MARATHON 10/7/2010

I placed 745 out of 2900 runners; 56 out of 330 in my division (F 25 - 28) and 201 out of 1350 for all women. WOW.

My chip time: 3:57:13. I loooooove it. I am so happy with my time - and overall place. My goal was a 4 hour marathon, a 9:09 pace. Well, I beat that and average a 9:00 min mile throughout.

My race splits: 5K: 27:34, 10K: 55:11; 13.1: 1:56. Phew... I felt so strong and confident 99% of the time. The damn 8th ave bridge, or whatever bridge that was at mile 23/24 was awful. I wanted to just stop. It wasn't the Wall. It was just torture (maybe, then.the Wall?). To be honest, my legs and arms were kicking the whole time, I didn't hit the Wall. When those last few hundred yards were called out, some sort of adrenaline shot zoomed through my whole entire body. The feeling was out of body. I heard someone yell, "nice kick!" And it was! I was like Speedy Gonzalez on crack. It was awesome. Thanks, Mr. Mills, for all those sprint intervals in high school track practice. It worked. Those kicks are my *secret* weapon these days!

The weather was gorgeous; 41 @ the start but in the 70s at the finish. The course was wonderful. Through city park, cheeseman and wash park. My parents and family friends were in to watch; Jerry even ran the last few miles with me and was a very accurate pace runner. Thanks Jer!

I am exhausted and my legs are SO incredibly tired. Walking was so difficult all day afterward. As I am sitting in bed now, my legs are just screaming out, "give me some love, some TLC and some ice." Well, I will take a few days off... then they are back to work. Maybe I'll give 'em the week off.

Can I tell you why I love to run? I ate the most flavorful, satisfying burger, fries and a drank a sharp-tasting pale ale this afternoon. Then I had Fro-Yo. Of course.

Next up: to qualify for Boston, I need a 3:40. Well, that is 17 minutes. If I do some speed work and continue my mileage, why not? My adrenaline is talking right now so I'll sit on that thought. Rock N Roll Phoenix? hmmm

let's see what the legs say tomorrow...

weekend adventures

it is only fair to say that Denver is the best city I've lived in. Thus far. There might be a city sometime in the future that aligns just as well with my lifestyle, but for this moment, Denver hits any criteria I would consider important.

Ashley is in town this weekend - still here, as I sit at school administering final exams - and we hit this city up for everything it's worth.

Friday was First Friday, where art galleries open their doors and their hearts to the public for free, usually with some bubbly at a small table in the back. Ashley and I checked out some great artists. One of them really caught my eye. John Fielder is a photographer here in Colorado. His prints make me feel like I am standing in the midst of the snow, on top of the mountain or right next to the aspens. I can feel the fresh mountain air. Now if I only had an extra $4,000 to buy and mount a gorgeous photo in my rental house.

We also discovered Tribe Tattoo. More on that topic later...

We went to the People's Fair in downtown Denver where artists from all over Colorado and a few out-of-towners set up shop and sell their goodies. Ashley was amazed at the number of people in tattoos and the quantity of pet dogs accompanying their owners. If you want to live in Denver, you've got to ride a bike or own a dog. Or both. I've got the single speed/fixie for now. If you need a dog-sitter, I'll gladly offer my services.

We went to Lola where my lovely friend Charles is the sous chef and man, he can COOK. I love Lola for so many reasons: the downtown view of Denver, the bar is gorgeous, the open kitchen and the tequila. Oh, the tequila is marvelous. Such a good pairing with my flavorful ceviche and seared tuna. Head to the Highlands if you are in Denver and want to experience the BEST restaurant in this town!

We hiked the Flat Irons on Sunday. Check out the webcam! In true Colorado summer fashion, there were drops of sparkling rain along there was only 1 lonely grey cloud amongst the crystal blue sky. The Flatirons were stunning and the hike was a breath of fresh air.

