Physical exam yesterday. In one year: lower blood pressure, sub 60 bpm heartrate, lower %fat/lbs. Previously: tantek.com/2014/352/t4/physical-beat-expected-peak-expiratory-flow Blood tests will take a day or two. The positive changes make sense with the increasing fitness I’ve experienced nearly every week, and with improvements in nearly all the running races I’ve run. Also I knew I’d trimmed down a bit, but hadn’t realized I’d dropped 12 pounds since a year ago. One particular change that I didn’t expect this soon, and previously thought impossible, is that I seem to have overcome my asthma. My breathing capacity in general has increased, and I’ve reached the point where muscle soreness limits me in races before breathing does. This change became clear after I ran my first 7000+ feet elevation trail race this past September[1]. It was one of the physically hardest things I’ve ever done and forced me to relearn how to breathe while running. Upon returning, I found that breathing while running had become not only much easier, but was suddenly no longer holding me back. With that knowledge I was able to push my muscles harder than I’d ever done at the Berkeley Half Marathon[2] (though in retrospect I have a better appreciation of just how hard I’d pushed them and how that “minor muscle soreness” should be given more recovery time). It still takes me longer to warmup (especially in cold air). And for now I’m still recovering from hurting my knee four weeks ago. I’m taking it easy until it’s pain free, and looking forward to being able to my push limits again. [1] http://tantek.com/2015/283/t3/nfecs-ecsut-trail-race-pr [2] http://tantek.com/2015/326/t1/berkeleyhalf-halfmarathon-pr

Physical exam yesterday.
In one year: lower blood pressure, sub 60 bpm heartrate, lower %fat/lbs.

Previously: tantek.com/2014/352/t4/physical-beat-expected-peak-expiratory-flow

Blood tests will take a day or two.

The positive changes make sense with the increasing fitness I’ve experienced nearly every week, and with improvements in nearly all the running races I’ve run. Also I knew I’d trimmed down a bit, but hadn’t realized I’d dropped 12 pounds since a year ago.

One particular change that I didn’t expect this soon, and previously thought impossible, is that I seem to have overcome my asthma.

My breathing capacity in general has increased, and I’ve reached the point where muscle soreness limits me in races before breathing does.

This change became clear after I ran my first 7000+ feet elevation trail race this past September[1]. It was one of the physically hardest things I’ve ever done and forced me to relearn how to breathe while running. Upon returning, I found that breathing while running had become not only much easier, but was suddenly no longer holding me back.

With that knowledge I was able to push my muscles harder than I’d ever done at the Berkeley Half Marathon[2] (though in retrospect I have a better appreciation of just how hard I’d pushed them and how that “minor muscle soreness” should be given more recovery time).

It still takes me longer to warmup (especially in cold air). And for now I’m still recovering from hurting my knee four weeks ago. I’m taking it easy until it’s pain free, and looking forward to being able to my push limits again.

[1] http://tantek.com/2015/283/t3/nfecs-ecsut-trail-race-pr
[2] http://tantek.com/2015/326/t1/berkeleyhalf-halfmarathon-pr