Running while camping is never that easy for me. I don’t seem to get as much rest, and usually wake up feeling a bit off kilter. The scenery though… is stellar. This past Sunday I headed out for 18 miles in Southern Oregon. The altitude was about 4500 feet above what I am use to, so I threw whatever pace I was supposed to run at out the window. I didn’t seem to be sucking wind as much as I thought… but my pace was definitely slow.
I was camping at a lake and when I arose fog was drifting off the water like it was dry ice. Camping these days (at major camp grounds) is hardly solitary, but if you get up before 7, the world is yours. I headed out and quickly ran past all kinds of wildlife. Deer, cows (in the middle of the road no less), all sort of assorted small furry animals, blue herons, bald eagles… you name it… it was there wondering what the heck I was doing.
What I was doing was stumbling my way through 18 miles. The first 13 or 14 were OK, but I fell off pretty fast thereafter. It seems as though I can only muster a good long run every other week. Possibly a byproduct of FIRST? I don’t know… maybe I am not cross training hard enough. It is difficult though when I am having trouble just walking, to cross train really hard. BTW… if I fail with FIRST… it shouldn’t be taken as a lack of endorsement for the training plan. I am having trouble following it to a T. I think I bit off more than I can chew and am running faster long runs than I really should be. I just really need to qualify for Boston now. I don’t know if there will be a tomorrow.
2 comments:
I think the altitude change got to you. I went on vacation recently at a higher altitude and tried running and it just wasn't working.
There is always a tomorrow. But of course the altitude can make you feel different. I only realized that when I got to 4000 feet below, and suddenly I was high on oxygen. I never realized before what difference it can make.
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