Running Improvement and Need a Road ID Bracelet

I'm still participating in the training program through the running club on Wednesday evenings and doing pretty good. I struggled some in weeks 4 (run 4/walk 1) and 5 (5/1). I'm not sure if it was the heat (it's been in the upper 80's & lower 90's) or if it was because my legs weren't feeling strong enough. In fact, I noticed that the first couple of intervals I would struggle with my breathing, but then my lungs would feel like they opened up making it easier to breathe, but my legs would feel like they didn't have the strength to keep going.

On week 6 day 1, I did great! I didn't have to walk at all during the 6 minute run intervals and I felt pretty good about myself. The second day of week 6 I ran at the lake in the middle of the day (not smart!) in 80 something degrees. I was actually done pretty well until the last interval. I was feeling pretty tired and was running up a hill that was steeper than I was used to and I hadn't run in that area before. I kept saying to myself 'you can do it, you can do it', when suddenly I just stopped! It surprised me. It was as if someone had put their hand on my chest and held me back. I walked for several minutes and tried to run more but just didn't have it in me to do it. I didn't even attempt to run day 3.

Last Wednesday was day 1 of week 7 (7/3). We did our training at one of the member's home and had a potluck. She lives in an awesome area that is hilly and a big wooded area. We actually did part of our run on trails through the woods. It was my first experience at trail running. I have to admit that ALL of the hills were VERY steep so some of us didn't run up most of them. It was a great workout but I didn't get the full 7 minutes of running because it was so hilly and I'm not at that level yet.

But this morning (I got smarter and went earlier when it was just 74 degrees) I did day 2 at the lake and ran each interval without stopping! My last interval was on the hill that I had stopped so suddenly last week. I think I've got that hill licked. Now I can't wait to run day 3!

Next Wednesday begins week 8 (8/2) and I feel pretty confident I can do it.

I never thought I'd see the day that I would be able to run 7 minutes without stopping. I know it doesn’t sound like much to most of you but to a person that has never been athletic or run since childhood, with asthma to boot, running for 7 minutes straight is a huge accomplishment!

During week 5 I developed bronchitis - again. Because I've started running, it aggravates my lungs and will continue to do so for quite a while. So my doctor gave me a steroid shot and I'm just about finished with my second round of antibiotics in a month. I don't want the bronchitis to get worse and develop into pneumonia again.

When I run I wear a SPIbelt to hold my cell phone, identification and inhaler. I was always planning to get one of those Road ID bracelets but haven't yet. So, in the meantime what I did was made a copy of my driver’s license and carried it, folded, in my SPIbelt. Well, a few weeks ago as I was doing my cool down walk, my phone rang. I pulled it out of the belt but didn't zip it back up. I walked home while talking to my friend on the phone.

Once I got home I took off my shoes, removed the belt and took everything out of it as I usually do. But, the copy of my driver’s license wasn't there. I realized I must have lost it when pulling my phone out of the belt or it fell out because I didn't zip it back up. I hastily slipped on a pair of flip flops and headed out the door to retrace my steps searching the ground along the way for a piece of paper the size of a driver’s license that was folded in quarters.

Now, I always take a short cut to the lake, which these days is becoming overgrown with weeds. Imagine trying to find a postage stamp in weeds that are knee high while wearing flip flops. I climbed the hill to the dike, crossed the dike and got half way around the lake to the area where I pulled my phone out of my belt. There it was. Someone had picked it up then ripped it into a hundred little pieces. I got on my hands and knees and picked up every little piece of paper I could see. When I got home I put it back together just to be sure I had gotten at least all of the pieces that might have my information on it. I got every piece of that paper!

It was so important to me to find that paper because several years ago someone had gotten hold of my checking account number and drivers license and wrote checks against my account. I didn't want that to happen again.

This is why I MUST get one of those Road ID bracelets.