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!

We started our week as we typically do, Humphry decided to join us at school.

It’s been so cold, lately we have only been outside for short amounts of time.

We have been keeping active inside with basketball and ballet.

Here is what week 3 of marathon prep looked like:

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Monday:  Quick run on the treadmill

Tuesday: 3 miles on the treadmill + Strength training

Wednesday: Just 1 mile in the late afternoon

Thursday: 4 miles out on the snowy trails

Friday: A short run out with the kids

Saturday: Split up long run with kids outside then finished on the treadmill. 7 miles total.

Sunday: A very short run on a long ski day

Totals: Just 17ish miles again. I am grateful for these prep weeks because I am finding it difficult to get into a good rhythm and get all my runs in. I only have 5 prep weeks before the real work starts so I am hoping I can find my way in the next couple of weeks.

We had a pretty chill weekend and I am really itching to get back out and camp or travel soon. We have a couple trips planned in February and I can’t wait.

We started our Saturday with our long (still not that long) run on Saturday as a family.

We were going to go three miles with the kids on their bikes but they wanted to keep going so we got a total of five miles together, I am so proud of them!

It’s been very cold, but it was nice to be running outside.

I finished up my last couple miles on the treadmill while the kids played and Cory ran outside.

Both of us training for a marathon means being flexible and creative with our training.

We had my family over for dinner and game night and it was so much fun! Trying to make the most of these dark cold nights.

On Sunday we decided to go back to Winter Park for some more skiing.

The kids have grown to love skiing and were so brave and wanted to ski without the straps all by themselves. They did amazing, had no trouble controlling their speed and loved going down the hill on their own.

Emerald often talks of wanting to snowboard and we might need to rent on for her to try.

It’s been so fun learning to do something new all together.

This is advice on training and running an ultra marathon from a middle/back of the pack runner with little natural talent. There are plenty of professional or sub elite runners that give great advice on how to be competitive in ultra long distance running. This article is for the runners who LOVE running for the act of not because they are good at or end up at the top of podiums. 

Here is some of my advice if you dream of completing an ultra marathon:

•  Run at inconvenient times. I am a morning person, I feel best when I get my run in at 5 am by 4 PM I am ready to relax and wind down from the day. I don’t like running after lunch time but when I am training for an ultra. If you are going to be running all day then you have to prepare your body to run even when it’s not feeling it’s best and possibly even when lunch is still sitting in your stomach. Morning, afternoon and evening runs become part of my plan when training for an ultra.

• Use doubles to get in more miles. When you have a busy life or if you run slower it can be hard to fit all your miles in during one session. Sometimes fitting in an 8 mile run in the morning and 4 more in the evening is easier than all 12 miles at once. 
• Include your family and/or friends! Training for an ultra means spending a lot of time running, if you can share that time with people you love all the better. My kids can’t ride or run 50 miles, but they can run the last couple miles with me or they can ride their bikes 5 miles of a mid-week run. 

• Eat lots of snacks during your training runs. Ultras are not about burning calories so you need to get your stomach used to eating while running. I suggest a mix of easy to eat gels and also some “real food” if you are going to be out there all day.   

• Walk the ups, run the downs and flats. This will make sure you will make it to the finish line and not “burn all your matches” at the beginning.
• Practice in your race gear.   It’s the worst to have something chafe all day on race day. Wearing your intended race gear on a couple long runs before race day will give you a good idea if it will work for you. 
• Try to run on terrain similar to you race. No need to run on technical trails if your ultra is on pavement.

• Spend just as much energy on recovery as you do on training. Some recovery tips HERE.
• Have fun! Don’t take any of it too seriously, dance on the down hills, high 5 all volunteers and kids. 

Do you want to run an ultra someday?

If you have ran an ultra, what would you add to the list?

Have you heard of the types of fun? It really resonated with me when I read about type 2 fun:

“Type 2 fun is miserable while it’s happening, but fun in retrospect. It usually begins with the best intentions, and then things get carried away. Riding your bicycle across the country. Doing an ultramarathon. Working out till you puke, and, usually, ice and alpine climbing.” SOURCE

Some people go on vacation to relax, sit by the pool and come home relaxed.

We often some home from a trip completely spent because we have packed our schedule with as much adventure as possible.

I wouldn’t classify our fun seeking as “miserable while it’s happening” but sometimes challenging, uncomfortable or exhausting. Does that make it type 1.5 fun?

Sometimes it makes for tired, hot kids on long days exploring Mayan Ruins or cold tops of Mountains after a too early morning. But in the end it’s all worth it to have memories we will all keep forever. Usually it just takes some ice cream or afternoon coffee to get us all feeling like this type 2 fun seeking is all worth it.

*Just a note on type 2 fun seeking with kids, the more you do it the easier it gets! Now our kids are all in on the crazy adventures even when they start at 4 am.

What type of fun seeker are you?

I finally got to take my run outside to a “trail” and it was so good.

The trails here have been covered in snow now for over a month, which is not normal for us. Normally January is pretty dry here with some warm days thrown in to remind us of the good life.

The trail was nice a packed down so not too hard to run on and the sun was out so even thought it was chilly and windy it was good for the soul.

I ran though a tunnel and was treated to some uplifting art.

After my run I got to pick up Emmy and have some girl time. I decided we needed more time outside so we went for a scooter and hung out until it was time to go pick up Cannon from school.

Then I got to meet some friends at Acreage for some ciders and celebrating that half the people at the table are pregnant.

How has your January been?

I have been really trying to love winter this year, but it’s still January and I am already starting to fail. I have been dreaming of dinners in the back yard, play dates at the playground, dry trails to run on, etc. It didn’t help that today was gloomy and I definitely haven’t been outside enough lately.

We had some fun with letter bingo, Emmy is doing so well with her letters and sounds that she has been asking to start reading.

We started her out on some BoB books and she is loving it.

She also bashed into the doorway this morning and gave herself a nice line of a bruise on her cheek. After lunch we decided we needed some time outside even though it was really cold out.

Outside time always makes things better.

When Cory got home we played a game (ticket to ride for kids) which was fun but a little challenging for the kids. We had clam chowder and sourdough for dinner before bed time.

How are you handling winter? Naturally love it? Any tips for thriving?