Up In the Air

AM: 15 mins. core
4 miles
PM: 3 mile w/u
Target: 3x800 @2:45, 400 @75; 2x200 @fast; all w/full recovery
Actual: 2:43, 2:44, 2:44, 73, 32-low, 31-high
2 mile c/d
Total: ~7.5 miles

My second full day in Santa Fe proved to be just as much an adventure as my first. We started things off with an easy run designed to shake things out for this afternoon's pre-race workout. Though still laboring from the altitude, I already feel slightly better than yesterday, which is an encouraging sign. After the run, I set out with Tanya and Jenna to achieve our real mission for the morning: breakfast. We spied a promising brunch menu at a restaurant around the corner last night and decided to try it out today. I will let the photo below speak for itself, but suffice it to say that we couldn't move from our booth for several minutes after indulging ourselves in these treats.


All 3 of us joined the clean plate club. Respect it.

Once we were able to function normally again, we decided to grab Simon and Nelson and take a scenic drive up to the top of a nearby mountain in hopes of snapping some sweet photos. Somehow I missed the memo that we were going up into the snowy peaks and opted to wear flip flops on this outing...not too smart. At any rate, the climb up to 10,000 feet was totally worth the effort (even though Simon nearly got carsick from the hairpin turns on the way up), and even I was able to frolic about in the idyllic natural setting for a few minutes before my toes went completely numb.


Shenanigans


Snow angels?

Three o'clock rolled around soon enough, and it was time to pile into our rented Tahoe and journey to a nearby high school track. We actually lucked out and scored some decent weather for this outing; sunny and 44 meant it was warm enough to wear shorts, though the blustery winds kept us from standing around too long between intervals. As far as the workout itself, this was really just about getting the legs turning over while dealing with the altitude effects. In fact, the main objective was not to run too fast...wish I heard that more often in a workout! With that in mind, Tanya and I elected to wear trainers for the 800s, then spikes for the remainder. I wish I could say this felt easy and relaxed, but unfortunately I'm still not adjusted to being up in the clouds, which meant I was huffing and puffy pretty much the entire way. I didn't necessarily find this discouraging, just frustrating, especially since Tanya didn't seem to be struggling nearly as much as I was. I know everyone adapts to the altitude in different ways, and I know I'll start to feel better soon, but let's just hope it's before Saturday.



Naturally, a post-workout photo shoot ensued. It's not every day you have a postcard backdrop.


One of Nelson's never before seen talents


Jenna and Simmons, our fearless leaders