Wild ChildT: Awake and Dreaming

"Jules" & Mt. Galbraith

2012-01-25T14:19:00.001-07:00

Remember the last post on strays? Well, here's yet another one that came to visit us just the other morning:

"Jules"

(although it appears that way in the pic, I assure you Cowboy is not choking the poor girl!)

Every time a stray comes to play with Argos, Cowboy is quick to say, "Now hon, you know we can't keep it." This time, however, he startled me when he said, "If we can't find her owner, she might just be staying with us." She was so beautiful, well mannered, and chased Argos all over the yard. I loved up on her with all my might and she just gave it right back.

We finally located her owner (a young guy right across the street from us) who apologized profusely about taking her collar off last night to bathe her along with the collar. She had opened the gate and gotten out, but luckily appeared to be distracted from her escape by the sight of Argos. I don't blame ya big girl.

I am glad we found her owner, who also said she was indeed micro-chipped (what a great guy), but I admit we lamented over not being able to keep the sweet pit. Afterwards, Cowboy and I discussed the fact that we have never in our lives met a pit bull that wasn't the sweetest, well mannered dog. I have found them to be superior family dogs who are all around very loving and happy pups.

Yesterday's temps- chilly and snowing

Mt. Galbraith trailhead- only one other car in the lot. Saaweeet!

Thank goodness for spikes!

There was a fine dusting of fresh powder atop a very thick, very slick layer of solid ice. It was like glass.

Argos would find "the perfect" stick, carry it around until he got bored and found another perfect stick.

Deer!

The run was the first I had gotten for almost a week as sinus colds hit us both hard earlier in the week. We went through several boxes of Kleenex and the couch got some really good use.

After my great run (two loops total) I arrived home to the surprise of fresh flowers in the kitchen. I had had a slightly emotionally difficult day and Cowboy worked his magic on bringing me back to happiness. A great run followed by flowers, a rental movie, and Chinese take-out did the trick. What a great husband!!!

Best Life Motto EVER.

2012-01-13T12:05:00.001-07:00

My mother-in-law (yeah, I'm the super lucky girl with extremely cool in-laws) posted this on my FB today and I absolutely love the motto, not to mention the awesome expression on the pup's face. I think I see that every time I take Argos out on a trail to run!

Slip Sliding Away at Gudy!

2012-01-10T23:24:00.001-07:00

After quite a long and sporadic hiatus from trail runs due to holidays, working a lot of overtime, sketchy snow storms, and construction projects at home (we insulated the garage) I finally got out for a glorious run at Gudy Gaskill.

Back track a few days....

Got home from work the other day and was in the front yard getting my "welcome home" love from the pup when we were approached by two unleashed wandering huskies. Argos, of course, immediately extended his love as the welcoming committee. When I crouched down the two dogs jumped over to me all happy happy. One had a collar, no tag. The other a tag! I ushered the gang into the back yard fence as I called the number on the tag.

The guy on the other end informed me it was no longer his dog but his buddy's. What the heck? Who gets rid of their dog?? I jest a little as I can see certain situations where there may be no choice. BUT I correlate the owning of a dog with having a kid. Getting rid of your dog is, to me, like passing off your kid to someone else. Not cool.

After I finally got the real owner on the phone, he told me his dad was on his way to pick the pups up.

I couldn't help but to snap a few pics of the gang playing:

The b&w husky was so small. I've never seen a tiny husky like that.

This picture makes me laugh hard. These dogs are having entirely too much fun and their crazy excited eyes show it. My luck they'll be back here again tomorrow.

Cool pups but sooo glad they aren't mine. They both kept bouncing and then pushing off on me. I gave Argos a big "thank you so much for not being a jumper" hug.

For some reason, I have a real attraction to strays. Ever since I was little they would always show up at my door and then I was compelled to rescue them whether it was a dog, cat, bird, bunny, men... I must have a radiating aura.

Yesterday Cowboy and I finished insulating the garage. What a job!

Hanging an OSB ceiling = not fun.

Donning a super sexy plastic "bunny" suit, chunky plastic goggles that brought me back to my h.s. chemistry days, a N-95 respirator, and a headlamp then crawling up into a teeny space to blow in fiberglass insulation = surprisingly totally fun!

I had a blast even though my back felt the strain of wiggling on my belly and being curled into an oompa-loompa crouch position for awhile in the tiny crawlspace we created for an attic. Once Cowboy and I got straight our "knocks" to communicate to each other, I crawled into the ceiling, he turned on the machine, and I starting blowing. It was like a winter wonderland as white fluffy insulation blew around me. I've stapled the rolls of pink fiberglass insulation before and this was, by far, more exciting than that. I thank my friends for warning us what a mess it could be which spurred a last minute purchase of the marshmallow cream puff suit. I am grateful for the whole adornment which kept the fiberglass itches at bay!

With the garage taken care of, Cowboy released me into the wild to get a much needed run in! When I left the thermometer showed it was in the 60's!!! By the time I got to the trailhead, a bit more into the mountains, it was in the mid-50's. I found it funny that I was able to wear shorts in January while running in snow.

Argos sliding and rolling in the snow as soon as we hit the trail.

Yay for shorts in snow!!!

obstacles to leap over, woot!

Peppermint stick GU. I nominate this my third favorite flavor.

Sun setting- Golden/Lakewood in the distance

Universal sign for: Don't Eat This Snow

What's a little blood in the mix right? This happened on the side of the mountain, a little too narrow single track where the snow made my foot slide off the embankment into some rocks. I don't think I even stopped running as I slid until much later when it started to sting.

Momma, you make me a very happy boy.

Sunset PINK!

This was at the bison preserve where they laid down some fresh hay. The elk came to snack too.

Three hours of trail running and I was loving every minute of it. Argos started tiring out the last few miles pushing me to head back to the car. Back at home, after a nice hot shower to wash the salt and crud off me, and I'm a very happy girl.

All you ladies out there: $300 gun class giveaway!

2012-01-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

A Girl and Her Gun is giving away $300 towards a basic pistol class to a female participant. It's her hope that this class will go to a newbie who wishes to embrace her right to self-defense and knowledge of firearms. It's her one year anniversary of a traumatic event that changed her from very anti-gun to pro-gun/pro-self defense. She has an amazing story to tell.

All you have to do is comment on her blog that you wish to be entered, no strings attached. Some commentors are throwing in ammo and such, what a great thing to do. Makes my heart go soft...

Check out the link to sign up here.

Heaven in a Little Foil Packet

2012-01-01T00:46:00.000-07:00

Forgot to mention that last run I tested out the new GU flavor PEANUT BUTTER. Holy hell I've died and gone to GU heaven. Just when I thought I had landed my ultimate favorite flavor (Vanilla Gingerbread) along came peanut butter...game over.

It isn't exactly like peanut butter from the jar, but hey that would defeat the purpose right? Otherwise I would just pack little squeeze bottles of thinned out peanut butter. Peanut butter GU is a touch sweeter and much easier to swallow than Skippy. What really sank my battleship was this little foil packet was reminiscent of a super secret family recipe handed down through the generations for a delicious peanut-y ice cream topping. Basically it's peanut butter mixed with pure maple syrup, heated and stirred obsessively until runny. The tricky part is getting the perfect balance of peanut and maple flavors. Too much of one side and it ruins it.

There has been chatter in the crowd of mixing other fruity GU packets with the peanut butter to form a "trail pb&j". Another suggestion was mixing chocolate outrage (now currently tied in my second place with the gingerbread flavor) with the peanut butter....yummmmm. Gels like this make me want to strap on my pack and run just to eat!

If you know me at all, I have a serious obsession with all things peanut butter, chocolate, and bacon. Now if only I could talk GU Energy lab to make me a bacon GU. Think there would be any takers?

A friend posted this funny post...I just had to pass it on- Happy New Year!

Slushy Snowy Trail Run

2011-12-29T01:32:00.001-07:00

10 miles completed at Lair O' the Bear today on a gloriously slushy snowy trail! I wore my spikes the entire time as it was wet heavy snow atop slush atop ice. I felt like a kid tearing up that trail!

It was 51 degrees and moderately overcast when I hit the trailhead. I wore my CW-X capris (although could have easily gotten away with shorts today as long as I kept moving), a short sleeved top with arm warmers, light gloves, and traded in my Injinji socks for a pair of Smartwools for the expected wet feet. I also did a preventative light slather of Hydropel over my feet before I put my socks on. This time I started out with plenty of time to get back before dusk.

For the first 2.5 miles, the trail was pretty well packed from heavy use. I was able to cruise with my spikes on, even on the curve up the mountain at (approx.) mile 1.25. After the 2.5-ish mile mark the snow suddenly changed consistency from hard packed to firm wet snow atop slush (ice underneath that in spots, especially over rocks). This made me chuckle a little to myself as I have almost always found the magic number for mountain trail use being about 3miles. Meaning after this mark, the herd thins out significantly dividing the casual hikers out for some fresh air from the serious runners wanting to lose themselves in the woods. Not that one is better than the other, it's just an observation I've made.

The trail was pretty empty. I passed one guy with his dog right at the beginning and towards the end, right before I turned around for an out-n-back run, I passed three dudes with three dogs. That was it. Argos and I had the trail completely to ourselves.

At some areas on the trail I was semi post-holing it. My feet would be gliding on the trail and suddenly my foot would punch through the top layer of snow and hit slush. I would feel my ankle twist and slide but my body was still propelling forward up/down the trail. I know, for sure, I am going to be sore tomorrow as my ankles and hips especially felt the workout right away. Sore...but a good sore!

I was yet again cussing out my good friend Paul for steering me towards the book "The Beast in the Garden" by David Burton. I outlined the book here. I finally finished the book just yesterday and felt my skin crawling and my senses on full alert while running. As much fun as I was having (and I was having a lot of fun), I just couldn't fully enjoy the run while scanning in all directions for the stealthy mountain lions wondering if I was currently enticing the unseen beast with my running. I felt like a dangling carrot.

I was torn between watching where I was running to avoid a serious face plant that could break a part of my body and looking intently around me for an attack. I really did enjoy the book and would highly recommend it, yet I questioned my sanity on how much knowledge I really wanted to acquire about these wild cats? Was it better to be slightly naive and blissfully ignorant? Ugh. I knew it was better to be aware and acknowledge that there are risks with nearly everything you do in this world, especially places so wild and free like the mountains of Colorado. But part of me wished I didn't know so much. I chalked it up to the similarities of the pros and cons of being in the medical field. Some days I am more glad than others for that knowledge.

The conclusion of the book summed up exactly what I wanted to hear nicely. Burton stated that although these are factual stories of habituated lions in this area, the statistics of an individual actually suffering an attack or, worse yet, a fatality are extremely rare. You are more likely to die from a motor vehicle accident or even acquiring Lymes disease from a tick than to meet a vicious mountain lion. Plus, the stories in the book have led to a more active role on disciplining habituated mountain lions. Rubber bullets, bean bag shooters, darts, and such aversion techniques are being used against overly friendly lions who wander into areas occupied by humans. They are aggressively taught now, even as kittens, that humans are not to be messed with and are not part of the food chain.

With nearly 3 miles left of my run I finally loosened up and stopped scanning the wilderness with an obsessive paranoia. I let it all go and just ran.

Run done and now cozy in bed with a snoring, dreaming pup at my side. I love Colorado and even its beautiful powerful mountain lions.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

And in case you were wondering, yes that's the night vision capable version. Best Husband Ever? Absolutely.

Snow Pics

2011-12-25T10:57:00.002-07:00

"I can help Momma"

Argos's Gear Blog: Part Deux

2011-12-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hey guys it's me, Argos, again! Momma said I could write another gear review blog (she's typing of course). Momma surprised me the other day with a brand spankin' new RuffWear Pack for an early Birthday/Christmas gift. I'll be three years old in three days! Momma says I'm a "big boy" even though she still calls me her "Little Man".

The other day I saw Momma folding my pack into a box and sealing it shut. I threw a complete whining fit trying to figure out what this all meant. Where is my pack going? Why wasn't she putting it on me to go for a run? Does this mean no more runs ever?!? She finally explained it all to me and then I was ok with it, though it did sadden me a little to part with the pack.

A hot chick named Cierra is now wearing my RuffWear Pack and wow-zah is she a spicy cat in that pack!

I just asked Momma if she could call Cierra's momma and have her over sometime to play ball. Momma told me she lived in Arizona. Dang.

Anyways, we went to The Green Paw (I love Sunnie & Alex) where my dried dog food comes from and tried on all sorts of packs. Momma cinched straps and tugged on me, and had me walk around (momma asked me not to pee on anything, which is irritating because I never peed on anything inside before. Ok there was this one time...) before she tugged on me some more. It was exhausting; I just wanted to sniff the other dogs and play. Daddy sympathized with me and told me all women are like this while shopping.

Next thing I know we are walking out of the store with a brand new RuffWear Approach pack! Momma said I looked handsome and Daddy agreed.

Today Momma picked up my pack and I knew it was time for a run!! YES!! She loaded me into the car and off we went!

When the back hatch opened I saw we were at Mount Galbraith and it was really overcast. I saw a huge pile of snow and headed right for it but Momma caught me in time to slip the pack over my head and leash me up. Off we went, down the trail! There was only one car in the lot so after we got within a decent distance from the trailhead, Momma slipped the leash off and I got to prance around in the snow. It was about 30 degrees out and starting to snow big fluffy flakes. Snow is my favorite!

Here are some pics of me in my new pack:

I stick out my tongue at you!

Did I mention I love the snow?

There are just a few differences between my old pack and my new one. I feel they have improved the pack but only by small margins. Hey when you have a near perfect pack, why change much?!

Changes:

1. There are webbing loops on the top sides of each bag. What would Momma clip to these? She has no idea...but they are kinda tacti-cool.

2. The heavy-duty zippers are now weatherproof/seam sealed instead of a flap that covers the zipper. Time will tell if mud and gunk booger up the zipper or if this is an improvement.

3. The bags themselves are more "aerodynamic" and smaller, hugging them to my body better. They are made out of stiffer material (unless my old pack just lost stiffness over use, I can't remember) that keep the form of the bag better. This prevents "bag bounce".

4. The underside of each bag has a small loopie thingie that the chest strap threads through to, again, hold the pack tighter to the body to stop bag bounce. Momma said this was a great idea and thinks if she had the old pack still she would have sewn a bit of heavy duty elastic or loop on the bags for the same effect.

5. The D-ring on top is a bit sturdier.

6. The chest strap, where it makes a "Y" binding the neck to the underbelly strap (connecting the straps that go behind my armpits), is well constructed with a touch of elastic.

7. The underbelly and armpit straps are thicker (a touch more padding- not sure if this makes a big difference but it looks nice) and has a small patch of velcro on it. This adheres to the webbing so the padding doesn't slosh around and rub. This is very nice BUT Momma says it is a "Pain in the A**" (I'm not allowed to say that word or the few others she mumbled when sizing the pack to me) when it comes to adjusting the straps to fit. The velcro kept sticking, making it hard to adjust the straps. Once they were in place with a perfect fit, however, it is nice to not have it move around.

The sun was starting to set. Look at how reflective I am in the camera flash!

The pack fit both of my water bottles with a bit of room to spare. We tried out the SingleTrack Pack but
A) saw there were a TON of reviewers who were disgusted with the pack and how much it moved around/un-cinched while hiking. They had to stop quite frequently to tighten up the straps that had come undone. Not cool and would become quickly irritating for me during a run, not to mention probability of rubbing if not paid close attention to.

B) Had way too little room for Momma's likes. They fit the water bottle just barely. What if I were to go on a longer hike would I need several different packs for each activity? I didn't see a problem with that, but Momma said "At $80-$125 a pack: No Way."

We also tried out the Palisades Pack. Momma really liked this one a lot, however after much contemplation (and me trying it on a few dozen times) she decided the Approach pack was the right fit overall. The Palisades pack was cool because:

A) bags were big, but not too big. Would come in handy during camping trips.

B) Load compression system, another way to cinch up.

C) The outer pack (with bags) had a quick-attach/detach system that allowed Momma to quickly take off the saddle bags from my back, while a neat harness remained on my body. This would have been cool (Momma said) for an impromptu swim or when I got tired. She could remove the pack but leave a harness that still had a handle attached and a D-ring. The attachment points were fast buckles and easy to clip to the pack.

In the end, Momma said she really couldn't justify spending $125 for the Palisades pack when there really wasn't a significant need for the bells and whistles. She didn't think she would really utilize the buckle system, it was just a cool idea. The bladder that came with the pack was just okay, she preferred the bottles so she didn't have to carry a collapsable bowl. It was also a touch too big and significantly heavier for running compared to the Approach Pack.

The Approach Pack fit great (I got a Large for my notoriously deep German Shepherd chest). I romped and played in the snow and ran with Momma today. It was so much FUN!

Excitement on Mount Galbraith

2011-12-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

Today's Mount Galbraith run was both exhilarating and a touch more drama than I had intended. I had run some errands during the day that I lost track of time. By the time I headed out for a run with the pup I hadn't even glanced at the clock.

The sky was dreary and gray with warnings of oncoming snowfall. For most, this type of sky coaxes people back inside to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and a book (I am one of those tempted to do such things). But today I found an absolute beauty in the weather. The trailhead was void of cars except one, the silence in the air was deafening, and big full flakes of snow started to fall in slow motion.

I strapped Argos's new pack on him and we started up the mountain, footsteps light and dancing. It didn't take long to realize I needed my Kahtoola spikes. They were amazing, as always, and I felt like I had superpowers as I gripped into the side of trails and hammered my way through the ice and snow. I didn't slip once. I wondered if I could climb a wall with these things! By far the best $60 I've spent in a long time.

I cruised up the mountain and came to the "four corners" junction in no time. I turned right and headed up the mountain further. At this point I realized the sky was quite a bit darker than just a few short minutes before. I glanced down at my watch and realized it was 1630. Woops! I debated for a minute whether or not to just turn around and head back or burn some fuel tearing up the trail double speed. I half-hazardly decided to keep going. This was not the brightest choice as I found out a little bit later.

