allergy congestion and 5K tomorrow

[mrsreem]

I just started running 9 weeks ago so this will be my first 5K, and I haven't come acros this issue before. I'm really suffering from some kind of allergy or a summer cold. What can I do (if anything) to minimize or mitigate symptoms while I'm running? It's killing my my time and I'm getting winded really quickly because I can't breathe through my nose, and crap is draining down my throat. (gross) My eyes are watering and I'm just a mess all around. lol!

Is it bad to take sudafed or something like that to try and dry out my sinuses? I'm wondering if I'd need more water if I did that. It's only a 5K. I'll survive either way, but if there's anything I can do that more experienced runners are aware of, I'll be glad to take your advice!

[Deleted]

If you've got allergies, take an antihistamine. Claritin or Zyrtec are non-drowsy. It may take a couple days to reach peak effectiveness.

[ScubaDreamin]

You can also try the neti pot, but since the race is tomorrow, you may not have time to pick it up. I've found that a decongestant lets me breathe nicely this allergy season, but I try not to use it all the time b/c of the drying affect (double edge sword!). This allergy season just plain old sucks the big one (at least in the Northeast!). GL tomorrow!