Colorado trip: Keystone, Leadville, Granby, Steamboat

First stop in Colorado after arriving in Denver was to drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. I followed the rules and bought a timed entry. Based on flight arrival and drive time I purchased 12-2 entry time. Little did I know that after 2:00 you don’t need a timed entry and we got to the entrance at 1:50pm. Cars were waiting on the side of the road for 2:00.

We began the beautiful drive on a perfect blue bird sky day.

I was reading Following Isabella Travels in Colorado Then and Now on the plane and how she climbed Longs Peak. All the years I’ve lived in Colorado I never hiked the big mountains. After reading about Isabella and seeing the peak from the road, the next time I come back I want to climb it. The picture above features Longs Peak in the distance.

We drove through Grand Lake and Granby to arrive at Winter Park for dinner with George and Shawn. We ate at Randy’s which happens to have the best Shepards Pie. It was great catching up with them and seeing pictures of their grandchildren.

The next morning I drove back to Granby to revisit a place I lived for five years. The above picture was my view from the house – looking west to the sunset and these sage covered hills. I was a bit sentimental and sad, and missed living here. I saw the places where I hiked, mountain biked, trail ran, skied, cross country skied, and walked. I missed doing all of this.

Then, as I was driving back to Winter Park, I thought: I’ve mountain biked and hiked so much in this county. I lived my best life here. I did everything. I didn’t get the guy but I did everything – I lived my live out loud. I tried everything.  I gave it my best shot. It was a good life living in Colorado and I chose to leave for other opportunities.

This thinking made me instantly feel better. I didn’t waste any time here. I learned so much that has brought me to this exact moment right now. I don’t have to be sad about it anymore. 

Next stop: up and over Berthoud Pass. Here’s a picture of me and Mark at the top of the pass. I used to love hiking from this trailhead when I lived here. We walked around and took in the views, then on to Leadville.

I opted to stay in Keystone to switch it up from Copper Ski Resort the last time I attempted Leadville 100. I like to be away from the fray, to relax before a race. Plus, I haven’t spent much time in Keystone so it was fun to discover.

On race morning we woke up at 2am and then out the door to get to the race start by 4am. The energy at the start was so fun. I knew I wasn’t going to make it very far but I wanted to start. Leadville is an iconic race and I want to finish it. But alas, I dropped at the first aid station. The above pictures is Turquoise Lake as the sun rose. I took the shuttle back to Leadville and Mark picked me up. We headed back to Keystone.

I love this race so much because it’s so hard and I want to do hard things. I sometimes think I am super woman and can do anything I set my mind on. But the last few years I have menopause brain; and my brain is not working well. I still have big mountain dreams and goals; I want to finish a 100 mile trail run. But maybe I will attempt a 100 mile race at sea level.

The next day, Sunday, I drove to Steamboat. I’ve been wanting to go back and revisit the place I lived for three years and hike some of the places I hiked with my first dog, Abbey. First stop was Fish Creek Falls.

I hiked in the area almost every morning with Abbey. The falls are so pretty and the trails have spectacular views.

This is the view from the Uranium Mine trail. This trail is just before you arrive at the Fish Creek Falls parking lot. I have great memories of snowshoeing this trail with Abbey.

I later met up with a friend from Granby who now lives in Steamboat. Betsy and I caught up on our lives. I would love to live back here and hope some day to. I’d have to win the lottery to afford it, but the Yampa Valley is special. On the drive back to Keystone I remember all the spots along the way from the hundred of times I’ve been on Route 40: moving to Granby, driving to the airport, driving to Silverthorne. From Rabbit Ears Pass and the rocky mountains in view, to the winding roads and a hope to spot an antelope.

On Monday, the last day Mark and I drove from Keystone to Canon City to visit the Royal Gorge. Since I work at an attraction with a bridge I was excited to do a little competitive research.

The bridge was very fun to walk on. I loved the view of the Arkansas River. We timed it perfectly to see rafters, kayakers and the Amtrak train.

Then we headed to the airport. Vacation over. I can’t wait to go back.

Trail running in the Blue Ridge Mountains Virginia

The trip to Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains was a great discovery trip. I didn’t want to leave the dogs and I certainly didn’t want to bring Chet to be kenneled after only having him two weeks. But I did it and headed north to Virginia to run a 25K trail run.

Mark flew to Knoxville and then on Friday we headed to Stuarts Draft, VA to stay in a cabin at Sun Retreats, the basecamp for the race.

When I signed up for UROCK it was December and I thought for sure my training was heading to the point that 60 miles was a good lead up to Leadville. However, moving wrecked havoc and motivation tanked. Adopting a dog prevented me from the routine that is needed to train properly.

We ran the 25K and had a great race. It was a beautiful course.

