Summer is over...

In the so called "adult world" labor day seems to be the end of summer. Now with the end of September approaching, summer is a thing of a past. However, there are some races that I'm looking into registering. As of now, I registered for a race through a pumpkin patch! I picked the 5k since I'm not in the best of shape and I'm slowly getting back into racing again.

I did not keep up with racing after the Bolder Boulder. As I'm usually posting, I'm hitting a mental block in training. I don't if running is doing it for me anymore or if I really need to mix it up. I started looking into yoga to cross train. I feel like yoga can help with the stress I deal with from work and other aspects of life. I like going to Lululemon for their Saturday classes but I would like to try it more then once a week.

Either way, I'm going to keep going to spin on Mondays and Wednesdays as cross training and lifting afterwards.

New Orleans

Anyone who knows me knows I love to travel. I'm blessed with friends who live in desirable vacation spots where I have a place to crash. For instance, I visited my friend Jennifer twice in Miami and was able to go to the beach (last time we went three days in a row!). My other friends Arielle and Alyssa, live in New York City and I was able to stay with Arielle in her sweet apartment this summer (I already plan on going back). 

But one of my favorite places I've visited was New Orleans. I went once to visit Alyssa while she was at Tulane and once again on my way home from Miami when I drove back with Jennifer. I've only seen it Post-Katrina and could still some of the damage. To hear Hurricane Isaac was hitting the Gulf made me sad to think a city I love could potentially be destroyed again. 

After watching the news and checking the weather channel app on my phone to see a tropical storm warning, gave me some relief. People I know are safe but their power is out. Another Facebook friend from high school volleyball said Tulane classes were canceled till Tuesday. 

But here are some pictures from my visits. 

An update on life...

So I posted about my marathon training in June, however it did not go as planned. Work got crazy and the Waldo Canyon Fire kept me from running outside. Then I went to Vegas on top of everything. So a long excuse short, I committed to marathon training when I did not have the time. However, I still want to do a marathon, but I need to make sure I have the time to do it.

I'm running summer camp and that drains me. By the end of the day, I'm so tired and have no energy to do anything until I have an afternoon nap. Some days I skip my nap to work out or see my friends but I'm in bed by 8:30/9:30.

But school is almost starting! I'm excited to go back downstairs and be with my kids. They don't talk back and are awesome!

This week I leave to New York! So excited to pretend I'm Carrie Bradshaw for a days.

Father's Day

So this post is going to be dedicated to my Dad since he recommends my posts on Google+ and is one of my biggest supporters. Happy Father's Day Dad!

This picture was taken in middle school.

8th grade graduation

At the office working hard

On a hike

Trying to understand my guitar hero obsession 

Teaching my sister and I about hockey 

Always willing to pose for a picture

Christmas 

A random hike I made him go on

Celebrating 

Most recent family picture

Our second Bolder Boulder, both our first street race

Taking care of my busted knee

Treating him to the Maid of the Mist

Probably my favorite picture of us

Fueled my coffee obsession 

High school graduation

College graduation

Helps me cook while watching football

Always cheering me on from the side! 

Thanks for being the best dad ever! I love you!

Sometimes I'm overzealous...

On twitter I follow Bart Yasso, the CRO (chief running officer of runner's world) and when I told my dad this, he lent me his book. My Life on the Run is Bart telling stories about races he ran. It's amazing and a good read. Bart has ran a marathon on every continent (including Antarctica). Reading all his stories inspired me to be a better runner.

At the end of the book, Bart posted different training schedules for 5ks up to a marathon. Since I felt inspired, I'm going all out, 26.2 miles of fun. The schedule perfectly fits for me to race the Rock n Roll Denver Marathon. I'm excited for this challenge and ready to embrace it!

The biggest challenge for me is finding time to fit in my runs. It's hard when you work full time and I'm outside all day since I'm running summer camp. It's been a rough start but getting a little better day by day. The kids are crazy but give me great stories to tell.

