March 23, 2016

Places That Speak To My Soul

There are certain places that speak to my soul, places that give me peace and feel special. For many this may be exotic places but for me it’s places that I return to often and feel a deep connection to. For me these places include:

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Both Cory have been visiting Cannon Beach since we were kids. It’s a stunning beach with a great mix of rocks and silky sand. When Cory and I were dating and still living in Oregon we would try to get to the coast once a month. I love the ocean and being at most beaches but there is something really special about Cannon Beach.

Not only is the beach stunning but the town is quaint with no big box stores or restaurants.

MOAB, Utah

Cory and I drove through Moab many times when we lived in Albuquerque and would drive to Oregon a couple of times a year. We were intrigued by the cool little desert town. We never had a chance to stop but when we had the opportunity to go to a training camp in Moab we jumped at the chance. Moab was even more spectacular in person. Words and pictures really don’t do it justice.

Bend, Oregon

Bend is an amazing place for anyone who likes the outdoors. I love Bend and specifically love Sun River, a small resort community just outside of Bend. I grew up going to Sun River with my family a couple of times a year. In recent years we have raced as a family at the Pacific Crest Endurance Weekend. Pac Crest is still my favorite triathlon.

Leadville, Colorado

Leadville is the most recent addition to my list. Ever since the first time we visited Leadville stole a piece of my heart. I loved the rugged, authentic nature of this mountain town. The trails around Leadville are some of the best I have gotten to run on. If you want to experience pure Colorado mountain spirit, be sure to visit Leadville.

Are there places that speak to your soul?

August 10, 2015

Visiting Whistler

While my race may have ended in disappointment, Whistler did not disappoint. Western Canada is so beautiful, we loved visiting BC! I may be a bit biased since I grew up in Portland, Oregon but I think the rain forest of that area is one of the most beautiful places in the world. BC was especially beautiful because it melded the temperate rain forest with the ocean and the mountains that I have grown to love living in Colorado for the last six years. If you are thinking of racing an Ironman next year I highly suggest IM Canada, especially if you aren’t afraid of a few hills, altitude and unpredictable weather.

Whisper really is stunning! Also looking forward to getting home and plotting new adventures

Whistler really is stunning! Also looking forward to getting home and plotting new adventures

On the way to Whistler we flew into Seattle and drove up to Canada. In Seattle we stopped for lunch, since we live in a landlocked state it had to be Seafood! We headed to the waterfront and enjoyed lunch at The Crab Pot.

It was great, we didn’t have time to hang around long but have been to Seattle many times. If you go make sure you visit Pike Place Fish Market, it’s a must see in Seattle. Also the space needle and a walk along the waterfront aren’t to be missed.

Hello Seattle! #IMCanada

It was great, we didn’t have time to hang around long but have been to Seattle many times. If you go make sure you go to Pikes Place Fish Market, it’s a must go in Seattle. Also the space needle and a walk along the waterfront aren’t to be missed.

Then we were on our way across the boarder to Canada and up the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler. I wish we had much more time to explore Vancouver, guess it will have to be on another trip.

Whistler Village is really cute and easy to navigate. Lot’s of beautiful views and restaurants everywhere.

Fun times around Whister today. 2 more sleeps before show time #IMCanada

Fun times around Whistler today.

We stayed at the Market Place lodge booked through Airb&b It was a great choice for Ironman since it was right on Olympic Plaza where the Athlete Village was. There was also a grocery store, drug store and coffee shop steps from our condo. It was a bit noisy during the day with all the Ironman events as well as a playground directly below us but it quieted down early each night.

There were many places to eat around town, a couple of my favorites were:

Caramba! – Mediterranean food made with lots of local organic food.

La Cantina – REALLY good street tacos and salads

La Bocca – Yummy simple Italian Food

Crepe Montagne – We didn’t eat here until the last day but it is an amazing little breakfast spot.

