If the government trusts me, maybe you could.

I love quotes, and I love the movie Top Gun. It seems that my past few runs could be ever so appropriately titled with quotes or songs from that movie. So here we go.

Wednesday - "I feel the need, the need for speed"

My weekly Wednesday workout with Boyfriend was the first since both of our races. We haven't found another 5k in the area to sign up for, so I thought it would be fun to do some speed work and get Boyfriend used to the feel of a harder pace on real ground and not the treadmill. I picked 3 x 400 repeats w/ 400 recovery on West River Drive with 1/2 mile warm up(it is usually far less crowded). Now this whole coaching thing is new to me so I am always worried that I'm doing something wrong with out realizing it but the whole workout was an overall success. We started out nice and easy, picked up the pace for a quarter mile and then took our sweet time recovering. I was pleased, but Boyfriend was frustrated. I couldn't understand why until I realized this whole running/training process is still new and maybe even though I try to explain a lot I hadn't done a good job explaining intervals/repeats/speed work.

"It's supposed to suck" I tell him. "It's supposed to be hard and you hate it but in the end it makes you stronger, am I making sense?"

He nods his head yes although I am sure he cares more about being done than anything I have been saying.

I try to remember my first time ever doing speed work with Larry. I had no idea what I was doing. I just went out with him and ran, when he told me to run fast I ran fast. I remember I even took my Ipod with me because I didn't think I could run fast with out it. I also remember singing to myself "someday my prince will come" because it was the only thing that came to mind at the time. I know that the only reason I was proud of myself was because Larry told me I was doing well.

So no matter what I made sure to tell Boyfriend the same, which was easy because it was true. When you first start out it is easy to feel frustrated in all the unknown. The encouraging words of someone who has been there before are often the very thing you need to build confidence.

Thursday - "Take my breath away"

At the beginning of the week I was excited to get back on my feet, but by Thursday I was ready for a rest day. My legs were starting to feel tight and sore, but I reminded myself this was all part of the process and I would be fine. I decided to go out for an easy for miles, meaning I leave my watch at home and don't focus on time. Of course once I have gotten out there and ran about a mile I feel great and am coming up on my first hill of the trail. It is a tiny little bump of a hill but an upward grade non the less so I decide that every hill will be run twice as hard. Normally I hate hills, but there is no watch and no rush to be home and I feel like giving a little extra something. My whole body feels great as I pick up speed, but almost at the top I start to feel out of breath. I slow down, enough to catch my breath and keep going. But at the next hill, it happens again. And the next, and the next until I am at my last hill, and the turnaround point for the trail. I give it everything I have, my whole body feeling great, except my lungs. They are just not on board with the rest of my body and by the time I reach the top I am literally gasping for breath, unable to get a decent breath. Again, I am forced to slow down until I feel better.

Damn you asthma, why can't you just leave me alone. I don't know if it was the pollen, or my medicine isn't doing it's job or what but I know it is more than just being out of breath from running hard. By now I have been running with this condition enough to know the difference between being winded, and asthma symptoms. My body has more juice left in it but my lungs just say no. Thanks a lot.

Thankfully I was able to finish the run at a decent pace and still feeling good. But it was a lot of slowing down to catch my breath that reminds me of my symptoms last fall. All I can do is take it day by day at this point. See how things go, if they stay the same or get worse I go back to the doctor. If they go away I wait until my next appointment in August. Hopefully they decide to go away, that's my vote anyways. Hear that lungs? I'm asking you to please get better. I swear you'll thank me for all this running when we're old and you're still in good shape. K thanks.

xx Sara