To finalize the weekend, we started summer with Jazz in the Park. In City Park there is free jazz each Sunday from 6-8pm. If you are a Denver resident and haven't gone, get over there on Sundays! We made red and white sangria and had people over from Fellowship and other friends. I made some great new friends this weekend. Gotta love Denver and its amazing people. I am so blessed to be around great people. We had quite a good time; the sangria bowls were pretty much licked clean.

Summer - how I love thee :)

Dinner Parties

My not-so-secret Superwoman ability: throwing fantastic parties and playing hostess

I used to think that most climbers were assholes. Last night I was proven wrong. We had quite the climbing dinner party last night and I had a blast. Before the party began and I was prepping in the kitchen (more on the menu later) I realized I would not know the majority of people at the party. There is some sort of ethereal power that comes from hosting a party that inspires me to chat with as many new people as possible, making them feel comfortable and welcome in my house. Image a tree of happiness, shaking its leaves all over the party. I love that the good vibes of old and new friends, mingling and making new friends, permeates and energizes a room. That's a good get-together.

Is there anything better than the mixture of good friends, great food, drinks flowing and rockin' music?

Lauren is the baker and I played chef. Our dishes were flying off the platters. My new friend Ken cooked up some venison stew. YUM! As a Michigan girl, you would think I would have tasted such a thing before but I had not. Ken, the venison brought me back to my roots. I made some mini-burgers: turkey burgers with feta, serrano and cayenne pepper and chicken burgers (I know, right?) with mushrooms, serrano and feta. Those didn't make it from the platter I was carrying to the table. They were awesome. I think they were so good because so much love went into those little buggers. Plus the awesome apron I was wearing (thanks Tot). And Lauren, she amazes me. She made these chocolate cupcakes with a mocha frosting and a berry tart. All we had left in the kitchen this morning were a bunch of empty beer bottles. You know its a Colorado party when every single beer is a microbrew from Boulder, Ft Collins or Breckenridge. Wow. We should throw dinner soirees more often.

Sure, the food was a great component of the dinner party. And someone even commented that this was the best food he had had at a dinner party. Hell yes! But the people. The new friends I have made and continue to meet in Denver just amaze me. So many share the zest for life and exploration, being silly and laughing. Good times!

As we sat outside taking in the fresh Colorado air, I realized that I absolutely love Denver, Colorado. It is the perfect city for me. Why am I so lucky?

Snow

As I sit at Hooked on Colfax, gorgeous March snow is falling down in big, puffy flakes. I can't get enough of this white, airy stuff. "This is why I live here," is a slogan seen across Denver and throughout Colorado. It's a quote that is repeated so frequently I think there is a bumper sticker. There has to be. If not, I am on that. And it would be the one and only bumper sticker I would ever put on my car. I'm not a fan of the overly decorated car with multiple bumper stickers, many of which highlight the driver as some extreme idealist or extreme Republican. If my car were magnetic, I'd throw some magnets on there because my mood and thoughts change too much to have permanent ink on my car.

So much has been happening in my life that I haven't had a chance to brain dump my travels, experiences, wild stories and fears in a while. Warning: there is not a focus to my writing, it's a "lluvia de ideas," in English - a downpour of ideas.

Snow. I love it and live for it. I've been up to Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek so much this season; Vail is now my home mountain. The snow at Vail is to die for. I could die happy after riding through China Bowl all day. Next topic: China Bowl.God has created a beautiful country and such a pristine maze of trees up there. I feel like I am experiencing something so unique to me, only shared with the man upstairs, and that feeling is empowering and spiritually charging. The last time I was up at China Bowl, I made my own line down through the trees for about 5-10 minutes because there was so much fresh powder and uncharted area. My snowboard was gliding like I was riding through buttery sugar. Then, I stopped. There was too much powder. Luckily I stopped - I was on the edge of a cliff that dropped straight down and at the bottom was green run. That run was really far down; if I had to estimate the distance, it was 20 feet or so. Too far to jump for this kid! I had to trek out and eventually take off my board to walk out for a while. That was exhausting and tiring. Eventually I made it down to a green run, was exhausted and sat on that chair to recharge. The man next to me heard me telling my cliff story and was cracking up. He is someone to look up to - living in Vail for 40 years and skis over 100 days a year. WHAT!? I have been up to ride enough to lose count; I long for the year I can live and ski, live and ski. He made that ride warm up with a shot of whiskey! Oh, to be wealthy enough to ski for a living. How can I get paid to do that?

