Showing posts with label cough. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cough. Show all posts

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Running and coughing and slipping and freezing

Oh yes, it's January again
Today's run (street & treadmill): 3 miles total

Whatever cold or virus that hit me on December 29 is still with me. The only remaining symptom is a dry cough that just won't abate. I took a rare sick day on Tuesday, worked from home on Wednesday and returned to the office on Thursday. My coughing was so relentless that my boss, whose office is adjacent to mine, told me to work from home on Friday. She couldn't stand the thought of another day listening to my hacking.

The good news is that I feel almost back to full strength. I considered going for a run on Friday morning, but ended up doing a brisk (4 MPH) treadmill walk instead. This morning's weather was a lot colder, but I was determined to get out and run. 23° with winds dropping the real feel temperature into the teens meant a lot of layers head to foot. I did my best to prepare, but I ultimately found conditions too harsh.

I was fairly comfortable while I waited for the Garmin to acquire its signal. I started off optimistically, planning to only run fast enough to stay warm. When I took my first left off my street, I felt the wind on my face and it hurt. I decided to give it a few minutes, hoping that warming up would help minimize my discomfort. I thought I could tough it out for three miles and probably could have managed that. After completing a loop through the middle school, I saw that the lightly falling snow was becoming heavier and the ground was getting slippery.

That was enough for me. I made tracks (literally) back to my house and headed upstairs where my wife was just finishing up her treadmill workout. I quickly shed my heavy layers and hopped on the treadmill. I completed the balance of my run indoors and ended up getting in trouble for tracking dirt in the house because I'd forgotten to take off my running shoes.

I usually try to cover closer to five miles on weekend days, but the combination of not running for two weeks and feeling less than 100% made three miles seem like a good distance. Besides that, we're in the middle of our first snowstorm of the season. I knew I'd be going out at least four times to shovel as we're looking at 9"- 12" at this point. Between the running and shoveling, I've already covered more than 10K steps today. That number will go up further when we go back out again at 7:00.

I was glad to get back on the road this morning for the first time since Boxing Day. Unfortunately , it was for barely more than half a mile. Looks like another fun session on the treadmill tomorrow.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Independence Day run, but not quite as planned

Today's route - Happy 4th!
Today's run (street): 3.5 miles

For some reason, this entire week has felt like a weekend. I was in the city on Tuesday and the whole time I was there, I kept thinking it was Friday. It probably relates to having a holiday midweek, with everyone anticipating an early break and long weekend. Today feels like a Saturday and that's fine with me. The weather is sunny, hot and humid. A perfect day for the pool.

After yesterday's midday run, I thought I'd go out early to beat the heat. I did get up early, but I didn't make my way outside until 9:30 AM, when the temperature and humidity were on the rise. I had considered heading to Stillwell Woods, where the tree cover helps block the sun. I like to do different types of runs on holidays and a trail run would have fit the bill. For practical reasons, I chose to stay in the neighborhood. So no early run and no interesting destination. Maybe tomorrow.

I did break up my usual route today, and that kept it moderately interesting. The weather was oppressive and I looked for shade wherever I could find it. I continue to deal with chest congestion that is finally breaking up and making me hopeful that I'm nearly through it. The downside to that is deep breathing prompts me to cough. Between that and the humidity, my time was sub-par. But a run is a run, and a good workout is valued, regardless of pace.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

I'm tapering my taper

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

I didn't run or post yesterday or Monday and this will hardly count as one. My schedule has been full this week and I'm still dealing with my cough, though that hasn't been the reason for skipping my workout on Tuesday. I did manage to get out this morning before getting tied up all day on work related items. This is a taper week and I'm certainly getting the "less running" part down.

The temperature was close to 80 degrees at 8:15 AM when I went out on my run. I knew that I should try to generate some speed since I'm going to be racing on Sunday, but I really didn't push my pace. Nothing to report except that I was glad to get back on the road.

