January 3, 2016

2016 Intentions

This year thinking about goals or resolutions has been harder than past years. Normally I love this time of year with the fresh start and the feeling of all the possibilities that the new year could bring. I also would have my race schedule pretty well laid out with excitement at getting after some juicy training.

Obviously this year will look a little different, with a baby due in June there will likely not be any big race adventures for me in 2016 and definitely none in the first half of the year. But it is very important to us to continue to have an active lifestyle after our baby is born. I am certain it will look different and be much more complicated but we are committed to continuing in endurance sports.

In my wildest hopeful dreams there could be a marathon for me at the end of 2016, but I have never given birth or recovered from something so big physically so I will be patient and kind to myself and see how things progress. If that means the big race for 2016 is a half marathon or even a 5K that is fine too as long as I am back out on the trails.

So instead of setting data based goals and locking in training cycles I will keep my eye on the big picture and try to keep the following intentions in mind for 2016:

Chase the light

Take risks

Find Patience

Practice Kindness

December 31, 2015

2015.

2015 was a pretty fun year, full of travel, family and love. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights:

I started a new job early in the year

Ran on as many Boulder trails as possible

A quick trip in March to Moab for the Behind the Rocks Ultra

Cory did great on a wind, cold, wet day, #proudwife #BostonMarathon #BostonStrong

Traveled to Boston to watch Cory run the the Boston Marathon

Beautiful morning for a graduation #hopefullynotthelasttime

In May we traveled to Santa Fe to celebrate my graduation

Last workout of the day done! Lots of wildlife out, pelicans, great blue heron, bunnies and one wild pug #IMTraining #IMCanada #WinstonThePug #ironpug

June/July was lots of training for summer races

Bikes racked and ready it's almost go time!!! #teamsoas2015 #weareSOAS #IMBoulder70point3

Ironman Boulder 70.3 brought the heat and the fun

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

July took us to Whistler where my Ironman was cut short by ridiculous weather but it was still well worth the visit

Super inspiring weekend cheering and volunteering at the Leadville 100 #lt100 #ultramarathon #trailrun

August brought more training and volunteering at the Leadville 100 again (I am putting in my time so when my year comes around I will get in for sure!)

In September we headed to California for Ironman Lake Tahoe

In October Cory and ran off to Disneyland for one last trip with just the two of us, we knew we were planning on starting a family and everything would change soon

In November we added a family member in the form of a French Bulldog named Humphry, he is the sweetest little clown

Cory is excited to match our little one for next season #gobroncos

In December we celebrated with family and finally announced that we are expecting a (human) addition to the family in June

Overall 2015 was pretty great but we are mainly looking forward to 2016 and all of the new exciting changes.

December 28, 2015

Silence

This little blog has been pretty quite the last few months….

I never meant to let it sit for this long but you know how things can sometime go. After Tahoe I wanted to disconnect a little and just focus on time with loved ones and getting things done at work.

Then the perfect storm of circumstances hit and I found I had nothing to say and no time to say anything in anyway.

Personally I did want a little break from social media, I stopped posting and even stopped checking in on social media.

Professionally my coworker left for another job leaving a lot more on my plate and much less desire to look at a computer after work.

Athletically both Cory and I were heading into our off season so there weren’t any country roads, mountain trails or sweat drenched intervals to post about.

But most of all there was a shift in focus. Cory and I had been planning for a long time to shift our focus from endurance events to starting a family. We were so grateful to get pregnant in late September but soon after I started to feel awful. I had no energy and quickly became ill most days. While I had hoped that I would run through almost all of my pregnancy that quickly became too difficult to do on a consistent basis so I had little to talk about here.

I am not very good with subterfuge so I decided that silence would be golden until we were ready to tell the world.

I do plan to be back to post a bit about what is going on with my life and pregnancy. But also to live vicariously as I coach my mom to her first marathon in many years and hopefully a BQ and Cory who we are trying to get to a sub 3 hour marathon this spring. While I will talk about my pregnancy and baby after s/he is here I promise it won’t become a “mommy blog” and the overall theme will still be endurance sports. The thing I am most excited to talk about will be my return post baby and the big dreams I will be chasing in 2017.

Cory is excited to match our little one for next season #gobroncos

In other big news we did add a family member, Humphry is a sweet little French Bulldog puppy.

He has already stolen our hearts and I can’t imagine life without him.

So here is to the secret being out and being back to blogging. I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones!

September 4, 2015

Fourth Quarter Goals 2015

I really love this time of year….September has always had a special place in my heart. To me it feels like the real start of a new year. I guess this comes from years of loving school and working in education since graduating from college.

The year feels fresh, I love the leaves changing and it feels like you get a new start. To be honest I don’t love the shorter days, but you take the good with the bad.

Dark chilly mornings at the pool means the seasons almost over

Luckily in Colorado it stays pretty warm most of September so we can still enjoy dinners al fresco and runs in the mountains so summer isn’t over just yet!

My goals for the last few months of 2015 are very simple and have shaped some of my recent decisions. I have two main goals:

Find Fun and Seek Peace.

These are simple but difficult tasks but will frame my decisions…if an activity will be fun then great, yes please. If a decision will disrupt the peace in my life than no thanks….I’ll move on.

One of the ways we are look to meet these goals is to book a trip to Disneyland in October just because it will be fun. I grew up going to Disneyland almost every summer but haven’t been back in almost 10 years. Cory and I went back in 2006 and had the best time! I am so looking forward to a trip that is just about having fun!

Also I am looking forward to planning some fall adventures on trails. I love trail running and don’t get to do as much of it as I would like when training for triathlons. So more time and trips will be planned to find more dirt on my shoes while thinking about BIG future dreams.

