Hill and Back

So, Arlington's at about sea level, right? Well, Santa Fe is just shy of 7,000 feet (that's the highest state capital — I'm talking to you, Denver), and that change in altitude makes a difference. The first few days, was winded just climbing those three flights of stairs.

One of the things I'll miss about Colonial Village is the walk/bike-abilty — of course, you had to walk or bike because of the traffic and parking, but I just got really used to being able to run errands without getting in the car. Our location here is pretty good, maybe a bit too inconvenient for walking, but certainly good for biking; the grocery store's about a mile, True Believers is about two, the Plaza can't be much more than three, and there's plenty in between all that. Great, except for the hills leading to our apartment.

It's probably just about a half-mile to our place, and it's not all uphill — there is a bit of a downhill break. And, I'd say it's not even as bad as the climb up from Key Bridge back to Colonial Village (a ride I did daily for a while). But this altitude. Whoof. Trying to build my way up to being able to make one of those errand runs, so been heading down to the base of the hill and back up one or two times a day. The burning in my lungs is not quite as sharp, and while I'm not yet sure it's getting easier, my recovery time at the end has decreased.