Breathless

I don’t know what's been in the air these past twenty-four hours, but it's trying to kill me.

I took my asthma meds last night just as I always do, but needed the emergency inhaler at bedtime. Then I woke up needing it at 5 am. And again when I got up at 7. I figured I’d go for a run anyway, since my lungs usually open up after about half an hour of activity.

Not this time. Not only did it feel a lot colder than 48 degrees, due to the wind and damp, but for the entire 12 mile run I had about 70% lung capacity. It was miserable. Not only is it no fun to be anaerobic at 10 minute miles, but the constant fight for air wore me down on a psychological level. No matter how good your mental game is, when you can’t get oxygen, it eventually messes with your head. Luckily, by the time I was at the mental breaking point, ready to find the quickest way home and say to heck with it, I was at a place where backtracking would’ve been no faster than pressing on and finishing as planned. So I finished.

Once home, it took two cups of very strong coffee and several hits on the inhaler to get me breathing well enough to no longer be distracted by my lungs. Instead I was now distracted by the way my hands were shaking from the jittery effects of so much caffeine. Well, whatever works.

Other than the lousy way I felt, though, it was a nice morning for running. It was supposed to be rainy, but instead it was merely cloudy and windy, and the sun even came out for awhile. It’s wonderful to be on the high part of a trail with dogs chasing each other way down below on the bayou, birds swooping through the air in the middle distance, and green grass and flowers everywhere.

If I had been able to breathe, it would’ve been fantastic.

And of course this had to be the day where nearly every runner I passed wished me good morning! Yeah, I could barely get two oxygen molecules into my lungs at the same time, and I was trying to choke out my requisite Friendly Runner Greetings to all and sundry.

I’m hoping all the rain this afternoon and tonight clears out whatever was causing me so much trouble. I’m doing a lot better tonight, but it’s still a few hours before I can take more meds, and I’m feeling a little sub-par. I probably just need some coffee.

Recent Workouts
Thursday: 30 minute elliptical
Friday: rest
Saturday: 12 mile run