I remember a couple of other people asking about this too....let me go do some reseach.
OK...are you low carbing? You aren't running marathons, but if you're doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, you don't have much stored up sugar or carbs.
Quote:
After a hard workout, some runners frequently notice a strong odor that resembles ammonia fumes. It smells exactly like a cleaning solvent but not quite as pungent. For some reason, that smell is most distinctive after a very, long hard run or a race when runners are milling around together.
Could this smell be dangerous? Or is it a warning sign of some underlying problem?
First, this ammonia smell is—in fact—ammonia. Your body produces ammonia everytime you run hard. Whether you smell it or not is a different story, but your body produces it on every long, hard run.
The reason this happens is ammonia is a by-product of protein metabolism. When you run hard and long, your body burns protein and carbohydrates for fuel. When the carbs are burned off (or there isn't adequate carbohydrates), the distinctive ammonia smell presents itself.
The fact that ammonia is produced on every run doesn’t mean the smell is noticeable afterward. Usually the smell is only present when there is the carb deficit. This increase the ammonia levels in your muscles and the ammonia is then picked up by your blood and carried to your respiratory system. When this occurs, you can usually smell it. In addition, some of the ammonia will show up in your sweat which makes the odor even more noticeable.
The smell usually isn’t anything to worry about. But if it persists, you probably aren’t taking in enough carbohydrates. If you emphasize carbohydrates before, during and after running and the ammonia smell is still around, you should get checked out by a physician.
This isn’t dangerous at all. But it is a not-so-subtle warning from your body that it needs more carbs (rather than more protein) to burn on long and hard training runs.
The solution is easy: Eat more carbohydrates to fuel your muscles. Especially if you’re running longer than an hour or two your muscles crave carbohydrates which burn easier than protein. You can also do this by taking in in carbohydrates while running.
Simply drink a cold sportsdrink (which has carbohydrates) every 15-20 minutes while running. If your carbohydrate intake is adequate to fuel your running, the ammonia smell should disappear. Your body will still be producing ammonia, but you probably won’t be able to smell it.
Mel
But since it is a smell that my nose is sensing if I have been crying, I figure maybe there are other incidents where it can produce the smell?
2frustrated , 10-04-2006 10:10 AM
