4.6!

I'm getting closer and closer to five miles. My biggest improvement has been my time. Last week it took me 30 minutes to go 3.5 miles. Today I did 4.6 miles in 28 minutes. Still pathetic, I know, but a huge improvement! I'm amazed at how quickly I'm improving. Given how hard this was for me when I started I thought it was going to take longer to see improvement. The biggest difference I'm noticing in my body is that my legs muscles hurt way less. I'm not noticing every little incline like I did before.

The biggest thing I'm still struggling with is my lung capacity, which continues to suck like it always has. I'm breathing really hard and my lungs are on fire a good portion of the ride, but I'm pushing through it. Thirty years of asthma has not been kind to my lungs. The biggest hurdle to me whenever I start any new exercise routine is my asthma. It's frustrating. My doctor always tells me that exercise will improve my asthma but when heavy exercise seems impossible because I can't breathe it feels like a catch 22. I've given up exercise goals more than once because my asthma just made it too hard. Not this time though. This is my year of no excuses. I may whine about it but I'm not going to give up because of it! It's stil a struggle though. I make myself go two miles no matter what and then I stop and catch my breath, use my inhaler and drink some water and then I can go again. That seems to be working for now. In time it will hopefully improve.

I know that a 4.6 miles is nothing to brag about, but considering where I was even a week ago, every day seems like a little victory to me and I like that!