umm... wow... okay!

25:36! I don't know what I was expecting to run but I went into this thinking I would just get a nice short & flat run in. I haven't run much recently due to sore knees and tight hip flexors but I'd already signed up for the Angels in Action 5k Fun Run so I figured I'd go, take it easy and enjoy the summer morning.

As with most events in The Valley every other person seemed to have their dog so I brought Lucy. Many of the dogs participated (one of which stopped for a long poo session about 1 mile in :) ) but Lucy's too young to be running a 5k (though she probably ran more than that while playing with all the other dogs pre- and post-run). Lucy hung out with a friend of mine who was helping with the event while I ran. As the gun went off I was literally talking to my friend and had to jump into the start and just go... and go... and go...

About a mile in I realized that I hadn't run a timed 5k since high school cross country and that I wasn't sure at all how to pace myself. So I decided to just go at a slightly quicker pace than was probably what I'd have chosen and adjust as I went. My legs felt good, my lungs were hanging in there and though my hip flexors were tight my stride wasn't doing too terribly. With about half a mile to go I got to the point I needed to slow down because I was starting to feel funny in the head and my stomach wasn't helping me out (I didn't have breakfast). I held on until I had only a 1/4 mile left and I had no choice (fainting wasn't an option) so I walked for about 15 seconds. Meanwhile, this being an out and back course I knew I was in 3rd place among women so I wanted to hold on. About 4 chicks passed me while I walked but they weren't kicking and I knew I was going to kick the rest of the way. So I got back on the horse and kicked the last 1/4 mile. It was the worst I'd ever felt finishing a race, I thought I was going to hurl/pass out but it was all worth it realizing I passed all those other chicks and somehow managed to finish 3rd among chicks (Jordan, if you're reading this, now I know how you felt after all those XC races).

So I was pretty pumped about my time/place (certainly not a life-time best, but it was much better than I thought I'd be doing right now, especially at 8,000 feet!). It makes me stoked to think about how well I can run when I get my hip flexor back to normal and get rid of my pesky muscle imbalance left over from my ITB injury a few years ago!

Distance: 5km

Course: Out-and-back, paved, mostly flat with a few rolling hills

Time: 25m36s

Pace: 8m15s per mile

Temp: 75degF and sunny

Misc: Wish I'd have had more water before the run

the big 2 8

Me and Lucy @ Piney Lake mid-birthday hike

"What reasons has he to envy a young person? For the possibilities that a young person has, the future which is in store for him? "No, thank you," he will think. "Instead of possibilities, I have realities in my past..." -Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

I love that quote. Okay, so maybe 28 is still young but I don't think most people turning 28 are as happy about it as I was. First, I feel like I've lived more in my 28 years of life than a room full of most 80 year olds combined- I'm lucky and I know it. Second, I'm all too aware that not everyone is lucky enough to make it to 28. So, yeah, I'm happy to be 28! I know it'll be another great year of awesome experiences surrounded by friends and family (what's not to be pumped about?!).

P.S. It is astounding how many people I know with birthdays +/- a week of mine! There are a crazy number of people, especially out here in Vail, with nearby birthdays.

climbing rocks

We forgot the camera in the car so pretend their is a pict of me here climbing...

upside-down... with one hand... we're pretending, right? :)

YAY for rock climbing! I've probably gone climbing a total of 3 or 4 times in my life but I really like it nonetheless. It's one of those sports where I found it difficult to get into because I didn't have friends that were super into it so if I wanted to go I'd have to pay a guide every time (it'd be like trying to get into skiing if their was only backcountry and you needed to go with knowledgeable people with the appropriate gear). But lucky enough I now know people who love to climb and are awesome enough to bring me along and put up with my lack of skill :)

Yesterday 3 of us and 2 dogs (I love that dogs are an integral part of the family/community out here and can pretty much do everything except for go into restaurants/bars) went climbing just outside of Carbondale. Pre-climb we took a quick dip into natural hot springs across the road (the water was HOT but flowed directly into a cold river so not really any place to sit and relax hence the quickness factor). In flip flops we made the steep approach to the wall (not the best of ideas but we were fine) with Bode (a big husky/wolf-dog) and Lucy (about the size of Bode's head) blazing the trail. Each of us did one climb before the clouds started rolling in so we headed out. It was a quick trip but of course it was fun nonetheless and we capped it off with some Chinese food (fitting since I hadn't had Chinese food in EXACTLY one year... the day I left China... it was meant to be!).

