Hi Sharon!

I've been running with a gas mask for over a year-and-a-half now in New York City. With the addition of a kevlar helmet, flack jacket and ten pound baton (to simulate a rifle), I have been training to run marathon distances with all the gear. I got up to 21 miles once and attempted to run the 2009 NYC Marathon, but was prevented form doing so with the mask and baton at the last minute. My next attempt at a full marathon with the gear will be the 2010 San Diego Marathon (with their expressed permission, however). I also run with the New York Road Runners Club.

Running with a gas mask easily shed 15 minutes off of my half-marathon time pretty quickly, and is an all around awesome way to train. The gas mask provides cardio-pulmonary resistance; it does for your lungs what lifting weights does for your muscles. As I'm sure you've already realized, you can feel your lungs stretch-out as they become more flexible and surface area is increased. Training with a gas mask forces one to breathe in full, deep, complete cycles by actively pumping the diaphragm. Breathing ceases to be a mere passive activity but becomes and incredible physical- as well as mental challenge with immense benefits.

With persistent long term training, and as your body adapts to the new conditioning, blood flow is increased with heart rate and blood pressure decreased. Gas mask training opens up a whole new world to the physical fitness enthusiast that no other method can duplicate.

If you run in an area with a lot of air pollution, a gas mask will also protect your respiratory system and mucous membranes in you face. If you like running in absurdly cold weather, a gas mask makes it possible because it protects your face and breaks up the cold air before you breathe it so you won't get lung freeze.

If you are training in public I would suggest wearing a safety vest and other reflective gear. Wearing a gas mask can prove to be sensory depriving, especially after a while and you get a runners high like you've never had before. You want to make people as aware of your presence as possible to reduce the risk of harm to yourself or others, and also so that no one can claim a guy in a gas mask went sneaking up up them. Being open and honest about your activity to concerned law enforcement or curious passers-by will do much to quell potential fears.

Also remember; training is a gas mask is perfectly legal and you are doing nothing wrong, however unorthodox. I have found it to be so satisfying an exercise tool on all accounts that it is amazing to me so few people are doing it. I suspect it's fear of navigating peoples perceptions of what you are doing in a gas mask, and also a misunderstanding of its health benefits.

Best of luck to you with your gas mask training. Let me know how it goes!

Cheers,

Swineflu Avenger (aka: the Gas Mask Jogger), New York City.

swineflu@swinefluavenger.com
twitter.com/SwinefluAvenger

PS: I can neither confirm nor deny my involvement with any military.