You Know It's Almost Summer When:

you get a nice sunburn on your ride despite putting sunscreen on, the bees and bugs are out in full force, the annual long ride craving of Mtn Dew has hit, salt deposits on your skin after runs and rides, and feeling downright HOT (as in temperature) when riding and running. Yep, we hit 80+ degrees today and it prompted me to hit up the creek to soak my legs for the first time this year. And surprisingly, the water wasn't all that bad! I lasted 10 mins and could have stayed longer. After the beatings my legs have taken over the past several days, this was much more welcomed than a dip in the pool (which btw, is also becoming warmer, and that's a good thing for those night swims) And surprisingly when the weather gets nicer (as in warmer and sunny) I can somehow handle and deal with the wind that still seems to be blowing. I have made a deal with myself to not let it win the battle, and I am taking successful small steps in conquering those fears of flying into the road with an unexpected gust.

For example, yesterday B and his friend Allen (who was visiting from sea level) and I went for (my longest so far this year!) a ride up to Raymond/Ward, which is nestled up at around 9000ft. Going up the canyon in Lyons was Sufferfest 101 with headwinds blowing right at me, and me huffing and puffing uphill like I hadn't exercised in years.Making faces in the wind

After we made the turnoff to Raymond, things calmed down a bit and we took a break at a lovely (but creepy at the same time) little rest stop (where a cash register doesn't exist and you are rung up by items written on a piece of paper and added up, hey good way to keep those math skills sharp) where I indulged in one of my favorite long ride pick-me-ups- Mtn Dew. Per my own concoction, I watered it down in my bottle so it wouldn't explode and dutifully sipped as we kept climbing. Low and behold I actually started to kick ass on the second long climb over to Ward. So while soda may not be the healthiest energy replacement choice, it sure does the trick for me; I'll be sure to include a can in my next special needs bag!
Cruising Up

Anyways, back to the winds. Once we hit the descent in Ward, crosswinds sent my bike into a shimmy frenzy on the steepest part right after the old convenience store. I grabbed my brakes so tight that my wrists and lower forearms are sore today, and came to a dead stop to compose myself. Then after some positive self-talk I clipped back in and held on for dear life. Luckily I made it all the way down without a scratch, but my arms got a nice workout. On Top of Peak to Peak Hwy with a mountain of snow behind us

On the racing front I have a busy 3 weeks coming up as I am warming up with the annual Barking Dog Duathlon this weekend and then try my luck at my first official pro triathlon in Columbia, MD next weekend. Check out the starting list here!
I hope to somehow be able to calm my nerves enough to do OK... Then on Memorial Day I'll run the Annual Bolder Boulder with B, who will probably kick my butt, as he has in the past 10K, but at least I get to represent with an "AG Champion" Tech Shirt! Not sure if I'll actually wear it, it would kinda be like a target on my back, no? And then June will bring about Boise 70.3, a race I cannot wait for because it will be my mom's and Mark's first triathlon, as well as B's first half.

In other news, exciting things are finally happening with a lighter than 25lb bike! I can't wait for the new arrival! Hopefully I'll learn how to ride it quickly! Some new running shoes should be on the way as well, my feet and legs are sure screaming for them! Hope spring has sprung where you are, because it's just so nice not to freeze! :-)

Gloomy, Perfect XC Running Weather

Only in Boulder can you go from summery 70s and sun to misty, grey and cold 30s, in a day. It was nice pretending it was summer for the past two days, riding in nothing but spandex and jersey and running in shorts. Well, this morning it was back to tights, jacket, hat and gloves. It feels like the clouds are resting on the grass at the foot of the mountains, it's so foggy that when you get up just a little bit, all visibility is lost. Since riding in this would truly be a test of ultimate HTFU, and I don't believe I could comfortably make it over 2 hours before becoming hypothermic (maybe I should invest in a rainproof jacket after all) I pushed my long run forward to today, since I'd much rather endure cold wetness while moving around on two legs, rather than two wheels.

As soon as I opened the front door I was greeted by a lovely light rain. My first thought was "$h!t, this will suck, I hate being wet and cold", but since I really had no other choice and would never ever, unless it was thunderstorming or blizzarding out, run on the treadmill at free will, bundled up once more for the first day of May. After about 10 mins my thighs turned cold and somewhat numb from being soaked in my tights. Soon thereafter my ears got cold (should have worn a headband instead of just a cap) and the gloves on my hands turned damp as well. Thoughts began to cross my mind how I could justify cutting my run short. I made a deal with myself to try and get to 90min and then reevaluate. The misting eventually diminished and although I was soaked through three layers, I kept my body heat up at a comfortable level and finished the run at 2 hrs.