Oh yeah! About the climb! I'm clearly no expert but I managed to make it to the top taking only one break and my arms/back didn't get too tired/lactic so I must have been doing something right. I love learning new stuff, especially new outdoor sports, so I'm pumped!

running up a mountain is fun

I ran/hiked it, ignore the picture of the bike :)

I live right by the trail head to Paulie's Plunge which takes you up near the top of Beaver Creek. The trail opened up recently (they close the trails that lead up to Vail and Beaver Creek from the end of ski season until July for Elk Calving season) and I hadn't been up it yet so decided it'd be a good idea to run/hike it!

The trail is beautiful! It's all single-track (i.e. if two people want to pass someone has to stop and move aside) and has a nice combo of pitches. You're going up a mountain so, yeah, it's all uphill but the steepness varies and their are some flatter spots where you can actually get a really good rhythm going. The trail crosses Stone Creek (really pretty), goes through a few pockets of Aspens, through a bunch of wild flowers and rewards you with a great view of The Beav once you get to the top.

I somehow managed to run the majority of the way (maybe because I took a rest day the day before?) but definitely hiked parts of it, especially as I was getting near the top. My lower half was toast when I reached the top so I walked most of the way back down to avoid needlessly screwing up my knees (gotta save them when you can!). I'll definitely try to work in more runs on this trail but I'll need to space them out a bit to let my legs recover.

lucy!

tired Lucy

She's finally here! Lucy is a 3.5 month Labrador/Boston Terrier mix. She just moved here after living with my sister and her brother, Cooper, in Little Rock, AR. It's tough to tell how big she is from this photo but she's little! After only one full day here she's already been to her first happy hour (did great, she's definitely a people-dog), slept a full night (though she did wake up a bit early), met and played with a few doggie friends (great around other dogs too), went to lunch at a restaurant (on the porch and sat very patiently) and today I took her for her first mini-hike.

I just found out (thank you!) that puppies shouldn't really be doing strenuous exercises like running or big hikes. So we basically just did our walk but on Vail. She's very curious about everything, was frolicking through the tall grass and the flowers, looked at a little stream (she's not quite adventurous enough... yet... to get in the water), and was just generally happy yet very obedient for her age.

It's only been a day but I'm really glad to have a dog again. Can't wait until she can come for runs and more demanding hikes with me!

a little rap about... awesome

Spose- "I'm Awesome"

rated-PG and funny!

28 miles...

Eagle-Vail to Wolcott... I need to get a road bike...

Don't worry, I was on a bike! Before breakfast I met a friend with intention of biking to Edwards (about half way to where we actually turned around). She does a lot of road biking and is appropriately equipped (with a road bike!). Me... not so much. Mountain biking is actually pretty different than road biking. And if you're going on a long road bike ride it's not usually recommended to use a mountain bike (takes a lot more work).

We ended up biking all the way out to Wolcott (slightly downhill with a few flat areas) before turning around. I got home and my legs were so exhausted I couldn't even dance-party in the car* (I know! It takes a lot to make my legs too tired to dance!).

*We were on our way to this super elite private club where you have to be a member to get in. Where we then proceeded to tell the doorman "we're here to join your club". He pointed us to membership and, apparently, just by looking at us, the woman decided we were cool enough to join. So now... I don't want to brag or anything... but yeah, I'm a Costco member.

Chair 10- the summer edition!

Cat-walks: yawn-inducing in the winter, lung-burning in the summer

Nothing like running up a trail in the summer that you practically fell asleep on coming down in the winter. Aside from the first 3/4 of a mile (steep-ish), the route to the bottom of Chair 10 is a slight uphill that never really seems to end. It's a great run with beautiful scenery and consistent terrain which I'll definitely do again. I definitely walked a bit but I actually ran a good chunk of the way. My lungs were the limiting factor of the day, which I actually feel pretty good about (maybe that means I'm getting stronger).

As I was thinking how I wish I could have run a bit better I thought back to the 10k and realized I've actually gotten a lot better (and it was only a month ago) so can't be too bummed about it.

a little fam reunion action

Me, my sister, my uncle, my cousin, my bro... I may or may not be doing the chicken dance...

My brother, sister and I flew to LA for the weekend to catch up with family that we hadn't seen in years... some 6 years, some 18ish years... It was a blast getting to hang out with everyone as 'adults' since most of us hadn't really spent time together unsupervised by our parents. We met new 2nd cousins (is that what you call your cousin's kids?) and enjoyed catching up with everyone else. In any case, we had a great time with everyone and hope to visit more frequently!

pict for today

storm rolls in, storm rolls out, storm leaves a rainbow