Moving right along, with just a few bumps in the road.

Right around the time that I ran the Girls on the Run 5k with Hallie, I also went to the allergist and learned that I had NOT, in fact, outgrown the asthma that bothered me as a child/teen.  That put a bit of a damper on my plans.  I thought that tightness in my chest was due to pollen exposure when running.  Wrong....crap.

I ended up with a handy dandy inhaler and an "Asthma Action Plan".  Doesn't that sound official?  I misplaced the paper with the plan a few days after my appointment so let's all just hope that I never need to actually know what that plan entails. 

I also had what can only be described as a near return to sanity.  It was week 4 day 3 of c25k, and for whatever reason, the run was brutal for me.  I can only guess that it was the combination of the asthma, allergies, and heat...but I never wanted to give up more than I did on that day.  I literally thought I was killing myself during the last 5 minute interval run.  My feet had certainly been coated in some invisible concrete, because I could barely pick them up.  I was struggling to breathe, fighting for each inhale and exhale.  My legs felt like jelly.  I was moving at a snail's pace and all I could think was that I should just stop running, call my husband to come get me, and be done with this façade of me as a runner.  I felt so broken, and yet I kept going.  I don't know what made me keep plodding along, but I did.  When the lady on my phone told me to slow to a walk for the cool down, I literally stood there in the road and cried with relief. 

I don't know what made me keep going that day.  I don't know what made me continue to torture myself when all I could think about was giving up.  That run was my first big breakthrough.  I realized that most of my battle in completing this program and becoming a runner was inside my head.  Something about that run made me realize that I could do it...even if I didn't want to.  Even if I HATED running at that instant, I could do it.  I just had to keep going and rally against that voice of self-doubt inside my head.  It was a game-changer for me.

The next big hurdle was the dreaded 20 minute run of week 5 day 3.  20 minutes of straight running with no walking breaks.  I was nervous about this run from the first time I looked at the program to see what it entailed.  In my mind, this would be the make or break run for me.  Could I really run for 20 minutes straight?  Why yes, yes I could!  And I did!  And this time, when it was time to cool down and the tears came, it was with pride.  I cried because I was proud of myself and the progress I had made.  It felt good.  Super-girl good, even.  Like if I could do this 20 minute run, I could work towards anything.  Yup, this was a back to crazy event for sure.

At that point, I was trucking along in the program and feeling pretty good about myself.  And then I woke up at 5am on May 23rd with excruciating pain in my neck.  I ended up at the Dr. and was diagnosed with severe muscle spasms in my neck, something called Torticollis.  I was instructed to take muscle relaxers and pain meds.  No running or work for a week.  Of course, just as I'm making good progress...another bump in the road.  I lasted 6 days before I went back out to run, and was pleasantly surprised to find that my endurance was still there and the run felt good. 

I finished out week 6 as the school year ended at work, then did most of week 7 while we were on vacation in Florida.  Yes, I woke up at 5:30 am to RUN on my vacation.  Insane, I tell ya.  The old me would never imagine exercising on vacation, and certainly not when I'd be walking 10 miles a day at Disney World anyways!  It was hot, and it was humid...but I felt proud of myself for surviving those runs.  I had motivation though.  My first "official" timed 5k was coming up on June 22nd.  We got from from vacation on 6/15, and the race was just a week away.