Why Running?

With all of the sports, activities, and fitness routines out there, why did I choose running? Hmmm.  There actually are many reasons.
1) I have run off and on during my lifetime, so it is something that I know how to do (theoretically).  I seem to keep coming back to running after other activities.
2) Running with asthma is now a challenge.  I like challenges--and need them. 
3) Running can be done just about anywhere, with few resources. Basically I need something to wear and shoes on my feet.  Everything else is extra.
4) Running doesn't require a team.  Remember in school when school mates chose people for PE teams?  Well, I was one of the last ones chosen for teams.  I don't do well with team sports.  Hard to believe with three daughters that played team sports--soccer, basketball, volleyball, & cheerleading.
5) A few friends from high school and I decided we wanted to complete a half marathon.  So we all registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon 2013, and we went, had a great time, and finished strong.  It also made me realize how motivating the races are for me.  Getting the medals, T-shirts, and other paraphernalia is motivating to me.  Running next to other runners is fun!  Running next to other runners motivates me.  

Reading up about running gave me a little insight.  Jackie Joyner-Kersee, an Olympic athlete, excelled at running and track, despite her asthma.  Kurt Grote and Amy Van Dyken, both Olympic swimmers, began swimming on doctors' advice to help their asthma.  Nancy Hogshead, another Olympian, swam despite asthma, and actually was diagnosed with it while competing.  Bill Koch is an Olympic cross-country skier who competed with asthma.  Other greats with asthma are basketball star Dennis Rodman, singer/actress Liza Minelli, Olympic luge specialist Bonnie Warner, and Olympic javelin star Karin Smith. But probably one of the most impressive athletes with asthma is George Murray.  He is a wheelchair marathon champion who began racing to control his asthma.  He is also the first to cross the country in a wheelchair.  So I am in good company.  If they can do it, I can do it.

As you can see, many athletes with asthma are swimmers.  In many books and sites, swimming is listed as one of the best activities for asthmatics due to the humid environment and the stress-free water.  Another point to consider is the fact that asthmatics are advised to do activities that are more short term, or take short bursts of energy.  So how does running fit in?  With the style of running that I am beginning with, it is short bursts.  I am using Jeff Galloway's Run-Walk-Run method, so I am not running constantly.