please help! advice needed

Hi, I have been running for just over a year and completed my first 5k race for life last year. I have signed up to run my first 10k in Lincoln this April. However my training seems to be getting me no where! I have just been out for a 4mile run but just like the last few runs I have done I feel the need to stop at 2miles! I know I need to get through the barrier but my breathing causes me to stop. I am astmatic and usually take my inhaler before I begin my run. Do I need to take it again during my run? I don't want to become dependant on it. I have completed my run withr tsling it again but my breathing sounds bad. Also I am getting a lot of pain on my lower legs. I stretch well before I run but they still seem to hurt. I wear knee length running bottoms and the bottom half of my legs are freezing. Would this effect my muscles?? I am unsure what to do! Any help would be appreciated!

hi Laura,

sounds like you could do with slowing down a bit when you are trying to run for a bit longer. That's the advice i got from people on here when i was starting out and it really does work. Also, I wouldn't go too mad with the stretches before a run in this cold weather - it can cause injury because your muscles are cold. Jogging at a nice slow pace to start with will warm them up

Plenty of 'asthma' threads in the forum. Just type it into the 'Search' box above. Might find something helpful there. I'd get some longer tights as well. Julian Goater, in his excellent book 'The Art of Running Faster' stresses the importance of keeping your limbs warm, better to err on the side of wearing too much. I usually warm up indoors before going out on a run in this cold weather and have found this helps to keep me injury free...'touch wood'.

Hi Laura. Can't comment on the asthma there's different kinds and it can be brought on by different stimulii for different people.  Probably best to discuss your running aims and asthma with your GP.

With respect to the sore legs

• Wear full length running tights when it's cold.
• Run more frequently but shorter and slower initially.  Increase distance slowly.  Cardio fitness increases more quickly than bones, tendons and muscles.  
• Buy an ice bag and massage your shins with it after every run for 20 mins or so.

I only started running seriously 9 months ago and went through a period where every time I stepped it up I got shin splints.  I was given the above advice from an experienced triathlete friend of mine it worked for me.  Feels a bit frustrating at first running more slowly and less far than you feel you can.  But it worked for me.

Good luck for the Lincon 10k