In my dreams I AM a Kenyan... High Altitude Training - day 1

Ran: 9.7 miles / 15.5K - 1:23 min - in Davos, Switzerland!

First day in the Swiss Alps! Love the clean mountain air! Great to be able to take a deep breath without all the city pollution.

I am here already to get used to the altitude for the Swiss Alpine Marathon on July 31th. This race is in Davos, Switzerland and it's the 25th year that it's held. The race is very well organized and the runners are always all so positive! For info, check out their website http://www.swissalpine.ch.

It's cold up here (Davos is a Swiss village at an altitude of 1560 m / 5200 ft), but it's a good cold. Not that bad actually after all this heat and humidity that we had in Holland lately. :)

Had a run scheduled today, and although it was the first day at high altitude, I told myself I had to go - it should be the last long run before the marathon next weekend. This high altitude means that your heartrate is higher than it is at home...at least in the first couple of days. I was prepared for that, and figured the run was probably going to be hard. I couldn't have been more wrong!

Had a great run! Ran through Davos City and around Davos Lake (Davoser See) and did some hillwork. Loved it, truly had this feeling of having wings and finished the run with a huge smile on my face! It totally made my day. :)

Was a bit scared of what the altitude would do to my running, but I really shouldn't have been! Now I know why all those Kenyans train at high altitude; that's their secret! :)

So tonight - in my dreams - I AM a Kenyan. :) Just for once. :)