N. Table starting to get whited-out

As the sky darkened and the snow started to fall faster, I thought about how quickly the sun sets now with the time change and how terribly I miscalculated my run. About this time I also realized I had completely forgotten to pack my headlamp. Not smart...

I knew I had enough clothes on and food with me, and I knew the mountain well enough that I could get off and into civilization even if I had to hike it; eventually I would get back to my car without physical discomfort. No problema. The "problema" I encountered is the fact that just the day before I started reading a book called "The Beast In the Garden" by David Burton:

This wonderful tale is about those lovely furry creatures we call Mountain Lions that slink stealthily through our Colorado mountains. The book mainly discusses the lions that inhabit the Front Range/Foothills...i.e. where I run.

A quick description from Amazon.com:

The true tale of an edenic Rocky Mountain town and what transpired when a predatory species returned to its ancestral home.

When, in the late 1980s, residents of Boulder, Colorado, suddenly began to see mountain lions in their yards, it became clear that the cats had repopulated the land after decades of persecution. Here, in a riveting environmental fable that recalls Peter Benchley's thriller Jaws, journalist David Baron traces the history of the mountain lion and chronicles Boulder's effort to coexist with its new neighbors. A parable for our times, The Beast in the Garden is a scientific detective story and a real-life drama, a tragic tale of the struggle between two highly evolved predators: man and beast.

The book opens by describing the search for a lost jogger on one of the local trails. They find the jogger, or should I say his remains as his entire torso was gutted and devoured. The "criminal" was spotted just a few yards away quietly watching the search and rescue team discover the body. The criminal was identified by the human heart dug out from the large cat's stomach...

Awesome.

So here I am, running in the the Front Range Mountains, and it's now dusk. Dusk, I have been informed by the book, is prime noshing time for the mountain lions.

Double awesome.

As a child, my imagination was legendary. Stick me in my backyard full of trees and suddenly I transformed into Sheena, the Warrior Princess. A swimming pool? Now a mermaid, undiscovered by man but sure to make them swoon if they saw me, transfixed by my magical powers. Sometimes my imaginary world seemed so true that I would talk to my parents about my escapades as if they really happened. "Today I was running through the woods and a handful of really bad guys were chasing me so I flew up into the air and jumped from tree to tree. They tried to fly after me but I was too fast!"

Yeah, not much has changed over the years.

So, running (or do I call it sprinting) around the face of the mountain in desperate attempt to get back to the car before pitch dark hits, I now begin to feel my imagination erupting full force from the depths of my mind. I try really hard to not think of the book and how the cats like to stalk their prey before they pounce, aiming for the neck and spine. That running, to a lion, stimulates their instinct to chase (like a mouse's fleeing movements to a house cat). I stay alert to Argos's body language and feel a flutter of adrenaline tickle my gut every single time he even slightly glances off the trail to bushes beyond. Argos seems entirely too happy to be out in the dark, prancing about in the snow and wilderness, totally oblivious to the dark thoughts I am having.

I finally have to stop, catch my breath, bent over with my hands upon my knees, and take a long second to think things through to calm my overactive cognition. "I'm totally fine," I tell myself.

I have my cell phone for light, if I absolutely need it, and that I am not nearly as far from the car as my imagination would have me believe. I remind myself exactly how frequently I used to do night runs and this entire panic-state I have wound myself into is all due to a book! Ok. I reset my internal thoughts and come to a conclusion. If I haul ass for the next twenty minutes I will make it with just enough light. And haul ass I do.

The light fades every second and soon I am having a hard time seeing the trail's rocks and ruts under the slight shimmer of the snow. I curse my unpreparedness and I turn to Argos for help. I closely watch his body as we run to determine where and how to step. It's amazing how much in tune I am with his body language. As he gracefully lifts his legs a bit higher to avoid a rock, I do the same. He skirts left around a tree root or rock step, so do I. Soon enough I realize we are in synch and I am doing my damnedest to keep up with him. He seems to understand this and doesn't sprint ahead like he enjoys doing, but stays just within a few feet ahead of me, showing me the way.

About 2/3rds of a mile away from the car we pass a young girl coming up the mountain with her dog. For some reason this brings me joy to see another human and lessens my anxiety. After I pass her I think, "what the heck is she doing heading out now, in weather like this, and dressed like that?!" She was dressed very lightly and not what I would consider "outdoor appropriate" attire. Odd. Really really odd.

We continue down the last stretch of trail and cruise into the parking lot. This is exactly how I saw the car...without a single source of light.

and with the help of the camera flash...

As soon as I got home I stuffed not one, but two headlamps into my pack. For sure.

On a side note, the book so far is excellent...just not recommended reading right before an evening trail run.

Somebody That I Used to Know

2011-12-21T01:12:00.001-07:00

UltrAspire Pack Review from iRunFar!

2011-12-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

The Hoogster (Paul) just recently steered me over to view a new pack coming out by UltrAspire. Today I see there is a quick review by iRunFar here on their model "Surge".

It has me really intrigued but I do see a few small details that I am not sure I would like.

Pros:
Lots of front pockets

I like the idea of the cool webbing suspension that creates compression to the back of the pack. This would tone down pack wobble and also keep all your gear from shifting around.

I really like the pockets in the front and how they are super stretchy. One complaint I have about my current pack is that the pockets are relatively small and can't fit my arm warmers or gloves in them. Every time I have to shed layers or put some on I have to take off my pack or ask a fellow runner to get them for me.

I like the magnetic pill pocket. Snazzy.

I like the back top stretchy mesh pocket for headlamp or whatever.

It seems like a great size, perfect weight, and nice wide straps for running for long periods of time.

Did I mention I like pockets?

Cons:
Don't think I would be a fan of the metal clip system they use for the front chest straps. I have used these clips before, though they were smaller, and found them to be a bit of a pain and not "fast". I am kind of partial to the quick plastic buckles. Maybe I'll be proven wrong.

The biggest complaint: I dislike that there isn't a separate sleeve or compartment for the hydration bladder. I sometimes throw my spikes into my pack, I would NOT like them to be up against my bladder. Plus I think having a sleeve to put the bladder into prevents the bladder from moving/bouncing around and if you have to take it out to refill it, trying to navigate around anything else you have in your pack while you shove your bladder hastily back into your pack could be a real hassle. If I were to buy this pack I think I would have to get creative and attempt to turn the pack inside out to sew a sleeve inside, or make a sleeve that quick attaches to the clip inside.

Other than that I think I like the pack and would LOVE to get one to try out. The fact that it is a few ounces lighter than my current pack with mostly the same, or improved, functions is a bonus. Will have to keep my eye out for any further reviews. I am also interested in looking at the Omega, albeit its slightly larger size.

Running in Colorado

2011-12-13T22:42:00.003-07:00

Seriously, I think this music along with the little pixie-like girl flitting and bouncing around is EXACTLY how I feel while running around the Colorado mountains and backcountry. This could be the soundtrack to my running life.

Yep flitting, that's me. Go ask my parents, they'll tell you all about it. "Where's our little blonde T? Over there flittin' and dancin' with the butterflies."

This touches my soul all warm and fuzzy. She's goofy and fun and awkward and cute. Love it.

Yay!

2011-12-01T00:59:00.000-07:00

And it's snowing....

Pain is just weakness leaving the body

2011-11-30T23:56:00.006-07:00

This week has been a power week for gym time and trail running. I am sore from shoulders to toes and walking like I just got off a horse, oh boy does it hurt...but it hurts so good. Cowboy has been hitting the gym hard with me and between the two of us the house if full of grunts and groans as we attempt to unfurl our bodies and ambulate around the house. I've been pushing myself a little extra, doing 30-45 minutes of hard treadmill work followed by weights and planks. It feels good to be getting myself back into shape with the weights instead of just running. Next week-ish I am going to start getting in the pool and re-familiarizing myself with the world of swimming, one I am not extremely fond of. I've also dusted off my trainer to get ready for indoor exercise with snowy weather approaching. Sometimes I just need to break up the monotony of things. Personally I'm terribly excited to get my snowshoes on and trek through the back country!

Today, the pup and I headed out to Mt. Galbraith for some "hiking". I declared it a hiking day due to my hobbling walk and overall soreness of my abductor and, more specifically, adductor muscles. I kept telling Cowboy, "Argos and I are just going for a short hike." While I was chatting I was pulling on my running clothes and pack. "Uh huh" Cowboy says, "A hike."

We did actually hike quite a bit of the first uphill part, a few jogs in between but mostly a hike up. Argos kept looking up confused at me as if saying, "What the heck is this walking shit?" Who needs a personal trainer when you've got this furry beast itching to run all the time. He's motivation enough. Believe me when I say I pay dearly if I don't get him out. The 'tude rages deep in this boy if he doesn't get his exercise, plus he's so darn adorable when he's a happy bouncy boy. "Be patient with me little man," was all I could reply to his confused looks.

Once we got to the loop I couldn't contain myself further and broke into a slow but determined gimpy jog. Eventually, the soreness lessened and the run began to feel really good. As I ran I remembered getting to my fourth and fifth days in multi-day staged racing where the soreness pervaded my entire body. Getting up in the morning off my sleeping pad was it's own battle and plodding out to the start line was filled with mixed emotions. Once the gun went off, working myself up into a run developed in stages- going slow and kicking it up little notches at a time as the soreness lessened and the muscles began to warm. It's like stepping onto a treadmill and slowly increasing the speed as your body grows accustomed to the discomfort. This is what today felt like.

The run, although a short 4.5 miler, was much needed. Sometimes the best medicine for post exercise soreness is more (gentle) exercise.

Here's a great nutrition article from RunnersWorld.

I love articles that debunk the "egg is bad for you" myth:

One egg fulfills about 10 percent of your daily protein needs. Egg protein is the most complete food protein short of human breast milk, which means the protein in eggs contains all the crucial amino acids your hard-working muscles need to promote recovery. Eat just one of these nutritional powerhouses and you'll also get about 30 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin K, which is vital for healthy bones. And eggs contain choline, a brain nutrient that aids memory, and leutin, a pigment needed for healthy eyes. Choose omega-3 enhanced eggs and you can also increase your intake of healthy fats. Don't worry too much about the cholesterol: Studies have shown that egg eaters have a lower risk for heart disease than those who avoid eggs.

Also interesting is sweet potatoes!

Just a single 100-calorie sweet potato supplies over 250 percent of the DV for vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, the powerful antioxidant. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of vitamin C, potassium, iron, and the two trace minerals manganese and copper. Many runners fail to meet their manganese and copper needs, which can have an impact on performance since these minerals are crucial for healthy muscle function. There are even new sweet-potato varieties that have purple skin and flesh and contain anthocyanidins, the same potent antioxidant found in berries.

Argos's Gear Blog

2011-11-27T11:28:00.009-07:00

Hundewanderer sent me an email the other day which inspired a blogpost. She asked, "what backpack does Argos wear when you go out?" I'm surprised I hadn't covered this vital information already!

***Please note, if you chose to put a pack on your dog, no matter what- after every single run/hike with that pack make sure after you take it off you do a thorough pat down and check your dog for any signs of rubbing or sores. The pack may adjust during the run and rub your dog under his armpit or elsewhere and cause open sores. It is your job to check each and every time of use to make sure you aren't causing harm to your pup. It may be a simple thing of adjusting the fleece sheath, choosing a smaller or larger size pack, or putting some balm on their skin. Also do not overload the pack and hurt your dog's hips and back! Do not ignore this responsibility, your pup will thank you for it and be more eager to wear a pack if you make it comfortable for him.***

So, here it goes (in Argos's own words):

I wear an old model Approach Pack from Ruff Wear. I highly recommend this company and especially their packs for these reasons:

Yeah, I'd say I'm a dog on the go.

1. Extremely durable. How durable you may ask? This pack is several years old and has yet to show it's wear. No holes, no rips, not even a scuff mark. This pack was Momma's previous dog's pack (Jinx, a female German Shepherd) and between Jinx and I this pack has seen a few fourteeners, has scrambled over, under, and through rough boulders. It has gone through severe mucky mud, been swam in multiple times (I LOVE water), and has spent countless hours in the sun without fading color and becoming brittle. The webbing under my belly and chest has remained intact without a single fray. Momma has laundered the pack a handful of times (no dryer) after scooping out sand, grit, and mud from the insides. Also there are two fleece/flannel type of sheaths that cover my belly and armpit area of the webbing to protect my fine haired spots. These too are in perfect shape even though this area usually gets the worst of the muck collection as I run (hey I'm a frisky pup, what can I say?)

The bag has reflective piping making me look really badass at night, and helps momma find me.

Also, the bag's zippers are rough and tough with a well-thought out flap that folds over the zipper to prevent crud from boogering it up.

2. Fits snug without rubbing and causing friction burns. Many people feel bad for cinching their dog's packs "too tightly", wanting the pack to fit loose on their dog for comfort. They don't realize that packs need to fit snug- with ability to fit two fingers between pack strap and dog- so that the bag doesn't bounce and slide around on us. This hurts! Take a regular backpack for humans, put it on yourself and leave the straps loose. Put two water or Nalgene bottles in it. Now take a quick jog around the neighborhood, really pump your arms and sprint it out. Feel that horrible bounce? Now imagine doing that for an hour or so, not to mention the hundreds of times we dogs bounce over things, climb, scamper, and slide around in the snow. Think of the chaffing that would happen...not cool. Cinch up the straps closer to your body tight and take another quick jog. Better? Yep. That's how it feels on us. You want to cinch it tight enough so nothing bounces around, yet doesn't hinder your pups' breathing. Make sure that belly strap is where it needs to be- at the belly, not around our chest where our lungs need to expand.

**this older pack has more "bounce" to it's panniers. Momma has to be careful what she puts into my pack because there is nothing to cinch down the actual bags which are kind of large. The new approach pack has smaller more aerodynamic bags that hold the pack closer to the pup's body. This is especially good for going through obstacles, or when we get curious diving into brush while not having to worry about getting dangerously snagged.

3. Able to carry just enough stuff without weighing me down. Momma puts two Gulpy bottles in my pack (one in each bag) so that I can carry my own stuff.

I also carry my own poop bags. Occasionally Momma will stick her jacket in there or winter spikes. I don't mind helping out. Also, when I was just little, Momma waited til I was at least 6 months old (when my growth plates were fused) to put the pack on me, completely empty at first of course. That way I got used to it and ran around the yard with it on whenever we were out. Now it comes second nature and I know when Momma grabs that pack it's time to play!!! I love my pack!

4. Has a soft sturdy handle on my upper back for Momma to grab ahold of in emergencies or to help me scramble big boulders. Momma uses this quite a bit. Sometimes we climb over big stuff and her legs are a lot longer than mine so when I'm scared and whine she'll grab ahold of my handle and help boost me over difficult obstacles. Then I will yip sharply to tell her how happy and excited I am! Other times, when I am off leash and another dog or person comes into our view unexpectedly, she'll hold me with this handle to keep me still without grabbing my collar. I have been trained that when she holds onto my thick leather collar, that is giving me permission to pull on it. It is part of my protection training- she has control over me but I can bark and snarl ferociously at bad people without fear of being reprimanded. Finally, she'll sometimes take off my pack after a very long hard run to give me a break. She uses a beaner to snap onto that handle (or there is also a light D-ring above the handle) to attach it to her own pack.

Momma also puts a cool Road-ID (see the left side of Momma's blog to click on their link!) on my pack just in case we are separated. Yes, I am chipped and tattooed but you can never have too many identifiers to make it easier for those locating me right?

oops! After Momma took this picture she realized it had her old phone number on it! Time for a new one!

So there it is straight from Argos's mouth (I typed since that whole lack of opposable thumb thing). I really like the new packs Ruff Wear has come up with and even like the Palisades pack for long distance hiking, allowing you to carry food and water. The Approach pack serves our needs the best for it's slim line, small bag size, especially for running. The Singletrack looks great, but I would have to try it on him to see if the Gulpy bottles would fit. I don't like the idea of the platypus bladders since I would also need to carry a collapsable bowl.

One thing about Gulpy: I love these bottles. They are super convenient and just handy-dandy. Love them. However, I have had a few issues with them. They are not very durable, especially if you drop them on hard surfaces. Even just one time...

I eventually had to throw out one of the reservoirs because it became so cracked.

I contacted Gulpy about this issue and they responded that they have since revamped their product to be more sturdy. I was promised two new bottles to replace my damaged products, however I have yet to get them. I am not a fan of people/companies that promise you things and then don't deliver. They also said they are also working on a third upgrade to these bottles to make them even better, again promised a proto-type but haven't heard from them in months. I was really hoping to do a blog on their new product so I could gush about them even more. I'll send them a final "poke" and we'll see what happens.

Any other questions? Feel free to ask me or Argos!

A Warm Weather Run Along the Hogback

2011-11-22T21:47:00.002-07:00

It broke into the high 50's today with the sun shining and a few clouds in the distance. I had to get outside! Pup and I went over to Matthew Winters Park and did the 7 mile loop starting from the trailhead: along Red Rocks Trail up Morrison Slide, continue onto Red Rocks Trail (south) to Dakota Ridge. Followed Dakota Ridge all the way up along Hogback and back down to the trailhead parking lot. I let little man play in the creek by the bridge when we got back. His reward for running hard core with me.

I wished I had the balls to decently ask this guy for his picture, but I wasn't sure if he could stop! He was impressive: a complete AKA (Above the Knee Amputation) who had a cool looking prosthetic and was hauling ass on his mountain bike. The prosthetic (which appeared to go all the way to his hip) looked like two simple bars of metal- one for his thigh and one for his calf and all clipped into a pedal. I love seeing guys like him, working around his disability and living life to its fullest. I am ashamed of myself some days when I moan about how hard or difficult some things are...seriously? This is being burned permanently inside my head for those pep talks I sometimes give myself during races/running. I know, for sure, if I ever lost a limb I would get a wicked looking prosthetic that would make full-limb peeps jealous and keep on running up these mountains!

