Week in Review (March 5 - March 11)

Tuesday (15,597 steps) - Peloton rides before work in the office. Went to the gym at lunch for strength training. After work I had to go to a meeting at the school for A's upcoming trip to France. Ben brought pizza home for dinner. 

End of day progress!

Wednesday (10,366 steps) - Woke up in the middle of the night sweating, with a stomach ache. Ended up puking my guts out and basically crying on the bathroom floor. I cleaned up and tried to go back to bed, but it took forever to go back to sleep. I ended up calling in sick (and by "calling in sick" - I took a remote day) so I could sleep in. Mainly, I just didn't want to be away from a bathroom. Took Olive for multiple walks so I could still get my steps in as I planned to skip my evening run.

End of day progress!

Thursday (14,870 steps) - Work from home. I had a lot of miles on schedule, but since I wasn't really eating and still felt like garbage,  I only did a little under 4 miles. After work, I headed up to LONGMONT for A's first soccer game! I maybe forgot to mention that she opted to not run Track and tried out for soccer and made varsity! The weather was COLD and drizzled most of the night. They didn't win, and A only got to play for maybe 25 minutes, but it was more entertaining than I thought it would be. Next time I really need twice (or three times) as many layers.

A in all white!

Evening progress

Friday (24,022 steps) - Work in the office. Since I've been lethargic all week, I skipped the morning walk and coffee. Had to work on an amended tax return because we forgot about a form - ugh, we owe even more than I feared. Did a decent amount of driving after work since we have had all sorts of crazy expenses lately. Took Olive for a walk and dinner at home and "Only Murders in the Building."

Saturday (31,645 steps) - Met Terri and Larry at Mt. Falcon for the Saturday adventure. We were a bit late, but we got started before 9 am. The lower trails were covered in a thin layer of frost, but I could tell they would be muddy later. Beautiful morning!

LOTS of climbing, and soon we were in the trees where it was more snow and ice. Larry sure is a strong hiker for an old dude!

The way down wasn't much faster going, lots of ice, slush and mud. UGH!

Once we got back into the sun, we could see how bad the trails were - COMPLETE mud fest. The last .75 or so was soooo slick and I almost lost my shoe in the mud more than once. I wouldn't be surprised if the trails were closed after this!

We all went to Parry's after for a beer and a snack. Somehow, before we knew it, it was mid afternoon. Took Olive for a walk, then we went to Home Depot to paint color swatches before going to 4 Noses. Contractor was done for the day - almost completely finished now!!

Sunday (24,777 steps) - Stupid, stupid daylight savings. We headed out for a quick jaunt at Apex. Of course this was a day when only bikes could do Enchanted, but with it not being a zillion degrees, the exposed switchbacks were fine. Trail closest to the parking lot was ALREADY muddy, but the higher ones were dry.

Until we got to the trees, then it was even more snow-packed than and drifts/icy than we had experienced at Mt. Falcon. This was a bit more slow going than we planned, and the steeper climbs took a bit with all the snow.

The way back wasn't bad and we had a nice run down - lots of people. The lower trails actually seemed less muddy than on the way up. We stopped to return the excess tile, then went to Home Depot to buy the paint and supplies. We went to lunch at Torchy's for the first time in ages. I took Olive for a walk while Ben washed my car.

No idea where the rest of the day went, but by the time I did deliveries for a few hours it was time for dinner. 

Monday (22,327 steps) - Work from home. Went for my run pretty early in the morning. It was supposed to be nearly 60, but it was overcast and I was content in pants and a long sleeve. I didn't do as many miles as were on  my schedule, but was fine with the effort. Still feeling tired after being sick.

Took Olive for walk - in this picture she spotted a cat across the canal. 

Errands and deliveries after work. Met Ben at Parry's for a beer and then Ben got most of the painting done in the bathroom, although some of it will need a second coat. It's 99% done, just need to finish the shower fixtures. Wooo, we made it!

Totally love the shower pan!

Stats:

• 143,604 steps
• 26.09 miles run
• 30 minutes of cardio
• 45 minutes of strength

Week in Review (January 9 - January 15)

Tuesday (10,203 steps) - Bonus work from home day since Joyce is out of town at a conference.  Rode the Peloton before clocking in for the day. Took Olive for the mud route walk and did some strength training at lunch. The evening became eventful when we realized that Ariel's bathroom has a water leak - very similar to what happened to our main bath three years ago. Woooo.

Wednesday (20,000 steps) - Another bonus work form home day! Was supposed to do some speed work during my run, but the crazy wind prevented that, so I just did a regular trail run. Not my favorite.

After work I went to Runners Roost in Golden with Olive to meet up with Maureen (and others) for a ladies night. I figured we would just be doing a dog walk, but the wind died down and we ended up running instead. Pretty fun and I loved that they still had all the Christmas lights up downtown. 

Me and Olive, Mo and Colfax, Lisa

Thursday (19,479 steps) - Work from home. Did a run at lunch that was mostly fine. I seemed to be dressed perfect for the start, but definitely felt colder by the time I got back - glad I went early. Took Olive for a walk. The end.

