We had the BEST weekend camping for the first time in our tiny camper (Kermit).

We bought Kermit back at the end of October and haven’t had a chance to take it out until now. For camper people Kermit is a 2018 R-pod 171, basically the smallest camper R-Pod makes. We love it because we wanted something light and small that would do well boondocking and traveling on dirt roads. Kermit has an ‘off road’ package so we can take it back to off grid sites.

For a winter trip we wanted to stay out of the mountains and somewhere not too far from home because it was our first trip and we weren’t sure how everything would work. We settled on Cheyenne Mountain State Park because it was just two hours from home and was just outside of Colorado Springs. The campground is beautiful with fantastic views of both the city and mountains.

The sites have full hook-ups but we decided to just dry camp, we didn’t want to have to winterize Kermit again so we just brought water with us and used the campground facilities. We did use the electricity for heating and other utilities.

We really love the layout and functionality of our tiny trailer, we had a different trailer that we took with us to Yellowstone in the fall that had a bunkhouse but it didn’t really work for us so we sold it and this one is a much better fit. We all think it’s very cozy!

Because it was cold out we ate inside but hopefully in the summer we will be spending most of our time outside. Emmy hasn’t been into sleeping outside (yet) but Cannon is looking forward to sleeping in a tent this summer.

The park has amazing trails that run throughout the park and campground. We went hiking everyday that we were there.

We didn’t know ahead of time but there was an ultra being held while we were there! Human Potential was holding the Stories Ultra there was a 6, 15 and 30 hour race going.

It was fun cheering for the runners all weekend. We could see them running with headlamps and going all day and night! One runner mentioned that he is training for the Barkley Marathons, these people are amazing.

Sunrise magic! The entrance to NORAD is right up the mountain from the campground, the area is very interesting!

We had a wonderful time and enjoyed winter camping. We specifically stayed away from snow and went on a very mild weekend so that helped a lot. I can’t wait for summer and all the camping we will do!

Don’t worry the kids were just hanging out while we got the trailer hooked up, they ride in the back in car seats 😉

We came home Sunday afternoon with plenty of time to watch the Super Bowl.

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Have you ever been camping in the winter?

Do you own a camper or would you like to?

Did you watch the big game?

• 3 hikes
• 1 trip to the zoo
• 1 local pizza
• 1 ultra marathon to cheer for
• 1 million stars viewed
• Lots of dirt played in
• endless cuddles

we didn’t want it to end, we loved our first trip in our trailer and first time winter camping. Details of the trip up tomorrow.

We are off for a weekend of “camping”, it’s still hard for me to call it camping if we are sleeping in our camper.

we are looking forward to lots of time outside and exploring Colorado Springs.

I hope you are enjoying some family time this weekend!

I started following Emily back when she had a blog and was training for Ironman Lake Placid and lived in DC. I was training for an Ironman myself at the time, that feels like 100 years ago.

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One of my favorite training days before Ironman Lake Tahoe.

Emily wrote a beautiful piece for Runners World about her grief and running.

https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a35281919/memories-of-my-mom-keep-me-moving-through-grief/

Emily also set the FKT for the Oregon section of the PCT .

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Who inspires you? Any great follows lately?

We had a very typical day, Cannon didn’t have school so we met some friends at a playground.

It was in the 60s today and it felt like spring. Things could go two ways for us, it could continue to be very mild and we will have a lot of fires and a hot dry summer. Or we could be hit by a cold snowy spring, we will just have to wait and see.

The weather this weekend is looking pretty mild so we have decided to go winter camping. I have never camped in the winter before so this should be interesting.

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Something that has come up a lot recently is motivation with running. There is so much uncertainty with races and it can be hard without support, child care, gym access or normal routine.

I found this article interesting:

https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a32436112/how-to-handle-lack-of-motivation-coronavirus/

What are your best tips for staying motivated?

We started our day with another beautiful walk to school

Emmy joined Cannon on the walk there and home!

When we got home Emmy was hungry and tired from her two mile walk so we had a snack before heading off to a playground to meet a friend.

After playing it was time to pick up Cannon from school. We came home for lunch and nap time, Emmy is still napping most days but it’s getting shorter.

We spent the afternoon in the backyard enjoying the sunshine.

Emmy decided to make a picnic out of her snack.

We have been very spoiled here with mild weather. It also made me smile thinking about lighter days ahead.

I saw this video by Nike:

I am shocked that a MILLION more boys play sports than girls….and strongly support anything that helps girls find a sport they love.

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What do you think about adding girls football to high schools?

It was a good first day of the month. I got the kiddos countdown calendars for valentines day and they are pretty excited.

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Got in a few miles with the kids in the double.

The kids have been walking more instead of riding in the stroller to get ready for our big hiking trip in March.

Emmy has been “reading” to us a lot lately, I love that she loves books (and dragons) so much.

We spent our afternoon at the playground.

It was in the 50s today so we were enjoying the mild weather.

Cannon picked this dinosaur book to read at bedtime.

It’s really fun learning about things together that he is really interested in. He is very concerned right now about which dinosaurs would eat him.

https://ultrarunning.com/features/ultrarunning-on-a-budget/

I loved this article about running and how it can be expensive and how maybe it could be cheaper. I find running to still be expensive between shoes, gear, travel, races etc. but I could spend a lot less, and have spent a lot less on running in the last year than I have in the past. It’s also MUCH less than I spent on triathlon, that was an expensive sport.

After seeing this video I think I need to add the Bryce Canyon Ultra to my list! This race looks incredible.

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Training for anything?

Do you feel that running can be an inexpensive sport?

We had the best day yesterday exploring the Paint Mines , the Paint Mines are a natural feature south of Denver.

“The Paint Mines Interpretive Park is one of El Paso County’s most unique open spaces. The Paint Mines are named for their colorful clays that were collected by American Indians to make paint. Brightly colored bands, caused by oxidized iron compounds, are found in varying amounts throughout the many different layers of clay.

The Paint Mines Interpretive Park is located in the northeast section of the County near Calhan with approximately 750 acres. The paint mines have evidence of human life as far back as 9,000 years ago. The park features fantastic geological formations including spires and hoodoos that form through erosive action that creates incised gullies and exposed layers of selenite clay and jasper. The park includes a restroom facility, four miles of trails, interpretive signage, and many natural wonders.” – SOURCE

The hike was easy and there was so much to see and explore.

The are lots of little canyons and caves to explore.

We spent a little over two hours there and could have spent more time but we were getting hungry.

If you are ever in the Colorado Springs/Castle Rock area the Paint Mines are definitely worth a visit.

When we got home Cannon was super excited to help wash the car, I love that he loves to help!

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It’s February 1st so I thought I would set some little goals for the month:

• Run every day of February
• Run at least 100 miles
• PT everyday, must get strong for all of our hiking trips and hopefully races in the summer
• Strength train AT LEAST twice a week. This is a must do!
• Spin Class twice a week (at home on the Peloton App)
• Get outside as much as possible with the kids, at least one hike a week to meet our #52hikekidschallenge and #1000hoursoutside

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Any goals for February?