Learn to breathe through your nose more while running and this should alleviate a lot of the throat irritation

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Strava

Covid-19...

How do you know you're not allergic to something? I do have seasonal allergies and have taken zyrtec for years. It wasn't working effectively the past few years, but helped somewhat. Now I take both zyrtec and singulair, which is prescribed for asthma patients. In no way, shape or form do I have asthma, but I can attest it's helped a lot.

Apparently zyrtec helps with hayfever and singulair helps with different allergic reactions. As I live in the Ohio Valley seasonal allergies are pretty severe here, so controlling them is an important part of quality of life.

How do you know you have “normal lung function”?

Seasonal Allergies > “cough” variant asthma is my guess based on your description of symptoms. Can’t tell clearly by your description when you are affected Not a whole lot of things cause chronic cough with exercise for 6 mos

Thanks!
Was thinking about seasonal allergies, but as that season is now already going from March till September, I have no issues at all when not running and never had any issues with allergies, it seemed a bit unlikely to me. Then again, I don't have any experience with such allergies and how they manifest.
Concerning the lung function, I just didn't notice that I have to breathe any harder while running than before this cough showed up, e.g. last year. It definitely doesn't feel like running with a cough from a cold or so.
I'm getting a lung function test next month and they also do an allergy test. I hope that will result in anything.
In the meantime, if anyone ever ran into similar symptoms, I'd love to know if there is any explanation or remedy. The internet doesn't seem to know a lot about it. At least I didn't find it. I'll look into those medicines (zyrtec, singulair). Breathing only through the nose unfortunately doesn't work for me, as I don't get enough air that way.

Maybe try running indoors and see if the cough still happens? If you don’t have any coughing afterwards, that would tell you that it’s something outdoors that is causing the problem.

That's a good tip! Thanks! Need to find somewhere to run indoors though, as I don't have a gym membership.
I'll try to compare hard cycling outdoors and on the trainer as well.

Or go for a similar duration walk through the same section of forest where you run and see if it triggers a cough the next day? Then I'd think some sort of allergic type reaction and not the running...

I will occasionally get what is a chronic cough that occurs during or following a hard workout. After loads of testing after a bout of 4-ish months of no resolve, it was determined I had an irritated/overstimulated larynx; nothing related to a cold, allergies, asthma, bronchitis, virus, bacteria, or fungus. Vocal lessons/ breathing techniques, de-stress techniques, and tons of cough drops can help. Ibuprofen is A+ for the irritated larynx, especially before bed, be cautious with it before long workouts. Antihistamines can take a little edge off too, but if you were having allergies they typically happen on the spot, not hours or days after you've left the source of your allergens.

For me, working out isn't much a problem once I get going if I have the cough, its when I stop that it can develop into something worse. Usually I'll have a cough drop before my workouts if I have tickle, and that tends to be good "everyday" insurance. Inhalers, caffeine, other synthetic and natural stimulants, acidic foods can make it worse. When it resurfaces it can be tough to get under control if you don't act quick.

Good luck.

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Matt Leu, M.S. Kinesiology
San Pedro Fit Works, Los Angeles, CA
Endurance Athlete and Coach
Consistency/time=results

Same here. I always have coughs after the training. Cycling is the worst and running is next. We just have weak or easily irritated throat and that is all and somehow you just started having this issue. Lung function is just fine, but only the throat. For me, it depends on air quality, pollen, how dry it is and whatnot. I rode 30 miles on Saturday and couldn't sleep well that night due to coughing and that's pretty normal to me. I have a convertible and I cough at night if I drive it around with top down too, so I don't drive that car before the race. My family has weak sinus and throat, so I've learned this is normal to me. You might have developed this later in your life. Don't worry too much as long as your lung function is good.

A lot of what is being written in this thread sounds like exercised induced asthma. I am not a doctor though.

I have some kind of asthma, but not related to exercise. If I spin or run indoor, no cough at all. It only happens when I do things outside.

How about reflux?

See if they will do spirometry before and after exercise.