Yeah, I'm climbing that!

Seriously fun and hard trail to run!

What the heck? Where is this mysterious shooting range?! I must know?! BYOG? Count me in!

DONE!

At home I made some Spiced Orange Chai Concentrate from FoodiewithFamily. OMG it's delish and to be frank, I am a chai snob. This recipe is too sweet for my delicate taste buds so I would cut down on the sugar next time, or leave it out all together and sweeten each serving as I reheat it.

My simplified version:

4 1/2 c. water

1 stick cinnamon, broken into pieces

1 piece ginger root, (2-4") chunked

8 whole cardamom pods

2 whole star anise pods

10 whole cloves

8 whole black peppercorns

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

half orange, sliced (unpeeled)

10 black or green tea bags (I used black- English Breakfast or Assam)

1/2 Cup raw sugar

1 Tbs. Honey

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

Instructions: Bring water to boil, add spices and tea. Remove from heat, cover and let steep 20 minutes. Strain, add sugar through vanilla and store chilled in a large jar up to a month.

To serve: Mix 1:1 milk to Chai. May reheat or serve chilled.

Chilly Cheeks

2011-11-16T23:15:00.005-07:00

My truck registered 32 chilly degrees at the trail head of Gudy Gaskill today. I have been battling a nasty sinus infection over the weekend so hadn't run since Friday (treadmill). Cowboy has been absolutely fabulous taking care and pampering me. It's been nice.

Early morning over the weekend I came home from work and felt absolutely miserable. Throat sore, sinus pressure making my head feel like it was in a vice, and overall aches. I curled up on the couch and pulled the largest fluffiest blanket I could find completely over me and, to the pup's dismay, promptly checked out of the world in a deep slumber. I awoke when Cowboy got home and gently peeled a corner back from my "blanket pod" while softly planting kisses on my forehead and neck. I love when he wakes me up like that. I mumbled something unintelligible (he had already been alerted to me not feeling well during the night via text). He whispered for me to go back to sleep and he would make me some breakfast. A bit later the aroma of french toast met my nose as I slowly, exposing only inches of skin at a time, emerged from my cocoon. He had made not only French toast, but Eggnog French Toast. Wow...and YUM.

Throughout the weekend, with his continued pampering of hot tea runs, kleenex, and movie dates in bed, I felt better quicker than I've ever beat a cold before (well, that and the swig of apple pie moonshine I managed to score). I even felt good enough to join him for his teaching of a Concealed Carry class down at the gun shop. There were a few women in the class and he wanted me to be able to lend my expertise if needed. I had brought my book to read off to the side as he taught but by the end of the night I had read only two pages. I love watching and listening to him teach; he is such an entertaining speaker. By the way, if you live in the area and are looking to get your CCW, he's offering a huge discount for the holiday months of $100 for the four hour class. Check out his website for more info.

Anyways, the weekend over and feeling much better, I headed out for a short 3 mile run just to get the muscles warm and joints moving. I needed to loosen up all the mucous in my head too and give my lungs a bit of a workout. I bundled up extra warm since I knew, being sick and all, I was going to be cooler than normal. I even wore my smartwool neck gator pulled up over my face to keep the air moist and warm.

It proved to be a perfect combination of clothes and movement for I warmed up quickly and my lungs felt really good with the neck gator. Argos was excited to be out and it did me good to do a short sprint up the mountain and back. Argos even got to run among three horses, cowering just a touch as he realized he was no longer the "big man" of the crowd. The horses paid him no mind though as he wound around their feet, chasing the three other dogs the riders had along with them.

Glad to be feeling better...

Fun at The Bear

2011-11-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for hot showers!

Pup and I headed out for a chilly run at Lair O' the Bear to chase the blues away. Leaving home my thermometer said 43 degrees and sunny, however once we arrived at the trail head it was a chilly 34 degrees with a very slight breeze. Brrr! Ask me how cold this is in a few months and I'll probably shrug it off but during these months that are 30-40's and chilly one day followed by a day or two of 50-60 degree temps, my body never seems to be able to adjust quickly. It's in an "in-between" stage and confused, I think. If I layer with shirt and sweater I sweat, if I take off the sweater for a long sleeve shirt I freeze...I just can't get it right til it becomes full blown winter. For now, I enjoy lounging around the house in a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and super fuzzy pj pants!

Dressed in CW-X 3/4 tights, a long sleeved wicking shirt, and a light weight wind jacket we set off down the trail. I had preemptively shoved a set of hot hands in the ta-tas to keep the core warm and I immediately slid on my windstopper gloves when the breeze reached my slender fingers. A smartwool cap was in my pack just in case.

Lair O' the Bear parking lot was relatively empty and, looking back, I only passed one mountain biker on my way back down to the car. For the most part I had the entire park to myself! The first mile was pretty icy alongside the creek. I was shivering slightly but knew as soon as I got moving steadily I would warm. I had packed my Kahtoola microspikes in Argos' pack (what a nice pup to carry those for me!) and I found myself slipping them on within the first few hundred feet. What an amazing difference, holy cow. I have had only a small handful of times I have gotten to use them since purchasing them at the tail end of last winter. I had forgotten how great these spikes were. As an avid (previous) user of Yak Trax I can tell you with an honest loving heart to go toss those crappy Yak Trax in the trash and buy yourself some Kahtoolas.

The microspikes dug effortlessly into the snow crusted ice and clung as if I were climbing up the face of a mountain. I had no fear of falling but made sure to lift my legs a little extra to clear the spikes from their grip. It was awesome and I didn't have to adjust my pace or speed as I cruised through the mile-ish of treacherous ice. After we started to climb, the ground cleared up with a few very short icy patches along the switchbacks, I shed my wind jacket, and replaced the spikes back into the pup's pack.

He was full of energy and pounced, scrambled, slid, and bounced along the trail and into every single snow patch he could find. I hadn't been able to get him out the last few days for a run and it was showing. He was happy to be out. In fact, he did the entire 10.25 miles with me without slowing down and falling behind! This just reiterates to me he needs this as much as I do.

We made it up to Panorama Point, swung back around and continued on Bear Creek Trail until we connected with Meadowview Trail. At this point I realized it was getting close to having to get my butt to work so I took a very longing look forward and turned back around. I left the spikes off at the end and just practiced quick delicate stepping with a continuous forward motion across the ice. I did just fine.

Back at the car, I climbed in and looked down at the dash clock. What the heck?! And then I realized that I had forgotten to take my watch off Daylight Saving Time and it was really an hour earlier than I had thought. Dang it, I totally had time for a longer run! Oh well, I decided, I shall take an extra long shower and pamper myself today.

On the way home my sweat soaked shirt started to chill and I was shivering. Heated seats on (sigh, I give thanks for those too) and heat blasting I finally got home, grabbed a bowl full of homemade yogurt with fruit and nut muesli, and bee-lined for the shower. The hot steam and water hitting my chilled body was one of THE best feelings ever. For that, I was oh so grateful!

I slipped into bed with my honey for a quick nap before work and, as I began to doze, heard the pup on his bed snorting out soft dreamy barks in his sleep.

Pondering Giving Thanks

2011-11-06T12:04:00.001-07:00

Life has been a bit hectic at our household lately with preparing for the cold months ahead (prepping house, food, and vehicles), working overtime to finish tying up a few last strands of debt, and staying on top of our health and fitness with the sludgy overcast days trying to convince us to stay inside curled up under the quilt. It's been so busy that I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and have some quiet time to appreciate my life and all the people/things in it. I make a frequent and conscious effort to think of all that I am grateful for and how I can be a better person to those around me.

Today I took a little moment of quiet alone time and did just that. I have a lot to be thankful for and I hope I show it to those that matter. I thought back, the good and the bad, along with each individual that has come into my life to stay and those that left an imprint before fading into the past. As for the fading imprints: Some were great, though short-lived friendships of my childhood, others were difficult or destructive relationships of my not-so-distant past, and then there were others where, like irregular pieces of a puzzle, they just didn't "fit" and I had to walk away from. This, although necessary, was also usually painful. Crazy or not, I feel that every person has been put into my life for one reason or another; a lesson learned from each. For this I am grateful.

Even the individuals that hurt me the most, left me a little scarred or broken, I can honestly say I am thankful to have had my time with them. These people encased my body in pain, torment, and tears; left me smoldering and wilted, feeling small, helpless, and unloved/unlovable. When I walked away, cutting their festering disease out of my life, I was called hateful names attached with false accusations.

I am grateful, you see, because without this deep agony I would not have been forced to acknowledge my own strength and how, subsequently, I became even stronger and unwaveringly determined because of it. For once I took complete charge of my life and my future and learned to appreciate things/relationships I took for granted before. After having all my material possessions removed from me I realized abruptly that although it sucks to suddenly have nothing, material possessions most definitely do not equal happiness. Stuff still remains just a mass of replaceable stuff, where as the loving support of family and friends is priceless. For those that tried to pound me and my esteem into the dirt there were so many that held me up, brushed off my battered wings, and helped me fly.

I learned how to stand up for myself and my needs, wants, and beliefs. I have learned that "settling" for anything less is just unacceptable. I am not perfect by any means and there is still much healing to do, but I try very hard to live my life and treat others the way I wish to be treated. I have also learned that it is a necessity to discard those that are negative, unkind, dishonest, and morally corrupt in my life. I don't have room for liars, cheaters, boasters, sneaks, downers, users, or poor-me's, nor am I to be a hypocrite of that which I despise.

I also dig deep and remember the times that these individuals brought me happiness and laughter. It is important for me to remember the good times too as I would like to think (hope) that I chose to be around these people for a reason other than to be their punching bag.

As I remembered events that spanned through my life I eventually came to the present, or events leading up to the present. I am overwhelmed with appreciation and love to the nth degree. I may not be exactly where I want to be in terms of place of residence and having the "ultimate" dream job but life is a journey and one I am currently extremely happy to be on. I feel I have grown so much over the past few years, I have learned much about living, what makes me happy, and how to honestly not give a darn if others don't approve or think false of me. I truly am the happiest I have ever been in my adult life.

I met my husband in such an odd turn of events and although we hit it off immediately as inseparable friends, we didn't start dating until the following year. He was a rare find; a heart full of warmth and love, he could make me smile and laugh at the drop of a dime. I felt a deep connection to him the very day I met him yet I put off forming any relationship with him for my own personal reasons. He made it very known what his wishes were to me but waited in the wings for me to "come around to him". To this day I am eternally grateful he waited for me. His gentle persistence, constant affection, and addicting presence soon had me won over and I agreed to date. Looking back, I see he had actually won my heart over nearly the day I met him. I was intrigued from the beginning but we both agreed we were glad we had taken things slowly and got to know each other "old fashioned-like". The very day we simply held hands was like a steady stream of soft electricity rippling through my body. I loved the way he felt to me and he treated me like no other before. He proposed shortly after dating and were wed just a few months after that (moving in together just shy of our wedding date). Those that knew us exclaimed joyfully, "What took you two so long!". There was no question in my mind that I was marrying my soul mate.

Fast forward a bit and I see more and more people who steadily make my life a better place: an amazing family who has all but legally adopted us into their lives- they were even the very ones we chose to have marry us, my sister and brother who (although I don't get to see or talk to them often) I miss terribly and wish I could share my life with more, my parents who are both still married and are filled with love/respect for each other, my husband's family who showered me with love the moment they met this crazy girl who'd they never met before but was to wed their son in a mere week (I'll never be able to thank them enough for accepting me so openly like they did), a close girlfriend who has gone through pain of her own and doesn't judge me for my craziness and tears but offers constant support, the list goes on and on.

Every single day I make sure to tell my husband how much I appreciate him, how much I love him, and how thankful I am that he chose me. He tells me I'm delusional for marrying a goof like him and that he is glad I am off my rocker! I let him think he has "married up" but for me, I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Besides the wonderful people in my life, I am thankful for my good health and being able to run, jump, and play. I am thankful for the mountains I see every day, beckoning me into their mysterious and comforting shadows. I am thankful for having two furry pets that love me and are excited every day to see me. I am thankful for my teeth, my eyes, my truck, peanut butter, and a good paying job that lets me buy healthy food and a clean safe place to live. Finally, I am thankful for a wonderful childhood full of camping, night games of kick-the-can, sports, birthday cake, farm animals, skinny dipping in the creek, dancing, music, 4-H camp, and lots and lots of books.

Happy November and giving thanks.

Fabulous Muddy-Icy Run: Deer Creek Canyon

2011-10-31T21:03:00.003-06:00

After a huge snowfall this past week,

we were treated with warm temperatures and thus, snow melt. I was giddy with excitement at the tail end of the week to get out for a deliciously muddy run! Today, after a yummy fruit-laden waffle breakfast and morning coffee, we headed to Deer Creek Canyon for a run. Temps were around 60 with a touch of a breeze rattling around the fallen crisp leaves.

Little Man's print running ahead of me.

What an amazing run! I hit "The Wall" part of the trail and had to hike it because of ice and slush. I cursed myself for not bringing my Kahtoola spikes, but soon enough it cleared up in large runnable sections. It was chilly along here in shorts but felt amazing after all the heat and sun during the prior desert-y section. As long as I kept moving I felt great.

A run isn't perfect unless done with a large stick!

Argos was crazy this run. I paused for a moment right at the top of Homestead Trail, scrolling through my tunes for the perfect song, while getting ready to hit some super fun downhill. Argos picked up an even bigger stick and started racing back and forth, back and forth along the single track. He would hit some imaginary line down the trail that only he could see and skid to a halt, paws sliding and kicking up dirt. Then he would swing his back end around and race back to me. He would loop around me, dodging me as if I were about to go after him, emit a low playful growl, skid to another imaginary line behind me, and race back down the trail. At around every fifth loop he would drop his stick and bark a huge happy bark then pick up his stick and race off again. Nuts I tell you.

I recently started feeding him a higher ratio of raw food so I'm not sure if it was that or not, but he was bouncing around like Tigger and sliding his face around in the snow with his butt up in the air. He was one super happy puppy today!

We met up with Cowboy and hiked a short bit. Then we parted ways at an intersection to meet back up again at the parking lot. Pup and I climbed back up the mountain as Cowboy headed down. Here, Argos is keeping a very watchful eye on Daddy below (all the while mumbling his extreme displeasure to me) to make sure he is good & safe before we continue on our way. Argos becomes very stressed whenever "the pack" is split. For a good bit he would run back and forth between us (which we encouraged to wear his puppy-ness out) and bark sharply before finally deciding to stick with Momma.

swirly clouds

Who shat that? BEAR!

Freshly showered in super fuzzy pj's, lounging around with a cup of hot tea, happy at home with a snoring dog, and about to watch a goofy movie with the love of my life...that is how I roll on Halloweenie!

Gudy Run with MtnRunner

2011-10-26T11:33:00.002-06:00

This past weekend held absolutely beautiful weather so I decided to head out for a run with friend MtnRunner. We did 8 miles (to the mini waterfall on Beaver Brook and back) and it felt wonderful. I had been feeling under the weather the night before and almost bailed on him. I slept most of the day and had a great breakfast; it definitely paid off. I felt great most of the run although the ups had me huffing and puffing like an asthmatic. Whatever I had felt myself coming down with the night before I believe I kicked it's ass during this run.

Argos, as always, was super excited to see MtnRunner. As we headed back from Beaver Brook I was tempted to keep running more miles but we had a dinner date with friends planned and didn't want to make us late (I'm notorious for this).

See MtnRunner's write up and awesome pics here.

Cowboy's friends had invited us into the mountains to their home in Wundervu for dinner. Argos was invited along to play with their two white German Shepherds. We all piled into the car (after scrubbing off the layers of salt and sweat) and headed west. Wondervu was so gorgeous, wow. As we pulled off the main highway onto a nearly 4WD dirt road I knew I was going to love this area. Cowboy insisted I drive since he had been to this house before and knew I would love driving the crazy dirt road.

We crested over a big hill and there lay a view that made my jaw drop. Mountains, snow capped and looming, a big green lush valley dotted with an occasional glass-sided house. Cowboy's friends were super nice and the food was delicious. I snapped a few pics off their balcony and of Argos hanging with his friends.

What mountain is this? And yes, if given the chance I probably would have taken off for a run right then.

Friends!!!

Imagine waking up to this every. single. morning. Sigh....

One thing I noticed was that as soon as I walked into their house and to the back wall of windows my jaw dropped with the view. I asked both the husband and then the wife, "Do you know what mountains all those are?" pointing to the panorama in front of me. My brain was buzzing, overloaded with the running/hiking possibilities.

They both admitted they had no idea what mountains were what. "We have a picture map somewhere of it all," they said. I was floored. No offense meant, but how the heck could you live in this enormous beauty of an area and not know what you are looking at as you sip your coffee early in the morning?

I, for sure, would know every peak and valley!

To give them a little credit, I recall living at the beach during college. The first time I moved there I was in awe of the area and the beauty of the beach. I drove there pretty much every single day, sometimes twice, to just walk or sit and watch the sunset. After a year or two I still enjoyed the beach but the "glow" and excitement of it all started to fade and it became:

Friend: You live at the beach?!!! How awesome!!

Me: Eh, yeah it's cool. It's the beach....

I took it for granted and it lost it's glamour. The trips to the beach started to just make me think of all the tourist activity and annoyances.

Maybe this is where Cowboy's friends were at. Also, I realize I see things a bit differently as a trail runner. The world is my playground, where as many people don't venture into this land for more than just a short walk. I will let them off the hook just this once:)

Fall! Fall! Fall!

2011-10-05T16:14:00.000-06:00

Fall is here!

My 8 mile cool 63 degree run at Gudy.

Sigh....I really really love my life.

