This morning I took my coughing and spluttering self off to the Doctors Surgery for an Asthma review. I considered cancelling it because of my cold, but having seen no improvement in the few weeks before lurgy hit I wanted to make sure all the bases were covered. On arrival she got the peak flow meter out, I obligingly did a few big puffs into it and said “that doesn’t look too bad considering I have a cold” and the nurse gave me a stern and worried look and said “it’s dropped a lot”.
So that was a good start. The upshot of the appointment was that I am now on a long acting reliever inhaler in the hope that it will kick these breathing issues into touch once and for all.
In a fit of New Year introspection I went back and looked through my Janathon 2013 posts, and honestly it really bought home with a bump just how much fitness I have lost over 2014. I was astonished to see my average pace for Janathon 2013 was about 9’30” miles, and that included some times when I was running on sheet ice! Throughout the whole of 2013 my average pace was around the 10 minute mile mark, only dropping a bit lower when I started Half Marathon training. Then 2014 started with *that* cold and chest infection and blah, blah, blah all my other hideous woes that I won’t bore you with again and I’ve barely broken the 10’30” mile since.
So peak flow or no peak flow I decided to head out today and run around the block as fast as I could to see how I was doing in comparison.
That photo was taken post run, and to be honest I think the light must be very flattering today because I look A LOT better than I felt.
I just managed to avoid coughing up a lung as I shot round the 1.5 miles, but to be honest I’m not sure if you’d find anyone who’d recommend attempting to do a speed trial while you have a cough. Still, at least my shoe laces stayed done up.
The end result was 1.5 miles in pretty much bang on 15 minutes. Better than I expected but still about 30-45 seconds a mile slower than I was doing that route in 2013. I’m not going to pretend it felt in the slightest bit easy, but I do have a cold, so there we go, lets see if I can improve that at all this month shall we?
Currently I am refuelling with Celebrations and a glass of coconut milk, because it’s important to refuel after a full 15 minutes of exercise.
Tonight I will be eating garlic sausage that I bought for 5p on the reduced shelf in Tesco. I live a heady and exciting life.
Just 29 more of these to go.
Comments
3 responses to “#Janathon Day 2 – The Day I Realised I was Rubbish”
To be honest I am impressed that you can type after running 1.5 miles I wouldn’t be able to do anything at all for the next day or two. Seriously I do agree that doing speed trials with a cold and asthma doesn’t sound like a good idea so in order to avoid me having to drive to Norwich to visit you in hospital could you please save the sprints until said cold has gone and asthma has improved. Thank you my dear. Love you……. And stop pulling that face – I am your mother so I am allowed to worry xxx
Well done for getting out for day 2. Although there was the fear of coughing up a lung, this will give you something to look back on and show improvement over the month. Just make sure that cold is gone by the time you have another go! 🙂
To add my entirely uninvited two pennorth: I agree, and eat lots! I have tried the lots of exercise and restricting calories at the same time and end up feeling rubbish and losing no weight either. Not fun, and not healthy. I know, none of my business, but I was amazed how bad I could make myself feel while trying to do myself good!