Friday (19,379 steps) - Work in the office (but only for the morning). Walked a LOT on the treadmill desk while I was there. Took Olive for a walk when I got home while finishing up my lunch hour. Had hoped to beat the wind, but I didn't. Boo. Went to happy hour with Ben and we picked up 4 Noses' new NA hop water for the weekend. Got pho for dinner on the way home. Perfect weather for it. 

Saturday (23,622 steps) - The polar vortex arrived and it was WAY too cold for my scheduled 10 mile run. I convinced Ben that we could go to the rec center and run on the indoor track. I somehow forgot to hit the lap button a few times on my watch, but running 14 loops for ONE MILE is a lot. This was not the most fun run ever, especially since I didn't remember headphones. Thankfully, Ben had some in his truck and the last part of the workout we jammed to the Eras Tour setlist. Woo. It was nice not wearing a ton of layers at least.

We went to 4 Noses so Ben could get a beer, then we went to Torchy's for a late lunch. We had Ariel pick up a pizza on her way home from work and we all watched the new (prequel) Hunger Games movie, which we all liked.

Sunday (13,685 steps) - Slept in. Somehow even colder than Saturday, so we figured our run wasn't going to happen. Ben was working on Ariel's bathroom destruction and I read my book. At lunch I figured Olive was getting cabin fever, so I took her out for a walk, which she enjoyed (aside from the snowballs in her paws).

I had been warm enough that I convinced Ben we could do a modified run - and we agreed on a 5k(ish). The temps were ok - and the sun in this picture is deceiving, because it was windy and single digits. The worst part was the fresh snow. I hate it. But, overall, it was fine.

We threw chili in the crockpot for dinner. Went to 4 Noses for Ben to get a beer, then we still had to go to the grocery store to pick up random odds and ends. And there went the weekend.

Monday (10,427 steps) - No work for Civil Rights day. It was EVEN COLDER. My biggest stressor of the day was going to be how to get 10,000 steps in without really going anywhere in double digit negative temps. Ariel and I went to Dunkin and got the seasonal pink velvet coffee. I was emailed a BOGO for Tokyo Joes, so we got bowls for lunch. Took Olive for a walk at lunch - VERY COLD again.

Convinced Ariel to go grocery shopping with me - which she hates. Once home, I read my book until Ben got home, then started dinner. After Batman's failed mousing adventure, he was still certain the mouse was under the kitchen trashcan. He had Robin and Olive convinced, as they joined him in looking.

I heard Robin's battle cry from the mud room, and sure enough, I saw the cats chasing the mouse! Or maybe just "a" mouse, maybe there is more than one?) The animals all gave up when the mouse ran under this shelving unit.

Ben proved to be "Mouser of the Year" and caught the mouse. He's very cute, but we had to put him outside :(

Watched Fargo until it was time for bed. So far season 5 is way more interesting than season 4.

Stats:

• 116,795 steps
• 26.72 miles run
• 50 minutes of cardio
• 35 minutes of strength

The Drift "Half Marathon" (Race Recap)

Pinedale, WY

Sunday, March 14

Weather - Sunny and wiiiiindy

I really don't race anymore. Over the last few years, the amount of races I have signed up for has certainly dwindled. In the early years of racing I basically signed up for anything and it was just for the sake of running races. I don't do that anymore. With that said... back in November, Kristin came back from visiting family in Wyoming and told us about a "fun" race that happens in this quaint town in Wyoming in early March. I visited the website and it was hilarious/scary that it basically said that you could look at the forecast and assume it wouldn't be that cold, but it would definitely be colder/windier than you might think. Jeramiah registered immediately, but by the time Kristin went to sign up, it was waitlisted! So imagine my surprise when all of a sudden in February, we got the email that we could move into the start list. Kristin was the first to get the email and asked the race director if she could do the half marathon instead of the "heavy" marathon, and was told that was fine. After I got the same email, I did the same, and the three of us were ready to head to Wyoming!

In the midst of all this, Denver was preparing to have record-breaking snow in a blizzard that was supposed to start coming through Friday through the weekend. Once we figured out that we'd at least be able to GET to Wyoming, everything else fell into place.

Race Day

We still weren't sure what was going to happen with Jeramiah, but his marathon started an hour before us, and we wanted to see him off. Even though I had woken up earlier to pack everything so we could check out before heading to the race, we were a few minutes late dropping everything off in Kristin's room. We arrived at the start line around 7:40, with J's race starting at 8:00. 

Picture is actually from the night before - not an ugly view!

J's race started right on time at 8:00. Did I mention that part of the fun of this race is that the course could be completed either as a run, a bike, or skis?? Anyway, we were surprised at how much colder and windier it seemed at the start line than it had when we left our hotel that was only a half hour away. We stopped by check in to get our bibs and discovered that my bib was missing!! We later found out they had accidentally given it to a late-arriving marathon runner. (He didn't realize his name was not Walker, nor was he running the half marathon?) We double checked that there was no course limit - "we would give you until 5:00, when the marathon course limit is." Better not take us 8 hours to do a half marathon.

