Mt. Massive

Well I "bagged" Mt. Massive! We didn't take the standard route but instead hiked 4 miles starting at 10,500 feet in elevation. The first mile was nice...just a teaser... then the last 3 were basically straight up! We summitted at 14,421! Second highest 14er in Colorado. Number 38 for me! I was sore more than normal due to the steepness but better than a 13 mile round trip route. It took three hours to summit and 2 to get back to the car.

I hope to get in one more this season...

Running is going good. I am seriously just running for fun! When I feel good I push it so not necessarily a "speed" workout but good. I also started going back to my trainer so have been lifting heavy once a week and easy another day. I am learning to enjoy my treadmill. I have been getting up early before work and trying to get in as much as I can in 30-35 minutes. After that though I get bored I have tried movies but the most I can get in is 5 miles and then I am DONE...I am a little ADD so not sure... I would like to run more and read about others running tons of miles on their TM's....someday I will :)




Summit of Mt. Massive



OMG I have about 6 of these pictures now to get a free sandwich at WICH WICH...I better start going HA!



Mt. Massive

 Any suggestions for running longer than 5 miles on a treadmill?

Hiking history and a month of updates...

I am not the best blogger but I normally am pretty consistent with a post once a week and I feel pretty comfortable with that. However, this past month I have just been too busy I guess! It's already been one month! I did start a new job August 6th so I am pretty sure that is what did it.

Nothing new just lots of hiking and a fun trip to Folly Beach, NC for my step sister's wedding!

I am very proud of my husband and I as we have hiked the most 14er's this summer. We started back in 2007 and only hiked 2. 

2008 -none (we got married that summer and traveled a ton)

2009- 9 Shavano, Tabeguache, Antero, Princeton, Yale, La Plata, Blanca, Ellingwood and Huron

2010-8 Lincoln, Bross, Democrat and (Cameron this one doesn't count on some lists) Pikes Peak, Red Cloud, San Luis Peak,Sunshine, Mt. Holy Cross

2011 -7 Uncompahgre, Missouri,Bierstadt, Handies, Sherman, Wilson Peak and Wetterhorn

2012 -12!!Grays, Torreys, Belford, Oxford, Quandary, Sunlight, Windom, Eolus, Humbolt and Lindsey
Massive this weekend and Elbert the next...

We are going to try to do all of them our number being 55, even though there are more, but they "don't count."

Last weekend we flew to Charleston, NC for my step sister's wedding. It was so nice! They rented a house on the beach and had everything there.

Where can you attend a wedding and an hour before be swimming in the ocean!

Running has been decent. Not getting a ton of miles in but figuring out a nice schedule that coordinates with my new job. One perk is that right outside my door I can run Green Mountain. This is an awesome trail so I really have no excuses once fall hits to run. So far it's just been too hot to run at 4pm. I have not been running with my running club, but I just haven't been around so hopefully I will get back into that!

Life is good!!

On my way up to my first 14er in 2007. My husband took me on a double!!! Harvard and Colombia. Look at my running gear. I had nothing for hiking :)

Me and my sis in 2011 with hiking gear at the summit of Mt. Sherman.

David and I Folly Beach, NC

Crazy Colorado Adventure...

Last year at the end of hiking season David and I had a goal to summit Sunlight, Windom and Eolus combo for this upcoming season. These are three really tough (class 3 and 4) 14er's and they are far away.  There are a few ways to get to the trailhead. One is to get to Durango...6 hours from where I live, and pay $100 per person including your pack and get dropped off 6 miles from a campsite by train OR park 27 miles outside of Durango and hike in 14.5 miles to camp. Then from camp you hike a few miles to Twin Lakes and start to hike one of the three tough 14er's. Well, we decided we didn't want to pay and we heard from others that those first 8 miles are a gorgeous part of Colorado. 

We left Thursday and drove to Durango. We stayed in a great, yet cheap motel. Friday we headed to the trailhead. 

