The allure of trains, my grandfather's letters and train travel

This week I wrote a column about 'the allure of trains' and referenced the letters my grandfather's wrote to my grandmother from Sep 29, 1938 to Apr 23, 1939.

Here is the column: http://www.skyhidailynews.com/news/lodge-the-allure-of-trains/

But while I ran out of time to add more details to the story I wanted to include a little more here.

Here is a postcard I found online from the Sheridan Hotel in Minneapolis Minnesota. I'm guessing it no longer exists.

And a photo from the photo copied letter (my aunt has the original) from the letter:

 
Here is an story from the Houston Chronicle about the "historic" Rice Hotel, a hotel my grandfather stayed at in 1938.
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Historic-Rice-Hotel-up-for-sale-5190547.php 

Trains
History
Family

Three great themes to create an interesting book.
I'm going to start back up and get this book written.
#newyearsresolutions

What's next - looking forward to 2017

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I’m taking a break from triathlon.

After training and racing for 10 years I am not going to race in 2017. 

Actually, maybe I should say I’m not training or racing in 2017, I think, maybe, I’m not sure.

I just know that triathlon has taken over my life in a positive way for many years and I may just want to ..... spin, swim, take a yoga class, join CrossFit, start personal training, bike for fun or something else ..... this coming year.

Ironman Arizona was a great day. Such a great day. I love that day. Nov. 20, 2016. A coming together of so much gratitude and a realization of the family I created with friends.

But, I want to do other things for a while.

Ironman Lake Placid was a best day, best weekend, for so many reasons: friends, family, memories, redemption, and so much more.

Now, I want to write more. I want to read more. I want to get better at my job.

I’ll be back. There are more races to do. I WILL race Ironman Barcelona. Maybe one day Kona.

For now I’m going to bike and swim when I want to. I will run a 50 miler in 2017. I know it. I will cross off Texas and Maine from my list of marathons in 50 states.

For now, I will write every day. I am thinking of a run streak.

So many possibilities. That’s what I love about this life – you never know what will appear after the next curve in the road. So much to look forward to.

50 miler, March 25, 2017

First things first: Make a Plan.

27 weeks and 5 days.

Not necessarily in the right order this time but here's what I've done.
1) researched the race and lodging
2) asked Kassandra to join me
3) make a deposit on a hotel room in Mexican Hat, UT

This is what I need to do:
1) train for my first 50 miler
2) finished another 50K (my last one was in 2013)
3) register for the race

3 for 6 - I'm half way there.

Now for the reveal. This is the race:

The Monument Valley 50 mile

On March 25, 2017

Here are some of things people are saying about the race:

At every race, there are many stories to be told. But in the Ultra-Adventures Monument Valley Ultramarathons (100-mile, 50mile, 55km, and 25km), which take place on the sovereign Navajo Nation, the stories can be both ancient and fascinating. It is rare that a race can be both educational and breathtaking. The land and the people of this race have as much character and charm as can ever be experienced in any race. (Source: http://endurancetourist.com/2015/04/15/race-review-2015-ua-monument-valley-100/)

nobody complained about the sand. The very challenging running conditions were FAR surpassed by the stunning beauty of the course. The people I talked to were beyond willing to do some sand slogging to drink in the beauty that was surrounding us. We all knew we were surrounded by something amazing, something spiritual, something special. (Source: http://www.fastcory.com/2015/03/monument-valley-50-race-report-2015.html)

We were running on Navajo land, trusted with the privilege to explore a world that is usually off-limits to tourists unaccompanied by a Navajo guide. We savored the peace of the first five miles, past Left Mitten, to the aid station. (Source: http://www.trailrunnermag.com/races/featured-races/1234-a-rare-run-on-navajo-lands)

26 week training plan starts Monday.

 

A run to the wilderness

Monday was the bestest day ever. Although I paid for it today, Tuesday with too much work.

I woke up on Monday and decided if I'm going to do this Leadville thing I better get used to running above treeline at 11,000 feet.

