Breathing Lessons

Well, yesterday was a 15 mile Team run! We were given a modified run due to a number of injured runners, and ran 4 miles out and back towards Natick, then up to the Newton Hills to Chestnut Street and back. We still had some hills, but not the large menu we had been expecting.

We used Tim's Garmin 305 watch, which I gave him for Valentine's Day and had a nice experience looking at our splits afterwards.

The difficulty in the run was the asthma. Shortly after the 4 mile mark, I developed some pretty bad symptoms and had to pull over with some bad gasping until I could use my inhaler properly. Team members who ran past us asked if I needed help. It was definitely disappointing to have had to stop, but I think the chilly temperatures and wind created the perfect opportunity for an attack. I thought briefly about bagging the remainder of the run, but a combination of factors made me opt to 'wait and see'. Once I regained control of my breathing, I continued at a relaxed pace to the next few water stops.

Exercise induced asthma is frustrating- it can happen when you push your pace past the comfort zone, if the air is smoggy, dry, or cold, or if you have strong winds in the face. Some days you have it, some days you don't. I am happy that I managed to accept my condition without getting too upset or frustrated, decided my plan of action, and that Tim was there to support it. It could have been frustrating for him to not be able to run all out, but I was very lucky to have someone with me through the run!

At Wellesley, I decided to continue through the run, as the albuterol seemed to be doing its job and I felt confident that I could always stop and walk if things degraded. We did end up slower than desired, but the Garmin showed our splits as being all under 9 minute miles, with some of them under 8s and the majority under 8.5s.

The best part of that difficult day was that I realized what a fantastic team I had. People came up afterwards to see if I was okay, and while I was having the attack, they all offered support and concern. It took me (and might still be taking me) awhile to get over some disappointment in having to deal with a problem like this, but I am also happy that I was able to make an alternate plan and execute it rather than abandon all hope. I believe this will be to my mental advantage as our runs and training gets tougher. :)

Now, having had a few setbacks with the breathing, I will revisit my asthma meds to see if there is something I can do to alleviate the problems!

Lesson of the day: When you have a problem, you can decide to either quit or keep going. You should always make a decision you feel confident you will be safe with and not one that will risk your long term health or training. You can learn from your difficulty and gain inner strength, even if the 'outcome' is not all you had hoped it to be! Focusing on the modified task at hand rather than the goal you had hoped to meet will help you to follow through and perhaps even surprise you at the end!