There were several river crossings.

Gorgeous trees.

This race gave me everything I needed to get my butt in gear to meet my training and racing goals for this year.

I’m ready to train seriously for Leadville 50 and 100. 

This past weekend gave me all the motivation to get to the park and run mountains, to get back to the me who loves training on trails. 

Thanks to my BFF Mark who made this all happen.

And, we visited Brother Bill and Lisa and got a tour of their amazing lake near Roanoke.

Wallis Sands Sprint Triathlon Race Report

This weekend was back to back races. Aqua Bike Saturday and Wallis Sands Sprint Triathlon on Sunday. 

Race morning started early. My mom was my support team and we got to the Wallis Sands at 6am just in time for packet pick up. The shirts are awesome this year; soft cotton. I raced this event two or three years ago and it seemed like there were more people this year.

The sun was rising as I headed to the water to test the temperature, it was going to be a great day. 

Photo by My Mom.

Then, I ran into JD again. He’s announcing this race too! 

The waves were big due to the hurricane out at sea. It is a short swim so I was ready for anything. As I headed into the water I tried to figure out how to swim while not being able to catch my breath every time I tried to put my head in the water. The waves were so big I felt like the best course of action was backstroke until I got my bearings. As I approached the first turn I was able to start swimming and rounded the buoy to calmer water. After the next turn buoy, swimming was easier and was pushed to land by the waves.  

The bike course was awesome! Flat and Fast. I just pushed it the entire time. My dad was waiting on Wallis Road and cheered me on. I loved riding through Rye and going past houses of friends from my youth. There was a bit of a headwind as I turned north on 1A. The parking lot at North Hampton State Park was packed with cars. It’s going to be a good day for surfers.

Back in transition I realized that I forgot to pack a hat but the run is so quick it didn’t matter. Running along the ocean in Rye is so beautiful. I haven’t been to the ocean since the spring, and on this beautiful day it was just amazing to be there. Crossing the finish line, JD called me out saying this was my second tri this weekend and said some nice things about me…. Ahhh. He mentioned that he knew me from our Sunday River days….. He’s the best! 

Results: I’ll take second in my division. Woot.

It was a great race course and I was so happy to be there. I feel so lucky to be healthy, racing and going to amazing places to swim, bike and run, with family and friends.

Capital Well Sunapee Aqua Bike Race Report

On Saturday I swam/biked the Capital Well Sunapee Aqua Bike. Last year it was my one triathlon and I reconnected with my high school friend, Kristin. This year my friend Sonja wanted to train and race an Aqua Bike race. We searched for one and this event worked for both our schedules. 

We have been training on Long Pond and biking from her house. I think that worked well. We rented a house in Goshen on Friday night and had dinner at Salt Hill Pub. Then on Saturday morning it was just a short drive to Sunapee State Park. Logistics and parking were easy. The water was calm and relatively  warm. I opted for a wetsuit because I really need to get used to it for IM Florida in 6 weeks. 

As I was heading into the start area I ran into JD who was announcing the race. He’s so awesome at it and made the event really fun when we were all a bit nervous. 

The bike was the same course and my time was a bit faster from last year. However, I felt like I was in better shape and didn’t die so quickly from the hills. 

It’s all about the bike. Photo by Jay

It was great racing this event with friends and it’s such a great venue. I loved the post-race beers and how they showed results throughout the day. 

I’m pretty sure this will be an annual triathlon whether as an individual or a relay. Sonja and Jay are talking relay next year with Sonja swimming, Jay biking and me running.

Millennium Running does a great job at running and triathlon events. My one criticism of the Aqua Bike is that you end the race in transition, no finish line. For me, I don’t really care, but for first timers or people who really just love the swim / bike portion it’s not really fair. I hope they  figure out how Aqua Bike participants can go through a finish line.

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Photo by Jay

Ironman Training Update, Biking in Maine

This past week was a bike-centric week and recovery from the 50K. My quads hurt for three days post-race so swimming and biking felt great. 

The week I finished with 15 hours of biking and 45 minutes of swimming: no running. 

I got my long 5 hour tri bike ride in on Friday before heading up to Carrabassett Valley to mountain bike. It was great to get out of town and visit Patrice and Clay. The trails at the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Center are amazing; and endless. It was fun to just follow them around and get two good great training days in. 

Riding on fatigued legs from my 77 mile bike on Friday was great training. We rode 15 miles on Saturday and just about 8 on Sunday. While Sunday was an easy ride I was still a bit fatigued. All Good Training.

Today, Monday is a run day. I haven’t run for eight days so I’m excited to see what my legs do. Yesterday I signed up for Ironman 70.3 Timberman. My race calendar is filling up but it’s so fun to have a full summer of races and overdoing it like I also do. Life is good.