Running Up High

When we got done with skiing on Thursday, about 5:00, we were trying to decide what to do. We needed to go to the hotel and check in, and find food. It being a holiday, we were worried about things closing, so we went to Wendy’s quickly, got food, and headed to the hotel.

I was seriously considering skipping running. It had been 442 days and it was late, I had hot food, and the hotel had nothing for exercise. To top it off, the temperature was dropping quickly and I didn’t have a lot of clothes to wear. I ate with everyone else, and then we were talking about a movie. I thought this would be a nice place to stop, and then start a new streak on Friday.

Something stopped me. And I decided to give it a try. Despite a heavy Wendy’s meal in my stomach, I decided to put on a sweatshirt and head outside. I planned on a slow jog, and while it was cold, and while I felt full, I kept up a steady jog down the road and before I knew it, I’d been running for 8 minutes.  I turned around, headed back, and finished a 1.4mi run.

Tonight, Friday, it was almost the same thing. We left Breck around 3:30 and went to do a little shopping. People got hungry, and we ate at 5:00, getting to our condo in Copper Mountain at 6:30. Another great time to stop, especially after I had a beer in the afternoon. But I couldn’t stop again, and headed out for a colder run, at a higher altitude at Copper Mountain.

It felt good, and 444 days in, I still enjoy the running. It was hard to get started, hard to endure the chilly air, and I’m glad I didn’t have to fight wind as well. It would have been more of a challenge, and I’ve have had more reasons to quit if it was blowing.

It’s definitely harder to run at altitude, but I’ve enjoyed it, and I feel the satisfaction of accomplishing things, especially after not getting much of a workout on the slopes.