The day before I had so many errands to run that I didn't get to run outside and ended up shlumping my behind up onto my treadmill. Feeling kind of bored with it all I decided to pop in one of the SD iFit cards I had purchased a few years back when I got the treadmill. Every time I went to use the cards I screwed up my face and agreed to the inner voice in me that I could give myself a kick ass workout without some stinkin' card that had me walking occasionally. I would flick the cards aside as I started up the belt to run...I didn't want to walk.

The cards were in three levels at the store, 1-3. Feeling quite fit and athletic I bought two of the level 3: Performance and Sculpting.

Yesterday I chose the Sculpting card for the very first time and slid it into the slot on my mill and pressed START.

Holy Crap I take it all back. I was humbled pretty dang quick.

I normally run anywhere from a 1.5% incline to a 2.5% just to get the feel of "outside". Occasionally I crank it to 4-6%. I also run about a 6.5-7.5 speed in general (about a 7.5-8min mile).

This level 3 shit had my lazy (apparently) ass sprinting for several minutes at a time at a 5% incline and a 8-8.5 speed. My patootie was hauling like she's never hauled before...at least on a suckmill.

Shamefully I admit I jumped off the out of control machine exactly twice for about 30 seconds to catch my breath. I felt sore immediately after getting off the treadmill an hour later, however the next day I felt it but I wasn't hurting. It did make me realized my potential and how bad I had been slacking on the treadmill all my other runs. I WAS fully capable of running a 4% incline at 8 (struggling at 8.5 a bit) for awhile and I should take advantage of that. I need to push myself more. Thank you iFit for handing my ass to me today and showing me what a slacker I have been.

My only complaint was the workout was divided into a handful of segments or legs. After each segment it would completely decline and stop the belt entirely. Once you were ready to go onto the next segment you pressed START and got ready for another round of holy hell. I don't like to come to an abrupt halt after revving my heart rate into the near tipping point of collapse. It's not good for the body to say the least. I would rather the belt come to a gradual nice brisk walking pace while I catch my breath and ready myself for some more torture. This way my muscles stay loose and warm and my heart rate/breathing return to a more steady state but still remain elevated.

Cowboy had a good point when I related my trip to the land of extreme and back. He said, "Every time the belt stops, get off and do 10 sit ups/push ups, then get back on baby!" Great idea:) I love it. Of the men I have been with he truly "gets" me 100%. Instead of looking at me crossly and saying, "why the hell would you want to put yourself through that? You're running in place going absolutely nowhere" he rather grins at me proudly and while tossing out a remark about my sexy something-or-other encourages me back towards this side of crazy. He is my kind of crazy.

Today, on my run at Gudy I felt re-energized and found myself running more of the climbs than I usually do with less effort. I am pleased. It was a good sweaty run and now the pup is pooped. I call that a fabulous day.

Does Anyone Recognize This Picture?

2011-10-03T12:17:00.000-06:00

I had this gorgeous picture which was destroyed, it meant a lot to me. I know not the artist or the name of the picture. Does anyone recognize this and can help me recover another print?

Thanks in advance...

Much Needed Camping Trip

2011-09-19T12:33:00.001-06:00

Sunday, Cowboy and I headed to the base of Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive for an overdue camping trip. We drove up Halfmoon Creek Rd just passed Leadville until it became a 4-wheel drive trail. Kicking the 4Runner (man I love this vehicle) into 4-lo we kept going on the rugged single track. We picked out a campsite right near the creek nestled between the two mountains. It was magnificent.

Tonight's dinner: Foil packet dijon chicken, Rice-a-Roni mixed with chicken kielbasa, and toasted marshmallows with hot cocoa.

The area was almost completely void of other campers so Argos was free to roam and frolic as he wished. He LOVED the water and would play for hours in it, dunking his ball in the water, chasing sticks, and just swimming in circles against the current.

We spent our days lounging, reading, napping, and hiking. It was perfect.

What a handsome boy.

This was across the creek from our campsite. It looked like one of those beasts from the movie The 13th Warrior.

I love my life.

Whatcha lookin' at?!

We hiked to a really cool waterfall

We nicknamed this "Elephant Butt Rock"

How's the view from your bedroom?

Tuesday we hiked Mt. Massive. I had been wanting to run both Mt. Elbert (monday) and Mt. Massive (tuesday) but the weather was being unpredictable- drizzling, temps down to 20's-30's in the morning and evening, and thunderclouds rolling overhead in waves. Between the thunder there were long periods of sun and warmth. It didn't affect our activities down at our campsite but at 14,000' I didn't want to take the risk of getting zapped. Hindsight: I'm glad the way things turned out. It was nice to hike and chat and be together. The running of the two fourteeners will be on my to-do list for next season!

Memorial for soldiers who died in a crash during training.

Cowboy: "Holy crap we're going all the way up there?!"

What beautiful country we live in...

Click pic to enlarge: there's a cool lake across there, nestled into the mountain. It's so blue-green and although it was a little chilly on the mtn, I wanted to dive into that lake!!

Argos had found a little mud puddle which he played in then promptly laid down and took a nap while waiting for Cowboy to catch up.

I thought this mountain face was cool- looked like some big monster had taken his nails and carved a claw through the side of it.

"CHIRP" says the marmot.

Cowboy had to be back to work that night so he decided to turn around and head back down, "you keep going." He said to me, "Try to reach the summit and you'll catch up to me on the way down." So I left him with the already pooped pup and I ran ahead to see how far I could get.

The 14er book I owned stated the trail we had chosen was only 5.8miles round trip. Either the book was horribly wrong, my GPS was completely off, or we had taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on a different path...

At nearly 6 miles up, I was still not at the top and had passed a gentleman hiker who told me I was a good 1-2hrs from the summit. WHAT?!?! I convinced myself for sure he was wrong as I could see I was nearly to the top of the trail. I gave myself 15 more minutes to then stop and re-evaluate my situation. Time was ticking by and I knew I had to head down soon. 15 minutes later I was closer to the top but still had a good bit of climbing to go. My boots (I had chosen hiking boots over my running shoes that day) were starting to rub me raw in the heel and my choice of Smartwool socks were causing my feet to sweat. Dang. I turned around and started running downhill to meet back up with Cowboy. I sure did have summit fever, but after making the choice to turn around I instantly knew it was the right one.

As soon as I caught up with Cowboy he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He told me how he had met the same hiker who had told him how far I was from reaching the summit. Afraid I was going to try to keep going, he had gotten worried about my safety and my being alone. It didn't give him a good feeling and obviously troubled Argos as he had utterly refused to continue down any further without me. He had sat his furry butt down and wouldn't budge. Cowboy gave me a huge hug as Argos danced happy circles around us and we all headed down together. It is good to feel loved!

We all piled back into the car, tired and soaked with sweat, and headed into Leadville for a bite to eat. A greasy but delightful meal later (I had the Philly cheesesteak with hot chicken veggie soup) at the Saloon and we continued our trip back into reality...out of the mountains and towards the city.

I used a new product this trip called wetfire firestarting packets. They turned out fabulous, are nicely compact, and I would recommend them.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-09-07T05:30:00.000-06:00

Cowboy surprised me with a boxed set of the trilogy "Hunger Games" and an awesome chest rig from Maxpedition.

He then planned a party with a handful of great friends for the weekend. We grilled, we ate, we drank rootbeer, we played Cornhole. What more could you ask for?

The next day we slept in, ate waffles with fresh sliced strawberries, and headed out for a run/hike at a new trail: Maxwell Falls in Evergreen. I can't recall how I discovered this trail online but it had great reviews and was dog-friendly even though it was relatively short for a run.

Maxwell Falls lower parking lot

The trail was supposedly a 4 mile out-n-back hike with some pretty falls at the end, therefore I figured I would start off hiking with Cowboy and then pick up into a run. I was going to run ahead then double back to check in here and there while also gaining some extra mileage.

The trail started out in a patch of thick woods and began climbing. Soft dirt with a lot of roots, I immediately liked it! There were a lot of people (it was Labor Day of course) heading back towards the trail head as we had started out later in the day. It was a beautiful forested run. Just a short distance up the trail was a large intersection in the trail. There were 4 different paths that branched off ahead of me. No signage but one single post to the path straight ahead of me held a yellow outlined arrow. I continued straight following the arrow.

I eventually came to a bridge with a fork in the road just past. Left stated "Maxwell Falls" while right stated "Cliff Loop". Hmmmm. I decided to take the right since I was far enough ahead of Cowboy that I could always double back and still meet him at the Falls. I texted him my plans and continued on when I got the go-ahead. Heading onto Cliff Loop I found the trail to be nearly void of people (YAY!). I did meet a couple with a dog who gave me great directions as to where this trail led to and advised me to "stay left of the next fork in the road. You will see a blank post in the middle of the fork." I thanked them and continued on.

I came to the post and kept left. I lost the trail a few times when the dirt began to turn rocky. I arrived at some truly cool cliffs so I figured I was in the general area of where I was supposed to be. The trail wound around up onto some cool cliffs with gorgeous views. I saw a few rock circles with old campfire ash in the center. On the edge of the cliffs some of the rocks held metal hooks for rock climbers to use. I could imagine this would be a great place to hang out, climb, and camp. Waking up to the sunrise off the cliffs and feeling the warmth spread along the boulders would be magical.

The trail finally came to a "T". The sign post was a little confusing but I chose to go left and down which brought me to the Falls area. Just in time, I met up with Cowboy as he made his final ascent to the Falls. Sadly, our expectations were dented as the "falls" turned out to be just a small stream of water cascading down some rocks. I figure this event is much more exciting come spring with all the snow melt. Right now everything was so dried up. It was still pretty and we walked along the creek while Argos splashed and lapped. Then we kissed and headed back down the trail (I continued back along Cliff Loop).

We met up again at the bridge, hiked a little and chatted about the book Atlas Shrugged, and then I took off running again soaking up the glorious downhill.

We previously ended up buying a copy of Atlas Shrugged in hardback but found neither of us had the time or patience to pick our way through such an enormous volume. I ended up listening to the abridged version on audio book and loved it while Cowboy was listening to the unabridged version. He would report back every so often as to where he was in the novel so that I could compare the two versions and see how much I "missed" by reading the abridged. So far I find that I didn't really miss a lot. The ideas and speeches were still there but slightly reduced with precision. The content was all there without all the erroneous details. I found her speeches to be amazing but incredibly lengthy. I mean, really, who talks like that...lecturing an individual for pages upon pages while the lecturee just stands there listening?

The book is a great conversational piece to dissect. You'd have to be brain dead not to thoroughly admire the noble and courageous speeches the characters deliver chapter after chapter. We both agreed how utterly amazing it would have been to have one of our former presidents such as Reagan deliver a speech by Ayn Rand (or even have her as THE presidential speech writer). Of course, you would have to have it be a president that would actually back up his words with some serious action for the full jaw-dropping effect.

Anyways, I would love to revisit Maxwell Falls for another trail run especially to check out those other trails that branched off from the main one. Maybe more around spring time and on a week day where there may be less people to navigate around.

My run ended up being about 6.5ish miles since I took the longer way around to the falls via Cliff Loop. If I would've taken Maxwell Falls trail the entire way it would have been closer to a total of 4 miles.

Lair o' the Bear and a Super Smoothie!

2011-08-25T02:42:00.002-06:00

Just had a fabulous 3hr run at Lair 'o the Bear (Cowboy hiked while I ran: yay!). Poor pup was pooped as we let him frolick for nearly half an hour in the creek after. Once he got the hang of it he would swim back and forth up and down the current, dunking his head underwater to retrieve drowned sticks and bark happy sharp barks to us. One seriously happy pup we had there.

Meadowview Trail

Today I made one of my best protein smoothies yet, I think I shall dub it Super Berry Crush:

Orange juice
Frozen cranberries
Fresh sliced strawberries (previously sliced with a tad of sugar)
One package of fresh raspberries
One scoop of berry Green Superfood
Few large scoops of homemade plain yogurt
Heaping spoonful of Chia seeds
One scoop of vanilla protein whey

Super tasty and super healthy. Packed with a ton of fresh fruit and, with the superfood, veggies! It was a touch tart (which I like) but for those not wanting the tartness I suggest tossing in a ripe banana. Also might want to add ice for a cooler beverage. Yum!

Rainbows, Unicorns, and Puppy Dog Kisses

2011-08-19T09:11:00.000-06:00

I recall someone once telling me that a) prince charmings don't exist (this was followed with a snide "good luck finding yours") and b) life isn't rainbows, unicorns, and puppy dog kisses.

I disagree completely.

For one, I've definitely found my prince charming and I'm a lucky lucky girl. Second, right now life sure feels impossibly wonderful: like rainbows, unicorns, and even wet sloppy love-you-with-all-my-soul puppy dog kisses.

For once in my life I actually feel like I belong. I am doing everything that I love, I have a great job, my health is better than it has ever been both mentally and physically, and I have an amazing family and circle of friends. Life is fucking beautiful.

My trail runs have been increasingly satisfying. I have vowed to adventure out past my usual front range paths and into the mountains more, pushing my distance too. I want to explore all I can of this wonderful state. I am not above driving an hour for a good long mountain run. I feel so alive lately.

Sometimes mid-run I just stop.
Completely.
And look around.

I take out my ear buds (which I've been wearing less and less of except on some high adrenaline downhills where I just want to rock it out and fly) and stand there in a hushed state. My brain literally buzzes with adrenaline as sweat drips down my face and off my chin, sometimes I can feel it dripping down my belly and sides soaking my shorts. Everything looks greener, brighter, happier. Shaking aspen trees, long grassy fields dotted with wildflowers, or snow-capped mountains; it all awes me. Sometimes there are elk, deer, fox, squirrels, birds, marmots, or coyotes watching me watch them. I take it all in and it makes me smile huge and be extremely thankful for the life I live. One day I won't be able to do this. I used to say "one day I might not..." but that is just silly talk. Sooner or later (hopefully much later rather than sooner) I truly will not be able to do this and that is a matter of life. Whether it be age, injury/accident, or disease, I won't always be in the health I am now and I can ~~sort of~~ accept this. For this reason I wish to do as much as I can now, to see all I can, so that when my "down time" happens I can look back at it all and know I have lived.

Two weeks ago Cowboy and I sold our television. It was a great feeling.

We never watch it except for a rare rental movie here and there. It's not even hooked up to any cable. We catch our news and a random movie on our computers so the tv just sat there in the corner of the living room taking up space. A lot of wasted space. We lounged on the couch one day in silence and just stared at the big rustic tv cabinet trying to make up our minds what to do with it. Within a few short minutes and a little apprehension we both came to the conclusion: let's get rid of it.

A week later we sold it on Craigslist, cabinet and all. In its place we purchased a large gorgeous bookcase with heavy sliding beehive glass doors. We moved our growing book collection from our smaller bookcase (which we thought was big at the time) into the large one and sighed with contentment. It was a beautiful thing we just did. If you didn't know, we both love books and I've been reading more lately than I have ever been (if you don't count my childhood in which my nose was literally stuck in a book 24/7). Along with that bookcase I've started collecting children's books. Who knows what the future holds...

Along with my trail running, I'm hitting the weights more and I'm getting back into eating healthier too. I started putting Chia seeds in my meals and shakes. My favorite quick go-to shake is simply pulpy orange juice, a scoop of vanilla whey powder, and a Tbsp. Chia seeds. It really quite delish- like a orangecicle. Hey I should try freezing this in a popcicle tray (note to self: need to put popcicle trays on my wish list).

A Blog Away From the Norm: My Wilson Combat

2011-08-08T19:38:00.007-06:00

For those looking for a trail run post, this one isn't it. For those who didn't know I was a gun girl and are now appalled, well I'm not apologizing and yeah, I'm a gun girl.

Instead of the normal run post, I want to post a review of my new custom .45 Wilson Combat CQB Compact.

I have purposely waited a bit since it's arrival to post since I wanted some quality time on the range first. Now that I've put almost a thousand rounds downrange, taken it fully apart to clean, and successfully put all pieces together without any extras left over I think I can successfully post a blog on my review.

First off, the arrival of my Wilson brought with it great jealousy and appreciation from my husband who is a gunsmith, as well as an owner and lover of all things 1911. Muahaahaa!

My previous carry gun had a double stacked magazine which, although I loved the gun, was extremely difficult to carry concealed other than purse carry. Purse carry is a great option for women but only as a last resort. As we all know, if someone is going to rob a woman they aren't usually going to ask you to stop, dump out your purse, and hand them your wallet. They are going to snatch your entire purse....now they have your money and your gun. Oh and they have your address from your license which will take them directly to your family (who, depending on their age or view of the world, may or may not be armed).

So, together we did research for several months, internet forums, books, visiting gun stores/shows, playing with multiple firearms from several manufacturers, and narrowing down what works for not only my small hands, but also to fit my small frame as my primary concealed carry firearm. I was met with all kinds of obstacles and annoyances, mainly from local gun shop nut-heads.

Him: How can I help you? (body suddenly puffed up, leaned over, and arms extended wide onto the glass countertop. This behavior reminded me a bit like the way a male bird puffs up for his dominating seduction dance)

Me: I'm looking for a gun for concealment. I want...
**before I get the chance to describe the specifics on the gun I am looking for Mr. Bird struts himself over to another section of countertop as he interrupts me
Him: What you need here then little lady is a nice pink handled snubby. Fits just perfect in that purse of yours and it's so cute.
**okay, he didn't say "little lady" or "it's so cute" but that's what I heard.
Me: No, I don't want a pink gun and not a revolver. I...
**again interrupting me
Him: Well how about a nice .380. This Ruger LCP is quite popular with the women.
Me: (feeling quite frustrated at this point) No. I don't want a .380. I want a .45 do you have any that I can look at?
Him: (wrinkling his brow) Wow, are you sure you want a .45? That's a big gun you know. You sure you can handle that kick?
Me: (now utterly disgusted and wanting to just walk out) Yes, I am sure. Please show me what you have.