Marketplace IGA – Ok this is just a grocery store, but it’s amazing and they have great sandwiches at the deli if you want to grab something to take with you on a hike.

Whistler is full of some amazing sights, and the best way to see them is on foot. We took a short hike to Wedgemount Falls, it’s a little challenging hiking up the side of a mountain but the views were worth it.

Or you can drive to Alexander Falls and see it from the parking lot. It’s worth the drive

Beautiful last day in Whistler but happy to be headed home to my pups #backtoreality

By far my favorite thing that we did was to ride up to Whistler Mountain and ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola It was amazing to hike around and enjoy the views. Seriously the photos can’t do it justice.

July 22, 2015

Ironman Canada Week!

It really hasn’t sunk in yet that it’s ironman week! T-minus 4 days until Ironman Canada. It’s been a long journey to get to the start line but I am ready to see what the day brings and deal with it the best I can. The last miles have been banked in Colorado before heading to Whistler.

One last swim in Boulder Rez before #IMCanada #triathlon

So packing and weather stalking has started and thunder storms are predicted so my plan (similar to Lake Tahoe in 2013) is to bring everything and hope I have everything I need. Baggage fees might be interesting.

It’s my first time flying with my bike, any tips?

Thanks to a professional cyclist friend, these arrived today now to figure out how to pack our bikes. Any tips?? #IMCanada #ironman #triathlon

See you all on the flip side in Canada, wheels up tomorrow morning!

May 3, 2015

Boston Marathon // Tourist Report

I want to preface this post with the recognition that Boston is a huge city and we were only there for a few days. But if you do travel out to Boston for the marathon here is what we found out from our trip:

Stay// Anywhere you can! Not surprisingly hotels fill up fast for marathon weekend. Also be prepared to pay a pretty penny to stay near the finish. Cory and I stayed in a condo that we found on airbnb in back bay. It was a little disheartening to see that the rental prices about tripled for race weekend, but supply and demand. The place was small but clean. Third story walk up was difficult for Cory after the marathon but he managed. It was fun to stay in a residential area and see what it felt like to live in Boston for a couple days

My parents stayed at the Omni Parker House Hotel

It was very nice, opulent hotel and the longest continuously running hotel in the US. A little longer walk to race events than our place in Back Bay but still close to Boston Common. Their room was a little smaller than expected but very nice.

Do// There are so many things we did not get to do while in Boston but here are a few worth your time:

Old Town Trolley Tours this tour was one of the best uses of money and time. When you purchase a ticket it’s good for two days (which we used). The tour is a narrated drive of historic and important places in Boston. The best part is that you can hop on/off whenever you like so it’s also great transportation around the city. They also offer ghost/haunted tours that sounded really fun.

Boston Harbor Cruise – We got cruise tickets included in out trolley tour ticket, it was a narrated tour and really fun to see the city from the water and hear more about the history of Boston. There are also dinner cruises and whale watching available

Cheers Pub – The Bull and Finch pug was fun to visit. We ended up eating lunch there, the food was just meh, so I would suggest just getting a beer and seeing the inspiration for Cheers and eating somewhere else.

Another must do is walking the Freedom Trail. We bought a small guidebook and really enjoyed seeing the city by foot, following the red brick path.

Welcome to the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile, red-lined route that leads you to 16 historically significant sites — each one an authentic treasure. Explore museums and meetinghouses, churches, and burying grounds. Learn about the brave people who shaped our nation. Discover the rich history of the American Revolution, as it began in Boston, where every step tells a story.

Starting the Freedom Trail in Boston

New England Aquarium- Very famous aquarium that is worth a visit

Eat// There are many great places to eat in Boston but a couple places not to miss are Mikes’s Pastry just a short detour off the Freedom Trail tour.

Mast One the best meals I have had in my life, the pizza is amazing and the lobster ravioli was unreal. Great place for carb loading!!