My first plan was to drive to Berthoud Pass and run / hike to Flora. I forgot about the traffic leaving the valley. As I drove through downtown Tabernash and saw the line of traffic I turned and headed toward Meadow Creek Reservoir. I  didn't bring my map because I was just going to follow the trail from the top of Berthoud. So when I got to Meadow Creek Res I wasn't sure what trail or where to go. I started running the road not sure what was at Junco trailhead.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Bob Saint from the Grand County Wilderness Group manning the cabin. I knew about the cabin and I knew about the group. I just didn't really understand where it was. He was awesome, gave me a few options for a hike and off I was.

I decided on Caribou Pass since it was a little harder with more incline.

I make great decisions about 79 percent of the time. This was one of them. What a great/hard hike/run. Once I got above treeline and saw those freaking high peaks - I knew I made the right decision about Leadville.

I've been road biking and road running for so long - since 2008. It was time to get back to my 18-year-old roots - hiking in the mountains. Or in this case running in the mountains.

Why the heck have I never been up here. Caribou Pass was spectacular - rocks, crags, Continental Divide - seriously - I haven't felt so alive in so long. I haven't felt the AWE in so long.

Caribou Pass sign

The view looking south

Heading back down to Junco

The view looking northeast.

Don't forget to pay the day pass fee.

Here is the link to Movescount.

The Ultra Runner's Prayer

I saw this posted on the Hideaway Running Events Facebook page and had to steal it. Good luck to all the ultra runners out in Winter Park today. While I was planning to run the 50K, today I am running the half marathon. #trainingslump


Lord,

Watch over me today as I run.
I have paid the price to run this race
through the summer heat, the winter winds,
up those hills.
There are other days and other races,
But this is the day and this is the time for this race.

Lord,
Watch over my body.
Keep it from injury.
As I run, may the tiredness and the pain be the symbol
of victory and not the reason for defeat.
May I acknowledge my limitations,
but not accept less than my potential.

Lord,
Watch over my mind.
May I be intelligent as I run.
May I listen to the signals from within
as I enjoy the scenes from without.
Keep me from foolishness at the start
so that I can finish with wisdom at the end.

Lord,
Watch over my spirit.
As time passes and my commitment
dims and blurs, may the inner resources that
You gave me come forward and give me the
resolve to press onward.

Lord,
Watch over my competitors.
As they face the physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual challenges we all face, may they find the
peace and strength that I have found through You.
Remind them that we all are struggling equally
and that their personal victory is a result of Your guidance.

Lord,
Watch over the trails and mountains.
As they seek to challenge me, may they also offer
havens of comfort and shelter from storms.
Please allow me to seek out that shelter and give me
time to enjoy the boundless beauty they possess.
Let the mountains offer me a test and a challenge
But also a passage through which I may safely pass.
As I continue to press to the summit, may the trail
lead me where You want me to go.

Lord,
Let me win.
Not by coming in ahead of my friends,
but by beating myself.
Let it be an inner win. A battle won over me.
May I say at the end,
I have fought a good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.”

Grand Dog candidate, My Winnie-Dog

Winnie is running for Grand Dog.
What does this mean?
If she wins the vote she will represent Grand County as Grand Dog.

And, she made the newspaper:
http://www.skyhidailynews.com/news/announcements/grand-dog-candidate-winnie/


All dog candidates get a blurb each Friday in the paper.
You can read all their stories here: https://gcadvocates.org/grand-dog/

Grand Dog is a collaborative fundraiser for Advocates for a Violence-Free Community and Grand County Pet Pals to raise awareness that violence affects everyone in the home- adults, children, and pets. 

Rest Days

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Sometimes you just need a break. When bad things happen and you are about to lose it, what do you do?

In the past, I would sleep.

Now, I clean, organize and plan my anger and restlessness away.

Once I put everything in order, create piles and TO DO lists, vacuum, and reduce clutter, I’m back to myself.

I had a friend many years ago who wouldn’t go hiking or biking on a Saturday. We tried everything to entice her to come. None of us understood why because she could clean her house any day. It was Saturday; it was time to be outside and play. Plus, her house was so clean anyway.

But now, I get it.

In her mind her life was chaos. Too much to do over the work week and Saturday was her day to restore order with a clean house. 

That is what a rest day is to me now. A true rest day from training and life.

