Conditioning

Looking at me, you might assume that I was built for distance running, but I was not.  I was built for speed and high intensity exercises.  Naturally, I am bad at breathing.  Not just some of the time, but most of the time especially if I am not working out much.  Distance running never came easy to me, but when everything was better than it was now, I learned to open up my lungs when I ran which had a lasting effect on how I felt.   Around the clock, I became better at breathing.  This was a major factor in why I unnaturally became the distance runner that I am today.  But now, with this double edged sword, I need balance.  To run enough to maintain my cardio and workout my lungs, but not so much that it triggers whatever is going on with me.

Historically, I do a better job of staying healthy and strong with intense training.  I keep telling myself that I have to stay strong.  I remember what it felt like to be weak and sick and I can not go back to that.  With the list of foods I can eat (6-7 foods currently), getting enough nutrition is a daily struggle. But as long as I keep struggling and fighting through this muck, I will be alright.

I am still running, but I have put my running goals aside for now while I deal with this health crisis that seems to want to stick around for a championship fight.  This does not, however, prevent me from training hard and challenging myself in other ways.  Strength training and plyometrics do not take as much of a toll on my lungs as high mileage training does, so my goal during this unexpected ‘off season’ is to gain strength and explosiveness while maintaining a good cardio base and remaining healthy. After that, I plan to make one hell of a comeback.