I love spring, but Asthma Stinks

Now that the weather has warmed up again - 75 over the weekend! - I am so happy to be running outside. Except that now that all the trees are starting to bud, and the spring breezes are blowing - I can't run outside. Well, not without dying a little from my asthma.

I tell you, allergy induced asthma really stinks! Really, any and all asthma stinks! I am about ready to call my doc and switch off the singulair I've been using to (till now) successfully manage my asthma. Virginia allergens are the worst! This week even at the gym I've had to pre-medicate with my rescue inhaler - something I thought only the cold-induced asthma required. Ugh!!!! Those days that I haven't pre-medicated I've needed the inhaler mid-workout. The alternative to singulair is a steroid inhaler. I'm not thrilled to go on one of those, but I'm using my rescue inhaler quite frequently these windy spring days. Not good.

That leads me to the million dollar question everyone asks when they know I run....."Are you running the Historic Half?" That is the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg, VA. I would LOVE to run this race. Last year, I was in the hospital with my daughter when this race had it's inauguration. This year, barring any illnesses or hospitalizations, I was really looking forward to it. Then asthma hit. Now, I don't know what to do. I am training as best I can, mostly indoors. My plan for now is train and see. My mileage is way down, and the asthma hurts that. If it gets much worse and I switch asthma meds maybe I'll be up to it. All the runners I know are registered for this. It will be like a great big party, only faster :)

If 60 is the new 40 then I still have time :)

I always thought I should run a marathon by the time I was 40. Oops. I turned 40 a few months back, and ran my first 1/2 the next month. So, I guess I missed that goal.

But now I read that 60 is the new 40. Procrastinators of the world - unite tomorrow! I have 19 more years to train and complete that first marathon. Phew!

13.1 (December) + 13.1 (May) = 26.2 (in Less Than 12 Months)

Well, I decided to train for my second 1/2 marathon. I trained and successfully finished my first 1/2 marathon in December - The Blue and Gray 1/2 in Fredericksburg, VA.

This was after injuring myself training the year before for a 1/2 in Anchorage Alaska - Humpy's (love the name) Marathon. There's a restaurant in downtown Anchorage named Humpy's (it's a kind of salmon) and they sponsor the yearly race. Well I pulled my hamstring pretty goog - couldn't even crawl out of bed one day! So, the hills - Oh MY God are they big - in Alaska got to me. I took the rest of '07 off - moved across the country and started again once we got settled in Olde Virginny. There's some nice running clubs and I found the Blue and Gray 1/2 which seemed like a good time away (December 14) to get my training on. This time I learned to listen to my body and avoid lots of hill training early on. I do enjoy the hills, which is a good thing since there's lots where I live. Not like Alaska hills though!

So, I talked my neighbor into running that Blue and Gray with me. It was her first 1/2 as well. Now, she's trying to shame me into running the marine Corps Historic 1/2 in May. (I'm cheap - it's $60 to register!) But, she's just about got me convinced. I figure at this point if I run a 1/2 every 6 months that sort of counts for a whole marathon in one year. That's my story and I'm sticking to it - at least till my daughter enters Kindergarten and I have time to really train for a whole marathon at once.