Restore Order

Get Calm

Organize the Chaos

When I don’t schedule in a rest day this is what happens: little things build up, I frantically try to do everything, I yell at my dogs and I hate my life.

Instead of running that 20 mile scheduled run that needed to be done for my upcoming race, I stayed home, planned the next day, ate a healthy dinner, listened to music, and started writing this blog post. 

Order Resorted.

Writing is my outlet. It always has been. I love writing this blog about endurance training, racing, traveling and meeting new people who love the sport. These things truly make me happy.

Despite this nomad life I’ve chosen for myself, including the job changes, injuries and bike crashes, these things are all part of making a great life for myself, and endurance sports and writing are the two constants.

Every year I say I’m giving up triathlon. Every year I say I’ll write my second book. I’m not sure what this next year holds for me. 

Keep reading this blog and we will both find out.  

Post-Ironman blues and training

Post-Ironman blues is real.
I've been reading on the Ironman Lake Placid Facebook page two very opposing views of Post-Ironman blues.
Some get back at it.
Some don't want to even look at their running shoes.

I'm a little in between.

I started running again yesterday. Since finishing Ironman Lake Placid, I swam once. I biked once. I did a spin/circuit class once.
This week is about slowly getting back into it.

Ironman Arizona is 14 weeks away and I know what I need to do.

Rejection

Ironman Lake Placid Race Report, what does it all mean?

Now that six days have passed I can finally process what race day 2016 meant to me - what this 14 plus hours of swimming, biking and running meant to me.

First, I finally met Than’s wife, Kathy. Than has been Mark’s Ironman Sherpa since 2009. And he was both Mark and my Sherpa at Ironman Wisconsin in 2013. Kathy was my sherpa meaning that she would help me during race weekend (carrying bags, etc) and on race day would be responsible for getting my bike from transition to TriBike tranport.

Second,  going to New York I was on Nash and Oren turf since they grew up near Albany and both attended college in New York. This would be Mark’s third Ironman Lake Placid.

I knew I was going to be in good hands and would get all the pre-race prep done efficiently and on time. This reduced every bit of stress. 

I wasn’t nervous since they took care of everything.

I was in awe of the place.

I grew up one hour north of Lake Placid in Plattsburg so it was a bit of a coming home for me. 

All the history of the Olympics was inspiring, being in the Olympic Oval and knowing I would finish in it, was pretty emotional.

The day before the race was the Nash Family Reunion and I got to meet Mark’s family. They were so happy to be there and I felt a part of the family instantly.

Mark handed out shirts to everyone (every year he designs a shirt for all the sherpas and spectators) and thanked them for coming out to cheer.

Race Day:

The swim was fantastic. No fighting for space, no kicks in the gut or face, just swimming my race. The water was a perfect temperature – 73 degrees, clear and calm. I didn’t have to sight as much since I could see people next to me and just followed them in the right direction. After the first lap I felt pretty good and didn't pushed the pace.

The wetsuit strippers were amazing. Since I have such back pain after swimming I asked them to help me up after they got my wetsuit off and the one man just grabbed my torso and I was up. Amazing.

In the shoot I saw many of our group cheering and it felt so good!

The bike was challenging. I knew I needed to pace myself for the hills so I tried to recover on the downhills.  The uphills were intense, especially the 10 miles heading back to Lake Placid but I felt okay on the first loop. The second loop my left foot started bothering me, thinking it was from my inserts. But looking back I think that is when the swelling started from the heat and dehydration. 

The course is really beautiful and everyone said to be sure to look around, but I didn’t really look around. I just biked like I always do. I was happy to see Mark a few times and I tried to keep up with him, but he took off and I didn’t see him again until the run.

I saw my Mom, Dad and Carol, my mom’s sister from Pennsylvania, a few times. I was so happy they came to see me.

The run did me in. I knew it was going to be slow. My feet hurt and it was hot. The crowd cheering was amazing. Knowing I would see our team made me run more than I wanted, which is a good thing. I started to walk a lot and knew I was never going to make my goal and I was going to be closer to a 14 hour finish. I was completely bummed out. 

I just kept moving forward. I started to talk to people. 

