morning runs. The higher mileage group including three other runners and myself had an eight mile aerobic run. We did our normal stretching routine and got on our way. One mile into the run a sharp “Beep” notification came from my trustworthy Garmin running watch. Five minutes and twenty-two seconds.
I was in near disbelief my heart rate was at a mild 120 bpm and I felt like I was jogging. Our normal morning pace for an aerobic run is seven minute miles. The four of us where like little children that have never seen snow or just visited the beach for the first time. We started running four minute miles because we could, we ran up hills jumped up over rocks and logs on our normal river trail. We carried on conversations as if we were walking. We were coming to the end of our joyful eight mile run at a blazing time of thirty-seven minutes. This type of speed is on par with world record setters and Olympians. All four of us felt no effects from this run as if we never even left our dorm rooms that morning. Off in the distance I saw a raging tower of smoke and a ominous orange glow coming from the mountains. For all of our fun on that mornings run something are not meant to be. The oxygen levels continued to rise endangering the lives of many and striking the stern realization that oxygen is a double edged sword not to be trifled with on a large
scale.