asthma / dare you to move / race training

back home, back to training (and screwing it up)

• by kerri

It’s not a new thing, but I have some kind of weird North Dakota Lungs phenomenon going on, ever since a couple months before I was actually diagnosed with asthma in 2008, in which every time I go to North Dakota my asthma starts flaring up [what’s the deal with that?  I was FINE in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota.  It’s always friggen North Dakota], I got out for a walk today with Sam.  My mantra is slowly becoming “Well, if I already don’t feel good, might as well go out.”  Yeah, it wasn’t the best, but it’s been worse.

I had a 7K on my training schedule, but cut it down to a measly 4.2 because 1) I screwed up my ankle, and 2) I got iced coffee on my two-day-old white UnderArmour shirt.  These things have to be dealt with, people. Mostly new shirts.  Proof I shouldn’t be getting iced coffee during a workout, I suppose.  Went home pretty rapidly after that so I could get it in water.  Screwing up my ankle was just a stupid move on my part.

So Sam and I set out with a camera, ready to strike some poses and have some fun on our walk.  This ended in craziness where we were jumping off picnic tables (it was awesome).

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I landed wrong AND hard on my left ankle.  It’s minor, I’ve got it wrapped right now and am going to tape it in the morning.  I’ll be icing.  Don’t want this getting in my way and think it’ll be better in a couple days, but taking precautions.  My left side is my strong side and takes a lot of the work thanks to my left leg being significantly longer than my right leg, it overcompensates.  Also I was jumping in non-proper athletic/jumping shoes.  Read: Converse.

I’m doing another measly four kilometers tomorrow [going to walk to work and add a block or so somewhere].  The 7 has been moved to Thursday.  And it will happen then, either before or after school, which starts on Wednesday [on which day I work 7:30-9 and then will find myself stuck in class until 8:30 pm, so unless I figure out a non-peak time to hit the gym, will be a rest day forever and ever amen.]

asthma / badassmatics / dare you to move / race training

slowest ever 5K

• by kerri

After a totally fine day breathing, my lungs decided to flip gears for the night — of course, right before my 5K training walk today, right? I’m walking my second 10K race on September 24th, and unlike last year, I kind of want to train for it this time. Make myself feel more like the kinesiology student that I am. I’ve been working out lately with relatively little issue in the way of my asthma [which is much more touchy and frustrating than I ever would have imagined when I was diagnosed.]

So I slept off-and-on and found myself wandering around the house for an inhaler at 2:26 am. Who can really be bothered to find their inhaler that is around their bed in the dark when they know where the one in the kitchen is? And so it continued like that, waking up randomly, needing the inhaler again at 5:45. By 9 AM I was tired of fighting it and did a breathing treatment and then attempted to go on with my day. You know, and do a 5K at 11:30. Hey, I already feel bad, might as well just go, right?

Danielle and I kinda slowly meandered our way around for 5K. It took us nearly an hour and fifteen minutes — completely the fault of my lungs. But, hey, it’s done. We had a good talk. Chased it with a breathing treatment and a freezie [every summer I work at a daycare, I get addicted to freezies. Happened in ’09, happened again this year], then some Starbucks a few hours later. If I was by myself, it would have been so much harder. So, there’s definitely something for being on a “team” of sorts — so far, having a training partner has been awesome.

I’m crazy tired now and it’s not even 6 PM, but hey, at least I didn’t just waste another day! As irony would have it, the MedicAlert bracelet I ordered last week arrived today — with perfect timing in the ironic way of this being the worst breathing days I’ve had in about two months [dude, so I’m not cured? Dang it], but also that I’m off to Chicago and Minneapolis next week (and hoping this flare breaks before then!)

I’m hoping I don’t have to fight my lungs all week, but either way I’m looking forward to getting back on the road!