I started talking to a man who was wearing a shirt that said “Cancer survivor”. At first we talked about our race and other races we had finished. Then, I knew I couldn’t keep walking. I asked him if he would play my running game with me. I would pick a spot ahead and we would run to it. He was game. Then he told me about cancer. This race was his redemption race. He would finish; even if it took him 17 hours despite having 11 and 12-hour Ironman races in the past. We knew we had to run more so I started picking objects farther in the distance.

Finally after the last out and back we ran to the finish. I heard my Dad yell – Go Kristen – as I dropped my wings cover shirt and almost tripped. I saw my Mom and Carol just before the finish. I saw Than and Kathy.

I finished and got my medal.

I went into the food area and Than pointed out where Mark was sitting. Mark and I sat and talked about our race. My slowest Ironman ever – Mark’s too. We were happy to finish, but.

 I got up to go meet our team and I looked over to people cheering and a sea of green shirts were cheering wildly! Mark looked over and I was happy again. Wow. 

My sadness of my time slipped away and the accomplishment set in.

We sat and talked to everyone. Than grabbed my mother’s arm from the finishing area and guided her to sit next to me. She was so proud of me. We talked and took a photo.

This is what matters.

Family and friends sharing an important day.

I will always remember this day. Always.

What does it all mean?

I didn’t achieve the time goal I set out for myself on July 24.

But I didn’t do the training I set for myself either.

This is the all-important Life/Career/Sport take-away:

I cannot expect to the have the results I want when I don't put in the time required to reach a goal. 

However, I was able to toe the start line and finish a race in one of the most beautiful places in the US – Lake Placid, New York.

I got to meet an amazing group of people from Mark’s family who reminded me how important it is that family supports family.

My Mom and Dad got to see me finish an Ironman for the second time.

I got to spend time with Mark who shares so many of the same goals that I have. I simply enjoy being with him for a few days a year for a Racecation. He is able to calm me just with his presence. I’m so thankful he is in my life. 

Mostly I am grateful. I am grateful for my health so I can do these races. And, I am grateful for my family and friends who support me in my endurance goals.

Ironman Lake Placid in pictures - version 1

Almost to Lake Placid, finally.

Drop off bags, Shepas from right: Than, Kathy. Mark (racing)

The 3 Amigos - making a plan - what they do best.

Side trip to the top of Whiteface - awe inspiring and cold!

Race Day - The Swim

Kristen on the bike

Kristen on the Run (thank you Mary for the wings)

And the Finish with Sherpa Kathy. Wow. That hurt a lot.

Post Race photos of the most awesome rental house.

A quick trip home to see my family and the ocean.

And back to my Home, Away from Home and Daisy is happy to see me and snuggle time.

It's Ironman Race Week

It's going to be a crazy week.
Prepping to be gone from work for a week, getting last minute workouts in and packing.

But I have to remember to stretch, breathe and relax as much as possible.

Work, life, training and racing - this quote is applicable to it all.

Race week. I've been looking forward to it for a year.
A year in the making.
Just breathe.

2016 Racing Plan Update

July 24 – Ironman Lake Placid

August 14 – Leadville 10K

September 3 - Hideaway Park - 50K

September 10 - Winter Park Half Marathon

September 24 - ECS Park City, Utah Marathon

November 13 – Ironman Arizona

Ironman Lake Placid 23 days away

Ironman Lake Placid is my 2016 A Race, which means this is the most important race of the year for me.
I think I'm ready.
I've been thinking about it for a year.
I've been planning it for a year.
So many things got in the way. But that is the way it is with Ironman.
You do what you can.
You do your plan.
You try the best you can to get the hours in.

Ironman is more than the race. More than the race day.
It is going back to the area where I grew up.
It's seeing the place names that I remember from my youth.
I want to take pictures next to everything that reminds me of my youth.
But it's also about racing with my friend Mark who I've known since 2009 when we met on the rock wall at Coeur d'Alene minute before our first ever Ironman.
It's about the legend of Lake Placid.
It's about my mom and dad being there on race - just like in 2009.
It's about entering, again, the race that I didn't show up for in 2011.

It's about conquering demons.

