Living in High Altitude Took My Breath Away

Life is optimum at sea level

I said a bittersweet goodbye to Colorado Springs last month after a four-year love-hate relationship. I am grateful for the time I got to play in the mountains with my family and hiking buddies.

Snowball fights in shorts always made my heart smile. Day or weekend trips to the Rocky Mountain National Park, Vail, Denver, or Breckenridge were a welcomed consolation to the frequent hailstorms. The dry air made hairstyling easier and prettier.

Being High and Performing Low

I moved to Colorado Springs in 2016. It’s located approximately 80 miles south of Denver, which is affectionately known as the mile-high city. Over 6000 feet above sea level, Colorado Springs hovers a thousand feet higher than Denver.

Having spent leisure time in the mountains over the years, I expected the altitude to slow me down. However, I expected to be slower, not incapable.

Two years before the move, I had run my second marathon. I admit that I was no longer in condition to run 26.2 miles, but I had been a regular runner for ten years. I could run 5 miles in under an hour in my sleep.

I remember my first attempt to run 5 miles in Colorado. I was on the treadmill at the gym, not even outside. I slowed the speed down more with each mile until I was walking by the 4th mile.

Doctor’s orders

After no progress for six months, I went to my new doctor and complained about my performance. I explained that running for two minutes on the treadmill made me feel like I would pass out.

I was barely working out at all despite having a 3rd-degree black belt and two marathon finishes. My legs felt heavy and stiff as if no oxygen was moving throughout my body.

My doctor didn’t see the problem since all of my measures of health were normal. The medical profession doesn’t measure health by the ability to run 5 miles, especially not for a 50-year-old. Weight, blood pressure, blood sugar were still optimal.

My doctor didn’t see the problem since all of my measures of health were normal.

My doctor did increase my asthma medication, a familiar response to any complaint. But, the new medication did not affect my athleticism. With a new prescription and lowered expectations for health, I continued to look for ways to improve my physical performance.

More Failure than Success

After a year, I resumed training in TKD and tested for my 4th-degree black belt. Part of the physical stamina required for TKD testing is the ability to spar for three minutes. For safety, full protective gear must be worn, including chest and head covering.

I lasted about two minutes before my breathing became too labored to continue. I felt like my chest would explode despite passing this aspect of previous tests with ease.

By year three, my blood sugar was borderline high for the first time in my life. My blood pressure, which usually ran low as a runner, was in the upper range of normal. Gastrointestinal problems were worse than ever. Thankfully, I discovered hot yoga around this time.

New life, old performance

Hot yoga gave me new life. The euphoria mimicked what I had only known as runner’s high, an endorphin rush like the roller coaster ride or the haunted house. An hour of hot yoga felt like a ten-mile run. I decided to give running another try.

To my surprise, I felt like a new me on the treadmill. My legs did not get tired. My chest didn’t get a tight burning sensation. Yoga did much more for me than my light steroid inhaler. All the deep pranayama breathing and stretched-out muscles also made running easier.

Yoga did much more for me than my light steroid inhaler.

I started running three days a week on the treadmill again. Unfortunately, COVID hit, and the gyms shut down. I had my speed down to 11-minute miles on good days. I was hopeful that I could take my running game outdoors, but no such luck.

Not once could I run five miles outdoors. I couldn’t even complete 4 miles in under an hour. My five-mile workout took 70–90 minutes to complete depending on how much running I could incorporate. Most days, I walked the entire five miles.

On the Move

When the gym closed, we were already preparing to move, and I was full of hope. I walked 5 miles twice a day because I didn’t want to relocate not looking and feeling my best. I assumed moving back to sea level would render some health benefits, and I wanted to be ready to take advantage of them.

I arrived in New York on Labor Dan and went for my first five-mile walk the following morning. I appreciated that there were no hills, barely any incline. I was encumbered only by the traffic and stoplights every 50 yards. On the third day, I decided to try running.

My restart

I ran my first New York mile with ease and completed my 5 miles in just under an hour. I couldn’t believe my body performed that efficiently after 4 years of breakdown.

I set a stretch goal to achieve 10-minute miles by next spring. Meanwhile, I started taking advantage of the newly reopened gym. My husband and I go at 5 a.m. to avoid crowds. I won’t lie; some mornings, I have to get back in the bed for an hour or so, especially if I plan to run later. But, muscle memory is real, and I am drawn to push myself.

Fast-forward

Fast-forward, I have been in New York for six weeks. To my surprise, I had two 10-minute-mile runs last week. My body feels like an apology accepted. My joints have more flexibility to execute with more fluidity. My steps don’t feel forced.

I had two 10-minute-mile runs last week. My body feels like an apology accepted.

In general, I feel like I have set my biological clock back four years. My weight lifting and running are already close to where they were before moving to Colorado Springs. There is a moral to this story.

An ILLUMINATION writer, Julia E Hubbel, recently published a story about her experience surviving a high-speed car crash with only scratches and bruises. She emphasized the value of fitness and its contribution to our quality of life. I totally agree and would go one step further to underscore the mind-body connection.

Mind-body Connection

The mind-body connection is an integral part of the quality of life. The body is no less important than the mind in its ability to contribute to life satisfaction. We should have standards that are well understood by us, not the health industry.

If I had let my body tell the story of fitness and health over the past four years, I might not be back to running 10-minute miles. We must be connected enough to our bodies to know when deterioration occurs naturally or environmentally.

Running five miles is insignificant if you have no interest or joy in running. However, being connected to your body with confidence and pleasure is important. Trusting your body to reflect the love and care that you give it signifies empowerment. Understanding the contributions that your environment makes is priceless.

New Beginnings Brings Back Old Joy

We left Colorado Springs for new horizons other than my health. Knowing the toll the environment was taking on my body made the decision to leave easy. If I had known that my body would feel this good again in such a short period of time, I might have left much sooner.

I can feel my body aging, and I’m not afraid of the birthdays. I want to get old, running, kicking, and playing. I don’t want a doctor to categorize my expectations according to birthdays in decades.

References

Bakari, R. (2019). Hot Yoga, Hot Damn. Medium. https://readmedium.com/hot-yoga-hot-damn-60f04e02c26b

Hubbel, J. (2020). Why I Work Out. Illumination on Medium. https://readmedium.com/why-i-work-out-e04f19990918