Greetings from Colorado. I'm on my nth bottle of water, trying to keep my head above the altitude sickness that blew my head apart last time I was in Breckenridge for snowboarding last year. The base of the town itself is at 9,600 feet, far higher than what my small lungs are used to. The air is very thin. Sickness has been at bay so far, with only a slight throb and finding myself catching my breath here and there. We boarded today at Vail, which had too many people and long wait on the lifts. But with snow like this, what me worry?
I think this is a good springboard to get back in shape - I've been particularly negligent about the poking belly I've been starting to nurse over the years, and my poor lung capacity. I really enjoy snowboarding. Cruising fast and bombing through powder, feeling the rush of the wind and the snow scattering underneath your feet. It's surprising to think that I had my first season 5 years ago already, yet there is still so much more to learn, so much more of myself to know and understand. I need to go more often. We always tend to say things that we want to do, but hardly do we take the steps to do them. I hope I'm wrong.
When we got back in to the lodge today, I tried my first "ice bath". Basically dunking my lower body into a tub of freezing water, to prevent muscle soreness the next day and to make my balls temporarily disappear. Hell. Then we hopped into the outdoor hot tub. Heaven.
Tomorrow is another day: rinse, and repeat.
