It’s a recovery day for me and I am definitely a little stiff after yesterdays eight mile run.

We started our day with some Kodiak Cakes and strawberries.

Both Cannon and Emmy approved. We did some school work and then were out the door to a dentist appointment for the kids.

They should have video games and movies on the ceiling at adult dentist offices, we would all enjoy going more!

Good reports all around! The dentist showed me that Cannon has his first loose tooth and I am shocked. I feel like I just checked them, but here we are, he is growing up so fast.

Emmy wanted a steamer for her treat so we got starbucks and hung out in the backyard for a little bit. I was cold but nice to be outside.

Then we had ballet and basketball in the evening.

When did your kids lose their first tooth?

It was warm (for this time of year) and sunny and lovely on my run.

Warming up is always nice but it also means that our trails get sloppy!

It was a leave your shoes outside of the house kind of run.

In the afternoon the kids took a friend to see a movie for her birthday. It was really fun and still a little weird that we get to do these things now. 2.5 years of Covid precautions, it feels good to mostly be back to normal. It also makes us appreciate these things more.

It’s feeling a bit like the quiet of winter, it’s dry and cold and dark. But the light is returning, days are getting longer and we are looking forward to more adventures.

After I dropped Cannon off at school I got a run in before picking up Emmy.

It’s always a joy to get to be with this girl.

While waiting to get to go pick up Cannon we played in the snow in the back yard.

Emmy had gymnastics, which she is LOVING!

And we had a friend over for a playdate.

My attempts to love winter this year are *mostly* working. How is winter going for you?

Hiking often gets hyped as a summer activity, with maybe a little allowance in fall for peeping leave but I would argue that hiking can be enjoyed year-round. Here are six hikes we enjoy near Denver in winter:

Paint Mines – El Paso County

• Paint Mines Trail – 3.4 miles (Can be longer or shorter depending on how much exploring you want to do.
• Traction might be necessary after a storm

Red Rocks Canyon Open Space – Colorado Springs

• Red Rocks Open Space – Manitou Springs, Colorado
• 3.8 mile Loop, Muddy and icy in spots, traction might be necessary
• Very fun hike for kids
• Garden of the Gods s very near and any hike there is incredible as well

Emerald Lake – Rocky Mountain National Park

• Emerald Lake Trailhead – 3.2 miles out and back
• Snowshoes may be needed after a new snow but this trail is very popular so spikes are often enough
• this trail stays icy October through June
• Be prepared for high altitude

Hessie Trail – Nederland, Colorado

• Hessie Trail – 4 miles out and back
• moderate difficulty but can be made easier by turning around early
• Very popular hike, spikes likely needed for icy spots, this is a popular snowshoeing and Nordic skiing trail.

Rainbow Lakes – Frisco, Colorado

• Rainbow Lakes Trail Head – Near Frisco, Colorado
• 2.6 miles out-and-back
• Mostly flat and easy
• Mico-spikes recommended

NCAR – Boulder, Colorado

• NCAR to Mallory Cave – 3.1 mile out and back
• Moderate with some climbing
• I love hiking here all year long
• Can be icy in spots
• fantastic views, easy access from Boulder.

**Remember to practice leave no trace principals while enjoy our wild spaces! Winter hiking tips, be sure to be prepared and be safe!

Please share your favorite trails!

Joe Corcione mentioned on his podcast that having a set time to run that is consistent can really help when trying to get big training blocks in. For the longest time I have been an early morning runner because that was the time I had the most control over. Since becoming a parent with a more flexible work schedule I have tried running at other times of day but when I need to be really consistent early mornings always work best. So here are some things that help me get on the run when it’s super early:

• Set your alarm and don’t hit the snooze button – Just get up and get out of your room as quick as possible. Lot’s of research shows that hitting the snooze button really messes with your sleep cycles so it’s best to just get up and get going. It never feels good to get out of a nice warm, cozy bed so best just to rip the band-aid off.

• COFFEE – Coffee is one of my love languages, I love it, the caffeine is great and it’s my favorite way to start the day. It helps to have a coffee maker that you can program and set up the night before so it’s hot and ready for you when you get up.

• Lay your clothes out the night before. If I have to search around in the dark for my clothes there is an 80% less chance that I will get up and go.
• Decide the night before what workout you are going to do and route you are going to run. I try to limit as many decisions as possible in the morning. As soon as I start trying to decide what I want to do, sleep starts to rise to the top of the list.

• If you are going to run for more than sixty minutes then it’s best to eat something simple, otherwise you can head out fasted if you like.
• Warm up inside! This mainly applies to winter but summertime mornings can also be chilly so a dynamic warmup inside can help get the muscles ready to go.
• Go to bed earlier. This one might seem obvious, but it is often hard. In the evening I am running around doing all of the things I can’t get done while the kids are awake. I also can waste a lot of time on the internet or watching Netflix, that time is much better spent getting some sleep.

• The best motivator is to find a running buddy or group who you meet for your morning run. It’s much easier to get out the door if you know a friend is waiting for you. If you don’t have anyone crazy enough to get out for an early run find a virtual buddy can help too. A text and some digital motivation helps just as much.

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What time is your favorite to run?

What time do you get up in the morning? Anyone want to join a virtual run club where we text and send memes and hold each other accountable for getting up early?

We decided to take an adventure day and head to Breckenridge to see that last day of the snow sculpture championships.

It was a beautiful sunny but chilly day.

We stopped to get lunch at Luigi’s Pizzeria and the kiddos loved it.

Breckenridge is nicely walkable and the bus system is free (and dog friendly).

The snow sculptures were so impressive and we agreed that next year we need to come up and watch as the sculptures are being made.

We stopped off at the candy shop before walking up to make a visit to Isak Heartstone.

It always feels magical to visit Trollstigen.

On our way back to the car we stopped at Highline Railroad Park.

It’s a fantastic little playground and mini railroad museum.

There are so many amazing things to do in Breckenridge, we can’t wait to come back with our skis!

Also I just want to note that it is so much fun to go anywhere with these two sweet kids. They dance everywhere, laugh and are the best of friends.

Some of our past favorite visits to Breck:

A SUMMER WEEKEND IN BRECKENRIDGE

DAY TRIP TO BRECKENRIDGE + TROLL SPOTTING (Fall)

A WINTER DAY TRIP TO BRECKENRIDGE

We thought we had lost our GoPro skiing on Sunday, then I found it tucked away in our car, feeling like a really lucky girl!

Don’t you just love when things like this happen!

We hit up the car wash in the afternoon, don’t mind all of the junk in the back of my car. We need to take it to donate, but instead I will just drive around with it in my car for a month. Do you do that or are you on top of your stuff?

I am so excited that the kids have been getting into Harry Potter because I love Harry Potter and we are planning on going to Universal in October.

I really loved THIS episode of Everyday Ultra about fitting ultra training into everyday life. Joe’s time management tips are good but what he said about identity is what I loved the most. Towards the end of the podcast Joe mentions that we should start to identify with who we want to be. That as humans it’s really powerful what we identify as. Joe comments that we should should identify as an ultra runner that is consistent with our running and then it’s easier to actually be that. I love this idea, and now I am going to try to identify with what I want to be rather than what I think I am now.

So please tell me, who ARE you? I want to cheer you on!