We went back to sit in the warm car. Ariel and I shared the leftover cakes from the night before for breakfast. By the time I used the bathroom and made sure I had everything, it was only a few minutes until the start. I was really concerned that I hadn't brought warm enough clothes. I was wearing a fleece-lined long sleeve and my super warm Salomon jacket, but I was kicking myself for not bringing my warmer mittens, even though I had packed them, they were still at the hotel. UGH.

I believe we were told to "look cold" - we didn't have to try that hard

Our race also started right on time, at 9:00. We started near the back, wearing our Kahtoola Exo Spikes. We didn't necessarily have plans to start/run together. Kristin has been working really hard and has gotten substantially faster, and has also been running a lot more base miles than I have been. I took a quick picture out of the gate - I've never been in a winter race with skiers before.

I don't really know what I was expecting, but it wasn't really what I expecting... The first 10-15 minutes I was really cold, and struggling up the hill. You'd think that the snow would have been packed down, but it really wasn't. I had better luck when I was following in ski tracks, but overall the snow was pretty loose and uneven, so it was hard to get a good groove going. Also, the entire first 3 miles were a gradual uphill. I told Kristin that she should not wait for me and we would just meet up at the finish. She finally headed up without me, and I got into the rhythm of a run/walk between the markers on the side of the trail. It was slow going, and I kept leapfrogging the same people, but I felt a lot better than just trying to run it all. (Edited to add professional pictures from Geoffrey Ristau):

Up ahead I saw Kristin taking off her jacket and struggling trying to get in her pack. I caught up to her and helped her to bungee it onto the back. We would end up sticking together for the next few hours. When we got to the only turn on the course, about 2.7 miles up, I remember telling the volunteers that I was a bit disappointed that this race didn't seem to be as awful as it was advertised. 

We then headed the opposite directions, which was on a more narrow trail. It wasn't long before we started to see people coming towards us as the course was an out and back. This section was actually not bad. I took off my jacket and even my gloves because I was warm. 

It seemed like a gradual downhill and we finally had a tailwind. I did, however, have to pee and there was nowhere on the course to duck off and get privacy, so around mile 5 I literally just sat on a drift on the side of the trail to pee. Before we knew it, we saw the turnaround. It was literally just a volunteer standing there with a tub of pre-packaged food and a jug of water. I didn't need anything, so he checked our numbers and we headed out.

I forced myself to eat a bite of snack mix, but I wasn't hungry and it was hard to breath (between the cold and higher elevation). I think this was probably the point of the race where things just got... less enjoyable. It was definitely still pretty, but we were now going back uphill and into the headwind. We realized we were NOT last, as there were actually some skiers and a runner behind us. We were still doing our run/walk between posts, but this was not fun. Somewhere near the turn, Kristin stopped joining in the intervals so I decided to just keep going because I wanted to be done.

We had a brief conversation after turning that what we thought would be a nice downhill finish did not feel downhill at all. The snow seemed even worse than the way out and it was so hard to find a section that felt runnable. Since it WAS supposedly downhill, I forced myself to modify my intervals so I was running two and walking one. It was still hard. 

Finally, I could see the finish area, and it looked like a surprisingly large crowd was down there. I was hoping to finish in under 3 hours, which I did (barely).

Fun finish line with tape and everything!

Kristin finished just a few minutes behind me - we were done!! I know that in the grand scheme of things, this doesn't "seem" that hard, but it was something I have never done, and there was an awful lot of prep going into "JUST" a half marathon.

The local brewery had a guy with a trunk full of beer - that made for a pretty fantastic finish line!

Garmin Time - 2:57:57

Garmin Pace - 14:52

Elevation Gain - 1,358' (which I think is wrong)

Mile 1 - 15:29

Mile 2 - 15:42

Mile 3 - 15:52

Mile 4 - 14:55

Mile 5 - 14:50

Mile 6 - 13:37

Mile 7 - 15:47

Mile 8 - 15:37

Mile 9 - 15:47

Mile 10 - 14:02

Mile 11 - 13:47

Mile 12 - 13:00

Once we finished the beers we were ready to head out. However warm we got while running quickly ended.

Thoughts:

• Probably the most "no frills" race ever. No race shirt or medal, although we did get a reusable bag and a bottle of hot sauce.
• Pretty expensive for what it was - around $100 for the half marathon. Of note, every runner had to carry $50 cash on them in case they had to be evacuated off the course for any reason. With that said, we really didn't see the snowmobile patrol, so not sure how that would have worked.
• Not a ton of information on the course, the gpx for the course didn't work and there were no actual directions to the start of the race. We scoped it out the night before and were able to find it though the gpx for the marathon.
• We REALLY lucked out with the weather. Normally it is much colder and awful conditions. 
• Would I run again? No, I would not travel for this. Would I run again if I was local? Maybe...