Tuesday in Vail (aka bad ideas)

So, lesson number one when running in vail in October - if you try to run in the morning, and all you have are leggings and a t-shirt, don't do it. When I realized that the plants all had ice on them, I turned around.

Lesson number 2 - inhaling freezing thin air makes your lungs not like you very much and you can't run very much.

So obviously, the run this morning didn't work out quite the way I had hoped. I ran about 1.5 miles (with some walking to allow feeling to return to my hands). Brrrrrr!!

However, I really wanted to get my miles done, so when it warmed up in the afternoon I went running again. This time I covered around 3 miles. It was again a combination of walking and running though (as sad as I am to admit it, probably around half/half). I am just getting winded very early in the runs and not able to sustain even my turtle running pace without walking for a bit. It is a bit disheartening - I know I can run 3.5 miles without stopping no problem (that's my standard Tuesday run) at 30 feet about sea level. But definitely not at 8200 feet above sea level. Hopefully, just getting out there and covering the distance counts for something though!

Monday - gym workout

Yesterday (Sunday) I didn't do any exercise whatsoever. My left foot was hurting again from Saturday's run (though this isn't the plantar fasciitis pain, this is a new pain on the back outside part of my foot), and my college friend that I was visiting is on strict bed rest related to her pregnancy so we weren't exactly hitting the town.

Today I picked up my co-worker at the Denver airport and then we drove to Vail. We had a couple hours to kill before the conference began so after getting settled, I hit the gym. I think this gym was the most amazing "hotel" gym I have ever seen. It is actually a gym in its own right with members etc that the hotel guests can use. It was huge, 3 floors, amazing (and slightly intimidating) machines, and it had its own spa as well. I did some circuit training on the machines, then did the StairMaster for 20 minutes, then 100 sit-ups on an exercise ball. I felt pretty winded after all that and it was a good hour of working out so I called it a day. I could definitely feel the affects of the altitude (8,200 feet above sea level) just from getting winded walking to the gym.

We will see how successful I am at running in the morning...