But this is not new. I am not unique. Everyone has their crap. Everyone has obstacles.

I cannot wait to get to New York State in 20 days. A vacation. I am in a New York State of Mind.

The next 20 days are going to be planned. Every. Minute. Planned.

 

Race Day Reminder:  Don't forget to smile and have fun. 

Maybe this is why I do Ironman. It's the one day that is really just about me. I love that day. 

It is also about the challenge. 

 

 I

High Tide in Tucson - Let Me Be a Good Animal Today

I wrote this article September 2011 while living in Grand County, Colorado. I was feeling sorry for myself after a tough break up and several life changes. I was wondering what the heck was going to happen next, and what was I going to do with my life, yet knowing how words and books can change/save/enrich lives - especially mine.
Who would ever have guessed that 10 months after writing this I would actually move to Tucson and understand the desert Kingsolver was writing about. Then to think that three years later I would move back to a place that I left because I was tired of the snow and cold.

Words are powerful. Whether they come from a blog, a newspaper or magazine. Words inspire. Words change lives and make this world a better place.

High Tide in Tucson - Let Me Be a Good Animal Today - September 2011, Sky-Hi News:

I am surrounded by books. I have a stack of books in my living room and next to my bed.


I am reading books about hiking in Glacier National Park and traveling to Chile. I am reading poetry from Pablo Neruda, The Art of Racing in the Rain and Tolstoy and the Purple Chair. I want to do everything, learn everything, and see everything; and reading is a prerequisite.

During this journey I am always pleasantly surprised when a book appears in my life when I need it; to teach me, again, what I need to remember.

Recently an old favorite reappeared: High Tide in Tucson, a collection of essays by Barbara Kingsolver. I have the book, or had it at one time. I hope whatever friend has it is enjoying the multicolored highlights, underlined words and dog eared pages of important passages.

You'll like this collection of stories if you're anything like me: bookish, adventurous, you don't live near your family (and sometimes wish you did), and are constantly romanticizing what you're life could have been like if different choices were made.

This collection of essays was published in 1995 after Kingsolver wrote several popular novels including The Bean Trees, Animal Dreams, and Pigs in Heaven; all of which I read prior to discovering High Tide in Tucson. In 2007, she wrote Animal, Vegetable, Miracle about a year her family fed themselves solely on products grown close to their home in rural Virginia.

The first essay, High Tide in Tucson, is about a hermit crab that finds its way into Kingsolver's luggage from a trip to the Bahamas. "It had fallen asleep to the sound of the Caribbean tide and awakened on a coffee table in Tucson, Arizona, where the nearest standing water source of any real account was the municipal sewage-treatment plant." She instantly gives the crab a name, Buster, and makes a home for it.

Kingsolver is a keen observer of life and animal behavior; she takes the smallest event such as a stowaway hermit crab from a beach vacation, and turns it into a universal truth. She does this through each essay and in the case of High Tide in Tucson, she talks about her own displacement, living in a desert thousands of miles from her family, and wonders - much like Buster - what the heck is going to happen next.

Kingsolver brings readers to her chosen home. She takes readers into the desert where she studies the rocks and watches hawks fly above her as a bighorn emerges from brush. She writes honestly about her life as she tries to understand the manic-depressive hermit crab in her home. She writes about a man who puts a knife in her stomach. She details the robbers who take over her home where she lives with her young daughter. She tries to make sense of the chaos.

In her despair I see my own more clearly; the personal becomes the universal. You survive, you don't think about how to respond, you just do: "What does it mean to be an animal in human clothing?" The answers: You follow internal rhythms, you walk upright, you protect your loved ones.

"Let me be a good animal today. Let me dance in the waves of my private tide, the habits of survival and love."

Kingsolver is joyous in her essays and that is what I want to remember: "What a stroke of luck. What a singular brute feat of outrageous fortune: to be born to a citizenship in the Animal Kingdom. We love, we lose, go back to the start and do it right over again. High Tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is."

What a stroke of luck that I am surrounded by books.

Ironman St. George Race Report, racing in adverse conditions

This 70.3 triathlon was the hardest race to date.

