Little knives in my lungs

It's snowing where I live, and it seems like it's here to stay.

Honestly, I've been debating whether I wanted to keep running through the winter.  Life has been catching up to me and it has been discouraging to watch myself lose that fitness I gained over the summer.  It would be so easy to just give up, like I have every other year.



I'm determined to not quit this time.

Winter running hasn't been too bad so far.  Sure, I have a little more trouble getting out the door, and remembering my gloves and earmuffs are crucial so I won't get frostbite.  I've had invest in some cold weather athletic gear, and while its hurting my tiny little income, I can't complain because its all so nice.  Seriously, I think I wore my new running jacket for a week straight.

The thing I haven't gotten used to yet is the breathing.  Every time I run in cold weather, my lungs start stinging with pain, like little knives are stabbing me in the chest.  The pain never really lets up during the run, and then I find myself taking shorter and quicker breaths because I can never seem to draw in enough oxygen, and it feels a tiny bit like I'm suffocating.

And then there's the cough.  Usually I cough a little bit while running, but after is when it gets bad.  I was visiting my parents one weekend and I had just finished a short run before arriving at their house.  My dad was afraid I had caught pneumonia because I just kept hacking.  In reality, my lungs were still on fire, the only cure was to wait until they stopped burning, which took half-an-hour.

I've mentioned before that I suspect that I have mild asthma.  I know it causes problems for people with asthma when they breath in colder air because it needs to be warmed up before oxygen can diffuse through the lungs.  This delay in warming up the air can trigger symptoms.

So today, I thought about tying a contraption to my head that would warm the air up externally for me, before I had to breath it.

(This is where I looked for an example picture but couldn't find one.  I guess the idea is too dumb.  Or ugly.)

Regardless, I'm still determined to run through this winter.  It might not be as fast, or long, or often, but I will continue to run.

And look forward to spring.