September 17, 2013

On the Road to Tahoe

It’s go time! This last weekend was full of shopping, prepping, making lists, making piles and packing bags.
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I found it challenging to pack for this trip because I am not used to the cool weather that we will have in Tahoe. Which jacket will I wear on race day? Who knows, let’s just throw in all of them! The picture above is about a third of the clothes I packed. While my body has had some aches and pains normal to taper I have enjoyed it, I feel like I should hate it but my body and mind was ready for a rest. I enjoyed easier rides.
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And some time to enjoy fall treats
PSL!

Today I am excited to start our journey by driving from Denver to a state park near Park City, Utah.
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We decided instead of staying in a generic hotel that we would camp for the evening. We really love to camp and haven’t gone this year so this was a chance to get at least one night in before it gets too cold. It’s about an 8.5 hour drive through the mountains and will be BEAUTIFUL. Tomorrow we will drive another 8.5 hours from Utah to Tahoe.
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I imagine this part will be less scenic but we have lots of audio books to keep us entertained. Must go pack up the car, catch you guys in Cali!

July 14, 2013

Oregon Vacation

We will get to the full race recap soon (I hope). Things are moving fast around here with just 11 weeks to go until Ironman Lake Tahoe, work and life. Before I forget all the fun that happened last week in Oregon I thought I would take a minute to recap how fun our stay in Sunriver was. We have been there many times before, in fact my parents used to own a home there when they lived in Oregon. It was extra exciting to be there because we were celebrating Mom and Dad’s 40^th anniversary and they went to Sunriver on their honeymoon =)

We arrived in Sunriver on Thursday afternoon after 22 hours of driving straight, this is for convenience, but not my favorite way to start a vacation. Feeling a little stiff we decided that a nice easy bike tour of the half marathon course was in order. I really loved riding with my family! We stopped to take pictures at the finish line:

Cory and I looking dorky in our matching jerseys.

Mom at the half marathon start line. Cory and I were excited to race our first triathlon of the year but really bummed that mom’s big race was at the same time so we didn’t get to cheer for her. She did have by brother and dad chasing her all over the course so that did make me feel better.

Most of the day Friday was spent getting ready for the race and Saturday was spent getting a bad sunburn out on the course. She ended up beating her time goal and taking 2nd in her age group!

Sunday it was my mom, Cory and my turn to cheer from my bother and dad who raced in the 5k

They both did a great job, Erik took first in his group!!!

After their race we celebrated by eating at the lodge and getting a family photo.

The rest of the day was spent doing some work (for me) and packing up, Daisy spent her time well too

Next up….off to the beach and a training update!

Sunriver on Dwellable

June 26, 2013

You know your are an endurance athlete when….

(had to add another one)

You pack more triathlon gear than normal clothes for vacation

We leave tomorrow for Oregon and I am excitedly laying everything out and packing. I will share my Ironman pack list tomorrow. We created it for IMCDA but it can work for any triathlon with a little adjusting.

May 7, 2013

Moab Day 3 and 4

Lots of things to talk about but I need to wrap up my posts about our training trip to Moab.You can read about day one and day two if your missed them. Day 3 and 4 don’t get their own posts because both ended up being half days unfortunately. Saturday we woke up to some light rain and very cold temps. Hoping that it would clear up we layered up, packed up our bikes and drove out to the start of our long ride for the weekend. Some very dedicated folks started from the hotel had 100+ miles on the schedule my plan called for 88 miles and lots of climbing up in Canyonlands .

As we were driving out to the parking lot (and the 6 people were riding) it started to really rain hard. As we regrouped at the parking lot shivering we got word (thanks smart phones) that it was snowing at dead horse point ,where we were headed. I was very nervous about riding in the cold rain since I was still recovering from a very nasty cold/sinus infection and I didn’t want to risk relapse. Plus I was miserable just standing in the rain, I couldn’t imagine riding in it. The rain was forecasted to stop in two hours (10 am) so we decided to head back to the hotel, get some food and wait out the storm. Most of the dedicated riders pushed on in the cold and wet, I am amazed by the toughness and dedication of these guys (and gals)!
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Long story short we waited much longer than we would have liked for the rain to stop and our “long” was cut to 48 miles and the transition run was completely cut out.