At that point I knew for sure I wasn't giving this bonehead any business but I still needed to get my hands wrapped around different guns to see what I did and didn't like about them. Later I started taking my husband along with me but found he too got royally annoyed with the gun shop guys. Not only did they constantly push the pink plinkers but they tended to ignore me all together and just focus on him. He would gently steer the guys back to me stating, "you don't need to talk to me, she's the one buying the gun!"

I also experienced this behavior at gun shows but usually it wasn't directed to me. I overheard a handful of men "educating" their women friends or wives on what gun would be perfect for them. It took all I had not to butt in with my two cents and direct their ill-advised selves to The Cornered Cat website.

One very positive outcome in all this investigating was a comment from my husband who is also a concealed carry and gunfighting instructor here in Colorado. He said to me, "Boy have you opened my eyes and helped teach me all kinds of new things about the obstacles women have to carrying! Us guys have it so easy!"

I finally narrowed it down to either a Nighthawk, Volkmann, or Wilson Combat due the slim frame, single action only trigger, and general concealability with maximum combat effectiveness.

At one gun shop I found a consignment Wilson Combat. As soon as I wrapped my hand around it's checkered backstrap, tucking it firmly into the web of my hand it just felt right. I then extended my finger into the trigger guard and rested it over the trigger, letting it settle just a little shy of the first knuckle. With my arm extended, my wrist and forearm lined up in a straight line with the barrel. It felt like home. I practiced ejecting the magazine, gently racking the slide, looked over the detail of the firearm, and felt the smooth pull of the trigger. I tilted the gun slightly to look at the name engraved in the side "CQB". It was an officers sized model with gorgeous sunburst stocks and a stainless frame. I handed the gun to my husband to look over and with a head nod from him I was sold. Being careful not to have an impulse buy I went home and slept on it, doing further research online when I got home.

Finding that the consignment gun held a price which exceeded the brand new custom price I had a lengthy discussion with the manager of the shop, who called the owner of the gun. The owner was unwilling to go down on his price more than $50 (seriously?!) and the manager was unwilling to even attempt a negotiation with the owner. Neither party was very helpful and I immediately decided to take my business elsewhere. This interaction stained my opinion of that shop big time.

I purchased the Wilson CQB Compact through Freedom First Firearms in Denver, Colorado. They were a rare find and a great shop. The guys knew their stuff and delivered not a single condescending word. They listened to me, payed attention to me, and when asked if they could order a custom gun they said they would be happy to. Happiness all around.

Order was placed and about 6-9 months later Freedom First gave me a buzz to come pick it up.

Call me a snob, but having a firearm where I am the very first (except the maker) to shoot it is pretty dang cool. Specially ordered just for me: Stainless steel frame and slide, rounded butt, and black sunburst stocks (night sights are standard).

From WC site:

"The CQB Compact pistol is hand-fit with a 4" bushing-less, stainless steel match grade bull barrel for extraordinary accuracy in a carry pistol. The CQB Compact includes Wilson Combat legendary Bullet-Proof parts, a skeletonized ultra-light hammer, an ultra-light trigger with a crisp pull adjusted to between 3 1/4 and 3 3/4 pound pull, 30 lpi checkering on the front strap and flat mainspring housing, and our High-Ride Beavertail grip safety."

Specifications

Caliber	45
Magazine Capacity	7 rd.
Barrel Length	4.0"
Overall Length	7.6"
Sight Radius	5.6"
Height	5.1"
Width	1.5"
Weight Empty	33.8 oz.
Weight Loaded	41.0 oz.

So how did it carry concealed? Well here you go:

Crossbreed Supertuck holster (combat cut option)

Yeah this holster is as ugly as they come but dang it is comfortable.

5' 5 1/2" 125lbs

Depending on the thinness of material, I can conceal it pretty well. For example, if I wear thin pants there is a slight muzzle bulge if I'm not careful.

Taking the 1911 to the range proved to be a great experience.

My husband, me, my brother, and my father.

I had practiced with my husband's government sized 1911s first but having my own compact size fit better to my hand albeit the slightly more noticeable recoil from the smaller size.

This was father's day so of course, had to get a daddy-daughter pic!

The trigger was so amazingly smooth and delicious. I was able to place my shots down range with precision and very little hand/arm fatigue. The recoil was gentle and easily managed. As a notoriously sweaty (hey I'm an athlete...) girl I appreciated the coarse checkering in the front and back strap allowing my hand to stay put without sliding during the recoil. My grip from holster to firing was consistent and easy to maintain with the wide left sided safety. I was afraid I would have issues engaging the grip safety as this was very new to me. Out of the near thousand rounds I believe I only had one instance where I did not engage the grip safety properly and had to immediately reposition my hand to disengage the grip safety. The correction was quick and thankfully didn't require great problem solving skills. For some reason I just knew this was it and corrected within seconds. I believe this is something that will just take lots of practice to permanently fix into my habits.

Having been originally taught the modified Weaver stance, I found I tended to tilt my head a little too much to compensate for my right hand-left eye dominace. This time out on the range I worked on the Isosceles Stance for comparison.

I did have a few problems with shots hitting a bit right of where I was aiming. I adjusted my finger by placing a little more of the pad (less knuckle) on the trigger and that fixed my shots! With a lighter trigger pull I realized I needed less assistance of my first knuckle. I felt by using more of my pad I had more control of my shots.

My husband sat down with me and helped go over the firearm's gunsmithing qualities so I could fully appreciate the craftsmanship of my Wilson. He showed me how the beavertail grip safety all lined up flush with the frame parts. He made me slide my fingers over the grooves of the entire gun to see how well it was dehorned. He pointed out things here and there that I normally would have had no idea what I was looking at.

Now to the things I had problems with.

Please note these are really MY issues with my own shortcomings as a person with small hands. This is no direct reference to anything that is actually wrong with the gun. As far as the gun is concerned it was perfect in every way. Out of almost a thousand rounds I did not have a single failure to function. I used mostly Wincester white box 230gr JHP and 200gr lead semi-wad cutter hand loads, making sure to clean thoroughly between changes in ammunition.

So difficulties: I found out early on that it was nearly impossible for me to lock the slide back when manually engaging the slide stop. It had nothing to do with strength as I could pull the slide back far enough. However, to wrap my hand around the frame and reach the slide lock was a no-go. This was frustrating to say the least. My husband suggested I put in an empty magazine when I wanted to lock the slide back but that was not an acceptable solution to the problem for me. I felt I needed to be able to run the gun FULLY if this was going to be my primary carry gun; the one I was to depend on to save my life. During a gun cleaning session (with no live ammo anywhere near us) I practiced and practiced locking the slide back. I positioned my body and hands in a dozen different ways to see what worked for me. I finally figured out a way that was safe and effective, but was in no way smooth or pretty. I was not going to win sexy points for this one.

Second, was my ungraceful maneuver to eject the magazine during reloads. I noticed that although I could do it quickly, it was stuttered with clumsy movements. I realized I was having to adjust my grip every single time I went to hit the magazine release. I had to wind my palm around the thick stocks to reach the button. That also meant that as soon as I was done reloading I was again adjusting my grip back into position for a shot. Ugh. Not pretty either and although fast, was not fast and smooth enough.

Both of these issues came down to the thickness of the stocks. Even with a single stack magazine, the standard stocks were just too big for my slender hands to swiftly carry out necessary movements to work the gun. So, next in line for me: a pair of officers sized slim stocks. It is amazing how very few vendors out there sell slim stocks for an officers sized frame!

In celebration my husband made me an OWB holster out of some carbon fiber kydex I had picked out. I proudly strutted my stuff at the ATF Party the following weekend.

Here are some close-ups of gun and holster.

Overall, I love, love, love my new Wilson Combat CQB Compact. Since both me and my husband have the ability to cover each other's backs we can now also share magazines in the event of an assault. We each carry full sized spare magazines but I keep the short magazine in my gun for concealment reasons.

Courtesy of Oleg Volk

And THIS is what it felt like receiving, holding, and shooting my new Wilson Combat:

Mt. Evans- Finally Conquered

2011-08-03T23:07:00.006-06:00

If you've been following my blog for awhile you might recall a post from last year, leaving a personal bone to pick with Mt. Evans. Left unconquered and un-summited, I had vowed to come back and finish that beast.

Well, Sunday proved to be the day to do it. Shortly after summiting Pike's Peak I emailed MtnRunner2 asking if he was up for it, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to resist. Muaahaahaa! Sure enough he replied the affirmative and we set plans for an adventure in just under two weeks.

We set off at 0530 for the hour long ride up to Echo Lake. On our way up the winding back road to the lake, we came around a sharp corner to see a doe standing in the middle of the road with two teeny tiny bambi fawns underneath her. They were both bucking their heads up into her belly to nurse. They stood there nursing from their momma as we came to a soft halt (cursing the fact that both of us left our cameras in the back of the car) to watch them. They startled and trotted off to the side of the road, the little ones bobbing their heads and ears twitching as they stared at us curiously. They were way too little to realize humans meant danger. It was a great start to our morning.

As we stepped out from the car at Echo Lake a cool dampness hit our exposed skin. A family of campers were huddled in hoodies and gloves around a Coleman stove. We both smiled as we set off onto Chicago Lakes Trail knowing it was perfect running weather!

We warmed up immediately, though both of us commented nearly at the same time how we felt sluggish with heavy legs. I just couldn't get into a groove. We still pressed forward, admiring the beauty of the morning around us.

Passed Chicago Lakes and headed up to Summit Lake. There were a couple of tenters around here just waking up and having their morning coffee. Mtnrunner2 and I both chatted about how camping along Chicago Lakes would be the perfect spot.

Looking back down upon Chicago Lakes.

Mountain Goats!!! (babies too)

We curved right (around the goats) and came upon Summit Lake. Summit Lake parking lot was buzzing with activity unloading hikers and bikers from cars. M. mentioned that the Colorado Initiative built a trail just down the road so we decided to opt out of the Mt. Evans trail (starting to swarm with hikers) and head up the road a bit.

I'll never admit this out loud, but that flat(ish) road felt so good to my legs and feet. As a runner who had caught the trail bug a few years ago I had completely sworn off all running which involved pavement (except for the few triathlons I participated in a year). I hated road with a passion- not only did it hurt my body from head to toe but it was excruciatingly b-o-r-i-n-g.

With the strenuous beastly climb of Chicago Lakes Trail, however, the road was singing a sweet, sweet tune to me that day. I almost had a change of heart. Almost.

***A good friend and trainer of mine often reminisces his painful ascent up Mt. Evans road as the hardest run he's ever done. We have this friendly teasing timed competition going on. Not to make light of his hard work and kick ass time up the mountain, however..... "T." Get off the road and onto trail and then you can call yourself a badass:) These are two way different animals***

We swerved off the road and headed up the C.I. Trail. Now the real fun began. This shit was steep and rocky. My quads were protesting immensely.

Looking waaay back down at the road just past Summit Lake. We passed a group of hikers at the base and didn't realize how fast we were climbing until we looked down and still saw them way at the bottom trying to catch their breath.

Wildflowers were everywhere.

Almost to the true summit.

At this point we were cresting over the ridge onto the Summit parking lot. Needless to say we received more than a handful of strange looks in our running garb and water bottles. M. stated he would've been rich if he had been paid for every time he was asked what he was training for (most people asked "Leadville"?) When we shook our heads and said, "No, just for the fun of it." People scrunched their noses in disbelief and distain gasping, "YOU ARE SO CRAZY."

Remains of the Crest House.

Crest House 1950 (a fire gutted the insides)

Sawtooth to Mt. Bierstadt

Summit Success!

Besides the typical rapid heart rate and breathing, I had no other issues with the altitude. However there is one mystery in which I cannot figure out. I handed my camera to a young man in a group of people to take my picture (M was off taking another couple's picture). After the man snapped a couple of pictures of me we got to talking and joking around. As M. rejoined me, I waved at the group, took a step back towards the trail, and realized I forgot to get my camera back from him. I headed back to the group and then noticed I had my camera tucked back into the little pouch of my chest pack right where it belongs.

I had no recollection of taking my camera back from this guy or putting it in my pouch. None. Try as I might I couldn't squeeze even a flash of memory of this event. There was a big stark white blank where this memory should have been. Seriously it was kind of freaky. I talked to M about it and we both chalked it up to altitude.

With that, we headed back down. Our intense climb up resulted in a part slide, part scree-ski down. It was literally like skiing. Turn and slide to the right, turn and slide to the left, repeat. It was a little slow going just for the sake of safety. At one point my shoe got caught mid-slide between two rocks and my body (minus my right foot) pitched forward. An adrenaline surge rushed through my body as I lurched forward until I felt the sharp tug of my shoe pinning me back down into place. I took a few breaths, re-righted myself, unstuck my foot, and let the adrenaline drain out from my muscles as I contemplated my near disaster. Granted not as stellar and epic as a fall off the sheer side of a mountain, but this would've been nasty and I could've guaranteed at least a little blood shed. Once my heart returned back out of my throat to it's rightful place in my chest, I slowly picked my way back down to safer and smoother running ground.

looking back up

Cowboy decided to meet us (with the pup of course!) at Summit Lake on our way back down. He was our impromptu aid station and we were thrilled. We both had just run out of water and were discussing treating some water at the lake for a refill. Cowboy pulled out the 7 gallon spare water jug we keep in our car for emergencies and helpfully filled our bottles. Then we stood around and snacked on power bars, pb&j, and a Tanka bar. Argos was in hog heaven as he was positively sure that Cowboy had brought him here to run with us. Without a doubt he whinnied and pranced, sharp happy barks and tongue hanging out the side in a goofy grin. Poor guy. He moaned, shivered, and whined as he saw M and I take off without him. My heart sank.

Cowboy ended up letting him play in and around Summit Lake then brought him down to Echo Lake (where he would meet up with us) to run free for a bit. Argos was pooped by the time we met back up with him. Hindsight I probably could've taken him down with me at Summit but was afraid of having to keep him leashed to me at the still treacherous rocky downhill part to Chicago Lakes. He would've easily maneuvered it, but I have found going downhill with a large excited leashed dog usually leads to me trying not to fall.

Marmot. He was TOTALLY posing for us.

And some more. This chubby guy couldn't get enough.

Happy Mtnrunner!

And people ask us why we choose to do this for fun? Times like that I wish I could just hand them a handful of my trail pics like this one.

We made it down in no time and it felt good again to open up on the downhills and cruise. I popped in some tunes and hopped like a kid over roots, ruts, and boulders. Mud splashed up on my legs and I even played in some snow. It was pure childish fun and I loved it.

We had a large climb at the end of the trail back up to the Echo Lake campground. I was still giddy with play when I came upon a guy crouched down posing with his dog on a rock outcrop as a couple of his friends snapped a picture of him. He was just about to stand up when I said, "wait wait, one more!" and ran up beside him, slung my arm around him, and posed goofy as his buddy said, "got it!" and snapped another pic. I ran off waving as the group of them laughed and cheered. It is fun to be stupid silly some days. Maybe they'll delete the pic of this odd stinky girl who invaded their picture, but maybe they'll keep it and laugh about it years later. This crazy runner girl who made them laugh.

M and I rounded the sidewalk of Echo Lake and finally reached Cowboy. High fives and grins all around. We were sweaty, stinky, muddy, out of breath, and still having a great time. I was ecstatic that I had finally FINALLY summited Mt. Evans and had some great company doing it. Although we both agreed that we felt sluggish throughout the run and our times could've been better, we relished in the beauty of the massive mountain, of the early morning start, and the fact that we were out sweating up a storm on a fabulous trail run. Thanks M for sharing today with me and getting my legs burnin'! Check out his post on the day here- his pictures are amazing.

I believe this is an 'Aspen Daisy'. LOVE IT!

Ya know. There's an old acquaintance of mine who moved here about 2 years ago. She hates Colorado. Hates it. I don't get it.

I really truly just don't get it.

Pike's Peak Summit

2011-08-01T23:09:00.005-06:00

I've been a slacker blogger. Life has been pretty wild here, so much going on and not enough time to barely breathe let alone blog.

Cowboy's parents came for a much needed visit (thank goodness I have the world's best in-laws, seriously) so there was scrambling to get the house cleaned and prepped to less embarrassing standards. Dog and cat fur was vaporized, a craigslist steal was found in the way of a spare bedroom set, and fridge was stocked with good eats. We had a GREAT time and found time slipped by fast.

I did a few strong runs during the week in preparation for a planned run up Barr Trail to summit Pike's Peak, one of my running bucket list to-dos. Cowboy and the parents were quite uncomfortable with the idea of me driving down to Colorado Springs solo and camping out in my car the night before for an early trailhead start. This one was not Argos-friendly in terms of length or elevation so I had no "backup" when it came to safety. Stubborn as I was, I waived away their concerns with "I'll be fiiiinnneee."

The run was planned for Monday. Saturday late at night my coworker, good friend, and oober ultra runner asked me if I wanted some company up Pike's. "Heck Yeah" I replied. He said he had to clear some prior plans and would let me know the next morning. I love spontaneity!

Having a partner in crime, the family was now calmed and soothed. The three of them were going to attempt to schedule a cog railway trip to the summit and meet us before we headed back down. To say I was excited was an under statement. This was going to be the first Fourteener I was going to summit via RUN!

I did a final gear check, set out necessary nutrition/water, and laid out my clothes for the next day. A lengthy quiz to Paul, my now running partner, along with Matt Carpenter's website gave me some down and dirty details on what to expect, how to pace myself, and where to get water. Paul assured me I would do fine and the fact that he was going to be there eased any concerns I had about finishing the marathon-length run.

I tucked in early and got a good night's rest. I was worried I would toss and turn as I normally do before an exciting event, but I fell right to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Everything was packed and ready to go for a pre-dawn start.

We met at the trailhead about 0530ish. I hopped out the car and was giddy with anticipation. I bounced, I flounced, I might have even twirled. Paul willingly fed my childish behavior and joined in on the whoops and yippees of my excitement. We headed out around 0600 onto the Barr Trail.

Gotta love the pre-run warning signs.

