I knew it was going to be hot Sunday morning especially since I allowed myself to sleep in and knowing I was going to tack on the lollipop loop at Spruce Mountain for a planned outing of six miles. So I thought, this would be a good time to bring out the singlet for comfort, style and to promote the great Triple Crown of Running. Well, I had no idea the experience that…

As I prepare for my favorite race of the Triple Crown, the Summer Trail Roundup, I am continuing to try to get up into the mountains as much as I can. Traditionally, the majority of my training is on Barr Trail and at Bear Creek Park but this summer I'm trying to get as many peaks in as I can. I have gotten several training runs in with the Striders at Bear Creek Park but I'm not confident of my leg-turnover speed so I'm a little…

I spent some more quality time on Barr Trail yesterday.  Since I had already done intervals on the Ws earlier in the week, the sensical thing to do was to climb the Incline before cutting over to Barr Trail.  From there - whilst my quads threw a tantrum - I continued onwards and upwards to Barr Camp.  Oh, Barr Camp, the beautiful beacon on a hill that allows you pee somewhere that is not in the middle of the woods.  The Barr Trail section took exactly an hour, which…

That was f'ing hard. Signed up for the Castle Rock 1/2 earlier this week because it seems to be everyone and their mother is racing something this weekend, so I wanted to as well. ( Chris A. - you caught me ). HUGE thank you to Sandy L. for driving out to cheer me at the finish and stay around for awards. AND I got to have lunch with…

My last chemotherapy treatment was June 16. This was my first official week of being finished with treatments. I woke up Monday morning and decided to try a simple fartlek style speed workout. I have maintained a base level of running over the past few months but I certainly do not feel fit or in racing shape. 

I wanted to race yesterday. Coach Adam even had the race on my schedule for racing with the big girls. But on my ride on Wednesday, I realized I wasn't ready to race - not at that level. Mentally, I wanted to be lining up and trying my hardest to at least finish on the same lap as the winners. I would have sunk myself deep into the pain cave to do that... And that was the problem. I wanted to race, but the legs still weren't there after 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest. Trying to race would…

When I applied to be part of the PikesPeakSports.us Triple Crown team, Tim Bergsten mentioned there would be instant celebrity wearing the infamous purple and gold singlets of the team.  

Little did I know how this would be true for me.

After finishing the first race of the Triple Crown, the GOG 10 miler, my friend Kristina Tabares informed me…

Only part of this is about training for the Triple Crown of Running Series but it does include Brianne Pierson, a fellow member of the PikespeakSports.us Triple Crown Runners team.

My awesome kids gave me KISS concert tickets for an early birthday gift.  Since the concert was on a Wednesday night I took Thursday off work.  I am heading up to Denver and I hear a couple of friends are going for a run Thursday.  So I ask what time and the answer is 9:00.  I think to myself, heck I can be…

I read the book, "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown this past weekend.  It is more of a business book, but really got me thinking about life in general.  He talks about how we often get caught up in doing so many things, we aren't really effective at any of them.  

He also talked about the importance of play.  

Yes, you read that right.  Play.  All work and no play is actually not good for us.

I was thinking of this…

Beautiful and hurty. If I was given a limited number of words to describe the incredible San Juan Solstice 50 Mile race, those would be the words I’d use. But those words simply don’t describe how extraordinary Lake City and the race were all-around.

First off, Lake City is such a cute and cool town. I can’t emphasize how friendly and welcoming everyone was, especially the volunteers. These incredible people donated all their time, not having paid positions – as all proceeds…

It's just 15 minutes of your life.  Yet, the feeling that you're having a heart attack, about to barf, and pass out all at the same time makes it seem more like a calf-exploding eternity.  The relief that pulses through every muscle when Barr Trail Intervals are over is second to none.

Because I like to include you all in the pain and sweat of training, here's a breakdown - by interval - of the blog-appropriate things that came to mind while running.

1. Let's do this…

I'm not getting any younger. I was running before yoga in the park on Saturday and realized that I hadn't taken a day off for 7 days which is a lot of consecutive training days in my typical regimen. No wonder my legs felt tired. It's easy to do when you have the glamorous career of teaching and don't have to work in the summer. Besides forgetting what day of the week it is (premature alzheimers?), I have been indulging in the best that Colorado has to offer. If my body holds up to enjoy…

One thing the June 8, 10-mile run in the Garden of the Gods proved to me is that I have a lot of work to do before the Ascent. The Ascent is 3.2 miles farther. And there are a few more hills involved. Looming like those hills is the second leg of the Triple Crown, the 12K (7.8 miles) Summer Roundup at Bear Creek Park. While preparing for the Roundup two years ago I devised a route that proved to be a pretty good training run for this particular event. I only did it once but it helped.…

Since I went it alone to the summit yesterday, I made a video to share my relief and excitement about my first journey to the peak.  I had never eve hiked a 14er before, yesterday I ran one.  So, next time I question whether the Ascent may actually kill me, feel free to comment as a reminder that I've made it to 14,115' before and lived to tell the tale.

So here's how the great Saturday adventure went down:

I started with two of the coolest…

What is a traincation? In Bubba’s dictionary it is a mini vacation from training.  I haven’t blogged since the Garden of the Gods 10 mile but then again I haven’t done much.

I did do a little running.  I did the Sailin’ Shoes 5k and set a new PR. I am extremely happy with my time and will probably have that PR for some time.  The next day I did the Spring Spree 5k but the time was not nearly as impressive.  I did realize two 5k races in back to back days are not good for me.  I was…

Injuries.

They happen to even the best of runners. However, how do you respond when injuries come your way?

Do you...

1.) Ignore the pain and continue to run through?

Or

2.) Listen to your body and allow yourself to heal?

Chronic Injuries

I…

Many years ago, I read The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield and although I couldn’t now tell you many of the book’s details, I did take away one part that suggests that sometimes people that seem randomly placed in your life actually have a much larger purpose from which you should learn. I’ve seen that truth played out many times in my life,…

June 16, 2014. That is the day I finished my chemotherapy treatments. I remember the first time I saw my paperwork with the official finish date for my treatment. Knowing there was a concrete end in sight brought me such joy and hope. Since September, my life has seemed to revolve around tests, surgeries, blood draws and chemotherapy appointments. The road seemed endless when I started. As of Monday, I reached the proverbial finish line. Yes, there will still be blood tests, CT scans,…

There are many types of runners.

Recreational runners.  The lion's share of people who run probably fall into this category.  They run a couple times a week, maybe at the Jack's Quinn run or a familiar neighborhood loop.  Maybe they're training for a 10k in a couple of months.  For them, running is fun, but hey, who has time to run all the time when you've got a job and a family and a 45-minute…