Tough swim, choppy!
Unlike the day before seen here:

Cold, windy, almost hypothermic on the bike. It rained 90% of the time. Hills were killer.
With so many hills, chip n seal and constant rain, I was in survival mode. The temperature never got above 55 degrees until late afternoon when the race was over.

I felt pretty good on the run (once my feet thawed), I walked minimally, which is good for me.  I think the altitude change and always running hills helped, a lot.
Until this weekend I don’t think I’ve ever raced in constant rain.

I was 4 minutes faster than 2014 but my teammate, Collin said that the run course in 2014 was only 12.1 miles according to his GPS. This year it was 13.1.

This race was a mental test throughout; training and racing in adverse conditions seems to be the theme of 2016.
2016 Results:
Swim: 46:27
Bike: 3:35
Run: 2:19
Time: 6:55
Division Rank: 40

2014 Results:
Swim: 49:00
Bike: 3:29
Run: 2:31
Time: 6:59
Division Rank: 65


Starting Sunday, I’m in full-time Ironman Lake Placid training mode.

A big thank you to my Ironman racing partner, Mark Nash:

Team Lodge and Nash after IM St. George

And to my awesome Triple Threat Triathlon teammate Collin:

Pre-Race photo

Here is the official video. The weather and hills didn't seem to bother the pros:

Need motivation, watch this: Running In The Rain

So you look outside and the first thing you see through the window is the running conditions are terrible; far from ideal. Your first inclination is to go back to bed, wait until it warms up, maybe hang tight until the rain or snow stops, which the majority of us would find reasonable by the way.
But let me explain the scenario from a different angle because this is the exact situation when it's most important to get out of bed, to put on your running shoes on and head out the front door:

I love Park City and trail signs

I love taking pictures of trail signs. Maybe it is because I love to be guided in an adventurous direction. I like that most times they are made of wood and have arrows pointing in the right direction. Some signs welcome you to the playground behind it. But I believe all trail signs lead to a new place of fun.
Here is today's photo of the rails-to-trails sign in Park City. I ran for about 25 minutes today and it was great to be on a new trail, in a new place.

I get to spend the next few days here and learn all kinds of new skills. Nothing better than learning, traveling, and experiencing new things. That never gets old.

Wind, Hail, Rain, Music, Spinning, Swimming - not in that order

Saturday, April 23 - Grand County, Colo.
I don't always write in AP Style on my blog but I try, sometimes.

Today, someone who will remain nameless, came up to me and the first thing out of his mouth was NOT:  "Hi Kristen. How are you today? What's new?"
It was:
"Wow two typos on the front page."
Blah.
It's always good to know when I make mistakes but really? What happened to leading with a good comment to follow with "what the heck happened?"
Mistakes will always be made since we are human and not robots.
Every mistake I made is not repeated in future editions.

I went to Winter Park Resort to take photos of the participants in Springtopia (aka closing month of the resort). People love to dress up and laugh and dance.

As for me, I was happy to capture the happiness digitally.

Training Update:
Winter Training Spin class at Mountain Life Fitness. 75 hard minutes of spinning equivalent to three hours on the bike. 45 minutes swim at the Fraser Rec, 1500 yards. Five minute run in the rain with the dogs.

Favorite quote of the day, and I do believe.

And then blog about it, LOL.

Yeah, biking outside

Today I rode outside. Happy, Happy, Happy.

I rode with my friend George up to Lake Granby. Hills, Hills, Wind, Wind.

And now, back to work.

Monday, Monday

Today looks like this:

Work, work, work.
Next week I head to Park City for work so I have to get some biking and swimming in before I head out there. Running in Park City won't be a problem.

Training update:
I will try to swim as an active recovery plan. After running just over 11 miles yesterday my legs are dead. I've run 11 miles already but after spin/run on Saturday and a Sunday morning long swim (2700 yards) a long run like this was killer. Thank you Smartwool compression/recovery socks.

There is still snow in the forecast but not as much as this weekend - thank goodness. Maybe by Thursday I will be able to bike outside again.

Ironman Planning Tip and snow

A great tip for Ironman planning to reduce stress on the days leading up to race day:

From Jesse Thomas via Triathlete Magazine, current issue.

