I finished my first 1/2 IM on sunday.

Felt very good on the swim and bike, but had some trouble on the run. Surprisingly to me, the trouble was my lungs, not my legs.

I felt like I could only take a half a lungful of air each breath. If I forced it and took a deep breath, I got an automatic cough response. This is a new feeling for me. I have encountered this in skiing in the winter, if I go out way too fast with a warmup. But, after the swim and bike I expect I was plenty warmed up!

Any suggestions on what was going on, and of course what to do next time.

mark