SerpApi.Org
If you’ve been seeing a lot of people online asking whether they should still run outside in this insane wildfire smoke, the answer is probably the one nobody wants: Take it inside.
As wildfire smoke pushes air quality into unhealthy territory in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the U.S., runners are once again trying to decide when “not ideal” becomes “don’t be an idiot.” A short, easy run can seem harmless, especially when a race is coming up or yesterday’s workout already got bumped, but smoke isn’t just annoying weather to tough out.
I get it. I ran outside today in the middle of marathon training, and I wouldn’t describe it as the smartest decision I’ve ever made.
The air may look gross and smell like a campfire, but the real concern is what you’re pulling into your lungs. Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which the BC Centre for Disease Control says can be inhaled deep into the lungs.
Running raises the stakes because of how much more air you take in. The BC Centre for Disease Control notes that an adult doing strenuous exercise breathes at least 10 times as much air as an adult at rest. On a smoky day, that can turn one hard outdoor run into a lot of extra polluted air moving through your lungs.
AQI numbers can also take some of the guesswork out of it. According to reporting from Marathon Handbook, the cleanest running conditions fall below 50, and healthy runners can usually still manage outdoor exercise in the 51-to-100 range, though sensitive groups may need to be more careful. Once the number moves past 100, the guidance gets a lot less flexible, and by 150, the safer call is to move the workout indoors.
That’s exactly why the treadmill, annoying as it may be, is the obvious move here. Your training plan will survive one indoor run, a swapped workout, or an unplanned recovery day. Your lungs are much harder to replace.
If you still exercise outside, the BC Centre for Disease Control recommends lowering the intensity, shortening the workout, drinking water before, during, and after exercise, and listening to your body. If symptoms show up, that’s your cue to stop or back off. The agency also lists people with asthma, COPD, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory infections, older adults, pregnant people, and children as groups who should be especially careful in smoky conditions.
When the air quality is this bad, moving a run inside can feel annoying, especially if you’re training for something. But smoke changes the calculation, and there’s no upside to breathing more of it just to keep the workout outdoors. Do yourself a favor and move the run inside, complain, and get the miles done where the air is cleaner.
