Since I'd spent the last week feeling like my lungs where trying to exit via which bit of me was closest, along with the ever delightful Autumnal snotty nose, I wasn't expecting this Saturday to go well, and maybe not happen at all given the poor weather.
Ant's sage advice was that he doesn't usually run with a cold. And I was thoroughly in agreement with him. But I still found myself at his door for 10am ready, if not 100% willing, to go for a run. And I was slightly more prepared than last week too.
Since Aldi had a running and cycling event on Thursday, I decided to stop in and see what they had. And for £20 I managed to come away with a compression base layer and a very bright top for when I start doing a mid-week run after work. Never having worn a compression base layer, I found wearing one to be a tad disconcerting. Wearing lycra shorts for playing rugby is one thing, wearing a second skin on the top half is quite another. If I were of a slightly different mind, I could almost go so far as to say it's a touch erotic being hugged all over so closely when you move!!
But enough of that! This week's run was a shorter and slightly flatter route in deference to me being on death's door. And we were accompanied by four dogs; Ant's pair and his friend's less well behaved pair. They proved to be both a pain and a welcome excuse to stop for a break when they buggered off after the pheasants! They also meant that the time for the run was somewhat off last week's pace as they needed putting on and off the lead as we passed horse yards and roads. However, I am still really struggling with running on ploughed fields and maintaining a rhythm for my breathing. Keeping my breathing at a roughly constant rate is going to be key to conquering my asthma. When I stumble, it knocks my rhythm and that usually means I have to slow my pace or drop back to a walk whilst I recover. But I am getting better at it, and Ant thinks my running is smoother and improved from last week, so there are some early signs of progress. Look, I even managed something resembling a smile for the post-run photo with his dogs!!
The run was only 3.1 miles but took 50 minutes this time. Not too bad given the dogs, which were returned whilst we were out but equally not all that fast either. I was also pleasantly surprised at how much the run cleared my lungs. I had expected quite the opposite but I managed to go without using my inhaler once. And further to my surprise I managed to find enough in the tank to sprint the last 35 yards or so. Perhaps I'm not pushing myself hard enough when out?!
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