the Real cause Of My distress = Just another Excuse

I went for a jog this morning. (I know. I was surprised, too.) I was out for about ten minutes before I started getting that burning sensation in my lungs. The constriction, the phlegm, the wheezing sounds in my chest, after only ten minutes. Stupid asthmatic lungs.

The rest of my body was just starting to feel good. I could feel the muscles in my legs coming awake. My mind was clearing from the hazy clouds of sleep. And then my stupid asthmatic lungs shut everything down.
I had to walk back to the apartment in slow even paces while concentrating on breathing.  Way to ruin a good workout.

You have to be gentle with this kind of thing and not aggravate it. If I had "pushed through it" it would have resulted in an asthma attack, which would've been catastrophic as I do not have an inhaler. No treatment, really, for my asthma other  than staying away from strenuous physical activity. This is why I went for Pilates last semester as opposed to, say, cross-country.

It would be great if I could go jogging without my lungs. Just detach them somehow and leave them at home while the rest of my body enjoys all the benefits of a good run. Running strengthens muscles, increases blood flow, strengthens the heart, burns fat, and results in an endorphin boost. I want that! My lungs just give out too soon.

I'll keep going for morning jogs. Eventually my lungs will get stronger, it's happened before. They'll never be at the point I'd like them to be, but it's better than sitting at home doing nothing. And when money starts coming in this summer I'll buy a pass to a cheap rec center and start working out there. My lungs seem to be morally opposed to running, but I can work up a pretty good sweat on the elliptical machines.

It's a pain in the neck to work around asthma.

Being healthy almost seems over-rated for this kind of effort.