The climb up was more of a very strong hike with a handful of rolling runnable sections in between. Surprisingly we reached Barr Camp (approximately halfway point to the summit) in no time. I felt the run thus far was relatively easy and I wished I had run more of the ups to this point.

Paul showed me around Barr Camp and we dawdled awhile here to take in the full experience. I was awed. What a cool place!

Paul (on the left)

back sleeping quarters of Barr Camp. These cot-beds were lined up end to end.

We filled our water bottles up at the babbling brook right outside the camp and plopped in some purifying tabs. Potable Aqua came out with a new product called Potable Aqua Plus which I grabbed from REI to try. You drop in one tab per liter of water, wait 30 minutes to purify, then drop in a tab from the second bottle and wait five minutes. The second tab neutralizes the iodine taste, making it safe and tasty to drink. The thirty minute wait was not an issue since I carried a 1 liter bladder in my pack along with an Amphipod Hydraform handheld. I drained my pack bladder first to get the weight off my back then dumped my handheld water into my bladder. The creek water went into my handheld so while that water was being treated I still had clean water in my bladder to sip on. The tabs worked well- no sickness and no iodine aftertaste.

From there we continued on towards the A-frame at a decent pace. Along the way we came across a bunch of hikers that called us crazy and one dude who was seventy-something. He was resting near the A-frame, dabbing his brow, and sipping some water. We took a short break upon seeing him and Paul struck up a conversation only to find out he was the top runner in his age group for the Pike's Peak Marathon. He was out here training, getting acclimated for the race. I believe he said he was here from a few states over and was staying out here until the race. He was in great shape!

Getting close to tree line

I'd say right around here I started really feeling the elevation. Breathing was a touch labored and I felt my neck jumping with my rapid heart rate. I had to take pauses frequently (only about 30 seconds or so) to try to calm my body down.

Nothing much living up here but rocks, marmots, picas, and a few head swooping swallows.

cool rocks.

The Golden Stairs? Oh my! It was pretty tough here on up, hand on leg step-ups.

looking back down. WOW.

Yay we made it!!! Paul: You are SUCH a badass, truly.

At the peak I felt a tad light headed every once in awhile but no other altitude issues. I patted myself on the back for controlling my hydration and nutrition well.

We hung out in the store/restaurant after deciding we would wait it out to see the fam. We tucked into a booth, propped our legs, bought some snacks, and refilled our water bottles. I bought some fudge (avoided the cake donut- not my fav) but after noshing on so much GU on the way up, the fudge was too darn sweet to enjoy. I ended up buying a salty soft pretzel and split it with Paul. It was most excellent and hit the spot for some salty carbs.

Cowboy and parents met us about an hour later for a quick pic and a handful of delightful 'atta girls before we headed back down for some warmth! The skies were getting darker by the minute and a chill was setting over us.

I warmed up immediately once we got down off the summit. It was fun opening up (after such a long albeit much needed leg rest) and actually 'running' downhill. My legs felt great and I cranked some tunes.

A-frame in the distance.

Everything went perfect until the last few miles. The afternoon sun was beating down on us relentlessly and it was around 98 degrees at the bottom with no breeze and very little tree shade. I suddenly got super hot, like my clothes were lit on fire. I kept sucking down water thinking maybe I was dehydrated but then I felt sloshing in my belly and knew I was taking in too much water too quickly. I started feeling like I couldn't breathe well and still the fire inside my body became nearly unbearable. I finally started taking little walking breaks and told Paul something felt wrong and I was just too hot. He was patient with me and told me that we were in no rush. I felt bad for slowing us down but I really couldn't get control over my body.

We finally made it down to the parking lot and high-fived each other. We did it.

I didn't feel like puking and within a few minutes my body started to cool to a bearable level so I was happy. It was an amazing experience and I'm glad I had someone as cool as Paul to share it with me and help me through the rough patches.

After Paul left, Cowboy walked up from the cog and helped me sling my solar shower over a tree where I proceeded to take a shower (yes I had a shower curtain enclosure!). Salt was caked all over me and burned. It felt like heaven taking that shower and pulling on fresh clean clothes. We met up with the parents at La Baguette in Manitou for some to-die-for French onion soup, walked the streets for some shopping, and ended the day at a used book store. What an amazing fun filled day.

Pike's Peak and 25 miles of wonderful trail: you are now check off (though I wouldn't mind running you again Barr Trail!)!!

3 Sisters again (times two!)

2011-07-16T00:55:00.002-06:00

Alright. I am really getting to love this trail. Here are some more pics.

Run #1:

The pup was sore from the previous day's run, so he and Cowboy got their own trail time of hiking while I ran. I was ok running solo up until here. It was a bit back-country feeling and these deserted buildings were just increasing my sense of isolation. I could hear banjos playing in my mind. Creepy, creepy banjos.

You can't fool me, I've seen this movie. You know, the one where the girl gets kidnapped by creepy hillbillies with stringy greasy hair, bad teeth, and deep southern accents. Banjos people. Banjos.

Wouldn't mind living there. Nope not at all.

Run #2: This run happened Tuesday. I made sure the pup went with me this time 'round.

I nearly ran into this elk. Argos and I came tearing around the corner when we almost head butted this big girl(?). She lifted her head at us, contemplated charging us (at least that's how she looked), snorted, and slowly trotted off.

Who's a happy boy?

I called my Grandma here.

Grandma: "Where are you?"

Me: "I'm on top of the world, Grandma! I'm on the peak of a mountain I just ran up!"

Grandma: "Of course you are honey, where else would you be?!"

I asked her to pray for me on a few things that were on my mind. This is truly serious stuff, asking Grams to pray for something. My Grandma has a history of some extremely powerful prayers. She has a prayer group and when they all get together, shit happens.

One example of many, when my parents were visiting her, she was feeling sad and really wanted them to stay longer. She prayed and the next day (they hadn't left yet) my parent's car broke down. Yeah, you don't want to mess with Grams, seems she's real tight with the big man upstairs.

Finished 7.5miles with the pup and joined up with Cowboy and the in-laws for some Da Kind Soup in Evergreen. If you haven't been, you HAVE to go. Their soups are amazing. You can even combine soups for a delicious invention such as my favorite: tomato mixed with roasted red pepper, and their sandwiches are top notch. I recommend the Basil, Mozzarella sandwich with a sweet balsamic drizzle or their Reuben.

To. Die. For.

Runnin' and Runnin'

2011-07-16T00:26:00.001-06:00

July 2: Leadville Marathon

Fabulous race, a little suffering from lack of sufficient training, but overall it was a great run.

Ahhh Good 'Ol Provin' Grounds to make the world right.

Sawatch Backcountry- my FAVORITE store here in Leadville. They hand make these glass pendants that are gorgeous and well-priced. I have made it a tradition now to purchase one every time I run a race here as a memento. It's just a really cool gear store.

The hill that never ends...heading up to Mosquito Pass. Breathless, literally. About here I reached an epiphany in my life. I will talk more on this later...

WOW.

Epiphany happening, right here.

Mosquito Pass- Conquered.

Feels great to be heading down.

a little taste of the snow we encountered. There was one heavy part where me and another guy slid on our butts down to avoid falling off the mountain.

Finished!

After the race I was going to camp out near the trailheads of Mt. Massive/Elbert with intent to hike/run Massive in the morning and Elbert with Cowboy the following day. Unfortunately, as I drove through the area of potential camping spots I recalled it was the 4th of July weekend and people littered the area en masse. It was ridiculous. In fact, one spot I pulled into greeted me with a nearby gaggle of Mexicans circled around one old toothless dude playing a banjo. I can't make this stuff up, seriously.

I found one off road campsite that was relatively human-free. I pulled in and rolled down my windows to test out the solitude. Just then a series of cracks and pops rang out indicating the beginnings of a firework celebration. I swiftly rolled up the window and pulled back out towards the roads heading home. This was NOT the peaceful zen-like atmosphere I was searching for post race.

On my way home I pulled off the road to capture this:

Seriously I live here? It's one hell of a beautiful state.

After this, all tense irritable feelings were lifted and I proceeded back home in better spirits. I picked up Chinese food from our favorite shin-dig and surprised Cowboy with a promise to get out camping at a later date (not near a holiday!).

Alderfer/Three Sisters

2011-06-26T23:46:00.000-06:00

Had a great run at Alderfer/Three Sisters today in Evergreen. It was slightly cooler (though not much!) and nicely shaded for the most part. After about 7.5miles pup was dragging hard so had to throw the towel in for my boy. With the heat I think I'll be adding some electrolytes during my runs, I felt a bit out of sorts with the heat and excessive sweating. My face was so tight from all the salt caked on my face!

East Entrance

Heading up to the summit

Looking back where I just came from

View Before the summit

Momma, I'm tired...

On our way back to the car (West Entrance up ahead)

Mountains!

Came down Sisters Trail

Great day in prep for the upcoming Leadville Trail Marathon this coming Saturday!

Prepare To Be Drenched

2011-06-10T23:55:00.000-06:00

A Vacation...finally.

Pretty soon Cowboy and I will be headed out East to the hot and muggy air of North Carolina. While extremely ecstatic to visit with the whole fam-damily, I am not looking forward to saturating three or more outfits per day with sweat. I have become accustomed to the lovely dry air of Colorado where the sweat evaporates off your skin, leaving a thick layer of salt flakes. I fear my body shall protest heavily to the 100% suffocating humidity.

On the flip side, while I sit back sweatin' in the shade with a good book, great company, and some southern sweet tea I can giggle while watching my nephews wrestle and climb all over their brand new uncle. Then I can glow and beam while watching my little nieces wrap him around their little pinkie fingers with their dimples and blonde pig-tails. They have already started calling him Uncle Cowboy when they forget his name. It's adorable.

Ahhh. I love this man more than you can imagine.

The fact that he puts up with all my wild and crazy shenanigans sure doesn't hurt:)

Well here's to wicking clothes, ice cubes, sea level runs, and a much needed vacation.

Summer is HERE!

2011-06-05T19:07:00.001-06:00

Did two runs lately: Gudy Gaskill and a nice, flat, easy run at Fairmount.

A mile and a half into Gudy, heading towards the peak, Argos and I were greeted by one of those dogs with the creepy blue-white eyes (husky? Australian Shepherd? cattle-dog?). As we were about to crest a hill, the dog suddenly appeared sans owner at the top of the hill and started to run straight for us.

I picked up a big stick just in case, fully prepared to use it, as he approached Argos. They circled a little then kicked into a full blown snarling snapping "man contest". I called Argos off and, as he heeled to my side, I gave a little praise for money well spent on his training. He really is a great listener and is getting even better as he matures.

As quickly as the contest started, it halted and suddenly they were BFFs. They sniffed and romped and I continued to run. I saw the ghost-eyed dog had a collar but was puzzled that there wasn't a person attached. After literally a mile, I saw a group of four in the distance who, upon seeing us, stopped and stared. These must be his people, I thought.

As I approached I asked them if it was their dog. "Yeah" they said, "We were wondering where he went off to." I laughed and made a joking comment that I found another running partner as Argos and I continued on our run.

Just shy of the peak (about a half mile later) I heard hard breathing to my back right. I looked down and there was that dog, still running with us! Argos and I stopped at the peak to wait for his owner. I was quite sure this pup was on the young side and based on his heavy panting and lagging behind I knew he was not going to be able to keep up with us if we continued.

When the owner arrived I suggested she leash him up until we get out of sight. She said, "He's kinda new for us (i.e. we just got him) and we weren't sure how he would do off leash."

What??!

So you take a brand new dog (to you) and allow him to wander at his own risk in one of the most notorious trails to get lost on? Smart lady, real smart. When I first ran with the DTR on this trail there were jokes and warnings of previous seasoned runners who got lost on a Gudy run and had to be searched out by the other runners. Add to it the noted mountain lions, bears, and coyotes...well, that's just irresponsible in my opinion. Can't blame the dog either.

On the way back up to the peak from the other direction we came across this:

what animal is this from?

Gave me a little dose of the heebie-jeebies seeing how picked clean it was. Looked like there was still some bloody tissue around the eye sockets too.

Yesterday was a nice flat run at Fairmount Trail. Now that I know where it leads to I can set my goal of an out and back knowing it will be an easy 7 miler.

I waited until 1930 to run so it would cool down. It's starting to heat up around here and actually feel like summer!

Finished in an hour just as the sun was setting. Perfect timing! Ended the evening with a chocolate covered cherry smoothie: homemade plain yogurt, freshly pitted cherries, and chocolate whey powder. It was fabulous.

Gudy G. to Lookout Mountain

2011-05-12T01:37:00.000-06:00

Sunday I set my mind to finally run Gudy Gaskill and take the Beaver Brook Trail to the end, wherever it may take me. With sunscreen slathered and Argos in tow, we loaded up in the SUV and headed out. The temp started out in the low 80's and dropped 10 degrees by the time I hit GG. It was a beautiful and sunny day, clear skies and low wind.

Knowing full well it was not only a weekend but Mother's Day at that, I was anticipating a chance of running into people today. I was not prepared for the cars lined up alongside the road at the trailhead. Fortunately, GG is a huge trail system and I only encountered a small handful of families most of whom were returning up the trails. The trailhead had a new sign and I was very impressed. The sign stated in very common sense language that dogs were to be under control, whether it be leash or voice, and hikers traveled at their own risk. They were expected to be respectful and responsible individuals. It was an awesome sign.

I started down the trailhead then veered off to the right at the dirt path right before you hit the flat section with antenna towers. A steady downhill, quite nice I might add, led me to the start of Beaver Brook Trail:

off to the right we go...

A short woodsy jaunt and we approached the intersection of Beaver Brook and Gudy Gaskill Trail with the option of taking the Clear Creek overlook trail (which I normally run). A swift right and off we ran down Beaver Brook. I have only run a portion of this trail down to the "waterfall" area when I accidentally made a wrong turn and had to do an out and back.

no time like the present to get a little muddy

a pause for the views

man I love these kinds of trails

After passing the waterfall where Argos frolicked, the trail climbed and wound around huge boulders. Some parts we had to billy-goat up with a narrow ledge separating us from a nasty plunge below. It was FABULOUS!

Argos HATED this section and frankly I was a little concerned about him getting his leg stuck in a crevice. We both did well and got through it.

Woot! We made it to the end. Inspired, we continued on up Lookout Mtn Trail to the tippy-top.

Shortly after making our ascent toward the top, we heard hooting and hollering with a megaphone off to the left along the roadside. A pair of skateboarders went whooshing by decked in full protective gear and a helmet. When I asked an onlooker what was going on he announced, "Long boarders". What I found out (totally new to me) was long boarding was long skateboarders who race downhill.

Sheesh, and some people call me crazy...that's just plain nuts. This was Lookout Mtn road- a steep array of switchbacks on a MOUNTAIN. What part of any of that even sounds appealing? No way.

Two more nut jobbers flew by me and I was able to catch it on tape.

I continued on...

At this point I realized I was nearly out of water. I had filled my bladder full at 1L in anticipation of a longer run today but did not take into account the heat and climb. I had contemplated calling Cowboy to come rescue me off the mountain knowing it would be darn dumb to return another 7.5 miles back to GG sans water. Do-able, but not smart in the heat. Thankfully, the Nature Preserve had an outdoor fountain and the pup and I both refilled our tanks.

I sat and munched on some snacks while Argos laid in the shade to cool down. I don't know what I would have done if they only had indoor fountains. I don't comprehend people that tie their dogs outside...to me it's the same as leashing and tying up your kid to a pole. "Hold on honey, mommy has to go inside for a second, you sit here and be a good girl." Think of the outrage that would occur. Oh man.

For one you have no idea if your dog will bite (or someone say they got bit and then you're innocent pup now has a track record. From what I hear that may mean death if you live in places like Boulder) or who out there might feel the need to own a new dog that day. That would be a very sad, sad day. Nope, call him spoiled, but my pup does not get tied out and left- no way no how.

**true story- when Argos was truly just a pup, we were in Home Depot doing some shopping/socializing training when a little girl wanted to pet him. I made her ask her mother if it was ok and after the a-ok I made Argos sit. Before I could give him the command to lie down, she ran up and thrust out her hand. Being at eye level, he mistook her arm out as a "paw" command instead of a pet and tossed out his paw to shake. His paw grazed the side of her face and I immediately became apologetic. The girl ran over to her mom, perfectly calm and truly unharmed and exclaimed, "that doggy bit me!". I was HORRIFIED to say the least; luckily the mom had been watching and explained to her daughter that she was not bitten but that the puppy was just a little excited to see her. The mom waved the situation away, un-phased, but it left a nasty memory for me. I may be able to control my pup for the most part, but I cannot control what other people do.

Anyways, fueled and watered, the pup and I headed back down the mountain. On our way past the long boarders I heard shrill screams of ambulances and fire trucks. "Crazies," I thought to myself. That night at home, I saw on the internet that a filming crew in a helicopter crashed while filming the long boarding race. No one was hurt, thankfully. Oops!

jumping off ledges...woo hoo!

We came from there!

Honestly, the last mile climb out of Gudy Gaskill to the car was grueling. We hiked it and I could tell Argos was feeling rough. This was the longest Argos had ever run with me before and I was super proud of him! What a great but tiring run. I will definitely be doing this again.

It's Smoothie Season Baby!

2011-04-29T02:41:00.002-06:00

Colorado weather has been its normal quirky and moody self. As seen in last post, a single trail run may start out sunny and end up in a near snow storm. Honestly though, I love this unpredictable environment. It keeps you on your toes by forcing you to prepare for the worst possible outcome. It has made me a very adaptable runner which in the long run has helped me tremendously when doing multi-day staged races in crazy terrain and elevations.

Overall, however, the weather has been delightfully warm this past month leading to...

SMOOTHIES!

I 'heart' post workout protein smoothies. After a few hours of running, nothing beats a thick fruity shake that screams healthy. Whether it be the combination of gut-friendly probiotic yogurt, fiber-licious flax seed or oatmeal, heart healthy almonds, or vitamin packed fruit loaded with anti-oxidants, I always feel stronger after a smoothie.