For instance, today we were walking through Garden of the Gods and they wanted to find benches to sit on. It motivated them to move faster through the park lol. They did think it was pretty cool that I raced through there a few times (twice).

Welp! Here is to my summer of training!

Running to the Shrine aka Running up a huge hill

I love the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. You can feed giraffes, pet animals, and watch the hippos! So when I heard there was a race I was down. Most of it is uphill but that's NBD to me, Colorado is full of hills, but boy was this a tougher one then I thought...

The start of the race was sunny and warm. I thought about ditching my running hoodie but thought I keep it on just incase. My dad waited at the start with me and I was ready to go once I got all my race gear together. Best part, a tortoise was the race marshall!

Once the race started I was off! My dad gave me good advice about not starting out too fast. I took it slow since I knew I had a long hill ahead of me. I was passing people since most people were walking as families. However, a few people were using me to pace themselves. They would speed past me and then walk. Once I caught up to them they would start running again. I was getting frustrated but I kept going. Getting to the top at mile 2 was intense! I took a few seconds to take in the view and then ran downhill. I started passing people again and kept a steady pace. I passed a few of the people who paced with me. I almost caught the last girl but the finish came quicker then I expected.  If I only had 100 more meters!

Once I was finished, the rain started! I had to walk half way down the hill in the pouring rain! I went to the after party and grabbed chips and quesso, fruit, and a bagel. I was soaked by the time I found my dad.

Overall a fun race! I would do it again and maybe try the 10k.

Me before the race! (this is probably one of my favorite race outfits :))

The one time I ran the Bolder Boulder...

Since the whole point of going to Boulder was to run, I thought it deserved it's own post.

Our start time was at 7:21 am so I was up around 6:30 to get ready. Luckily, I used advice from elite runners (and my dad) to set up everything the night before. I had my gel, breakfast, and clothes ready for when I woke up.

I thought it was suppose to be cold so I wore my Nike Capris and a long sleeve shirt. Thankfully I thought to put a tank top on underneath since it saved me later.

Our hotel was right near the start so we were able to walk over and not have to deal with port-a-potties. Each wave starts within two minutes of each other so it was moving pretty fast. My dad was my pacer so we could attempt to make 55 minutes.

Moving on to the front.

We started and we were off. Our first mile was good and I felt like I could keep up the pace. The second mile was a little slower but I felt okay until after mile 3. Last year I hit a road block at the same mile. My fourth mile was the slowest. But I picked it to do a little bit but still not enough to cut 55 minutes. I did feel better then last year and I'm ready to beat 55 minutes next year for my fifth Bolder Boulder! 

After the race my dad and I picked up our lunch bags (my one lunch bag I "buy" a year) and beer. We ate our food and headed to the expo. I was in a rush since I knew that Kara Goucher was going to be at the Nissan Innovation for Endurance booth. She is a former CU Buff and going to London to run the marathon. by the time I got in line I was near the end but still had hope to meet her. When I got near the front, she was going to let Shalane Flanagan sign autographs. Luckily Kara was going to the front people to sign autographs. I decided to be brave and ask her to sign my bib which she nicely did. Then I even asked for a picture which she nicely posed for! My dad was ready to get us out of line but I made him let me say hi to Shalane. She also signed my bib and posed for a picture! 

I didn't think it could better then that, but Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano, authors of Run the Edge and former CU Buffs were at a booth promoting their book. I grabbed my dad and stood in line to meet them. They talked to me for a few minutes and signed my bib! I asked for picture which they gladly pose for and told me to post on their facebook page (which I did!).

Shalane chilling before signing autographs.

Chilling with Kara! I was even able to wish her luck in London!

Me talking to Shalane.

Just posing with the Olympic trail champion :)

Waiting to see Adam and Tim.

Telling them about the race.

Go Buffs! 

Overall a great Bolder Boulder! I'm excited for next year and I cannot wait for all the races I have left this summer!