After my parents’ visit to watch me race cyclocross at Valmont, I knew I needed a weekend off racing to recharge and rest a little. The nerves are almost harder on my system than the actual race itself. So when I walked through my front door a couple Fridays ago, I dropped all my bags …
Continue reading "Hiking Lawn Lake Trail: Rocky Mountain National Park"
Another big weekend in the books. I’m not great at holding back once Friday night rolls around. I have all the time and almost none of the responsibilities on Saturday and Sunday, so I try and cram in all the activities, which leaves me feeling like I need another weekend to recover from the weekend …
Continue reading "Weekend Running + Riding: Allenspark + A Ride to Spruce Confections"
I got the dates wrong the first time I tried to run here. ^^^ This was the road to the trailhead; the entrance is behind me. Travois Trail is open to runners and hikers on ODD numbered weekend days and mountain bikers (and really ballsy drop bar cyclists) every other day. Even though I checked the date …
Continue reading "Trail Running: Travois Trail at Centennial Cone Park in Golden, CO"
I’m still playing catchup over here after some long work weekends and a weekend away in Santa Fe, but I wanted to get this one out because I just had a really fun time with my friend in the mountains. Here we go. A couple weeks ago, Courtney (my new-to-Colorado friend), and I planned a …
Continue reading "Hiking On A School Night: Lookout Mountain"
I probably pass five or six trailheads on my commute home from Denver to Boulder—visible ones from the road with parking lots and pay stations and everything. If we’re including trailheads I can’t see or have to drive a few miles out of the way for, there have to be hundreds. And I think one …
I didn’t race this past weekend. Not because I’m over it and not because I’ve lost the fire, but because I just needed a break. My race typically lasts just 40-48 minutes, which might not sound long, but if you’ve ever started and finished a cyclocross race, you know it can feel like a firey …
Continue reading "Off Weekend: Running, Hiking, Ordering Takeout"
DNS means "did not start." But really, it was more like: did not get out of car. I was pumped about this morning's race, but here's what happened... The directions to Siena Lake landed me in the middle of Broomfield with no course in sight. When Google maps said I had arrived at my destination, …
Every time someone asks me "how are ya," I say what everyone else says whether it's true or not, "Pretty good. How about you?" I could've stepped in dog doody on the way to work and I would've still said "good." Knee jerk, ya know? But I dug into it the other day. I feel …
I've recovered. My last story (one week ago; gulp) was a 500-word whine-fest about my first attempt at a century. I love pain and I especially love suffering a little, but that kind and that caliber pushed me to my absolute limit. Part of it made me feel like I shouldn't be out there doing …
Continue reading "Maybe The Answer Is To Keep Not Quitting Over and Over"
Rejection. Sucks. No matter where or who it comes from, no matter the circumstances—it totally sucks. God, I feel like I’ve had so much of it since I got to Colorado. And I keep wondering why. Because I’m not choosing the safe route for once in my life? Because I’m letting people into my heart? …