Vail. In a nutshell - powder, bowls and so much terrain you can't do it all in 40 years (as told to me by a man who has been living there for 40 years).



I feel renewed every time I leave the mountains and head back to Denver on the 70. Denver is such a great city that coming back down is okay; I know I can head back up to Breck, Keystone or Vail for a weekend or a day's skiing. The vacation never ends when the snow is so close. What am I going to do when there is no more snow!? Yikes!

Well - one thing I will be doing - running 5Ks and 10Ks in and around Denver. I ran the Running of the Green today in Denver. The weather was awful; below 30 degrees, cloudy and overcast because it was about to snow. Yesterday was in the 60s and sunny. Spring is here! Plus, the resurgence of Denver Cruisers and the Wednesday Cruisers rides will be awesome!

Oh - and I am heading back to South America! Por fin!
June 22nd - depart for Peru, Machu Picchu and then off to Buenos Aires, Agentina and Bariloche, Argentina. We'll end the trip in Santiago, Chile. 35 days of la pura vida.

West of the Mississippi

I discovered an amazing trail this weekend that will surely be a great spot to clear and calm my head throughout the coming months of a stressful new job. When we arrived at the trail head there were sure signs of a Denver summer thunderstorm. The clouds darkened and quickly covered any sunlight. Raindrops were light but were growing in size and force. Of course I don't have rain gear yet. Phoenix stores don't have ponchos and water-resistant clothing. I asked Meg if she still wanted to head up the trail and she assured me we would continue on! Good! Our cotton would definitely keep us dry and warm in the event of rain (or hail) for 30 minutes.
Then there is also elevation to consider. Meg hails from the Windy City where water and land meet near sea level. Denver is a mile high but we had driven even higher to get to the trail head. Huffing and puffing a few minutes later, I asked her if she was good. In Meg's famous quote of the week, "it feels like breathing through a straw." I devised a thunderstorm plan - hang out under the tree cover until the storm passes. We never had to test out the safety of hiding under trees. We got to the glacier before the storm! The wind was strong but not enough to deter us off course. The trees and glacier lake were gorgeous even in the gray coloring from the storm clouds overhead. Colorado is beautiful. The hour drive outside of Denver allowed us to experience Colorado the way the settlers, trappers, and miners first saw the Rockies.
We hiked through the brush and along the glacial lake to reach the foot of the ice. People were actually skiing and boarding from the top of the ice field - in July. One man had his dog running along side him as he skied down. So cool! Maybe I will snowboard down with a dog, err hot dog is all I've got. St. Mary's Glacier is a far cry away from the urban hiking in Phoenix. I think I may like living in Denver.
And by the time we left - we were watching the storm roll across the rest of the Rockies as the lake glistened under the sunny skies.

Kappa and a Loose Bolt

I met an awesome Kappa alum tonight for a drink and decided to take the new bike for a spin. It was about a 30 minute ride in traffic to the pub but so worth it! Riding in traffic is a new natural high for me. I am not that fast on my bike or all that talented. Denver has quite a few badass bikers. They are really fast. Anyway, I got this single speed track bike that I can convert to a fixed gear pretty easily. Sweet. Just that I really like having brakes on my bike. The fixed gear would result in fixed fear!
So I was riding home from having a beer at a pub in Wash Park and took the scenic ride home, still on a busy traffic street at 9 PM. It was uphill for a while and a single speed means you don't switch gears because there is only one gear. The hill was not that much of an incline but I had to take a break. When I started to ride again I noticed I was barely moving. Weird, I am not that tired. Then I realized - my back tire was not rotating. At all. The back bolt was loose. Luckily I have this amazing roommate who has a 15 mm tool (that I need to go buy) and she and her boyfriend biked over to save the day! Hooray! I biked home.
you know you are a kappa when....there is a loose bolt around.