a run at the track

I got up extra early this morning to run at the track with a friend and train for the Women's 4 Miler race in September. I am not a morning person at all, so this in itself is a big deal for me. Never mind the fact that I got up early to run! We went to the track at the university, along with several hundred other women. Today was time trial day, where you run around the track for 4 laps and get a time of how fast you can run one mile. My friend and I skipped this part of the training since I already know that I am a fairly consistent runner with a 10:30 pace for one mile. I am hoping to improve on this time to be closer to a 10 minute mile pace so my race time will be closer to 42:00 (or a little less would even be better, but I am realistic:))

So opting for a run through the university, we ran from the track to the clock tower by the aquatic center and back, roughly a 2 mile trek on hilly roads. I ran this same course last week with a total time of 20:52 (10:14 1st mile/10:38 2nd mile) by myself in cooler weather. This morning I ran with a friend who is faster than me but claims she can't run as far, so we should even each other out. We ran it a little slower 21:17 (10:25 1st mile/10:52 2nd mile) but I did stop to walk for about 30 seconds on the way back. Sometimes I get going and start to breathe erratically which kinda freaks me out a little bit and then I start to hyperventilate. So I felt the extra heartbeats and then felt like I couldn't get enough air, so I tried to slow down and walk to keep from a full out attack. I know the initial signs are probably just telling me to slow down a little bit or stop talking so much. I know I think too much about it and I get myself all worked up; which, of course, makes it worse. So, it is mostly in my head. I am working on it.
This only happens when I am trying to run faster than usual or when it is hot outside, so I don't think it is life threatening - just inconvenient and annoying. My friend was great, she kept running, at a slower pace but stayed with me until I could start again and then I didn't need to stop again. She is a great running partner and an even better friend. Maybe I'll get over my weird medical/psychological issues some day, but it is even more likely I'll just add more to the list:)