When I left work on Friday, it was in the middle of a serious rainstorm. But this being Toronto, the rain didn't last long and by 8:45pm, it was still overcast but dry enough to venture outside for a run.
And what a run it was.
I'm still on the Couch to 5K program and Friday night was the second run of Week 5: 5 minute warmup; run 8 minutes; walk 5 minutes; run 8 minutes; 5 minute cool down. I'll be honest, the 8-minute sections had me a little worried but I gave it my best go anyways...and the first one was easy peasy! Not even sure why that happened but it did so I just kept going.
When I finished the second 8-minute section, I still felt really good so instead of cooling down in the last five minutes of the workout, I ran it. That's right - 13 minutes baby! And - AND - when I was done I felt GREAT!
Why it went so well can be attributed to my working at running more regularly but also partly to the humid evening that was Friday. Even with the rain the humidity hadn't dissipated completely and proved an instance where the environment didn't work against my asthma. (Because both exercise and the environment cause my asthma to flare up, it's always neat to see when it HELPS me to breathe.) The humidity helped because it kept the air warm; when the air is cold and I'm gasping for it (like when I run) it causes my airways to constrict more, making my breathing harder. That's why running in the winter can be hard unless I've got a scarf or something over my mouth - but even then it can be dodgy.
But now that it's summer and the air is moist my running is getting on track and it's awesome. And I'm finally getting not just excited about building my strength as a runner but also confident that I can keep going and keep getting better. What an awesome place to be!
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| My neighbourhood, post-run, late in the evening |
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