Running at 4793 feet Elevation

This morning my husband and I ran 9.25 miles at 4793 feet elevation in Bozeman, Montana.  It was a cool, cloudy morning, but the sun reflected beautifully off of the snow caps on the majestic Rocky Mountains in the distance.

Our bodies are most familiar with the 942 feet elevation back home where oxygen is much more plentiful than it is up here.  We knew we needed to start off easy due to the change in elevation and the much thinner air.  The first 3 miles were pretty easy and peaceful.  We ran through a really quiet downtown and headed out by the hospital.  As we turned onto the bike path that goes past the hospital to the south, we felt the incline...not so much in our legs, but in our chests.  WOW...Who knew that such a long gentle climb could be so taxing on the respiratory system!?!?!?!?  We decided to stop at mile 3 at the hospital...not because we needed to be hooked up to oxygen (although that thought crossed my mind), but because we figured they would have water for us to consume before we continued on.

When we left the hospital, we debated whether or not to turn around and head back the way we came (after all, we were in unfamiliar territory), but we decided to keep moving forward and see where we would go.  We were on a new adventure heading straight toward the mountains...what a beautiful view!!  We eventually reached a point where the bike path ended, so we decided to turn west since that was the general direction we came from.  Low and behold we saw the Montana State football stadium and campus ahead of us!!  Yesterday we road our bikes through campus upon our arrival to spin out the legs and get a feel for where we were, so now we knew exactly where we were and how to get back to the hotel.  :)  At about mile 6 we stopped in a park with a drinking fountain and consumed more water before heading back for the last 3 miles. 

What a GREAT run at 4793 feet of elevation!!  Bozeman provided us with such a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains and a peaceful city this morning.  I can't wait to see what the rest of our vacation provides us!!