Altitude affects perception

Here I am in Lake Tahoe; beautiful blue lake, breathtaking scenary; and I completed my second half marathon of this year. How I love running! I would have screamed out my joy above Emerald Bay but I was too busy huffing and puffing my way up the hilly climb along Hwy 89 on the west side of Lake Tahoe. The weather was perfect for a nice run and warmer than usual.

And the altitude that I was worried about earlier in the week didn't affect my breathing tempo as much as I thought. I did run slower than my normal pace but oddly enough, I PR'd in this half by a minute compared to the SF half in late July. The windy and steep roads were hard on my hamstrings and quads. I thought my knee would give out during the 4th mile because I was in so much pain. I practically limped down the first hill climb and had to stop to crack my knee which, unfortunately, wouldn't crack. Half way through the course, there is a stretch of road that seems to lead right into the lake. While running, it looked as though you were surrounded by water. The view would have taken your breath away.

When I arrived at South Lake Tahoe the day before to pick up my race number and have my questions answered regarding the free shuttle my mom would need to take to the finish line, the expo was pathetically minimal. Four booths in a small conference room. People were milling around and looking confused, especially an older white couple who stood no more than two feet from my mom and I to stare at me. This couple just looked at me as though they weren't quite sure if I was human or not. When we parted the area, I asked my mom if she had an idea why that couple were staring at me. She looked me up and down and said, "well, you are wearing jeans that look like men's jeans. You're wearing a black concert t-shirt and a sports bra underneath that eliminates any chest definition, and your uncombed hair still has the remains of copper highlights. I'd say, you look like a tall, skinny, 19 year old Japanese boy."

I burst out laughing but then I looked at myself in the casino bathroom mirror and, what do you know? My mom's fairly accurate description is right on the money. Maybe altitude does affect a person's perception.