Running Regimen

CowboyPete · 02-25-2006, 05:48 PM

I need some help coming up with a good running regimen. First off the excuses. I have excercise enduced asthma so it's brutal for me to run outdoors in this weather. I've been trying to work through that but its a real psyche breaker when I'm wheezing before I even break a sweat. I have trouble keeping my resolve to keep moving when that sharp pain in my side comes 5 minutes into a jog. Any suggestions guys?

Carlson · 02-25-2006, 06:51 PM

Are you in pretty good shape weight wise? I'm still fat, but when I was younger and fat I thought I had the same deal but I was just totally out of shape.

Now I'm fat but I can do 35 mins on the elliptical machine no problem at pretty high heart rate. Its actually a challenge to get my heart rate up to cardio range theses days.

CowboyPete · 02-25-2006, 10:46 PM

I'm 20 years old, 6'1'' and 185-190lbs. I'd say weight wise, I'm in pretty good shape. I'm also pretty strong and pretty fast, I just have the lungs of a 5 year old in the body of a man.

**Q mystic** · 02-25-2006, 10:50 PM

I have a friend that went insane cardio and weights and his asthma disappeared. He had it bad to boot. This is at 28 and after a minor heart attack. He is 35 and doing great.

Carlson · 02-26-2006, 02:03 AM

Maybe try the Elliptical or stationary bike as a way of getting your cardio up at a little lower intensity level....sorta trying to raise the bar on where your heart even beats so fast that you have to breath harder...assuming the mechanism of excercise enduced asthma triggers when you have to breath hard.

Running is kinda hard to do half assed if you know what I mean. Theres more muscles involved then there is with the elliptical I think.

After you get where you can do a reasonable amount of effort without breathing hard you can start running. Start out walking then jogging...stopping to walk when you start having the beginnings of breath trouble.....walk until recoverd .... rinse and repeat.

Eventually you probably will be able to jog continously. Then Jog/Run where you Walk/Jogged.

Girljock · 02-26-2006, 11:28 AM

Have you talked to your doctor about it?

http://www.webmd.com/content/chat_tr...s/1/103846.htm
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/46/1660_51088.htm

CowboyPete · 02-27-2006, 12:09 PM

Thanks for all your suggestions guys. I haven't talked to my doctor about it at all since my older brother had it. They give you an inhaler to use before strenuous activity but there isn't much risk of any seriously harmful attack if you just slow yourself down when you feel it coming on.

I used to swim competitively and was pretty active in sports (basketball, football and soccer) and back then my asthma wasn't really an issue at all. I lost interest in sports in high school (girls are more fun) and got lazy. I now have a renewed interest in physical fitness and competing in martial arts but I'm trying to build up my general fitness level before I start training seriously in anything.

Based on your suggestions, I'm going to hit my college's cardio room and get on a stationary bike for now. I'll hit the outdoors again when the spring rolls around. Thanks very much, guys.

Revok · 02-27-2006, 01:17 PM

I still suffer from mild asthma despite being a cardio fanatic. It's warm air that sets me off, so I never run in the summer.

First off, you should see a doctor. To my knowledge asthma doesn't often involve chest pain, but rather tightness in the lungs and diaphragm, like every breath is only half a breath. If you're using an inhaler not prescribed to you by a doctor you may be doing yourself harm. And I find that the more I relied on the inhaler, the more attacks I suffered and the weaker my lungs were for up to a week afterwards - believe me, you never want to go to the inhaler except as a last resort.

I find that running is especially bad for triggering attacks - perhaps something to do with the movement of the diaphragm or something. I can go for hours on a bike, rowing machine, burpees, etc., but running can leave me feeling like I'm slowly suffocating. You're definitely on the right track by exploring other forms of cardio. I did eventually work my way up to being a respectable runner in sprints and distance, so there is no reason for that fucking disorder to hold you back. Good luck and keep at it.

mixicus · 02-27-2006, 02:34 PM

How fast are you running? Many new runners go out too fast or too far when first starting. Running is like anything, your body need to adapt to it. You didn't throw a 1.5x BW bench the first day in the gym...there's no reason to believe you can bang out 3 miles at an 8min/mile pace (or even 11min/mile) on day 1 either if you haven't been training.

If you're up for developing some 'distance running' say 3-5 miles in 25-40 minutes, check out some of the beginners training programs on Runners World or Cool Running websites. Try a beginner's 5K program. It should be doable for any reasonably healthy person.

CowboyPete · 02-27-2006, 08:19 PM

Today I hit the gym and after my routine (thank you Bas Rutten's BBOC) I did 20 minutes on the stationary bike. I did the HIIT-style program and put the difficulty up to 7. It was tough but I stuck it out, speeding up as much as I could on the hard parts and relaxing down to about 75 rpms on the easy ones. I didn't have any asthmatic symptoms at all. What you're saying, Revok, about running specifically inciting the asthma may be correct. I only seems to be really bad with running for me.

The pain I was experiencing wasn't in my chest but rather between the 4th and 5th rib. I think it has something to do with the muscles that expand your ribcage when you breathe in because that muscle is noticeably smaller on my left side and I always get that pain there when I run. I think I'll go to my school's health center about it tomorrow.

When I was running, mixicus, I would run up and down this probably 600 yard hill by my house going all out on the way up and slowly on the way down. I would jog there at a measured pace in order to warm myself up.