Last week I tossed in a packet of SuperFood Original from my Amazing Grass trials to a concoction of oj, frozen mango, overripe banana, almonds, and vanilla whey powder. "Get ready, I'm going green," I said to Cowboy as I poured in the packet of SuperFood. Sure enough the mixture took on a hint of green-ness as the blender swirled it all together. I slurped down my smoothie with utter satisfaction. The "green" was very subtle and toned down the sweetness of banana mango. Packing in a 7 fruits and vegetables equivalent punch, I felt great.

Yum.

Flatirons Vista Trail, Boulder

2011-04-27T01:50:00.003-06:00

With gloomy skies hovering over us and the forecast predicting storms, Cowboy and I threw together our packs (his MUCH heavier than mine) and headed out to the Flatirons Vista Trail in Boulder. I had hiked this just the day before with the pup and wanted to come back to explore it more in depth....i.e. run.

Cowboy is trying to make his hikes more of a workout by throwing all kinds of gear into his pack and adding on some crazy weight. I pulled it out of the car to hand to him, not realizing how full it was, and nearly plopped it promptly on the ground. Holy cow that thing is heavy, where as my pack is teeny tiny and I stuff only the minimal amount of crap into it. I have all the necessities I would need in an acute emergent event (hat, gloves, hand warmer, mylar foil blanket, foot care that can be also used as a mini first aid kit, a few extra food items, and the random tampon) and a small liter bladder, which I usually only fill half to 3/4 full. The rest is stuffed in my front pockets: SPF chapstick, GU packets and other on-the-go nutrition, and camera. Knife and cell usually get stashed in the front too for quick access.

I always carry another item "that shall not be named" but has to do with my despise for signs like this:

Speaking of which...I was about to take the pup on a run yesterday at a new trail just off Coalton Rd in Louisville. However, when I approached the trailhead not only did it say no to my item "that shall not be named", but it also said no dogs off leash. What the heck Boulder County?? Forget that, I'll go somewhere else. I am tempted to write them a letter and tell them exactly why I won't be using their newly built and money poured into trail. Not that it will have any impact, but I will at least feel better about it.

I digress.

Cowboy and I headed up Flatirons Vista trail in an odd patch of good weather. Sunny! All around us grey rainy clouds hung but we had yet again found our little bit o' sunshine. We snapped a picture or two then kissed and parted as Argos and I ran off.

Look momma, a stick!

I ran down Flatirons Vista North and connected to Doudy Draw. I kept mis-calling it Doody Trail, so forever more it shall remain Doody Trail. From Doody I connected to Spring Brook Trail North.

Looking back at Doody Trail

Flatirons in the distance

Spring Brook North, it was just starting to sprinkle a bit here

I had originally planned on doing the entire loop onto SB South but came face to face with another "NO DOGS" sign. Yet, horses and bikers could be on it. I don't get it and it pisses me off. North trail required dogs to be on leashes...which I promptly disregarded. However once I got to the South part of the trail the sign irked me enough to not to push my luck any further.

The "summons" part is what made me turn around. I've already paid $300 to Denver County for Argos' nuts, I didn't want to be paying to any more counties than I had to...

I found myself up on a dirt fire road on SB North heading towards Fowler trail but disliked the whole bumpy fire road feel under my feet and the copious signs along the road in red stating "don't do this, and don't do that, and everything except breathing is prohibited" that I turned my irritated self around and headed back down SBN trail. I passed Cowboy coming up from Doody onto SBN. We chatted then continued along our separate paths. I ran down Doody Draw until it connected to Community Ditch (what a horrible trail name).

Argos got a little creek time in and we returned our steps back along Doody Draw and up towards Flatirons Vista North/South Loop.

I zoomed the camera: It's Cowboy across the ridge!

I hung a right onto Flatirons Vista South. It was really rocky and made me feel clumsy trying to run, however it started to snow! It was beautiful to see the shining sun and flakes sparkling as they fell. We came to a fenced pasture on our right where horses were grazing. They looked kind of wild but I couldn't think of why wild horses would be here. They were incredibly interested in Argos and came trotting up eagerly to meet him.

I tried to pet them and they seemed spooked by me but they were all about the pup. At one point, Argos slipped his head in between the fence wires and licked one horse on the nose.

We carried on down the path until we came to the intersection of Flatirons Vista South and Prairie Vista. I turned around (the path was REALLY full of small little rocks) and made a quick right onto an unnamed path through the fields that would connect me back to the intersection of Doody and FV North. The path was fun and grassy, I cruised. At this point the skies started to darken rapidly and sleet began to fall. Sleet turned to snow, but this time the sun was hidden and the wind picked up.

I ran back down Doody a little ways to meet up with Cowboy and check to make sure he was doing alright. He was quite chipper and we chatted a bit before I started to feel my sweat cooling and the chill setting in.

"I gotta keep running or else I will get way too cold out here" I said to Cowboy. I know I had another layer including hat and gloves but I was warm as long as I stayed moving fast. I headed up Doody and onto FVN towards the car. I only got about a quarter of a mile before looking down at my hands which were now wet and bright red. My extremities were COLD. I stopped immediately and had a little fine motor difficulty getting my gloves out of their dry bag and onto my hands but once they were on and my rain jacket zipped up, I immediately felt everything warming up as I continued the final bits of my run.

I curved left around the loop in front of the parking lot and then jogged up the other side of the loop back towards FVN. I saw Cowboy approaching at the top of the hill just as the snow stopped and sunshine broke in jagged streams across the field. I ran up the hill to him and we walked hand in hand back down the trail to the car. It was a great 12 mile day!

I love my husband

Trails, Tea, and Thunderstorms

2011-04-19T20:15:00.003-06:00

Ku Cha Milk Oolong Tea- my favorite Oolong

Spring is here and I am finally starting to feel my fitness level improving. I've been hitting the weights, treadmill, and trails like nobody's business and my body is singing praise. I am also slowly shifting my workout times earlier and earlier which my body seems to be agreeable with.

Cowboy and I had a great hike/run (he hiked, I ran) at Gudy Gaskill today. Weather report called for showers starting at 1400 with thunderstorms soon after that. We got our packs together and headed out the door with the pup. On the way out to the car we started feeling raindrops fall. We both shrugged un-phased by the rain and we continued on our way to the trailhead. Almost instantly the sky opened up and started pelting the car. Windshield wipers on warp speed we were determined to go on a hike!

When we turned off the highway just a few minutes after leaving the house onto Genesee Park the rain stopped and the sun came out. We parked the car, secured our packs on our back, and Argos and I trotted off. There were a few areas out of the trees that it became slightly breezy and the sky in the near distance looked quite ominous but for some reason we didn't get a drop of rain on us. It was as if we were in our own little private pocket of sunshine! It was great!

We met back up at the car (7 miles of trail running for me and 3 miles of serious hiking for Cowboy) and shared our excitement about the good weather. Days like these remind me of times where I scowled while peering out my window at the nasty weather in the distance (although skies above me might have been perfect) and promptly opted out of going outside. You never know what the weather will be like here in Colorado until you get to wherever your going. It could be stormy in one location and just a mere mile or two away it is sunny and beautiful. Amazing.

Speaking of amazing...I revisited Apex again a few days ago (it has been a good trail for me this year) for an 11 miler with great anticipation of taking a branching trail that I always, and I mean always, have wanted to explore but never had the time. There is a little trail that juts out of the side of the Enchanted Forest and winds up the side of the mountain. Every time I pass it I wish I could take it just to see where it leads to. None of the maps show this little trail and it just sits there unidentified, almost teasing me with come-hither eyes.

I headed down Apex Trail and snaked around into the Enchanted Forest, as soon as I came to the little trail I grinned and made a sharp turn left. I climbed a little bit and quite suddenly was dumped out onto a street. Dang. All that anticipation and excitement and all I get is a crappy neighborhood street? I looked around trying to see if this was just a connector point, that maybe the trail continued on the other side or just down the road a bit. I got nothin'. A big fat disappointment.

anyone know what trail THAT is in the distance? And how do I get there??!

Argos and I headed down the road a little bit just to make sure there wasn't a secret access somewhere else. If I hadn't taken the road a little I wouldn't have seen the copious amounts of wildlife I ran into. First there was a surprised deer and a little rabbit:

see the bunny under the bushes on the right? (click on pic to enlarge)

Then there was a whole herd? harem? of elk just staring at me.

And then another huge herd of elk once I got back onto the trail and headed back down to the Enchanted Forest:

It was nice to see all the animals, so I counted it as a "cup half full" experience even though it was now dubbed the trail-that-leads-to-nowhere. I continued my way back onto Apex trail and added on some extra miles running switchbacks up to Grubstake Loop.

I ran around the top exploring the trails that branched from there, saw a hang-glider, and eventually headed back down to Apex Trail and to the parking lot. I want to try hang-gliding sometime, tandem of course.

I did see on the map that there is yet another trail branch that jots off the connection of the end of Enchanted Forest and Apex and heads to Lookout Mountain. I am definitely going to have to try that next Apex run! I also have always wanted to take the trail that branches off of Gudy Gaskill's Beaver Brook trail that supposedly leads to Morrison? I think that is on the books for next week too.

Now, I have a tuna casserole in the oven and yogurt being made in my dehydrator. I made a whole 2 gallons (8qts of yogurt) this time since it is now officially smoothie season! Time to settle back with some Milk Oolong...or maybe Chai, and a book.

Happy Pup anyone?

Saturday Two-fer

2011-04-09T19:59:00.004-06:00

Yes, I'm way behind on my blogging so today is dubbed "Saturday Two-fer".

Tuesday led me to Mount Galbraith to check out the recent fire damage. It was a great day albeit a bit windy. Shocker, I know. It's been terribly windy here for the last few weeks and I am so over it.) I'll take rain and snow over air blasting in my face, up my nose, deafening my ears, and making me feel like I am running into one of those football mat-stand thingies that just drive you backwards. I've had to resort to the suckmill some days because I am too much of a pansy to go out and duel with the wind.

The first mile at Mt. Galbraith was untouched. I almost started to think it had been left un-scorched until I rounded the corner at a mile and half. A little breeze fluttered by me and I instantly smelled hotdogs. At least, that was what my brain told me. Or maybe it was my stomach. I was kind of hungry.

I smelled it but didn't see anything. I stopped and looked around trying to focus my eyes sharply to the vegetation around me. Then I saw it. Right stinkin' next to me was a tree that looked kind of green due to all the greenness around it but the trunk was blackened.

Then I started to see more as I ran. Little charred branches, bushes, and circles of grass. The smell increased significantly and it no longer smelled appetizing. Now it smelled like day old campfire. That funk that just clings on your clothes and hair all thick and stanky.

Hey Argos! What do firefighters do?

Close enough...my big firefighter pup trying to do his part to prevent forest fires. Smokey would be so proud.

It was a great 8ish mile run. I got real nauseated over that smell though and headed back after two loops.

Part deux:

Today, the weather looked to be very cooperative with a prediction of 21mph winds later in the afternoon. I chose Deer Creek Canyon for the tree coverage and felt I needed a little bit longer/harder run. I pulled my SUV in and muttered "Crud" as soon as I saw all the cars jammed door to door in the parking lot. I forgot it was the weekend...yuck.

"Looks like you'll be leashed for the first 2-3 buddy" I said to Argos as I clicked him into his pack, "at least til we get too high for the hikers." I have found that even if a trail is busy, if I can get past three miles and high enough elevation most hikers tend to disappear leaving the trail decently vacant to my running pleasure. Sure enough at 2 miles they started to thin out and by mile 4 they were gone but a few strays here and there.

However.... on my way up the mtn (still in the hiker mob) I came across this.

Let me title this THE MOST HILARIOUS PICTURE OF THE DAY:

Her husband had a leashed golden lab and she was strolling along behind him with what I had first thought was a baby. A bit closer and all four legs bobbing along and swaying with the woman's gait, this grunting and apparently very content pug passed by. I HAD to get a picture. The woman laughed admitting she knew it was totally ridiculous.

Argos just stared at the thing trying to figure it all out as he looked from me to the baby carrier. Oh hell no I told him and then reminded him how I carried his fuzzy fat bear butt in my backpack when he was too little to run with me.

We continued our run.

I looped into my favorite Homestead Trail and entered a cool, damp magical forest. I love this trail.

Then back out into the desert-like vegetation of Plymouth Creek Trail, up to Mesa Loop, and snapped a picture of below.

Argos found a patch of snow....

And then we headed back down. One of the very reasons, besides my magical forest, that I love Deer Creek is that although it is a bitch of a climb all the way to the top (one part they nicknamed "The Wall") once you're up it is a fabulous flight down.

I stopped at the grocery store on my way home to gather some fresh fruit for a smoothie I had been concocting in my head during the run.

9 Miles, a tired pup, a hot shower, and a fresh pineapple-raspberry-banana smoothie (with yogurt, oj, almonds, and vanilla whey powder) later and I am ONE VERY HAPPY GIRL.

Apex....again. ugh.

2011-03-27T19:19:00.002-06:00

Finally starting to feel human again after nearly two weeks of trying to avoid drowning on my own sinus slime. Today pup and I went back to Apex, wanting to stay close to home since the forecast called for showers and an encroaching snow storm. The day was sunny, a slight breeze, and low 50's as we headed up the trail.

I took NO pictures today as my main focus was ~~gasping~~ breathing. I honestly felt slightly hypoxic half-way up Argos' Trail as my heart pounded fiercely and I felt a little woozy. I had to walk a little, allowing myself the excuse to slow down because of my cold. I was trying to send the little buggers irritating my sinuses an eviction notice, but I did not want them to take the liberty of moving out of my head and down into my chest as it seems to often happen with me. I ran-walked up the trail feeling less than enthusiastic about all this uncomfortable exertion. This shit was painful. I stopped often to catch my breath, spit a lot of gunk out, and let Argos be his fun-loving self by playing in the snow patches and throwing him a stick. He had been starting to get a little "needy" and clingy this morning and I suspected he was due a run.

He kept following me into every single room, his flank constantly pressed against my knee. When I stopped, he would stop, sit down, and look away from me like this whole thing was just a coincidence. It was pathetic, adorable, and slightly annoying. I was trying to get a few things sewn today as I am trying to "start" my own little side business of handmade crafts: reusable sandwich wraps (I love these!), aromatherapy neck pillows, aprons, pot holders, soaps, candles, etc. you get the picture... He followed me into my craft room and slumped down onto the floor, resting his jowls on the sweater I had tossed on the floor because my tea was making me sweat. He laid there and would stretch his front paws out then let out a not-so-subtle sigh, again looking away from me like it wasn't him. Uh huh. After the fourth yawn/sigh I dropped my sewing and just looked at him.

"Fine" I said. "Let's go get geared up and go for a run." He just looked at me as he non-chalantly followed me up to the bedroom. Like flipping a light switch his whole demeanor changed as soon as he saw me pulling on my running capris. Mopey turned into "oh my god we're going for a run!!!" hysteria as if he had no idea all that sighing and stalking me was going to have an effect. Seriously....

Nearly 6 miles later I have a pooped pup, a hot cup of tea, and I am back in my craft room a happy girl. Keep your eyes peeled for a new link and website for Twisted Daisies- and I am just starting to set up a store on Etsy.com. Find it under 2TwistedDaisies.

Finishing Fairmount

2011-03-23T11:45:00.003-06:00

Tuesday I was feeling a bit better and decided to head out to conquer Fairmount Trail. I wanted to see what was at the end of it so Argos and I geared up and headed out. One step out the door and I noticed that between now and an hour ago it had cooled down significantly. I changed from shorts into my CW-X capris, swapped my nylon/spandex arm warmers for my fleece ones, and added my windbreaker to my pack. I also threw on my buff as a headband in case the smoke (due to a recent and still smoldering wild fire nearby) was thick in the air around North Table.

The parking lot at Tony Grampsas complex was windy and cool. I immediately was glad I had put on warmer gear (as I zipped up my windbreaker) and double checked that I had a stash of hat and gloves in my pack. We set off through the short distance of trees and I felt myself really enjoying being out.

And then it hit....

As soon as we stepped out of the trees and into the flat, barren trail of Fairmount we were blasted in the face with a headwind so strong it nearly knocked me back a few steps. Hard headed, I continued the run determined to see Fairmount to the very end. I couldn't tell if it was smoke in the foothills or a snowy storm brewing but it looked kind of ugly:

The wind didn't let down but seemed to pick up in speed and force. At some points I had to stop and just walk with my head down and leaning forward, pushing ahead. It was wild. Argos kept running ahead then looking back at me, fur rippling in the wind. Often he would be running on the left side of the trail only to be pushed forcefully (mid run) across the trail to the right side. He would dig deep and head back to the left side only for the wind to knock him back. It was kind of funny.

at one point my sunglasses flew off my head

Stubbornly I pushed on and finally made it to the end. The dirt trail/road ended and a nice slab (ouch) of cement started, wound down and through a tunnel under the road, and continued up and around the reservoir. I wasn't too interested in continuing along the cement, especially with the wind still whipping me around so I snapped some pictures and turned around.

water treatment plant

reservoir in the distance- the water had white peaks from the wind

Tunnel- Argos was apprehensive about this

These signs always irk me. The no guns part- there is no legal weight to this. At least Fairmount Trail states "no open carry" and I'm 100% ok with that.

back through.

As soon as we had the wind to our backs, it felt as if the wind wasn't blowing at all. I even shucked my windbreaker. 7.5 miles in a bit over an hour and I was exhausted. My eyes burned from the wind and my body felt as if I had done double the mileage. I'll chalk that up to resistance training.

Books

2011-03-19T20:57:00.002-06:00

You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. ~Paul Sweeney

I love books. These volumes of bounded, crisp, magical paper are precious, soothing, haunting, opening worlds beyond worlds. Some books speak louder to me than others and those I place on my shelf to revisit and share with others.

