What is wrong with me!?

[emily_in_nc]

The chest tightening is the part that worried me. Last night it got so bad that it was actually painful, and it aches for a short time afterward. I'm just so baffled..

That is not normal. Not to sound alarmist, but please see your doctor. Chances are it is exercise-induced asthma, but it's important to rule out other things. And if it is EIA, a couple of puffs on a prescription albuterol inhaler before a run will help a lot. You may also need a daily preventative, such as Advair, if your condition is serious enough.

Running is hard for me too, my HR gets high, and I huff and puff, but it should NOT hurt or ache like that!

[Pan Dulce]

Thanks to everyone for their input. Just an update, I borrowed my brother's stray inhaler (no $$ to go to the doctor just this moment) for my run this evening. I took a puff 10 minutes before, and one midway through the run. I also tried to time my breath (this has always been impossible for me in the past, due to my incredible difficulty breathing/chest pain).

Wow!! Is this what it's supposed to feel like!? I don't know if it's the inhaler or the breathing (maybe the former caused the latter?) but I didn't get out of breath AT ALL and my chest didn't hurt a BIT!

Now I feel like I can finally work on my endurance. Before, I'd always hit the wall of my troubled breathing and couldn't break through. But now maybe I can actually be a runner!!

I'm going to see the doctor as soon as I pay off the last bill I owe him, but I think I can be reasonable sure this is exercise induced asthma, right?

[Wahine]

This does sound very much like exercise induced asthma. So yeah, get in to see the doc as soon as you can to get on an appropriate regime to manage it.

Glad you did better on that last run.

[roadie gal]

2+ on the exercise induced asthma, especially if you felt better with the inhaler.

Just thinking some more... do you get short of breath with other cardio exercises, like biking? Do you know what your heart rate is doing? Your doctor may also want to check your heart rate and rhythm.