Attitude at Altitude

I went skiing this weekend with my kids and once again, was reminded of the fact that they are much younger than me and well, better than me at several things. One of those happens to be flying down a mountain at a break-neck speed.

But I got something on them: I can run 3 miles up a long, steep hill at 8200 feet above sea level, gaining 1000 feet or so, without stopping. And I'm just a little proud of that fact (can you tell?). 

It all started with Domino's Pizza. We got to our condo late Friday night and we did something that we NEVER do: we ordered a Domino's Pizza. The kids were starving and we thought, what the heck, it can't be that bad.

We take it back to the condo and happily dig in. This may be hard to believe but I had not had a Domino's Pizza in 20 yrs. No big deal, I just did an Ironman, I thought. I can eat what I want. Three greasy pieces later and I'm feelin' like the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Not to be-labor the point but I was already having one of those weeks where "the mirror was not my friend".  As I approach 49, I've noticed changes in my body that tell me I can't eat two plates of pasta anymore and stay the same size (more on that later).

And being a dietitian, I'm well aware of the fact that 3 pieces of Domino's pizza is >1000 calories. I'm also well aware of the fact that an extra 1000 calories when you're 49 (aka, peri-menopausal) can and will add fat to places you've never had fat and that can drive you crazy.

So, I ski on Saturday but despite what all the skiers-who-are-not-runners say, skiing is NOT an aerobic sport. It does NOT burn a lot of calories. You're going DOWN a mountain, not UP, and rarely do I get my heart rate up enough to burn off my orange juice, let alone 3 pieces of Domino's pizza.

So today I finally get to run and I'm chompin' at the bit. The Weather Channel says its 4 degrees but the sun is out and there's no wind. No problem, I'm a Coloradoan and I can handle it!

I put on my usual 20 layers and head out the door. Ahhhhh....fresh (freezing cold) air. Nice!  Our condo is way up high on a steep hill so I have only one choice: run down the hill and back up. So I did.

The way down was great. I ran at a comfortable pace and warmed up quickly. The view of Lake Dillon and surrounding mountains was awesome (picture to be added later). Good tunes on my Ipod and life is good.

I got to the turnaround point and well,  I turned around and went back up...and up...and up. My breathing became very labored and I noticed that I feel just like I did at the Boulder 70.3 - I couldn't catch my breath. I told myself that I will NOT stop until I get to the condo, which was 3 miles up the road (key word: up).

It was very steep, probably about a 4-5% grade and the elevation there is around 8200 feet. My heart was pounding pretty hard and it was very hard to keep going. But I love running in cold weather and as corny as it sounds, challenging myself to reach new levels in my training.

Lo and behold, I made it. I ran the entire way without stopping. Over snow banks and numerous ice patches, I ran slow but steady. But I made it and was very happy.  And truth be told, I wasn't really worried about those 3 pieces of pizza anyway.

Now I'm wondering, is it wrong to snicker at your kids when they complain about being tired after skiing all day?  Ha!  Their old ma aint such a slacker after all.