When I was younger, a feisty Miss Pippi Longstocking engulfed my world from the very moment I plucked her book from the library shelf. My mother reminds me how I would chatter on to anyone who would listen, or to simply no one at all, all about the daily fiascos Pippi would get herself into. I spoke of her as if she was my very best friend in the whole wide world. She was unconventional, assertive, strong, rebellious, independent, silly, had a horse on her porch (which she could lift with one hand) and a monkey on her shoulder.

Since Pippi, I have discovered a heap of books that have somehow made their way into my life and influenced it:

"The Gift of Fear" by Gavin De Becker
"Since Strangling Isn't An Option" by Sandra Crowe
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
"The Handmaids Tale" by Margaret Atwood
"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

Just to name a small few.

I have learned, while advancing into my slightly wiser years, to thoroughly enjoy/learn from the words of others but to also realize that many things written are often slanted by the opinions of the writer. Opinions which are too often presented to us as facts then pushed under our noses just to earn a buck. These days I find myself more and more suspicious of what I read. If you are looking for a way to prove a point, a mere stroke of a key will unearth whatever you are looking for; fact, fiction, or just plain garbage.

I just finished reading Christopher McDougall's book "Born to Run".

It was a fantastic read. I took away several different things from this book.

1. I enjoyed losing myself in his words and quotes describing how the body acts while running. The spiritual side of the thoughts, euphoric inner peace, and animalistic motions he paints with his words sums up a great portion of why I run without flaw. It is poetic at times. I suggest anyone who enjoys running read this book. If you're not a runner, but have someone in your life that is, you might just pick up this book to read in order to understand their obsession. Heck, it might even nudge you a little towards running yourself.

2. The Tarahumara Indians are fascinating and inspiring- both their running and their way of life. What is not to like about the Tarahumara? They smile while cranking out miles on hard-ass trails all while nearly barefoot.

3. McDougall delves into quite a bit of running history including the progression of the running man (did you know that the Neanderthal and modern man are of different species?), the impact of shoe companies on our bodies, and the microscopic analysis of the barefoot runner. He had me glued to the book through all this. Was this real? I did some fact checking throughout and it appears he did his homework.

4. On the down side, I did feel McDougall steered a bit too much into trying to sell the "we are born to run barefoot" theory. I agree, we are a running species, we do it very well (especially long distances), and it all makes a fabulous story, especially for us runners. It made me nod a lot throughout the book: This is me. I am a runner. I am simply enjoying what I was born to do, so foo on all you who think I'm crazy. However, I also don't feel that everyone has a natural gift of fleet footed-ness or if you aren't a runner then you aren't contributing to society/living up to your full potential. Not everyone enjoys running nor finds it an easy task to accomplish (which is why we have bikers, hikers, swimmers, kayakers, etc). I know when I blog about running "a little run of 6 or 12 miles" that it may be fun and satisfying to me but to another that same feat is viewed as nearly impossible, painful, or even "why would one even want to do something like that" insanity?

5. I am not 100% pushed towards barefoot or semi-barefoot running yet. Do the Vibram Five Fingers intrigue me? Oh heck yeah. The whole idea of running in bare feet would be great. I grew up in the country running around barefoot 75% of the time and nearly despised shoes. I even snuck outside in the winter and ran around barefoot just to see what it was like. However, just last week I pulled a huge roofing nail out of the sole of my sneaker after a trail run. How it got on the trail, I have no idea, but I am sure glad I was wearing my sneakers and not VFF or barefoot. That would have been a nasty trip to the docs with a tetanus shot, that is after I managed a painful and bloody hobble several miles out of the wilderness to my car. All that said, I might look into getting a pair of VFF to build up my feet and leg muscles (SLOWLY) but I am not jumping on the wagon quite yet...right now I am happy doing a half to full mile barefoot on my treadmill.

6. In summary, Christopher McDougall makes a great point over the entire barefoot vs. shoe debate that I have seen over the past year or so:

"...the debate isn't about Bare Soles vs. Shoes. It's about learning to run gently. Master that, and you can wear — or not wear — anything you please."

Lord! when you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book. ~Christopher Morley

Fairmount Trail run

2011-03-18T22:51:00.032-06:00

Felt a little stir crazy today after being homebound by a cold the last several days. I think Argos and I were both starting to develop behavioral issues from being cooped up. After loading myself up on cold meds, I decided to take ~~myself~~ the pup out for a "hike". It was mid-60's out, clear, and gorgeous. I still didn't feel great physically, but I figured some fresh air and exercise would help flush out my sinus congestion.

I picked Fairmount Trail (base of N. Table Mtn starting at Tony Grampsas parking lot) due to it's relatively flatness, no need to abuse the body too much today, and also due to the fact that this trail is fairly new to me. Today I needed something pretty easy where I could just bob along in my foggy noggin.

My "hike" turned immediately into a "run" (I can see your shocked, really). I realized I had subconsciously anticipated running since I was all geared up in my usual attire. Totally fooled myself as I had even brought the chuck-it to wear the pup out while I walked. ***snicker***

Chuck-it stuffed away firmly in my pack, we set off on our run. It took a few minutes for my lungs to go from "holy shit what are you doing to me?!" to "sweet dude, let's run". I hacked and spit out a good amount of nasty lung butter onto the trail then straightened up and forged on eventually getting into a groove. Argos was overjoyed being out on a trail and showed his gratefulness by being incredibly well behaved.

I have noticed lately that he seems to be entering a point in his life (sniffle) that the pup is starting to be slowly replaced with a handsome muscular man. Of course he will always be my "little man", but he is visibly growing up more than just his mini-horse body. He is excelling in his personal protection (practically skipping a phase after mastering it in nearly three sessions) and has started to really "listen" intently to me and my body language. His only weakness is other dogs, oh and skateboarders but I can't figure out the background to that irritation of his. The little social butterfly is starting to transform into a cool, calm, and collected German Shepherd. Slightly aloof but with clear intent on keeping a close eye on his family.

Anyways, run was a great one and way over due. The two times I have been on this trail I only did a small segment of it. This time, although I had a time constraint, I was going to try to get past my previous turning point.

N. Table- I usually run the trails you can see about midway up

I downloaded two new songs onto the pod: Jennifer Lopez's new song with Pitbull "On the Floor" and Rhianna's "S&M". GREAT songs to run to. With Lopez's song, for sheer giggles and to keep my mind off my burning lungs I kept inserting the word "trail" every time she said floor. It fit...I couldn't help it.

If you go hard you gotta get on the floor
If you’re a party freak then step on the floor
If your an animal then tear up the floor
Break a sweat on the floor
Yeah we work on the floor
Don’t stop keep it moving
Put your drinks up
Pick your body up and drop it on the floor
Let the rhythm change your world on the floor

Yeah, that's a lot of "floors", and it made me feel like a bad-ass on the (flat) trail as I flew along. I consistently kept between a 7.5-8.5 min/mile pace while J-Lo and Rhianna rocked it out. Na na na na Come on!

Don't you just want to give her cute noggin a good rub? Sometimes I consider being a vegetarian. The thought passes quickly...

Just past that gnarly looking tree on the left I came to a point where it appeared a bike path(?) intersected with the trail (trail kept going straight).

to the left

to the right

My curiosity peaked. I wondered where these led to? I have no desire to run on this concrete slab (my joints just groaned painfully), but I am always looking for places to take out my Cannondale for a little cross-training! Unfortunately, I was already pressing my luck with time so I made this my turning point and started back. Now I must come back just to make it all the way to the end and see where it takes me!

why is everyone staring at me? and...does that horse know he is toeing a pile of poo?

Fun at Altitude

2011-03-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I met up with my friends Stephanie (New Hampshire), Tracey, and Scott (both from North Carolina) in Keystone. I arrived late on Friday in time to lounge around in front of the condo's fireplace and catch up on old times. We tucked in with plans for a good long snowshoe in the morning on a nearby trail. When I asked where we were going to go, the girls told me about a trail near Keystone that "only charged $11 per person for their groomed trails." What?! Let's regroup on this, I said, nobody pays to snowshoe.

Nobody.

Unless you're from out of state and don't know any better...

I unfolded my newly purchased map of the area and together we scoped out a new trail. I had no intention of ever paying to hike back country, that was just ridiculous to me. Our first few picks were on the "overzealous" meter. All of us were huge endurance athletes- or pain pushers. A great quote from a book I'm in the midst of:

"It wasn't just the racing they loved; it was the thrill of exploring the brave new world of their own bodies"- Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

In one odd way or another each of us girls met the other outside of the US while running a multi-day endurance race (Scott was the newbie, a friend of Tracey's yet proved to be just as cool as us girls). Eventually the three of us met up for a 50 mile run in the Grand Canyon last year (Rim2Rim2Rim),

and now, here in the mountains of Colorado, we were together again. It was great. I've seriously never met more hard-core kick ass yet hilariously fun girls than these two.

After choosing a few trails that were 16 miles+ each I had to remind all that although I was always up for the challenge, the "average" snowshoer tends to hike about a mile and hour. Add our complete and utter awesomeness into the equation and we probably could do 2 maaaybe 3 mph. Subtract the fact that three out of the four individuals were near sea-levelers and not used to the altitude.

We finally chose a trail just west of Keystone that appeared to be about a 10ish mile loop that connected to the Colorado Trail. A good deal of elevation but we packed well with extra layers, food, and water. The one thing we all forgot: a GPS or a compass. Knocked into the realization of how much I rely on my GPS, I was humbled and slightly humiliated that I was not a better orienteer. I have done a few adventure races and felt very proficient with the orienteering part, although that has been a few years back and my skills were dusty. Confident that at least if one of us gets lost we would have great company, we decided to forge ahead and just play it somewhat smart.

We hit the trailhead and I called Cowboy to give him the general area we were snowshoeing at and about how long we should be out. I normally call or text coordinates but this time it was just vague trailhead names and directions. We headed out in great spirits. It was a little chilly to start but within a quarter of a mile we were all stripping off layers and goofing around.

Then we started to climb...a big climb and we were breaking brand new trail.

I had quite the advantage with my MSR Lightening Ascent shoes. The others had rentals (Atlas and another brand) that were running snowshoes- short and narrow. I floated on top of the snow (for the most part) where my friends struggled a bit, falling into the waist deep snow frequently.

no, she isn't kneeling

ditto

Luckily all got a good laugh out of the fiasco instead of getting frustrated, although I blame the good mood on the amazing peanut butter and honey on toasted english muffins that Tracey put together that morning. Scott had thrown in some sliced sausage and cheeses in a baggie to munch on too. Yum! That powered us up the hill.

We plowed, huffed, and puffed our way to the top and then decided to turn around and descend before we got lost. A few more giggles:

We only missed the "trail" once at the very end but headed over to a ridge to look down trying to locate the car. We saw it down below and had the bright idea to "just head down the ridge and create our own path!" Three steps off the ridge and we all started sinking down to our chests in snow. It was hilariously slow and fun- we all agreed we laughed the most on that small stretch just to get to the stinkin' car.

Steph had fallen almost chest deep into the snow. Scott was trying to pull her out when you can see him all of a sudden fall through. Then Tracey slides in and down behind him. It was a mess.

We made it back, piled in and cranked on the heat. What a great adventure with some awesome buddies. We estimated between 8-10 miles hiked over 5hrs. We noshed well that night and headed to bed early!

"...this ninety-five-year-old man came hiking twenty-five miles over the mountain. Know why he could do it? Because no one every told him he couldn’t. No one ever told him he oughta be off dying somewhere in an old age home. You live up to your own expectations..." Born To Run by Christopher McDougall

Life Is Better Shared Together

2011-03-03T21:20:00.003-07:00

Five mile hike/run accomplished with Cowboy this morning at Matthew/Winters Park! It was waaay too gorgeous of a morning to just come home from work and go right to bed.

We hiked the first half of it due to icy trail conditions. I am awaiting my new black Kahtoola spikes to arrive in the mail and they can't come soon enough. Once we got to the top and started down the other side, we both broke into a gentle jog. Eventually I ran ahead, developing the wear-Argos-out game. I would send the pup back to Cowboy behind me and up the side of the mountain for a good hill climb. As soon as he reached Cowboy, he would turn around and haul ass down the hill back to me. I would start sprinting (getting my fartleks in) ahead, encouraging the pup to sprint with all his might to catch up to me. This continued the entire way back to the car. It was a great workout for all three of us. By the end we had one worn out pup and we were both ready to shower and climb into bed, another night of work awaiting us at night fall.

Whether it's a hike, a snowshoe, shooting at the range, cooking breakfast, or just entangled on the couch watching a movie...my days are always so much better when shared with the most important person in my life!

10 miler at N. Table

2011-03-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

N. Table Mtn was calling my name today on this sixty degree sunny afternoon. I fully expected a muddy mucky mess at the top as is very common with this mountain, but was delighted with dry, albeit rocky, trail conditions. A few puddles here and there but small enough to simply step over. On such a gorgeous day I also expected a lot more foot traffic than the small handful of people I crossed, not that I am complaining by any means.

I felt sludgy and out of breath today. Then my feet started feeling sensitive and "hurty" by mile 2 making my gait feel completely uncoordinated. I wasn't able to really pick my ass out of the weeds until mile 3. From there to mile 7 was easy going, but mile 8 was a wall. Literally. I can never seem to run this part of N. Table as it continues straight up to a semi- waterfall. It is just steep and rocky and unpleasant. I hiked it as strong as I could, took the time to admire the beauty of the herd of deer on the ridge, and finally continued my run about a quarter mile after the top. The last 2 miles were strong only because I knew it was the home stretch back to the car and also a fun slightly downhill section. Total miles = 10....with a "felt like" meter of 15.

Argos pooped out on me by mile 3. He was feeling it too, having played to his little puppy's heart galore with his girlfriend "Granato" the night before for several hours. It is truly adorable to watch these two romp. He is 2, she is a much older 7(?) golden retriever. She has arthritis and gets worn out within an hour or two of rough housing, ball tossing, group toy de-stuffing, aggressive tug toy keep-away (she has some mad dominant skills that Argos is just now starting to learn and use), and paper towel roll shredding. When Granato lies down to rest her weary legs, Argos will take their tug toy up to her and hold it in front of her nose (sometimes gently nudging her with it) until she grabs hold. Then he will back up gently and pull her up onto her feet so they can tug and play some more. He is relentless sometimes and she has to nip him to tell him to ease off a bit. That or she goes to another room or hides between the coffee table and couch. The two of them are inseparable and I have never seen him play with another dog like he does with her. He LOVES her.

Anyways, back to the run...he tired out quick on me. I didn't have to drag him the rest of the way, but he chose to stay right next or slightly behind me and seemed quite content with it. Every time we passed by a patch of snow left from the previous storm he would look up at me, clearly asking for my permission to play. Permission granted, this was what happened next:

Geez I love this pup.

Apex Run- revisited

2011-02-26T00:27:00.001-07:00

Mtnrunner posted some new pics from our ~~mud-fest~~ run last Saturday.

Click here to check them out!

Also, a great friend (and awesome ultra runner who's in the midst of some potentially record breaking plans) steered me toward some must-have trail maps. I admit I got a bit carried away looking at them online and soon found I had loaded every single map of the fabulous state of Colorado, and one of the Grand Canyon, into my shopping cart. In a moment of sheer excitement I clicked "buy" and nearly fainted from the anticipation.

If you want some wicked trail maps (printed on waterproof paper = bonus!) check them out.

They're by Kent Schulte and here's the link. I just got them in the mail the other day and I am incredibly impressed. He outlines the trails at the bottom of the map, giving a great technical description of each trail.

I can't even begin to measure the amount of excitement pent up in this body to get out on the trails and explore! This year is all about checking out new places and learning more about my beautiful state.

Latte + Gym = Double the Wild in the Child

2011-02-25T03:09:00.006-07:00

Cowboy and I are attempting to hit the gym every morning after work during our "work week." Our previous few weeks have been feeble attempts with a couple hits but for the most part one big fat miss. It is hard after a twelve and a half hour shift, plus the extra time driving, to feel perky and motivated to go to a crowded gym and get your sweat on. I'm usually feeling only a quarter perky at half past sleepy o'clock in the morning. Also take into consideration that upon arrival to the humble abode I am regularly greeted with an extremely exuberant pup whining to be let out and play ball before he would ever give me permission to leave for the gym.

*sigh*

Fortunately, somehow all moons have been aligned just right and an unseen spell has been broken for I have made two out of three mornings to the gym (Cowboy's persistent self has made all three!). In my defense, the one I missed was status post snotty nose and sneezing night.

This morning I drove home from work psyching myself up to get a workout in. My night had gone well without any life sucking drama so I was displaying a more peppier version of myself than most mornings. I was also starving. In a last minute thought I swung into a nearby coffee shop, picked up a latte and biscotti, and devoured it during my drive.

Cowboy and I headed into the gym and onto the treadmills for a "little warm up".

Him: What are you going to focus on after the run?
Me: Not sure yet, probably some arms. I don't think I'll be on the treadmill long, just a short warm-up, maybe a mile or mile and half. I need to get into bed for some sleep before work again tonight.
Him: Okay, a short workout then.

Thirty minutes later I see Cowboy leaning against the railing watching me with a goofy grin on his face. He holds up a finger and mouths "one mile?".

Ooops. I nod, a blatant lie.

I was passing 3.5miles and was rocking a wicked speed on a 1.5% incline. I didn't feel winded at all. Woooweee feel that latte!! Caffeine is most definitely my friend! Guiltily I climbed off the treadmill, drenched, and slid up to Cowboy. As I gave him a sheepish hug, his body recoiled, peeling me off him.

"Ewww", he said faking disgust, "I feel like I just got slimed by Argos! Get your butt over to the weights missy!" (our dog has the nasty habit of getting a drink then immediately coming over for some lovin' while water slimes out of his jowls leaving disgusting goobers all over the place)

Thirty minutes later and officially worn out, we headed home to bed.

It was a faaabulous (long) workout.