When the clock hits 11:00 am, I zip up my back pack and head out the classroom on an adventure to Big Bear. One hour and 7,000 ft altitude later, I start my watch for a run on a bike path that bends along the lake. Eight miles through pine trees, passing camping grounds and boat docks, crossing bridges, and passing kids, dogs, bikers, and runners. Inhale... Exhale. I focus on breathing, allowing my legs to extend into a natural stride, and wonder if the research article was right that returning to high altitude after 2 weeks would maintain my body's physiological gains from 7 weeks of high altitude training. Either way, it won't hurt to stay a few days here before my race. It isn't hard at all to breath up here and realizing that made my day - maybe the researchers were right.
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| Strange rocks stacked and a bear trap |
I ate lunch at the lake and then studied at Starbucks. Then, at 4 pm, I received a phone call that my AirBnB host had to cancel my reservation. After searching for a place to stay and finding nothing affordable, I thought - "I have a blanket, pillow, and jacket in my car, why not just camp out in my car?" So, I stayed at Starbucks until they closed then switched over to Denny's until my eye lids became heavy. I sat in my car, reclined the seat, fluffed my pillow, and pulled a blanket over, expecting it to feel like home. But, I ended up staying awake to the sound of voices chatting and cars driving by as headlights flashed, music blared, and my body shivered and stomach growled. At 5 am, I drove over to Starbucks, devoured a warm bowl of oatmeal and banana, and an hour later went for a chilly 40 degree run along the bike path. After a brutal night, I decided to book a place at AirBnB. Since it was $80 the first night and only $40 thereafter, I decided to stay longer and leave Tuesday night. The host was friendly and accomodating, and the place had all the essentials plus a tv with Netflix and cable, a warm fireplace, a nice balcony overlooking the mountains and trees, and a foosball table.
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Drawing of me running
from my nephew |
One morning when I was doing a few sprints, an older man stood at his driveway and when I did my cool down jog, he said "You're doing some serious sprinting. It's good to see people run." It always makes me happy when smiling people take a moment to notice my talent and passion for running. I feel like this is what I'm made to do - make art of running and inspire. As I head into this final week, I will keep a positive mindset, massage and stretch, rest and eat well, and keep stress to a minimum. My workouts will consist of sprints and running easy for a total of 4 miles per day, with a couple of rest days in between.
When the clock hits 11:00 am, I zip up my back pack and head out the classroom on an adventure to Big Bear. One hour and 7,000 ft altitude later, I start my watch for a run on a bike path that bends along the lake. Eight miles through pine trees, passing camping grounds and boat docks, crossing bridges, and passing kids, dogs, bikers, and runners. Inhale... Exhale. I focus on breathing, allowing my legs to extend into a natural stride, and wonder if the research article was right that returning to high altitude after 2 weeks would maintain my body's physiological gains from 7 weeks of high altitude training. Either way, it won't hurt to stay a few days here before my race. It isn't hard at all to breath up here and realizing that made my day - maybe the researchers were right.
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