A's weekend recap

Well, we had a busy but fun weekend here in Boulder. Friday night started off with some stellar vacuuming and bike prep. I wanted to see carpet again through all of the cottonwood seeds, and Eric wanted power data for the upcoming ride on Saturday.

Eric's Saturday update is pretty accurate, so I won't elaborate beyond saying that the ride was a good solid effort for me (I was babying the back a little, but still got into the pace zone and HR zone intended for the workout, and some good mental prep, too), I made it through the run and convinced Eric we should try "icing" in a creek near home (nirvana!). The evening out courtesy of Eric's work was a nice treat, too. It is always fun to see old friends and we got to hang out with the Wik-Meyer clan. I was starting to droop (tired) by the end, though.....just in time to go to work!

Sunday came early enough. I headed out for early-Church and then tried to help Eric secure the cherry tree (we don't like sharing them with the birds and squirrels) before changing for a run. We drove up to Magnolia road for a beautiful, peaceful run. It was our first time up there this year and I was in heaven. It is very, very lush and green right now, and was significantly cooler than Boulder's temps. We turned around after 1:03, but should have gone a tad further (we didn't quite hit peak-to-peak highway before running out of time) since I made it back in under 2 hours.

We were running up in the mountains, and it felt like we were on vacation, in another world. It was far removed from the realm of Boulder, yet a mere 30 min up the canyon. Izzy had a blast, though finding her enough water on that road is always a challenge, and yesterday nearly got her tangled in some barbed wire down by one of the few creeks we came across....very scary!

It's funny how even on a beautiful, perfect day, you eventually get to meet your Gremlins that play tricks with your willpower and gumption. Mine were a pair of blisters on the side of each big toe, a tightening calf, tumultuous tummy, and a cranky back that preferred to not run downhill. My back is much better than some folks' but it has been grumbling for the past week or so.

Everything righted itself with a quick dip in the Boulder Creek and a stop at the Village Coffee Shop for a lunch of French Toast. Then a trip to Target and home for some chores. I got most of the rest of the vegetable garden planted (very late, but finally in) and did some yard putzing while Eric whipped up some grub (yummy BBQ chicken, grilled corn on the cob, and home made mac-n-cheese with a hint of Bleu). We ate out on the deck (amongst the falling cottonwood seeds) and had a very pleasant (yet fluffy) evening. It's summer and the living's easy! Then I tackled a small batch of dishes (while Eric watched the NBA game) before another trip back to work.

Today has been back to business-as-usual. This month our weeks are a steady schedule of speed and strength, but in manageable doses (Tuesday hill-climb bike, Thursday track, fill in the rest of the week with swimming, biking, and running) before getting to another Epic weekend. It leads to a very predictable schedule of workouts, and will allow us to hit mountain sun tonight for beer-and-burger nite (the Monday night special). Both Eric and I were independently craving mountain sun yesterday, so we figured it was a sign that we should go there tonight for dinner.....

Before we know it, our 6+ hour ride will be here (climbing up Golden Gate Canyon this coming weekend). I'm actually really looking forward to it. Hopefully our current training will get us ready for Sunny's visit in early July. I can hardly wait to see her again, but am a little worried that I'll kill myself trying to keep up with this Superwoman for a whole week...eek! Maybe I can get her to take me on her super power-hike/run up in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.....should be fun!

Have a good week everyone (i.e., Happy Monday!).

-Amber