We were hiking by 8:15am on Friday. It was gorgeous!! Although with a pack it sucks a little. I wish I just had a camel-back. That is my only complaint :)

It rained a little but it actually was nice hiking in 14.5 miles with the cloud coverage. The last mile was tough. David was beat since his pack was heavier and by now it was pouring. We hooked up with a group of three guys also camping and they had room at their campsite. So we set up camp. Those last 5 miles were tough. If we took the train that is all we would have seen. I loved the 9 miles before along the Animas and we saw the train a few times and waved :)

Saturday we woke up to clouds. We left camp at 6:15 am and hiked all three! Sunlight, which at the top was cloudy and it was thundering. The rocks were buzzing.

Almost to Sunlight

A gorgeous rainbow came out afterwards!

 Then we waited it out and went over to Windom. Windom was OK I didn't like all those rocks. Headed back to Twin Lakes and up to Eolus. That was the hardest one for me but the most fun! Got back to camp about 6pm so a LONG day!

On the sidewalk in the sky heading toward Eolus.

I climbed up that!

At the summit of Eolus.

Sunday left camp at 8:30 am and got to car by 4pm. I was BEAT but it was awesome!
42 miles with everything in 3 days! I am sore but it was worth it!

Our campsite

Hike back to the car!

This was really tough for me. I am very happy that I completed it as well as I did. It is amazing what the body can do!

Mount Rushmore and Deadwood

Another fun weekend...only three weeks left of summer break :(

My husband has been having some knee issues so we decided to not hike a 14er this weekend and we decided to go to SOUTH DAKOTA!! Crazy huh? Well it's only six hours away and David had never seen Mount Rushmore. I had in 1997 and I remember that I had a great time. So we got a great rate on a hotel room and decided to stay in Deadwood. We went to Crazy horse and it's still not done...I had been there almost 15 years ago and it wasn't done then. Driving up I thought for sure it was and I was told David this is going to be soo cool....and it still wasn't finished HA. It still is a cool place to go and museum.

Onward to Mount Rushmore it was nice weather and we took lots of pics.

Then we checked into our hotel room in Deadwood and headed to downtown. What a cool town and we don't even gamble. The next day we  went to a very cool museum and cemetery in Deadwood. We are just fascinated by the old mining towns. It's amazing how they lived back then. Then we headed to another minng town, Leed.

We bar hopped in deadwood and gambled penny slots.....I won 3 bucks! Ha
We met these ladies from London and we went to the one dance club in town and danced the night away! So fun they had canned beer at the club soo funny!

Until next weekend...I wonder will we will go next?

Have you ever been to Crazy Horse?

If you have been to Deadwood where did you stay?

Token photo at Mt. Rushmore

Partying in Deadwood, SD and we WEREN'T the oldest one in there...close though

New friends from London

Updates and family visit

RUNNING:

Not too much actually. I am having a great summer though. I ran a 4k on the 4th of July in Boulder with my dad. It was really hot with a 9am start and I stayed with him for the first 1.5 miles and then he had to rest a little. It was a great time and the after party was awesome!. I even won a $25 gift certificate to the local running store by just acting crazy :)

Now that company is gone I plan to start upping my mileage.

HIKING:

Well we did it! My husband and I took my dad and step mom out to hike their first 14er! They went slow  and steady but they did it. I am so proud of them. It was cloudy out but no rain!

BIKING:

I am still enjoying biking. Went on a 31 mile ride with my folks on a hot day in July.

They had a great visit! Lots of activities and down time too playing bean bags, euchre and Farkle.

4k on the 4th

Views on the hike

The Summit!!!

Bean Bags

Bike Ride to Denver

Fun Updates

UPDATES
Running:
Well it's been 100 degrees almost everyday and I am not a good heat runner.
Also due to all the fires there is smoke in the air some mornings and that hurts my throat.
**Prayers for all of those that have lost their homes to the Colroado fires I feel so bad.**

The fires have really put in perspective all of my "problems" I am so grateful for all that I have and am able to do :)
I have been getting up early on Tuesday and Thursdays to run and gettin 'er done but miles are slow. On Thursdays I go up to Evergreen, CO and it is usually cooler so that helps.

