I've been asthmatic for as long as I can remember. I have had to take daily medication for almost my entire life. Even as a competitive swimmer I was medication dependent. I've gone a couple of winters with back to back chest infections and multiple prescriptions of antibiotics and steroids. So when I started running a year and a half ago, I was concerned that it was going to be too much for my poor airways.
At first, it was hard, and running for more than ten minutes made my chest feel like it was on fire. But over time it got easier. I've now not had to take regular medication for an entire year. My peak flow is the best its ever been in my entire life (although still lower than a healthy person). Running has actually improved my breathing so much, so that I rarely use an inhalor these days.
However, as winter drawers in, the risk of chest infection increases, as the cold air really irritates my airways. On the really cold days, this means I'm simply unable to run outside, and have to use the gym instead. But mostly it just means being careful. Wrapping up warm is all I really have to do. I have a buff that I put round my neck and pull up over my mouth to warm the air before it hits my airways. This makes running in the cold much more manageable. It still hurts sometimes, especially the first 5-10 minutes while my body is warming up, but compared to two years ago when I couldn't even walk to uni in the cold because I had an asthma attack its a huge improvement.
I may always be asthmatic. I accepted that a long time ago. But it seems finally to be under control. It just shows what can be done with perseverance. I'm not saying that running is the cure to all asthmatics, everybody is different and there are many people out there whose asthma is far worse than mine has ever been. But for me, running has completely transformed my life for the better. And although I'll always be a swimmer at heart, I couldn't imagine my life now without running.
Time to Marathon: 3 months and 12 days
