Question for runners

[Farken Icehole]

I am not in the best of shape, cardio wise. I took my police dept physical the other day and had some problems toward the end and after the run. I'm not a strong runner. I'm 6'5", 220, not fat, but do not run a lot. I ride my MB a lot.
I started out fine but after the first mile the next half mile was hell. I started coughing and felt like my lungs were filling with phlegm of something. After the run I kept coughing for probably 2 hours sometimes continuously.
Is this just bad cardio health or is there a problem there. The academy is in 3 months and I need to be able to go 5 miles non stop at an 8 min/mile pace w out stopping. The 1.5 mile physical was tough on me. Please help with your advice.

 

[bitit]

I used to run quite a bit like four miles every other day and I used to have a similar experience but without the phlegm and 2 hours of cough does sound kinda like a serious problem, but heres how my experience went. I believed it was from getting a really dry mouth. I then started to eat a hard candy in the latter miles or chew gum I opted most often for gum since I didnt like trying to reach in my pockets and do stuff while running. It kept my mouth wet and I didn't get thirsty. Another tip is if you get a cramp keep running, don't stop from it because it will go away take alot of deep exhales though because a cramp is a build up of carbon dioxide. Thats info is from a Stew Smith the Navy Seal guy just so you don't think I made it up. And good luck on the police!

 

[makedah]

Do you smoke? Could you have had some congestion or allergies that weren't bothering you until you went on your run?

Could you have exercise-induced asthma? Uncontrolled cough is a sign of asthma. I've had asthma since I was 10, and I run. When I was a kid, a way I learned to 'test' if I was having an asthma attack or if I was just congested was to try to sniff. If it was hard to sniff (and therefore, difficult to bring air into my lungs), then it was asthma.

Here's a good web page on exercise-induced asthma:

http://www.asthma.org.uk/infofa36.html

 

[Toshendin]

When I FIRST started running, I had the same exact problem. But that was only the first day, the rest of the days, there was either much less problem, or no problem at all.