When breathing gets tough, do the run easy

Easy like Sunday morning

Today's run (street): 3.2 miles

I'm finally feeling some relief from this endless cough, mostly because it's moved up into my head. I'm coughing less, but I'm now dealing with a bout of laryngitis. About twice a year, I completely lose my voice to this affliction. I can't complain (and no one would hear me if I did) because I sound terrible. Despite that, I feel fine.

Near the end of yesterday's run, my breathing started feeling restricted and I wondered if this chest cough may be related to a newly developed pollen allergy. My concern was, with even greater heat and humidity this morning, I'd have more trouble breathing than on Saturday. I considered skipping my workout or doing a hike instead. Ultimately, I chose to do a short, easy run to get my week's mileage into line.

I went out slowly and almost regretted my decision to bring my Garmin. I often wish I could just go out and run, unencumbered with tracking tools like GPS, a stopwatch timer or a heart rate monitor. I also know myself well enough that, if I ran without tracking, I'd end up reconstructing the run by estimating the time and mapping the route on Gmaps. Besides that, I always like to capture the route map in Garmin Connect.

My run started easy and stayed easy. I never approached my lactic acid threshold, although I did bring up my speed over the last quarter mile. It was at that point yesterday when I detected some restriction in my breathing. Today, that was not the case. I don't know if it's because my lungs are clearing, or if it's simply related to running easier. Either way, I was glad to get some miles in today, as I start my taper for next Sunday's race.