ONLY TUESDAY

Can't believe tomorrow will be the 1st of July. Seems like the summer is flying by. To all of you who are running races on the 4th, good luck. Katy and Tonya are doing the Peachtree again this year.

Yesterday was lower body workout and I added 20 minutes of easy biking.

This morning was upper body and also training with Katie. Seemed like in no time at all I had completed the workout. It always goes faster when there is someone to chat with and keep track of the reps. That however doesn't mean it was easy, my arms were very tired and it took some effort to lift my water bottle to my mouth.

Sunday run

Last night the weatherman said we were going to have a cold front come through and our temperatures should be better, like 98 instead of 103. I was planning on getting up early and running outside but when I stepped out to get the morning paper I changed my mind. To the gym I would go where there was air conditioning.
I did 20 minutes of HIIT increasing the numbers from my last run. I had to take a short break and them came back and walk/ran until I reached a total distance of 5 miles.

MARMOTS

Now this guy has the life. He gets to live in the Rockies, climb on the rocks all day and eat as much as he wants and then hibernates and burns it all off.

I on the other hand don't get to hibernate and have to go to the gym to burn off what I eat. This morning I thought I had a training session with Katie but when I got there found out she wasn't going to be in and had put me with Mark.
I hate changes but needed the workout and in the end it worked out great. I told him I was following BFL and it was upper body. He quickly put me through all the major muscle groups including abs. At one point I thought I was going to be sick I was working so hard. He also said I was strong and form was good. When I finished I had sweat running down my face and was worn out. GREAT WORKOUT !

PERFECT DAY

The sky was blue, the weather cool, a perfect day for a 10 mile bike ride. We all got fitted up for bikes.

The trail was along side a stream and through the woods.

Christy and I pass under the bridge and then back to the bike shop.

We still have time before dinner so Jenny and I read a magazine and sit by the fire pit while the kids play on the rock climbing wall.

We also have time to enjoy the view.

Dinner at our favorite restaurant, the perfect ending to our active vacation.

Today was also active. I went to the gym to do the HIIT from BFL. It was 20 minutes on the treadmill and then I added more time until I reached 3 miles.

ALBERTA FALLS

Staying with our active vacation plan last Wednesday we chose to hike to Alberta Falls in the National Park. This is one of my favorite hikes in the park because there are so many things to do and see as you hike up to the falls.

You can take off your shoes and socks and skip across a creek on the stones.

For a good leg workout try climbing up a big rock. This is also good for the upper body.

Step aerobics, find a tree with some great branches to help you climb.

Take a break and stop on a bridge.

I don't think this little critter thought much about our workout.

As you near the Falls you can hear the roar of the water.

Made it to the top!

That was last week. Today I had a session with Katie and we did legs. It didn't seem too bad, maybe because I was active last week.

LAST TUESDAY,THIS TUESDAY

I can't believe that it has only been a week since we went white water rafting on the Colorado river.

Our guide Dana points out the way to run the rapids to Mark.

Oh Boy ! We better pay attention.

We have our jackets on and are ready to put in.

An Amtrak train passes and we all give a big wave.

Hang on guys. Wow are they fast.

We slow down and pass a group of geese.

What a great time we had spending the afternoon on the river.

Today was not such a great time. I was up at the gym to train but Katie said she didn't have me down. Luckily I had a back up plan, BFL weight training for the upper body. It was a bit harder than I thought it would be but I finished it. Yesterday I did the aerobic 20 min on the treadmill.

LAST SUNDAY RACE

I have to admit I was a bit skeptical when Jenny called and suggested we run the Estes Park 10K and that Mark was going to do the marathon. " There's high altitude you have to adjust to" I said. But there was no saying no to her. " It'll be fun" she replied. So Christy, Jenny ,Mark and I headed over the Rockies at 4 in the morning. The picture above is at the top of the Alpine Tundra and the sun is not quite up.

We got checked in and our bibs on. The sun was up but it was still cool out.

At 7 Mark is ready to line up for his race.

I'm waiting, we have 45 minutes before the start. Jenny is going out by herself and Christy and I will stay together.

This was one of the prettiest courses I have run. After starting on some streets we came to a trail that ran down and under the highway and then on to a path that would go around Lake Estes. We ran down through a meadow and over the Big Thompson River.

Passed some fly fishermen out for their Sunday catch.

The horses were lined up and I was wishing I could get on one. The temperature was warming up and you could feel the effects of the altitude. I kept wondering how Mark was doing.

On our left was the Olympus Dam built in 1949 with the snow capped mountains in the background.

I loved this sign. It gave me an excuse to walk.

Finally we come to a long flat stretch.

A lone goose gives us a heads up.

Around the lake, back under the highway and up a hill and into the stadium and we are done. Jenny was there to greet us. I really loved this race and was glad she had convinced me to do it.

Finish time 1:47:47 and 6th place in my age group.

After we got some food and drink we went down near the trail to wait for Mark to come by. Jenny was going to run in with him.


This turned out to be a good race for us to run. The altitude effect is real, though, and it took more effort than we all realized. We spent the rest of Sunday recovering, then had a very active vacation in the Rockies the rest of the week.

REFERENCE

I had to come home and check my books for a bird I spotted this morning while out on my run. It was grey with a yellow belly and I think it was a Finch.
That's the beauty of running early( I was out before 7) you get to see a lot of nature.
When I awoke this morning the weatherman was saying it was 82 ( at 5) and a chance of showers. I figured with the cloud cover it wouldn't be so bad and I didn't want to run on the treadmill, it was a bit humid but I survived. Did 4.4 miles.

LOVED MY RUN

I didn't have a beautiful lake to run around but I still had a good run. I think part of it was because I got up early and was on the trails by 7 this morning. I had promised Jenny last night that I wouldn't sit around on Sunday and not get out until 10, like I usually do.
The power in my ipod ran out and that didn't even bother me. It was so nice with the wind blowing and hey, I had the bird chirps for music and the slapping of my feet hitting the cement. I even added some extra loops to get the mileage up past 4.

Total miles today 5.16
Total miles for week 14.66

GARDEN SHADE

I could have used some shade today. My beautiful cool morning turned into a hot afternoon and I shouldn't have waited so long to go out. When am I going to learn. I live in Texas and it's summer and it's hot! I decided to make it easy an only run when I came upon shady spots which wasn't very often.

Miles today 4.75

YESTERDAY

Oh my gosh trying to get back in to a routine is so hard after you've been on vacation. I had to drag myself to the gym to train. Chest and triceps was the torture of the day. I managed to make it thought the thirty minutes and then headed home to get ready to go work at the shoe store.

SUNDAY RUN

Okay, I'm sure you won't be able to guess where I did my Sunday run but here are a few clues.

Up the ramp I go, I don't need my hat because I'm inside. Know where I am?

It's 90 degrees and I'm hot and sweaty. Got a clue ?

Trying to find some shade by the Snapple sign. I could use an ice cold Snapple.

Now this should give you a big clue!

Yep, I'm at the Texas Rangers baseball game.

All joking aside I had every intention of doing my run yesterday, I even had laid my clothes out the night before, but my husband thought it would be a great day to see the Rangers play and it was fan appreciation day so we got to go down on the field. They took you down through these ramps under the stadium. It was a little creepy, I didn't realize how big it was underneath.

Because I missed the run yesterday I went out in the neighborhood this morning and did 4.75 miles.

From where I was sitting you could see the new Dallas Cowboys stadium.