Friday, May 1, 2009

Return of the Coughing Attack

6:00am: Man, this morning was full of coughing! The stuff I was bringing up wasn't as dark as it usually is first thing in the morning, which I guess is good, but I just couldn't shake the tickle that was making me cough. Most of my mucus was a bright yellow, almost as if somebody had used a highlighter and went crazy in my lungs. On my walk I was coughing so much that I had tears running down my face. I'm sure fellow dog walkers must have thought that Jezzabel and I were in a pretty bad fight. All I know is it looks like I built a yellow brick road going from my house around the neighborhood, but of course instead of bricks, I used my spit.

My legs felt good this morning and the heaviness from last night wore off. I did feel a slight shin splint coming on and my left foot started to hurt, but I'm hoping that it is just temporary. I REALLY want to run tomorrow. I've tried to do the right thing by not pounding my foot for a while and I just hope it pays off. My lungs need to get a good run in. They haven't been challenged for a while in the way that a run challenges me. Let's just hope that come tomorrow, I can pull it off.

Total Distance: 2.1 miles Time: 37'59"

3:00pm: Before I headed to the gym today I devised a new workout plan to start with the first of the month. I want to keep my body guessing and hit other small muscle groups. I put together a new workout for my chest and back that I pieced together using some sources on the Internet. The new back work out focuses a lot on lats which is good because I haven't worked them hardly at all over the past couple months. In my new chest work out, I don't even do a regular bench press. I noticed that the bottom portion of my pecs weren't really getting hit so I switched it up to a decline bench. I also added more fly type of motions for both chest and back. Most importantly however, I added push-ups and pull-ups. Those two things are a very simple way to get some sort of shape back and they definitely make you do some deep breathing. If you're thinking about starting a workout, I'd start there. Just do some push-ups when you wake up and before you go to bed. It's all about baby steps. Current Weight: 188 lbs.

5:30pm: It was actually a bit humid out for our walk tonight. Now, just to give you a heads up, I can't stand humidity. Don't get me wrong, I was probably at like 10 percent humidity, but I could feel it. It feels like somebody put a five pound weight on my chest when it's like this outside. Not a huge difference, but I could certainly feel the affects. The walk went well, but I did have some foot pain. I'll have to just make a call tomorrow as to if we attempt to run or not. I really want to run, but I don't want to further any damage. I guess I'll just have to play it by ear.
Total Distance: 2.1 miles Time: 36'35"

Total Distance Walked for Day: 4.2 miles

4 people had something to say...:

OceanDesert said...

Hey there,

Do you ever do the elliptical? I found that when I was having shin splints or knee issues, this was still a great way to get a good sweat going and work the lungs, esp. on resistance and/or incline..... hope you're able to run again soon!

Katelyn said...

The yellow brick road allusion was great. Sometimes I feel that way at too, but my coughing fits always happen at work, when I can't spit it out.

You're doing a great job! Do you wake up that early every morning, or do you allow yourself to sleep in sometimes?

Somer Love said...

Ugh I hate humidity too! It is SO hard to breathe! Feels like an elephant is sittin on your chest.

Unknown said...

Sara: I have tried the elliptical and it definitelt helps with the foot pain. I still get shin splints from it sometimes though. The biggest problem is it doesn't make me work as hard as running and I don't take in the huge breaths that I usually do with a treadmill.

Somer: I literally don't understand why anybody would choose to live in a place with constant humidity. But then again, I don't understand why everybody doesn't live in Arizona! So I may be a bit biased!

Ronnie