North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: ACC-Champ Moldovan Ready for Outdoor Season
3/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH The side cramps were bad enough. The difficulty breathing was a royal pain for a distance runner. But what really bothered NC State redshirt freshman Bobby Moldovan the most last fall was his failing confidence.
He had always been a championship runner. In his home state of Indiana, he was a six-time all-state selection in track & field and cross country and a three-time state champion at Fort Wayne’s Northrup High School. He had done well in national and international meets. And he was a top-line recruit for Wolfpack head coach Rollie Geiger’s program.
But as a redshirt freshman last year in cross country, Moldovan had a hard time contributing on a team that finished No. 21 in the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.
He left the meet frustrated, wondering if there was something wrong that he didn’t know about.
“It wasn’t just running slower,” Moldovan said. “I just wasn’t racing well mentally and I was losing my confidence.”
So, during winter break, he went to his family doctor for medical tests, which revealed that he was suffering from exercise-induced asthma, an inflammation of the bronchial tubes caused by physical exertion. In addition, a series of other tests revealed multiple allergies to pollen and other outdoor pollutants.
Combined, the physical problems restricted his breathing enough to cause the cramping that slowed him down and diminished his confidence.
Fortunately for Moldovan, the solution was rather simple. He could control the asthma with some fast-acting inhalers, which he uses just before training. The allergies could be controlled by medication.
“I have been able to regulate my breathing much better,” Moldovan said. “I just use the fast-acting inhaler about 15 minutes before I run. I have really noticed an improvement. I haven’t cramped up at all since I began using it.”
So, by the time the indoor track season began, Moldovan quickly returned to top form. He not only won the 3,000 meter race at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships, he also finished fifth in 5,000-meter race.
Now, as the outdoor season begins in full swing with this weekend’s Reebok Raleigh Relays at NC State’s Paul Derr Track, Moldovan is hoping that his asthma and outdoor allergies won’t impede the progress he made in the indoor season.
“I really ran well from the beginning of the indoor season,” Moldovan said. “I was able to get refocused mentally and back into racing the way I knew I could. I am hoping I can carry that into the outdoor season.”
Of course, there are some questions, since most of his races are outdoors. Moldovan is allergic to most tree pollens, especially hickory and birch. He’ll be running in the shadow of those trees throughout the outdoor season and into the cross country season.
Fortunately, he’s not allergic to the Bermuda grass that is used on the soccer fields and outlying areas near Derr Track.
“I think most of the medical issues are behind me now,” Moldovan said. “We have been training outside every day and I haven’t had any problems at all. Workouts have been going a lot better for me.
“I have gained a lot more confidence.”
In other words, he’s breathing easier these days.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
