Back to the start

Two weeks since my last run, although I have been out with Jasper a few times to keep my legs moving. Seems crazy that just two weeks ago I had slogged out those 18 miles and was feeling fine, and now here I am struggling to get out of the door.

The doc was very pleased with how we are bringing the asthma under control but he feels it is too soon for me to be attempting a marathon, and I did not this time protest. I know he is right. It would be too much for me and it is not worth the risk. I think as far as the asthma goes I need time to get used to how it feels and what certain feelings mean - to recognise when all is well in the breathing factory and when I am at risk. At the moment I am at the start of that learning process, but I am learning fast!!

My goal being removed I found I had absolutely no desire to run. This in turn made me pretty miserable, although it was good medicine to have a few days away last weekend with my cousins Emily & Christina down in Leeds. Had a great time away from running and all running related things (although I did go for a run with Jasper!)

Since returning home I have reset my sights and have signed up for a half marathon in mid June here in Cumbria, and I still have the two 10k's already booked for April. Lincoln on 3rd and Langdale on 17th or something. So I really needed to pull on the Asics and get on with it.

Decided to hit a route which is on my way home from work. Tallentire.

When I first took up running I lived in Cockermouth and I didn't want people to see me huffing and puffing through the town so I went just up the road and ran round these lovely quiet villages, well hamlets really of Bridekirk and Tallentire. I remember using my first HRM here - a polar which I loved, and it was here that I pushed myself like mad to run for a whole two minutes before the respite of a walk for one minute! I was hooked.



So this was the place for me to start again. All those massive hills I had remembered were now just inclines! Ha ha, I loved it being back on these quiet tracks with the beautiful view of the snow capped fells around, and lambs springing along in every field. Lovely. And the running? Started off great, felt fab and was going at a reasonable pace too, lovely. This is exactly what I hoped to take from this run today and it would put me back in the game and I can start training again with a fresh perspective.

But then I started wheezing and by heart rate elevated and I weakened and weakened and it got harder and harder. Ventolin required. Oh dear. It was VERY cold and maybe that was the issue but I had a lot of problems and had to stop-start a bit. I confess to finding this very upsetting but I pushed on to 4 and a half from the original 6 I had intended. It would have been folly to have gone farther. Back at the car and driving on home I started to get very congested and when I got to the house I required a few further hits of my inhaler before it came back under control.

Depressing, but as I said, a learning curve. I am not going to run tomorrow but will hope to on Tuesday, just a short one. I need to get the feel of this, as I think I should have been able to identify signs that today was not a run day. I will get there, but I beleive it would be sensible of me to withdraw from the 10k in 3 weeks time. In the words of my doctors, it's just too soon Sarah.