Colorado Weather: What a Beautiful Thing

Cowboy took me out to the movies and dinner at Maggiano's for a much needed break from all the Christmas frenzy. We saw Tron in IMAX 3D and, boy, what a movie. I really liked the original but Disney did a fantastic job with the remake. The best part, for me, was the arena fight in the beginning. Seeing all those amazing flips and attacks done by incredibly buff bodies poured into leather-like body suits with lights. yummmeeee. It sure got my attention...and pushed my buttons to get myself to the gym and work out! I love seeing fit bodies, it is such an encouragement.

Although we didn't get a snowy white Christmas, we have had some amazing weather. This past week has hovered in the 40's to high 50's and mostly sunny. After a long stretch of inclined treadmill runs I was finally able to get my hiney outside and onto some serious inclines. A few days ago I conquered Apex Park again heading up Argos Trail-Pick N' Sledge-Grubstake Loop-Sluicebox-Apex Trail-back up Pick N' Sledge-and back down Argos Trail for a total of about 6 miles in just under an hour.

Today, the pup and I went back to Mt. Galbraith. It was a little chilly in the low 40's for my shorts but a good section of the trail (after about 2 miles) was in the sun so I warmed up quick. We were under time constraints so I ended up turning around a little ways into Nightbird Gulch Trail. We headed up from the parking lot on Cedar Gulch-right on Mt. Galbraith loop, and onto Nightbird Gulch. Turned around and headed back to the parking lot. About 6 miles in an hour.

There were a large handful of couples out with their dogs but all were pleasant and easy to navigate around. It had slipped my memory how technical parts of this trail are- lots of stone "stairs", narrow soft dirt single track, and jagged rocks to navigate around. It was like my own personal playground. Once I got onto the Mt. Galbraith loop (my favorite part) I was able to crank the music and open up into a nice speed. I didn't even realize I had been sweating so much until I had gotten to a part I had to stop and climb on Nightbird. I tend to cool down rapidly as soon as I stop and it always seems to catch me by surprise how freaking cold and sweaty I am! Luckily I had started out with a heavier Nike zip-up top which I had delegated Argos to carry in his pack (what a considerate dog) so I pulled that back on and kept going.

Overall it was a fabulous run, I had lots of energy, and even though I had wished I had more time to play I felt it was a good workout. Towards the end I was outpacing the dog so I knew I had done good. These days it is HARD to tire out that boy, so when he is lagging behind trying to keep up after only 4 miles (instead of the usual 8-9) I know the run was an intense one.

For Christmas, Cowboy got me a new pair of Salomon XT Wings 2 (haven't tried the "2" yet so we'll have to see what is different) but they are in a cool color of black and aqua.

 

Super excited...

I need to get my green Superfeet inserts before I can have a go with them. I have been tossing around the idea of being professionally fitted for inserts. It's a ton of money but so is the expense of purchasing $30 Superfeet every time I get a new pair of shoes which has been about every 4-6 months lately. During the last month's runs I have had the problem of "numb toes". The 2nd or 3rd toe all the way to the little guy goes completely numb and I get the tingles in the area of the metatarsal or sesamoid bone area. I used to have this issue when I cycled until I got fitted and new inserts put into my bike shoes. Sometimes I still get it but it helps if I scrunch my toes continuously. It's a weird sensation to say the least.

Anyways, weather report calls for the white stuff on Thursday and temps down into the 20-30's (single digits at night). Looking forward to some great snowshoeing and winter trail running. My CW-X Insulators are calling my name....

Self-Reliance: It's THAT Easy

My dad always drilled it through our heads as kids: prepare for your future, start saving for retirement, be independent so you don't have to rely on anyone else to take care of you (although this was often used in the context of "you don't need a man to make you happy/take care of you"), you're smart and strong, you can do anything you set your mind to...

My parents taught us to cook, sew, wield a hammer, fix a leaky toilet, plant a garden, & can rows of soups and veggies. I smile when I think of the subtle ways he would throw those tidbits of wisdom into our everyday conversations. They were said so often that we would nod "yeah yeah", in one ear out the other, and we go about our business.

Or so I thought.

Several years ago all those "tidbits" started to appear from their dusty shelves and swirl about my cranium. I  started thinking seriously about what I needed to do to become independent and self-sufficient. I searched books, internet, and organizations promoting these things. I located a local LDS Cannery and poked my head in one day to find out what they were all about and purchased a few things here and there to "begin" my travels along the path of being prepared and self-reliant.

Friends and family would say, "What are you worried about? You are being paranoid and irrational."
I could see it in their eyes "Oh T. is just being silly, it's just her thing..."

