Haley Noehren - Assignment #21 - The Asthmatic who Runs

Yes, that's right, you get to hear more about running! Here's a little background, both my parents were runners. When I got to middle school it was decided that I should join cross country and track. For the first season, I could barely run a lap (that's a fourth of a mile, or 400 meters). I made a goal - run the straits and attempt to slowly jog the curves. For some reason though, I found it physically impossible to run more than the 100 meter straight. My lungs burned. I was physically inhaling but felt no oxygen actually entering my lungs. I was dizzy and lightheaded. I brushed it off though as just being out of shape (which I was). To add on to my dilemma, I was getting sick every other week. Nothing serious, just a cold or respiratory issues. My mom finally took me into the doctors office where they gave me the news - ya girl has got asthma. yay. For three years I had to take some weird steroid prescribed inhaler that tasted like strawberries twice in the morning and twice at night. That was a precaution- I still had to take my abuteral (the classic red inhaler) 2 to 4 times before I ran. It sucked. I felt like a medical experiment. My 8th grade year I was weaned off the steroid strawberry thing and told just to take the regular inhaler. I felt great - I had finally overcome asthma! Freshman year I came into high school with a fury to prove I was deserving of varsity. I did that and finally felt like asthma was a thing of the past. Then sophomore year hit me like a wall. Obviously asthma is a chronic illness, cause by many factors, that doesn't just disappear. I settled into my comfort zone - if I couldn't breath I slowed down. And that was never good. That track season I didn't PR. I let my weaknesses hinder my performance, and blamed it on the circumstances. Junior year I was hungry to overcome. I acknowledged that my asthma was always going to be a setback, but that it was something I could momentarily ignore. This year I did get a PR. Infact, I got many. By learning to push through my limitations and get comfortable with being uncomfortable I finally broke 22 min for a 5 K. Just last week I got a 2:45 min 800, something sophomore Haley said she could never do. Through changing my perspective I was able to overcome my ever-present obstacle of being an asthmatic who runs.