Week in Review (July 29 - August 4)

Tuesday - Failed speed work. I was tired and not into it. Managed 4.5 miles, none of it was fast, it was all pretty horrible.
Wednesday - BodyPump. Still so weak. Spent most of the class glaring at sports bra girl who stands REALLY CLOSE TO THE MIRROR and spends the second half of the class wandering around doing free weights. I really hate her face.
Thursday - It's been raining for TWO DAYS, and since the sun finally came out, I of course headed out for a trail run on North Table Loop in Golden. I've been running a shortened counter-clockwise version, but decided I would run the entire loop - clockwise. I wasn't really sure how far it was, so I headed out and hoped to finish before dark. I seemed to be having more trouble than usual on this run, my legs just never warmed up. I barely got this done before the sun set. I'll know for next time.

Friday - Pizza and beer.

Saturday - I had planned on getting up at 4:30 for my long run. The kitty woke me up at 4 so I headed out then. I was out in the canyon 30 minutes earlier than last time, and I was hoping to beat the heat. I had packed a third bottle in my awesome Orange Mud vest so I wouldn't be panicky about running out of water.

Like the last time I ran this section, the run up the canyon was darkish, coldish (I wore arm sleeves for the first 10 miles of my run), and windy. Once I got onto the Colorado Trail it warmed up. I felt pretty much like crap right from the start and had to use the bathroom TWICE on the way out. I saw only a handful of bikes, and one of the men stopped to talk to me. He couldn't believe I was so far out and on my own. I didn't have set mileage in place, but I was still feeling "off" and decided to turn around at 12 miles. I was slower on my way back than the last time, and the canyon didn't feel as downhill. Ended up logging 24 solo trail miles.

Arm sleeves? In August??

Saw BILLIONS of sheep on the way down the canyon.

Stats: 24 miles, 3450' gain.
Miles 1-12 (11:57, 13:19, 14:14, 13:08, 13:20, 12:53, 20:04, 20:25, 17:19, 23:40, 22:59, 19:59)
Miles 13-24 (14:09, 12:46, 16:01, 19:42, 14:28, 11:08, 11:00, 11:46, 11:39, 11:52, 13:13, 11:30, 11:30)

I did NOTHING the rest of the day except sit in the basement, in the dark, watching Law & Order. For 8+ hours.
Sunday - After breakfast, I went to the gym (for the check in) and walked on the treadmill before heading up to Boulder for a quick hike. I was hoping to hike Bear Peak, but I didn't end up finding the right trail. I sort of wandered around up to Mallory Cave, and then hiked a bit of Mesa Trail. I stopped only because I was running low on water and I was starving.

That's Boulder in the background

After lunch on 28th Street, I drove around looking for parking. Did you know, that when an Ironman comes to a small town, PARKING IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND? I ended up finding a spot only about a half mile from the finish area, which was also very close to where I would be volunteering on the run course. I wasn't on volunteer duty until 4, so I spent about two hours spectating.

Oh, Colorado

I have no idea how these athletes were doing so well under the conditions - a billion degrees and so hot. I was hoping to see my sister before I got on duty, but I didn't know where we were exactly on the run course (other than we were close to the finish). I changed into my Wonder Woman costume and thankfully got stationed in the shade. I saw my sister about 15 minutes after I started volunteering!

My sister!

I spent the next 4 hours handing out water. 100% handoff accuracy! Out of all the times I have volunteered, these were the best group of athletes. They were all very friendly and appreciative. I had a great time. I was DYING with this guys speedo. Not pictured is the front, where he had the state of Texas (but colored like a Colorado flag) over his crotch.

I saw my sister heading out for the last turnaround just in time to be off shift at 8, and I grabbed some snacks so I could watch her finish. She crossed the line just a few minutes after I got there, getting a new PR 13:41ish. She is amazing! I hung out with her and her husband at the finish, then we went for beer and food. I didn't get to bed until midnight (or maybe it was later than that).
Monday - Chaos.

Weekly Miles Run - 37.15 (4.5 treadmill, 32.65 trails)
Minutes of Cross Training - 60, plus the 4ish mile hike.
Minutes of Strength/Stretching - 60

Weekly Gain - 0.8 (121.4)

• Pizza is so great!! Everything else was pretty much in check, so whatever on this. Dumb body.

Everything Else

• Uh.
• Edited to add - Oh, so I may have forgotten to mention that I registered for another 100 mile race. Ok then. This November, 3 weeks after NYC. The Big Cedar 100. Always making good, smart choices.