Mile-High Heart Rate Hike!

I've been in Denver for about 2 whole days now. And I've had a headache every day, a pounding, vertigo-inducing headache. Coming from the East Coast, relatively close to sea level, I have never been anywhere like Denver (other than hiking in the Shenendoah Mountains on day trips, which isn't really that high), which is known as the Mile-High City. I didn't think that everything I had  heard about high altitude making a difference in how you breath and feel (for those of us new to it) would apply to me. Well, I definitely feel a difference!

The morning after I arrived (Wednesday), I went down to the hotel fitness room to get in a run. Now, usually my heart rate during my runs (regardless of the terrain) ranges from 130-145 (the first few minutes) to a peak of 165-175 (at about half an hour at my fastest). But yesterday morning, I was literally 5 MINUTES into my run and my heart rate shot up to 175 almost immediately. I had to slow down after it reached 190 for fear of passing out. I had to slow down to 4.5 on the treadmill just to get my heart rate down to 165, and that's pretty much speed walking. I barely finished 3.1 miles, with an original goal of 4 miles. It was a disappointment. And walking uphill? Yeah, I feel so out of shape here! But this tired, breathless, easily tired, headachey feeling I've had has made me even more committed to being fit. I would hate to feel like this all the time.

Well back to work!

Deedah