When something as boring yet necessary as breathing gets in the way....

Thursday at work I had to ring one of the secretaries at the adult mental health team; after we talked business we got down to more important issues such as summer holiday plans, our kids and of course a plan to hopefully meet up soon over a few glasses of wine; she is after all one of my good friends. (Dee is not only an efficient and brilliant PA but also an amazing cake designer - you must remember the awesome Superdry cake she made for Alex's 21st?). At some point in the conversation Dee mentioned how well I've been doing at running. In the past few weeks I've been hearing lots of positive feedback over my 'running', which only makes the fact that I haven't been out in almost two weeks even more annoying. 

I was just getting my groove on with this running lark again when Mother Nature lobbed a soft ball at me that whacked me straight in the chest. For years I have been proud of my commitment to difficult workouts and even more recently that I have also been running for over 30 minutes. Not a major feat for some, and you might laugh if you have run a marathon or two, but considering I've had asthma most of my life, I will mark my pathetic little jaunts as an achievement. 

(Quite proud of myself after a rainy run with Molly) 

So about this breathing issue... I went out two Sundays ago and although I had just run on the Saturday I went for it; not five minutes in my chest was screaming at me due to all the rape seed and other annoying aromatic weeds that spring up here round this time of year, yet I carried on. I was (slowly)running against the high winds and I'm not sure that I would have continued if I wasn't accompanied by my young running partner Jess. It was one of those runs that just didn't feel right, and even when it was over I didn't feel the rush of accomplishment I normally do. I was to busy trying not to die while I found one of my six inhalers. Of course I got my breathing sorted and get this, it only took a few days! However I am a pro at this remember (the asthma, not the running). However just the slightest bit of exertion still becomes uncomfortable and makes my chest prove its unwillingness to cooperate. It's frustrating especially in light of the fact we are heading back out to Greece in a few weeks and I wanted to be a bit more fit than I currently am. I did manage a workout once last week and if I don't go walking through the fields (kind of hard to avoid when there isn't just one, but *two labs that need their exercise as well). I reckon I should be able to get back on track with my Ripped in 30 program. That's provided my back and hip continue to cooperate and not trip me up like in recent months. Oh the perks of being a 40 year old asthmatic with bad joints. It is what it is though and like always I will work thorough it. It could be a lot worse. 

Its a three day weekend here in England and we plan to make the best of it been despite the forecast for rain. I hope you are enjoying your weekend and that you are doing something that makes your heart happy. I'm off to get dressed and take the dogs out with Andy. 

I plan to spend the rest of my weekend doing whatever I feel like, be it something or nothing. 

* We currently have the cantankerous but loveable old boy Carter stopping with us while Dawn & Rob are soaking up the rays in Ibiza.