Tomorrow and Friday will be early city days so I don't know when I'll get my final taper run in. I felt good on the run after a couple of day's rest, although I am still dealing with this annoying cough. My biggest concern right now is whether I'll have a voice by the time I make a presentation tomorrow afternoon.  This isn't going to be a big mileage week, but I hope to get back on schedule next week.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

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.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Testing a grape theory

Treating the symptoms
Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

I'm sure people are as tired of reading about my cough as I am of of having one. My cough was as bad as ever this morning. My daughter had her annual checkup today and my wife mentioned her lengthy cough to the doctor. The pediatrician said it's likely to be allergy related, that the pollen is really high this year. She suggested taking Claritin. The only version we had was children's grape chewables, but I went for it. I'm not sure whether it's helping, but I'm a bit better than yesterday (and earlier today).

The weather was highly cooperative this morning and I took full advantage by running around the neighborhood. It actually felt cold when I first stepped outside. It was a combination of shade and breeze that masked the heat from the sun and humidity. The run went well, and with middle and high school finished, there was less car and bus traffic to contend with. I was surprised to see that my pace was faster than I expected.

These weekday runs are all pretty much the same. I can vary my route a little, but by now, every road looks as familiar as my back yard. I literally have hundreds of identical route maps on Garmin Connect. There's only so many combinations of streets that take me around for at least three miles and then back home again. The great thing about these runs is that they give me thirty or so minutes of relief from coughing. Tomorrow I'll start on adult doses of Claritin. Perhaps that will give me something to write about besides coughing.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Great cough run cough

My lunch meeting
Today's run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

I really hate this cough. I'm not concerned about it because my daughter endured it for three full weeks and (thankfully) she is over it now. Someday, I'll get over it as well. As disruptive as this cough has been, it hasn't really affected my workout routine. I've noticed that I never cough while I'm running or somehow active. Too bad I can't be active all the time.

The weather was iffy this morning, so I did a treadmill run using progressive speed increases every quarter mile. It was humid, so I blasted the fan. My cough had woken me up during the night and I was concerned that I'd be dragging myself through my morning run. But I was surprised by the level of energy I was able to maintain. It ended up being a pretty good workout, although I would have liked more recovery time afterward.

A train derailment at Penn Station last night made the morning commute difficult for LIRR riders. I prepared for an awful experience, but things had improved by the time I went in. I covered almost four miles on foot, according to my Fitbit, and that - somewhat - made up for my large lunch. I coughed the whole train ride into and out of the the city and frequently through my meetings. I look forward to improvement and I'm hoping that it happens soon. But recent history tells me it might not get better for a while.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

A run on the road and hike at Caumsett

Take a hike!
Today's run (street): 3.9 miles

Yesterday was a tough one. Bad coughs can be exhausting, and I never got to the point on Friday where I felt strong enough to do a workout. I was determined to run today, but not if it would compromise my recovery. The weather was near perfect and, while I was still coughing, I decided to head outside.

I would have liked to do a tempo run but I settled for a more moderate pace. I'd coughed all throughout the night and morning, but not once on the run. It seemed as though every landscaper in the area had come to my neighborhood to work, so I needed to be wary of workers and equipment as I made my way past all the trucks. I used the sidewalks when things got too tight.

Even though it was a fairly short run, I felt very tired by the finish. Despite that fatigue, I was glad to return to the road. Since my bout with pneumonia in early 2010, I get concerned whenever I develop a cough like this one. In this case I'm confident that it's nothing but a cold. Extremely annoying, but nothing particularly severe.

Entrance to the Caumsett grounds
After lunch we headed to Caumsett State Park for a hike on the paved trails. It's a great park with beautiful grounds, including views of Long Island Sound. We finished our walk and spent some time in the "Walled Garden" where the kids played a scavenger hunt game using pictures taken on their cell phones. I want to return there for a run sometime, although I'll need to be prepared for a lot of steep hills.

Scavenger hunting in the Walled Garden

Friday, June 14, 2013

Workout sidelined

My chest cold now includes a deep cough among its symptoms. This cough, along with a full morning of conference calls, prompted me to postpone my workout. I was optimistic about running later, but I think I'll call it a rest day and move on. I'm hoping that skipping today's run will help my recovery. My favorite workouts are typically the longer base runs I do on weekends, so I'm counting on getting outside tomorrow.
 

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