Day 28: Running at 7,000 Feet.

I had asked around before I came out to New Mexico what it would be like to go running at a much higher altitude. I kept hearing "pace yourself and drink lots of water".

So about a week ago I decided to take a run. I had been waiting to buy new running shoes, but I'm not gonna have the disposable income to do that for a while now, and the shoes I have aren't completely done for (yet). So I laced up, drank some water beforehand, and set off on a good 3-mile jog. I had no idea it was 3 miles at the time, I just ran a route that followed major roads. I've always been pretty good on my bearings, and knew I would be able to find my way home.

I used to run with an iPod nano and some music, but it got to the point that I was focusing on the music, getting distracted, and couldn't just relax and run. So I ditched the iPod for a while. Now, I need something to focus on instead of my running. Recently, I've been listening to a lot of podcasts, so I loaded some up and went for a run.

(For those who don't know, a podcast is like radio, but on-demand. Some podcasts are video, but most are audio-only. For example, Car Talk on NPR is also released as a podcast, Rachel Maddow's TV show on MSNBC also releases an audio-only version of her daily broadcast. There are also some technology networks who release podcasts on a weekly basis. Cooking podcasts exist, along with exercise, political, social and business broadcasts)

Anyway. The first run I did about a week ago went...okay. About the first mile or so was really clean, and I felt great. My muscles weren't used to the sudden bombardment, so they stayed pretty tight throughout the run. About two miles in, I really started to burn out. I knew that I couldn't do a mile run, or two, that it had to be three. I walked a lot in the second mile, mainly just to get home. It was an extended cool-down, but it felt great to finally get out and run again.

The second run was a good bit easier than the first. I drank more water and made sure it passed through me before I started running. I also picked up an armband from Target for my iPhone, so I don't have to hold it in my hand. The first mile and a half on this run were much easier, but as I started getting into the second mile, my body caught up with me and the air started thinning out. I found it hard to get a nice full intake of air. I was either taking shallow, useless breaths, or big gulps of air over longer periods of time, causing me to get light-headed when my brain didn't get the oxygen it was expecting. About two and a half miles in, I finally gave up and walked the rest of the way home. My iPhone (with RunKeeper GPS) said my average pace was around 11:30/mile, which isn't bad for my second run in 8 months, let along at 7,000 feet. My pace was quick at the start, but obviously slowed down. It did stay consistent once it slowed down, which is surprising, because I'm usually a stop/start runner.

-Matt