It isn't just about disaster preparedness in the sense of national or global disasters. Sure those things could happen too, and from the sounds of our government and flailing economy the possibility is not too outlandish.
It is about disasters that effect me and my immediate family: what if Cowboy or I lost one of our jobs? What if we BOTH lose our jobs? What if one of us becomes disabled or critically ill? What if our parents become critically ill or handicapped where I need to take off work immediately to care for them for a period of time? What if our city gets snowed in for a few days? Yes, we have a small reserve financially but nothing that would cover a major event such as those. Not being newly married, new jobs in which PTO has not been accrued, and owning a small amount of debt. Something directly attacking our financial means would devastate us immediately. And this, folks, is why we feel it important to be able to rely on our own preparedness. Why would we rely on government and other hard-working people to give us hand-outs when we can take care of ourselves and our own? My mind flashes instantly back to the childhood story The Ant and The Grasshopper.

Over the past few months Cowboy and I have gathered quite the knowledge base and would love to be able to pass it on in hopes of helping those out there that are like me- several years ago. Maybe I can help provide a link, product review, or other helpful "tidbit" to guide others in their search. Hopefully I can influence a few of you out there to see how fun self-reliance truly is.

What am I getting at? Well, Wild Child has decided to start a new blog. No, I won't disappear from this one. This will still be my main hub for my training, gear reviews and give-aways, and daily life happenings. I am in the process of designing a new blog on my journey to home canning (pressure canning and water bath canning), food storage systems, healthy cooking with food storage, dehydrating meals, emergency preparedness (such as setting up medical kits, 72hr bags, and the like), and product reviews.

I have already gathered a handful of blogs, links, and info but just need to fine tune and organize my thoughts.

Think of this new blog not as a "dooms-day, prepare for zombies" blog that are a dime a dozen out there, but a blog that is bringing the days back that our parents remember: Homemade steaming loaves of bread, sweet jam freshly canned, sitting down at your campsite with a delicious hot meal of rehydrated chicken enchiladas or cheesy lasagna, opening a jar of tomatoes in December that taste like you just picked them out of your garden in the summer, and not having to be part of the swarming mobs at the grocery store every time the weather channel predicts a big storm. Why? Because you will have everything you need to be safe and comfortable right at home.

"To work today is to eat tomorrow"

Late Afternoon Run: N.Table

After staying up til the wee hours of the morning being crafty and sewing some more Christmas presents, I overslept a touch (darn night shift schedule) and didn't get out for my run until late afternoon.

Due to the recent sightings of mountain lions throughout most of my favorite trails, I tried to pick one today that would give me at least a little more advanced notice if a cougar was salivating over my pace booty. North Table was chosen due to it's near treeless and relatively well-traveled trails as well as the plethora of deer grazing there (I want to allow the lions options other than, well...me).

seriously I think this is the lone tree on the hill

Similar to Green Mtn, the entire "mountain" is near bald but I enjoy the trails never-the-less and they are more vacant than Green Mtn which always seems to be like an ant hill crawling with bikers whenever I go. Not that I have any beef with bikers, I just wanted to focus on a steady non-interrupted run rather than having to stop every  quarter of a mile to allow a biker to go by.

I started out a little chilly (30's) at the old trailhead on the west side and headed up towards the fire road. I veered right (near the water (?) tank) and kept running right. This is a fun trail that is severe single track with beautiful grasses tickling your legs as you run by. About a half a mile down that trail I took a sharp left that turns into an instant hard hike and scramble up the side of the cliff's rocky side. Summiting onto the plateau of N. Table Mtn I ran right and then another right for a climb to the Coors plant overlook. The city of Golden is spread out below and it is a grand site, jaw-dropping if you've ever seen it at night.

Headed back down, saw my first herd of deer grazing, and continued right until the dead end of another cliff overlook. Backtracked to where I summited and continued straight until I looped right instead of taking the fire road back down to my left.

I kept on running until I came to Rim Rock Trail. I have never taken this trail before, so I headed out knowing it dead-ended in a mile. I was on a time limit today so I figured this would help limit my exuberance from being out on a gorgeous day.

Hit the end of the trail,

turned back around and headed back the way I came except took the fire road back down where it connected to my original trail at the trailhead. Almost 8 miles, no cougar sightings, and felt great!

Kick Ass Dog

Hey, remember me? I'm that cute, adorable, lovable, friendly pup:

And then I got bigger....

and was able to go on long hikes with momma carrying me

until I was big enough to try to run with momma...

she almost killed me here...

my first Fourteener

and now....momma is so proud of me and my training:

post training exhaustion setting in

Just to leave you with some warm and fuzzies, and remember the cuteness:

You handsome boy.