Super inspiring weekend cheering and volunteering at the Leadville 100 #lt100 #ultramarathon #trailrun

What are you plans for the last quarter?

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.

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!

June 8, 2015

Lately// June 2015

Tapering // for Ironman Boulder 70.3 – This is a mini taper as Ironman Canada is so close so I don’t think this will be an PR race but it will be great prep for my full IM.

Prepping // I raced Ironman Boulder 70.3 in 2013 on my way to Tahoe and had a great race so I am looking forward to toeing the line again. But this will be my first triathlon for a very long time so there’s a lot to try to remember and figure out.

Loving // Swimming! Our neighborhood outdoor pool finally opened and it is so amazing to swim under the sunshine.

Finally got into our outdoor this morning #bliss #IMTraining

Also I finally got an open water swim in at Boulder Reservoir last week and it feels really good. My swimming isn’t drastically faster but I have been much more consistent in my training and that makes me feel much more solid in the water.

Great morning for my first open water swim!!! Yeeee #imtraining

I also got my new wetsuit from Xterra, thanks Team SOAS for the amazing discount!

After a rainy run this was at my door!!! Just in time for my first open water swim of the year ❤️ @xterrawetsuits #imtraining

Reading // Witsup.com I am loving their articles and coverage of triathlon! And the book The Silent Sister so good!

Gearing up// to go back to school, I am planning on perusing my PhD and start taking classes this summer. I have two degrees in biology but have never taken an A&P class, I am excited!

May 28, 2015

Ironman Canada Training – Weeks 12, 11, 10 and a Mini Camp

How did three weeks slip by? Time seems to accelerate the closer I get to an Ironman. Life becomes eat, train, eat, work, eat, train, eat, sleep, repeat. Sometimes I can slip in some laundry (sometimes) housework (rarely) and downtime (what’s that?)

But it’s all fun, it feels so good to see my training peaks calendar fill up with workouts and then tick them off one by one. I was able to take a four day weekend at the end of last week so I asked coach for a training camp like weekend. It was much more fun to think of the weekend as a camp vs. just another weekend training. We made an agenda and planned our routes so we knew what we *planning* on doing. The weather here in Boulder was less than ideal but it could have been much worse!

It will be too boring to go over daily workouts for three weeks so I will just go over some of the highlights:

12 weeks to go was a little light since we traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico to attend my graduation. The plan was to get some good training in over the weekend and we even schlepped our bikes with us but with terrible weather and no trainers we gave up on the idea and just celebrated mother’s day with my mom. Got in 9 hours of training before leaving town.

Beautiful morning for a graduation #hopefullynotthelasttime

Thanks for being so stinkin awesome mom! You have always been an inspiration. Strong, determined, brilliant and fierce. If I can be 50% as awesome as you when I grow up I will be happy. Happy Mothers Day!

11 weeks to go was a little more productive, after driving back from New Mexico I got back into some workouts with good focus and intensity including:

The longest swim of year so far (4,000+ yds)

Second workout of the day was extra awesome because my mom joined us for the swim #IMTraining

All bike rides on the trainer (come on summer)

Love watching @ethannewberry and @kimberleydt on ginger runner live from my trainer. Congrats Ethan on the amazing wife and 100k #inspiration

Long run turned because of flooding
Totaling about 15 hours and a lot of focused work

10 weeks to go was the biggest week so far because of the long weekend. All workouts are getting longer now meaning that the alarm is creeping closer to 4:00am and getting later at night. But it’s not too bad since this week (9 weeks to go) is the last biggish week (17 hours planned) before a little taper and recovery for Boulder 70.3.

67 days until @ironmantri Canada. Good thing I have this little bean to help me with yoga #IMCanada #IMTraining #daisythechihuahua

Views from today’s long run, so green in Boulder #IMTraining #IMCanada

Second workout of the day was extra awesome because my mom joined us for the swim #IMTraining

#keepyourheadup #believeinyoutself #chasedreams

Last workout of the day done! Lots of wildlife out, pelicans, great blue heron, bunnies and one wild pug #IMTraining #IMCanada #WinstonThePug #ironpug

Bluebird skies this morning so at least I got three hours on the bike before thunder chased us inside. Back on the trainer 62 days until Ironman Canada #IMTraining

61 days until #IMCanada so many miles to ride can’t believe it’s so close! #IMTraining #teamsoas @ironmancanada

Mid ride break, thinking today about all who have served especially Grandpa Curtis. I wish I could have met you and heard your stories #grateful

T-run done. Cooked and ready to relax! #IMTraining #teamsoas

Then it will be one last big push for IM Canada – here we go!!!

May 5, 2015

Ironman Canada Training – 13 weeks to go

Last week went by quickly but I felt pretty good and was happy with how I was hitting my intervals. Now with just 12 weeks until Ironman Canada it’s time to FOCUS! Here is how last week turned out:

Monday: Easy Yoga with the pug

Some mornings you need to do yoga with a pug

Tuesday: 3000 m swim // 30 min easy spin

Wednesday: hour and 20 minute trainer ride // evening massage sooo painful!

Thursday: Progression run // easy spin warm up and TRX workout

Friday: 3100 m swim

Saturday: 4.5 hour bike ride with a 40 minute t-run

Very muggy run off a 56 mile bike. Happy to beat the storm! ☁️⚡️ #IMTraining #teamsoas

Sunday: Beautiful long run in Boulder before the rain started (so much rain for CO!) // evening 90 minute spin

~16 hours of training, only 12 weeks until Ironman Canada!

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.