I did one of those bucket list activities yesterday, a tandem sky dive and it was an amazing experience. Waiting to jump we watched a couple of other jumpers and seeing the speed at which they fell towards the ground was incredible, in a little under 30 seconds they descended 6,000 feet!
After a short ground based drill from a friendly and confidence inspiring instructor we climbed into the plane. It was cramped and noisy as we slowly climbed to an altitude of 10,500 feet. We were blessed with a great day weather wise, the views were spectacular as the landing field gradually became little more than the size pin pricks below. As we left the aircraft I think I followed natural instinct and looked down causing us to flip 360 before levelling out. The correct poise is to push the hip forward, head and legs back to create a aerodynamic position. Once the instructor was satisfied we were descending safely he signalled the OK. The rush of air matched the rush of adrenaline now coursing through my system. The sensation is in some ways very difficult to describe and I can easily understand why the sport is often said to be addictive. The tug from the chute as it opened started a peaceful descent, we circled a few times before sliding to a halt on the grass a few meters away from the onlookers on the ground. I think it took several minutes for the sh*t eating grin to leave my face!
Ironically the jump altitude was 2,000 feet below the level of Hope Pass in CO that the Leadville 100 course will lead us across next weekend. The long range weather forecast suggests thundery showers during the race with highs in the mid 60’s and lows in the 30’s but being a mountain region it could turn out to be significantly different on the day. Either way running in cooler (and less humid) conditions should be more pleasant, despite the possibility of altitude related issues. My running this week will be a downward taper of easy runs Monday through Wednesday - now, if I could only juggle the need for sleep with the desire to watch the Olympics every night I’ll be fine!
