Panting at Altitude

Here's a shot of the Trail Running and Writing Weekend crew at Lake Estes, just before our first run. Photo by Adam Chase.

Did I neglect to mention that Active at Altitude sits at 8,000 feet above sea level? Well, it does. For our first run of the Trail Running and Writing Weekend, we descended to 7,500 foot-Lake Estes, the very heart of Estes Park, Colo., for a 45-minute loop run around the lake's paved bike path. I did OK for the first five minutes, doing my shuffle-style of "running," as the pack of participants slowly slipped out of sight. When the panting set in, I decided to walk. I was still headed in the right direction, just kinda slowly. Terry, owner of Active at Altitude, looped back to check on me, and I told him I'd likely just do 20 minutes out and then head back to the cars, and that I'd see him there. The effect of altitude, combined with my lack of exercise in recent months, served me up a truly uncomfortable helping of humble pie. It's clearly time to get more serious about what I eat, what I drink, and how much I exercise. The decision to come here for the weekend was a good one. I'll leave with many of the tools to get my body headed in the correct direction.