When is it too smoky to exercise outdoors in Tacoma?

Vice President of the Tacoma Runners, Colton Haffey, in his element.

Colton Haffey

Courtesy

I caught Tacoma Runners Vice President Colton Haffey by surprise. He was at work, and I called him to find out if his running club would be having their weekly Thursday run in the wildfire smoke.

“How did you get this number?” he said, and “Who are you again?” But Haffey is a nice guy and was happy to chat.

Tacoma Runners is a running club right here in Tacoma. They find different spots to meet up and go for group runs every Thursday.

Like many outdoorsy Tacomans, I’ve personally been curious about whether I should keep my daily outdoor run routine going in the gloom. Perhaps you’re standing on your front porch with a skateboard or bicycle in hand, looking up at the orange sun and wondering the same thing.

There’s certainly a point where air quality is so bad that any cardiovascular benefits of exercising outside are canceled out by smoke, and being lazy on the couch with Grey’s Anatomy is maybe a better call.

But where is that point?

According to Haffey, a run is often not worth it during wildfire season. But that hasn’t stopped Tacoma Runners yet. They run, rain, shine or smoke.

“No one wants to hear that it’s not worth it when they’re in the mood to go for a run,” Haffey said over the phone Wednesday. “But it often is. We go anyway. If it gets bad enough, we’ll likely just cancel the run as an ‘event,’ but still show up to hang out anyway. And those who want to run unofficially can.”

As for Tacoma Runners’ Thursday run this week, which starts downtown at The Mix, it’s still on. But they’re paying attention to the air.

“We’re continually monitoring and messaging each other while we watch the graphics from the EPA about what’s safe and what’s not,” Haffey said.

Caffey joined Tacoma Runners about three years ago after moving from Houston to Tacoma. “We’ve never canceled a run since I’ve been a part of it. We’re always trying to get something going together,” he said.

Tacoma Runners, always together. Rain, shine, or smoke. Colton Haffey Courtesy

The closest Haffey has seen Tacoma Runners get to a cancellation was two years ago during wildfire season when they moved a run to Ruston. They thought a breeze by the water might clean up the air for them.

“We kept it going, but suggested that people run in masks,” Haffey remembered. “Probably half the people ran in masks, and the other half just kind of hung out and went to the bar.”

Haffey ran in an N95 mask and says he does not recommend it. “I was like, what am I doing here? I feel like I’m altitude training at sea level.”

Haffey might not recommend it, but does anyone?

For that question, I turned to Annie Doubleday, air quality epidemiologist for the Washington Department of Health.

“In general, wearing an N95 is a good way to go,” Doubleday told The News Tribune on Wednesday. “But N95s aren’t going to get rid of all the smoke exposure.”

But Doubleday said it’s a different story when exercising.

“It’s hard to breathe through an N95. I wouldn’t want to recommend to anyone with a lung or heart condition to exercise outside in an N95. I also don’t want people to think that they’re fine and can continue to do what they normally do if they’re wearing an N95, because it’s not a cure-all; you’re still exposed. N95s only reduce your exposure.”

While writing this article (on Wednesday afternoon), I received an air quality alert from the National Weather Service, warning of poor air quality through Thursday evening. A quick check on Aircare, my air quality app, said it was over 153 AQI (Air Quality Index) in my neighborhood (North End), which was colored red and had the words “Very Poor Air Quality” and “Close windows, avoid outdoor activities and wear pollution masks outdoors” attached to it.

Did that mean I was going to have to skip my daily run?

Washington State Department of Health air quality guide. Courtesy WA State Dept of Health

“Exercising outdoors is a hard topic because it varies from person to person,” Doubleday says. “Generally speaking, for folks who don’t have underlying conditions and aren’t especially sensitive to smoke, we would say to monitor symptoms, and as long as it’s below an AQI of 150, people can exercise. But we would recommend that everybody watch for symptoms.”

Doubleday says monitoring symptoms is the key phrase here. Because you don’t have to have underlying health conditions to be sensitive to smoke.

She says some of the symptoms to watch out for are shortness of breath, coughing, changes in heartbeat, wheezing, stinging eyes, and headaches.

“I personally don’t run outside when it’s unhealthy for sensitive groups, even though I’m not in a sensitive group,” she says. “But I find smoke pretty aggravating. So it’s dependent on the person.”

For folks who have underlying heart or lung conditions, Doubleday would recommend they don’t run outside if it’s above 100 on the AQI.

When we exercise, our breathing rate is higher, so we take in more air. When it’s smoky, we take in more smoke. Much more than if we were just walking or sitting around in the smoke.

“We think of running outside as being really healthy,” Doubleday says. “But when it’s really smoky, that can contribute to long-term cumulative damage to our bodies over time.”

Of course, the easy solution is exercising indoors until the air quality clears up. It’s a good time to own a treadmill or Peloton. Or maybe head to the gym.

But if you’re like me and have none of these things, is there an easy, straightforward answer for when it’s okay to exercise outside and when it’s not?

“I don’t think people should be running outside if it’s over 150 AQI,” Doubleday answered. “But people can always make their own informed decisions and do what feels good to them.”

I skipped my run on Wednesday.

Gavin Feek

The News Tribune

Gavin Feek is the outdoors reporter for The News Tribune. He is a Seattle-born writer who covers the intersection of public lands, climate-related issues and outdoor recreation. After working for many years in Yosemite National Park, Gavin pivoted to journalism in 2020. You can find his bylines in The Seattle Times, The Stranger, Outside, Climbing, The Intercept, Vox Media, Vertical Times, McSweeney’s, and various other publications. He spends his free time outdoors with his family.