Run back into those pants

I did it! I got my ass up off the couch and ran today. I ran up to the mall (2 miles uphill) and did the last of my Christmas shopping, and then ran back down the hill. That's a whole 4 miles (with a 30 minute break in between)! It felt good, but damn cold. It was 36 degrees outside and I wore some workout gloves my mom bought me yesterday and some warm pants I got a month ago. My chest was a little cold (I had a backpack on which kept my back warm),and I asked for a warm running coat for Christmas. I had two layers on and it was just enough by the end of my run, but not quite enough during. I've got a bit of a cough now when I breathe in deep.

I've always thought I had exercise-induced asthma, because it always hurts to run in the cold, but I made it through with only a lot of snot. But since I self-diagnose, I read this: The contrast between the warm air in the lungs and the cold inhaled air or the dry inhaled air and moist air in the lungs, can trigger an attack. Once the attack is triggered, the airways begin to swell (bronchospasm) and secrete large amounts of mucus. I don't know about the damn cough, though. It could just be all the old smoking goo moving around. Yum.

I feel much better having worked out. I promised myself I would do it again tomorrow, but I'm not sure I'll be able to. I'm sure I'm going to be sore! But again, no excuses. I need to lose about 5 pounds to get back into my pants. That's totally doable by New Years if I go crazy, and by mid January if I go slow.