Accidents, Altitude and Attitude

The sweet smell of summer is in the air and I know this because D has been using Kleenex to the point where I’m wondering how we can buy stock.

Well that and planning out how to make the most of our first summer in Colorado! We’re planning weekend adventures and in fact just this weekend managed to hit up 4 different trails…let’s catch up with a little Think Out Loud Thursday, You’ll find I learned a few very important lessons lately {again!}:

Lesson 1: It’s good to disconnect from the online world
Lesson 2: It’s ok to not always be happy, but find ways to get back on track
Lesson 3: There’s a reason I don’t mountain bike

ACCIDENTS ON THE TRAIL
The long weekend was amazing…right up until that moment where it wasn’t.

Let’s start with the good, we managed to hit up 4 trails between Saturday and Sunday…but our last trail on Sunday topped the cake. Just driving to it we found ourselves stopping for Elk in the cross walk! After that I was running along the trails at 7,500 feet wondering why breathing was so hard because I thought we were still down about 5,000 feet…which yes is still hard for me! But I was entirely distracted by the scenery, the elk along the trail, the fox I spotted and yes indeed people walking a llama!

A little laugh to take you in to the work week — #asseenonmyrun people walking their llama ??? #trailrunning #lovemycoloradolife #rmnp #colorado

A photo posted by Amanda C Brooks (@runtothefinish) on May 30, 2016 at 5:29pm PDT

Then this happened…David took a head first tumble while careening down the mountain.

In the process of being Superman his outstretched arm was tweaked and the result was him wondering if he could even get down the mountain. Luckily he waited to call me, so I wasn’t freaking out and attempting to run another 8 miles to find him. After arriving home, I knew it was serious when he started debating urgent care for an X-ray and eventually decided to go. The frustration at possibly being out of the biking game just as summer is beginning was written all over his pinched tan face.

The good news is nothing broken. The bad news is now we wait and see. If it continues to hurt like an ice pick being driven into his shoulder, he’ll probably have to head off for an MRI and Physical Therapy. Right now, I’m focusing on the positive which is that he usually heals very quickly…or more accurately he ignores his pain so we can still go have fun and rest when we’re dead.

But seriously I need a week off after all of our weekends!

ALTITUDE LESSONS IN FLORIDA
As many of you saw on Instagram, I spent last week talking about social media at a travel conference in South Florida. Stepping off the plane and feeling my hair begin to immediately inflate, I thought “yup, I’m glad we moved.”

But of course, I loved running along the water each morning and seeing those sunrises. The trails in Colorado are breathtaking (literally haha), but there is something totally different about the feel of that early morning drenching sweat as the sun peaks over the waves. {below is the Intercoastal waterway which I think is a hidden gem of FL. I love watching the boats and it’s so quiet!}I’m quite lucky to have lived in places to experience both! AND to my utter excitement I found that the altitude training is in fact working!! Even with the 90% humidity I was easily running 30-40 seconds per mile faster and able to push quite a bit beyond that while keeping my HR down for LHR training.

I admit my mind was a bit blown. I never once felt that good training there before and I managed to get in 30 miles in the 4 days there (I guess that’s what happens when you do things like RUN to Whole Foods to get dinner).

This definitely has me pondering a sea level half marathon this Fall…now the fun of planning where that might be!!

ATTITUDE OF A HORMONAL TEEN
Can I be honest…having not had PMS in at least 5 years, it never once occurred to me that my feeling down or so out of sorts a few weeks ago could be attributed to hormones! I do not miss this roller coaster one teeny tiny little bit.

And yet I know that if my estrogen does come back, I am getting so many amazing health benefits. It’s protecting my heart, my bones and most importantly to me…my brain. So now I’m simply a bit more aware that my body is acting like a teenager and all I can do is hold on for the ride for now.I have talked before about the healing power of nature and so I once again took some time for a walk outside whenever I could.

Each time I found that by the time I finished I was feeling better and refocused on what matters, hormones be darned.Food Elimination..Choosing Health
One a related note, one of the issues I was having early this year as the hormones returned was intense bloating. I meant I gained 8 pounds in less than 30 days and was at the highest weight I’d seen in ages. No amount of running or eating less was changing anything, so I decided it was time to once again look at food intolerances.

I’ve now been totally dairy free and egg free for 5 weeks. {minus some bread, which doesn’t seem to bother}

Seriously I need a pat on the back for that because usually when I travel, I end up giving in to the dessert table…I mean chocolate is my weakness!! I went in prepared though having found that Whole Foods now makes these great Tahini and Chocolate Chip vegan cookies.

During the travel week I also completely eliminated nuts to see if that would have any impact and I don’t know that it did. This week I’m going to keep them out, eating pumpkin seeds and sunflower butter instead. Additionally, I do know that WHOLE wheat is a major issue for me, while sourdough or plain old white bread are fine.

So for many who think gluten is the issue, I’ve actually found the reaction is largely to whole wheat from talking with others…worth testing if you’ve been having some issues. (Read more on food intolerances and how digestion impacts health)

When you feel down, what’s your go to attitude adjuster?

Would you rather run in humidity or altitude?

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