I have a 4k coming up on the 4th of July but am running the entire race with my dad. He is visiting from minnesota and has been training. He ran a 5k in 26 minutes! I know the heat and altitude will effect him so hopefully I can keep up HA! I haven't done much speed training just nice miles and trail running.

I can tell I have matured as a few years back my family all ran a race together and I just took off. I really want to run this step by step with my dad. When will I ever be able to do that again?

I was planning on running a race in August and September but I just can't register...I don't want to miss out on hiking a 14er weekend and with my husband's schedule we can't plan ahead. It just happens and we go. I don't want a $35 race to keep me from going.

Tentatively I would like to run the Evergreen Town race 10k in August and then a 10 miler on labor day and then IDEALLY the Boulder full or half in October. However, I need to start training for the full mid July. I just don't know if I can commit. I know there are some great marathons in December but I am not sure that I want to travel etc.


Biking:

My new activity! David and I have been having the best adventures. We biked to a farmers Market in Denver. We are members of a wine club and they have these jugs that you can fill up for 13$. The jug is a little more than a bottle so it's a really good deal. Well, the winery has a table at the farmers market so we brought our empty jug in the camelback and had it filled up :) that ride was about 35 miles.
A few days later we explored up north and rode to Lafayette and had lunch on a deck at a cute place and back. I only like to bike on bike paths but on the way home we rode a really bust street home, Wadsworth, and it was scary but I am glad I did it. I am not as scared to ride on roads. I hope to get a rode bike soon! I have just been riding a mountain bike. I heard a rode bike feels awesome! that ride was 25 miles.
Then two days after that we rode to Wash Park, which is in Denver. That was 44 miles round trip so pretty long for me and I loved it! We packed a lunch and had a fun picnic in the park and then rode back.

Since it's been so hot we have been going in the heat of the day but I like the breeze you get from biking. I feel zapped after ninety minutes are so but it's challenging different from running.

I am not losing weight though, which I am bummed about but it might come off slowly.

We made it! Only 20 miles from our house!

My cool bike!

Nap after picnic

Body Pump:
So I have been a member of 24HR for years and honestly I don't like gyms. Especially after working in a high school when I can work out in a weight room by myself or with my fun teacher friends! However, I need to use the gym membership or get rid of it. Now is the perfect time. I am starting a new job and although it is still a high school they don't have a weight room :(

So I have been going to a weight lifting class called body pump. It's weight lifting for an hour to music. You hit all body parts for about 3-5 minutes. It's awesome! I have been going once or twice a week. I hope when school starts I continue to go. I admit it's nice to go to a 9AM class.


Hiking:

I have hiked 31 14ers and there are 55 (on my list) there are various lists with 53-56.

Most of the ones we have left are over three hours away so they are overnight/camping or weekend trips. We are planning on doing a few of these in July. Hopefully we can get 6 in this summer There are about 5 that I need to hike that my husband that he will re-do with me. Those are just day trips. We have done 3 so far this summer :)

The one thing mixing hiking with running is that I am pretty beat up a couple days after hiking so that hurts my running but so far it's been OK.

That's all for the month of June!


Have you taken a Body Pump class?


Any recommendations for a December marathon?

June Fun!

Lots going on so far in the month of June!

My husband works nights so we have been riding our bikes a lot and working out during the day. It's been a lot of fun.
We live right on a bike path that takes us to Golden, CO or to downtown Denver.  It's about 15 miles to Denver and it is so fun! I like how biking has been easy on my body too.

I am meeting with a form running coach today and am so excited! I am sick of running with pain. I really believe if I change my form and work on it I will feel better running overall. Then I plan to train hard!

We hiked 2 14er's yesterday. It was windy but it was a great day to hike! Everything was dry!!

Top of Belford...on our way to Oxford...path in the background. It was super windy!

View from the top of Oxford.

Did you know that if you take a picture with a WICH WICH bag at the top of a 14er you get a free sandwich? 

 

 

:)

Taking a break after biking to Denver.

REI in Downtown Denver

Fun to watch kids swimming while taking a bike break :)

Have you hiked a 14er?

Have you eaten at WICH WICH? Is it good?