Introduction
Have you ever wondered what smog actually does to your lungs? Have you ever said to yourself, “Breathing in this air can’t be good for me.” That was precisely my thought when I landed in Bangalore, India. The air felt thick, and the city's skyline was fog-covered. In fact, by running in the Bangalorian air, I put my lungs through the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes. Let me repeat that, A PACK OF CIGARETTES! I see smoking cigarettes as a terrible and nasty ass habit. So imagine how excited I was after I learned I ripped down an entire pack’s worth. But I didn't learn about that fun fact until a year later when I talked about this run with a few friends.
When I landed in India, I thought little of what the poor air quality meant. All I thought about was staying on my Project 30 run schedule, a 30-mile run every 15 days.
The Run
It’s April 10th, 2022, and I've woken up in a startle as I realize the sun is already up. “Shit!” I say to myself. I didn’t wake up to my 4:30 a.m. alarm. The one I set to ensure I was ready and out of the door by 5 a.m. for my 9th Project 30 run for the year. Instead, I look down at my watch to see it’s 7:30 already. This was a big problem because soon, the temperature would be reaching the mid-80s. Only to continue climbing well into the 90s by noon.
This run was going to increase in difficulty as the temperature increased. So, I had a decision to make. Continue sitting it in my hotel room pouting, or suck it up and accept the late start. After several minutes of cursing to myself, I laced up my shoes, grabbed my running pack, and got out of the door. I wasn’t going to accept the excuse of waking up late. It was my responsibility to make this run happen.
The hardest part of any run is to continue after you've stopped for a break. When you stop, your muscles let in all the pain and tightness.
Your body tells your mind, "it's time to stop!" There's no need to keep going!" "Your body hurts. The pain is too much!"
Continuing after stopping requires telling your mind and body to fire back up. It's like pushing a car on a flat road from a dead stop. It's much easier to push a car that is already rolling. I went through many of these moments during this run. The 90-degree heat, the thick air I breathed in, and the repetitive 1.5-mile park loop. It almost became too much. But, after 5.5 hours of painful running and refusing to quit, I finished my 9th Project 30 run.
The Air Quality in Bangalore
As soon as I landed in Bangalore, I noticed the endless streams of vehicles, industrial smoke, and open fire pits burning everything from wood to rubber to food. But I didn't think too much about what that could mean. It wasn't until talking to some American friends a year later that I thought about the air quality again. After talking to them, I decided to look into how air quality is measured.
That's when I learned about PM2.5 particles. PM2.5 refers to atmospheric particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers. These tiny particles penetrate our lungs and can cause various health problems.
The Impact of Running on Air Pollution Exposure
To visualize the health impact of my run, I used a benchmark from a Berkeley Earth study. The study found that breathing in 22μg/m3 of PM2.5 over 24 hours roughly equals smoking one cigarette. On the day of my run, the average PM2.5 level was 79 μg/m3. Under normal circumstances, 24 hours of exposure to that air would equate to over three cigarettes.
But, as you can imagine, while running, I was breathing harder and faster than usual. At the 4.5-hour mark of my run, it was so hot, and I was pushing myself hard to finish that my heart rate hovered around 180 BPM! I was putting every bit of willpower and strength that I could muster into the last few miles of my 30-mile run. Using Breath data, I found that increased breathing magnifies the impact of PM2.5.
I decided to combine the following three inputs:
1) PM2.5 levels
2) The cigarette equivalence formula, and
3) The increased breathing rate during running.
With those inputs, I found a surprising result. My 5.5-hour run in Bangalore exposed me to a health impact roughly equal to smoking 20 cigarettes!1
Looking back, I now realize why I had to spend a few days on bed rest while my chest felt like it was on fire.
Reflections
My experience running in Bangalore amid the heavy smog tested my mental and physical limits. It exemplified the vast potential of human resilience and the power of a focused mindset. No matter the challenge, our bodies and minds can surprise us with their capacity to endure and overcome.
The power of the human mind can turn the seemingly impossible into reality. The "reality distortion field" that Steve Jobs was famous for when spearheading life-changing technologies like the iPhone is not exclusive to him. Each of us can create our own reality distortion field. One that propels us toward our goals, no matter how lofty or improbable they may seem. For me, Project 30 was that near-impossible goal, my version of creating the iPhone.
After the grueling run, I remember laying in bed feeling destroyed. The effects of the air pollution and physical exertion took a significant toll on me. But, I found solace in the fact that I didn't give in to the pain. This mission mindset was my anchor. My desire to complete Project 30 prevented thoughts of quitting from taking root.
Reflecting on the experience, I understand now how dumb it was to expose myself to such poor air quality. It's not worth the potential long-term consequences on my health. I don't regret the challenge and the lessons that my run brought. But, I do acknowledge the importance of taking the necessary steps to protect myself from harmful environments in the future. I am now more mindful of the air quality. I have no desire to prove that I can run in that kind of pollution again.
Final Thoughts
I will continue to pursue a life where I push my limits and achieve the extraordinary. But it's crucial to strike a balance between ambition and well-being.
Here's the main lesson that I learned from my run in Bangalore:
Even the limitless human spirit must respect physical limits and the environment.
As we work towards our versions of Project 30, let us remain conscious of the air we breathe and the choices we make. These choices form the foundation upon which we build our most significant achievements.
The equivalence of PM2.5 exposure to cigarette smoking was calculated based on the study from Berkeley Earth, which found that breathing air with a PM2.5 concentration of 22 μg/m³ for one day is roughly equivalent to smoking one cigarette. During my run in Bangalore, the average PM2.5 level was 79 μg/m³. Adjusting for my increased ventilation rate due to running, the 5.5-hour exposure is equivalent to smoking approximately 20 cigarettes.
During complete rest, a typical adult exchanges approximately 0.5 L of air per breath at 12 breaths per minute, resulting in a minute ventilation rate of 6 L per minute. Given my resting heart rate of 55 bpm and my average running heart rate of 165-170 bpm, I estimated a proportional increase in ventilation rate during the run. The total cigarette equivalence was then calculated by multiplying the PM2.5 level by the adjusted ventilation rate and dividing by the Berkeley study's equivalence factor of 22 μg/m³ per cigarette.