We had a team dinner to get to at 5:30, priorities. I was disappointed to be cut short but I think it was the right choice and the views were still amazing!

Happy to finally be on the bike!

After a short ride we went to a team dinner, over 60 triathletes in one place was a lot of fun. After dinner it was early to bed so Cory and I could get up and head back to Arches for a trail run.

While we didn’t get as many miles in as we would have if we had run on the roads and we did get lost a couple times

It was fun running around and finding arches everywhere

I just wish we had more time to spend on the trails, but we had to get back for check out

Next year….check out first and drive home sweaty so there is more time for trails!

Double Arch

“trail”

Can’t wait to go back!

April 30, 2013

Moab Day 2

Ok, so there was a bit of a delay after posting Moab Day One, that’s what happens when you neglect work and grad school to go play with triathlete friends!

On day two in Moab we got up early, grabbed some coffee and headed to the local rec center for a swim. About 40 of us piled into the pool so coach could put us through our paces. 2800 meters later I was tired from a lot of kicking and ready for some food. We had a little over an hour to get back to the hotel, clean up, eat and get ready to ride! We grabbed more coffee and breakfast burritos at the Love Muffin, so good!

Then it was time to roll out to Arches National Monument for 56 miles of riding and 4200 ft of climbing. This was a good wake up call that all my winter trainer and flat land riding has NOT prepared me for Tahoe, time to climb!

The scenery was amazing and made the burning in my legs worth it

I will admit that by the time we rolled back into the hotel I was tired and my legs were hurting. I had an hour run still left to do for the day but Cory was really hungry. I thought no big deal, I threw on running clothes with every intention of running after finding something small to eat. On our way through town we ran into Coach at a pub where we joined him to talk about the ride and how I should get shorter cranks (another story) while we were sitting there I “sorta” got permission to skip the run for the day. At the time I was relieved to be done and to get to rest my tired legs, looking back I wish I would have sucked it up and ran but it’s a lesson learned. After filling up Cory and I headed back to the hotel to rest and recover we were both beat!

April 20, 2013

Moab Day One

Hello form Moab! We are currently sitting in the hotel waiting for the rain to stop so we can head out for our longest ride of the weekend (80 something for me but with the late start might need to be cut to 66) it’s very cold and currently snowing at the top of our ride, a few hard core triathletes that were going for 100+ miles today went for it in the rain but most of us are waiting it out. I am still recovering from being sick for two weeks so I am not going to take my chances.

The trip so far has been a little impeded by weather, we have had a cold wet spring so it’s really no surprise. But Day 1 (Thursday) made for a sketchy drive through the mountains from Denver to Grand Junction where we had planned to ride about 36 miles on our way to Moab but it was very cold and talk of snow so we pushed on to Moab where we checked into the hotel and quickly got on our bikes to put some miles in. The ride was still chilly but we rode along the river into a canyon on some nice easy rollers.

After the ride we cleaned up and headed to dinner with Coach and a bunch of people from the team the food wasn’t great but the company was stellar. Then it was quick to get to bed for an early morning at the pool.

Day two coming soon, but I wanted to clear a couple things up. I called this a training camp and while in my mind it is we are very fortunate that it is put on by our local tri club and is free to members, not a fancy expensive camp. Obviously we have to pay to drive out here and for the hotel (some people camp but that seems crazy to me). Our coach and club officers plan the entire weekend (workouts, reserving a pool, discount at the hotel, etc) for us for free. It’s a nice perk of being part of a really awesome club. We also have access to some of our club sponsors like Cliff Bar produces, Sierra Nevada beer as well a massages and recovery pump boots.

Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman