PHEW. this thin air is takin a toll on my cardio system. I have been running quite a bit at this altitude and it is not as tough as it was on day 1. I have been seeing quite a bit here in Ajijic, and its beautiful but there is no lack of Mexicans calling me names as i wear my running shorts through town. I must be the first runner they have ever seen sans shirt and wearing short shorts
here is a list of things ive seen here in Ajijic


Dogs making love on the main street at noon
no lack of hats and corona anywhere in town
Filet Mingion with mashed potatos and veggies with corona for $5.50
Cactus Galore
Bread company called BIMBO and milk company called LALA
A very nice man who remembers my name, wasted giving me directions......i found it on my own.
and much more.


Its been great and a few more days of altitude before i can catch my breath!

Mexico

Well, as i catch my breath, what i can say is the altitude is a different experience. I'm sitting at nearly 7000 feet and the weather is beautiful. warm days and very cool nights. I went for a nice 10k run yesterday, at a pace i usually go at for a nice cruise. It went fine, but it felt like i hadn't ran for a month and was struggling to keep running. The altitude makes you feel out of shape...that's how to explain it, along with headaches. The scenery here in Chapala and Ajijic is beautiful and authentically Mexican. cobblestone streets and narrow roads with small shops set up all around, makes running exciting and easy to turn a recovery run into a long easy sightseeing event. Today I'm off to see Guadalajara and finish the day off with some Hills....wish me luck.

training, training, training...

Mid winter..halfway to spring! next week i fly down to Mexico and am staying with Jordan and her Aunt and Uncle in Chapala, a small town south of Guadalajara. Training will be difficult but a great chance to train at Altitude. The town lies at around 6000-7000 feet which will make my body adapt to the lower oxygen levels. It will be a great time to get in some tough runs and swims in while enjoying the scenery. Then, in March a group of us are travelling to Central Florida to really train hard for the first time outdoors in summer gear rather than throwing on layers of clothes. It will be nice to FINALLY bike outdoors instead of staring at the TV for hours on the trainer.