waiting.

Up-to-date information about smoke levels can be found here:

http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/