I'm a planner and I usually plan out what I need in my race day binder. But I never thought of an hour-by-hour playbook.
I will be doing it this year for Ironman Lake Placid.

Now if I could just bike outside. This is my view today as I write this post:

So I will hike with the dogs then swim at the Y today. And if the roads are clear I will go on my scheduled 12 mile run.

A spring snow storm has arrived

It's a winter wonderland out there:

And Winnie just chillin near the fire:

Hiking and weather update

On our daily hike in HSS:

Daisy is still fast running on the trails despite being 9-years-old.

We have some weather coming in today. Preparing for SNOW!

Training Update: 6 mile run up and down Cottonwood Pass yesterday. Today: swim and maybe a short run. But definitely a swim.

Sky-Hi Page One, training update

I am loving the cover of today's paper. Thanks to Sally DiSciullo.

Training Update:
Hoping for a swim and bike outside.

Gratitude

Training Update:
6 mile flat run up and down US 40 in snow. Yes, snow. Now it's raining.
Hopefully will get a swim in later this afternoon.

That is all.

Fraser River today

The Fraser River as it flows into downtown Granby today.

Training update:
4 mile run this morning.

Hike & Bike in the rain

This morning we took a walk along the Colorado River. We stopped where the river was low under the foot bridge. I thought we would try a stick in the water again, but Winnie would go in. (see yesterday's post).
Despite the rain, I decided to risk it and go for a bike ride. I didn't regret it.
Great ride with George along US 40. It rained a bit but the wind was strong. I felt warm in my Cesium Anorak by North Face. Great wind protection for sure. I got in 21 miles and it was a great recovery ride after a tough brick yesterday.

Now a bit of recovery. Food and sofa time.

It's Mud Season after the Snowiest March in Grand County

Winnie on our trail in HSS

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It’s probably about time to write a blog post. It's been a while

Well, it’s mud season in Grand County. I didn’t write about the end of winter. It was a cold, snowy March.

 Winnie and Daisy loved running the trails behind my rental house. It was good hiking for me, too. 

Now that Winnie doesn't chew everything in sight we now have a dog bed again. 

View from Devil's Thumb Nordic trails.

In March, Patrice came to visit and we skied at Devil's Thumb. That was a great training day. 

Other training consists of running up County Road 20 in HSS. This is one of the roads that was buried under snow. Amazing views up there and tough running conditions, as I was breaking through the snow. 

Elk Mountain HSS

I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere running just three miles from my rental house. 

Cooling off near Cottonwood Pass

Another place I run and take the dogs to hike is the road off Cottonwood Pass. Only saw one car, a logger. It got so warm in the sun that Daisy had to cool off in the snow. 

But both roads/trails have lately been starting out looking like this:

The mud before the snow on County Road 20 HSS

A muddy-mess. 

But thanks to a load of late-season wood, I'll be nice a warm while the end of winter shows itself. 

The bridge over the Colorado River in Pioneer Park, HSS

It's been a treat living so close to the water again. After three years in the desert, it is thrilling to see running water. 
Just yesterday I took the dogs down to the river and it's flowing nicely. Not too fast, yet. I keep introducing Winnie to water but she still doesn't know what to do. I throw sticks in and she just watches them. But then, I finally got her to stand in the water and she see's something and starts running into the water. I thought she was going to be swept away. I'm not sure she knows how to swim yet. Miraculously, she came back since the water wasn't rushing too fast and she could still stand up. 
We may need to try swimming in a pond instead of the Colorado River.

Training Update

Life is good at 8,000 feet. Yesterday was my third bike ride outside - a ride to Grand Lake. And today, Saturday, a long run outside and the winter training spin at Mountain Life Fitness.

it is now 4 weeks until Ironman St. George 70.3. I'm not sure how ready I'll be but the next 4 weeks will be a harder training block. 

Updated Race Schedule:

May 7 – Ironman 70.3 St George

May 21 - McKee Classic Bike Tour in Loveland

June 5 - Casper, Wyoming marathon

July 24 – Ironman Lake Placid

August 14 – Leadville 10K

September 24 - ECS Park City, Utah Marathon

November 13 – Ironman Arizona

It's going to be a great summer and fall!