Day 01, 12/13/2009 (Asthma SUCKS!)

I have asthma. Fortunately, for me it's not debilitating. I don't end up in bed with a breathing machine attached to my face and steroids dripping into my system. No, I just have a hard time breathing and get very tired very easily. My asthma is triggered, generally, by three things: Cats, always; Cold air, often; Exercise, sometimes. When I am bothered with asthma during exercise I am sometimes able to work through it by slowing down and walking slowly or riding my bike at a very light pace. If I can get through it, coming out of the other side can be really good--I often feel like I could go forever after a recovery like that. But, on days like today, I can't get passed it. Those days the exercise is much harder because I'm not getting the oxygen I need for exercise and it really slows me down (and I'm slow to start with!).

Today was one of those days when the elephant sat down on my chest pretty much right from the start and just wouldn't budge. I tried the walk/run/walk thing and it worked a bit. Mostly I walked. But I did manage to get in seven miles averaging just over four miles per hour. Not stellar by any means, but it definitely counts as exercise even if I did walk most of it! I mean, maybe the lungs weren't filling up and increasing their capacity the way truly vigorous cardio-vascular exercise does, but when I have one of these sessions my asthma puts my heart rate through the roof. If nothing else the old heart muscle must be getting a good workout.

So this week I ended up with a whopping eleven miles. Now, I know I can walk a half marathon within the time limit. I've done it. But I would really like to have a good day that day and come in at or under the three hour mark. That's going to require some more miles during the week between now and then, no two ways about it.

Day 07, 12/13/2009 (Taken after my run and after eating and drinking, etc. That's my excuse anyway.):

Weight: 209.8

BMI: 29.7

RM: 1919

SM: 32.4

BF: 29.6

VF: 13