No time like the present (and a long holiday weekend) to really get serious about this little jog up and down a mountain, right? 

Carrie and I formed an ambitious plan to double up longer efforts this weekend with a Rampart Reservoir loop on Sunday and a high-altitude marmot scramble on Monday. She rounded out the weekend with a long bike ride on Saturday, and I ran the Palmer Lake 4th of July fun run on Monday, pushing my son in his stroller.

Needless to say, today we are tired.

However, I'm happy to say that I escaped the mega-training weekend mostly unscathed; in fact, some nagging ankle issues are actually nagging LESS now than before.

Rampart was slow and steady - we enjoyed the scenery and stopped for a while to soak our feet in the icy creek before heading back to the car.

On Monday, I felt good above treeline, despite not having gone beyond Barr Camp in the past two years. We chose Elk Park to the summit for the route, and it was good to revisit one of my favorite trails on the Peak. 

Next up is the Summer Roundup, which should be pretty straightforward. I miss the old course that more closely resembled the Mad Moose High Drive Challenge, but I vow to have as much fun as I can on the three-loop course. But because I'm trying to balance my training with my husband's mountain biking, I'll probably tack on some bonus miles Sunday rather than trying to negotiate for a Saturday run, as well.

Creative scheduling is imperative when working with a small child in the mix. To make my weekend work, I took advantage of Monday, when not much would be going on with my job and day care was open, to drop the baby off and take off up the hill. I hope to get up above treeline two or maybe three more times before the big dance, taking more days off if I have to.

And that ... will have to be enough. Because, well, because summer is happening, and it's a busy one! Get out there and explore some new trails!

And don't forget to make time for beers with friends!