It certainly wasn't a PR day, as the mud around the trails by the rez turns to clay on your shoes on days like this and makes for some interesting added weights. Towards the end of my run I remembered how this type of weather used to be my favorite kind of weather to run and race in. Have I become so soft that I now dread days like this? I used to run in pouring rain, ran my still standing 10k PR in drenching downpour, and ventured out in east coast snowstorms, that had me falling flat on my back a few times, gasping for air (granted, that wasn't so smart, prompting me to look into snow cleats for my shoes in slippery conditions). If I lived in Seattle, I'd have to deal with this on an almost daily basis. Plus, all this moisture we are finally getting, is turning Boulder's landscape into something resembling Ireland!

I wrote a poem for English class my senior year of high school, which was published in the school literary magazine I think. I just found a copy of it in my scrapbook. It was inspired by wet and cold fall afternoons, spent running 5k races in high school. :-) The pictures are from my collegiate running days. Running will always stay my favorite sport, no matter what!
I'm in the middle, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY

Why Do I Run? (Age 16, circa 1997)

You get up early in the morning
To get on the overcrowded, with odor possessed bus,
Just to get to your place of destination,
To run.

You get there and it's cold.
It's cold and it pours and it thunders.
You would much rather stay on the bus now, where it's cuddly and warm,
But you have no choice but to get out in the rain
And run.

As you get ready,
You strip down of all your clothes, against your will,
Losing your warmth,
It's horribly cold,
Your limbs go numb, and yet there is a warm feeling of confidence inside,
To run.

You hear the pistol sound, one, two, three
You start to run in muddy grass, wet puddles,
Mud splashing everywhere,
Mud on your skin, on your clothes,
Your shoes are soaked in water and covered in dirt, yet
You run.

You try to catch up to the front,
only to splash yourself in puddles two feet deep,
and splashing everyone behind you too,
Nevertheless, you keep your form steady,
Long stride, strong arms, moving
Keeping on running.

Halfway through, you think, What for?
Why am I doing this?
This is torture, this is soaking wet shoes, wet clothes and numb skin
All covered in mud
But you can't feel sorry for yourself now,
You got to run.

When you see the finish line, you begin to reach deep within your soul,
To pull out the strength you know is there,
You hear people cheering,
Can't see their faces though, too exhausted to look,
All you have left to do, is to
Run to the end.

You cross the finish line,
In joy of completing the task,
Thinking of nothing else that happened in between,
Only the glory of winning your race,
But then again you ask yourself,
Why do I run?
:-)
Cold and wet at Lehigh (I think)
The look of agony in a XC race
The finish of an apparent painful 1500m.

Boulder Distance Carnival

B and I decided to run the 10k at the Boulder Distance Carnival yesterday morning at the Rez. Options were either 10k or 5k, compared to last year when they were 15k or 5mi. For some reason the race doesn't get a whole lot of press so participant numbers aren't terribly high. After last week's effort I was in recovery mode all week leading up to the race. I took it pretty easy as to get a little snap back in the legs. By Saturday my legs were finally coming around and I decided to sign up for the 10k the following day.

I have run the course out by the Rez numerous times so that I didn't need to worry about getting lost or missing a turn. (ha) With Saturday being mostly rained out, we awoke to some pretty blue skies sunday morning, perfect for a race! The temps were brisk in the 40s when we started, but it quickly warmed up and I actually ran in just shorts and a short sleeve shirt. There was some prize money up for grabs for the winner of both the 5k and the 10k, men and women, so I made it my goal to try and repeat last year's win in the 15k. We all went off together, making for some interesting tempo the first mile. I came through in 5.40, which was the last time I would look at my watch for this race. I was running 5k pace with whoever was doing the 5k it seemed, so I slowed down a tad after that. I got some help with the slowdown from mother Nature as she decided to bless us with some gusty headwinds for much of the remaining miles. At the turnaround I saw that I was in the lead by over a minute, but never one to take a chance to bask in my glory too soon, I pushed on, as anything could happen in the remaining 3 miles home. Darren De Reuck, who was the lead "vehicle" for the women, led me home on the bike, and I made sure to stay as far to the left as possible as to not get cited for drafting.. Uhhh, never mind, this is running, and Darren actually told me to get behind him and cut the shortest line. Ha, OK. In the end I held off second place by about a minute and a half, finishing slightly slower than what I had hoped for or felt effort-wise. I blamed it on still feeling tired and the wind, but it appears now that the course might have probably been a bit long, by oh, around 30-40 seconds. Oh, and B made me look at his backside the entire race, he finished super strong in just over 38 min. For 6 months of running under his belt, I'd say that's pretty damn good! Hopefully he'll give an account of the race himself! I also ran into some folks I hadn't seen since the end of last tri season, so it was good to catch up for a bit as well.

By the time most people finished, the water in the rez had white caps on it and things were blowing everywhere. By afternoon it was cold and rainy and when I woke up this morning we had 3 inches of snow on the ground. That's Colorado weather for ya; of course it's all gone by now. Either way, I am more than ready for summer. I want to put away my hats and gloves and tights for good! It's almost May!