Triple threat

What a day for running. I almost ran three times, but luckily, when I got up from my chair, my legs made an executive decision, based on the two previous climbs today. I just feel like I am ready to fly, despite the hard runs I've been doing up these mountain. Here is what happened:

First, I have discovered breathing. How I got through 29 years without it, will forever remain a mystery... No, I mean breathing as a tool for mountain running. On his website, Jason talks about the breathing (breathing in unity with movement). It makes a huge difference in being able to keep going, and in pacing. Breathing every third step is very different from every second step. It's like gears in a car. I know if I want to make it up I have to keep it in "three-step" gear. If I go to "two-step" (apologies to my cowboy friends), it burns out, too fast. I did two-step on the easier slope on the road, but it didn't last long on Sulphur. Knocked 40secs of the ascent and it felt easier. More impressively (for me) I knocked 5min off the descent! The down is just not my thing, but the last two I've done (10min this morning and 25min this aft) have been unconscious.

I think that Daniels (or someone) talks about this 2-2, or 3-3, or 4-4 breathing, but as far as running flat goes, I don't think it applies in the same way. Well, I suppose you can go by that as a physiological clue, but I think cadence is much more important. I can run at many different speeds and still keep 3-3 on the flat. Yes, there is a point where I will be forced into 2-2 and even 1-1, and I guess it would be interesting to know that point. I just don't like theories of running that try to solve everything. I would file it under good to know.

In mountain running, though, the cadence does not vary as much. The cadence is still very important, but a 3-3 cadence is going to allow me to continue to run uphill for an hour, while a 2-2 is not. The faster I can do the 3-3, the better, but as soon as I hit 2-2, I am breathing too heavily to be able to maintain it. I did slip back into it a bit, on some very steep parts, in order to get through it, but I tried to relax back into 3-3 as soon as I was able. I suppose a real monster like Wyatt can keep 2-2. I wonder, or his is more controlled breathing just faster?

Anyway, that was a great discovery. I feel much more at one with the mountain now, which is going to be important for when the mountain kicks my ass (hopefully I will be able to kick back). That is also the reason I DIDN'T do three runs today. Breathing aside, 2:20 total of running is probably enough for one day.

The reason I almost DID do a triple (which I have actually done before) was because I finished Running with The Buffaloes this afternoon, before dinner. If you are taking my ENGL 212 class (Lecture I) this fall you will get to read this book. And there is no better time to read it than cross country season. I guess my reaction to things (good or bad--and this was good) is always to go for a run. Now I'm trying to decide if I should watch Without Limits or On the Edge tonight. I will probably be up all night if I do. I am up all night anyway (it's hard to sleep at altitude, I find) so what the heck...