I’ve got a confession.  I’m kinda embarrassed about publicizing this, yet I will in the hopes that it may help someone in the future. 

I’ve decided not to do Ironman Loiusville this year.  I have canceled the race, flight and lodging.  There is no turning back and changing my mind. 

Why you may ask……and here is the why….

Remember back in April when I wrote the postabout my first race of the season?  Well, looking back I think that was an indicator of how things would go this season. 

This whole season, since April I have just NOT felt “right”.  At first I chalked it up to being depressed following my Dad’s passing.  But as the months went on things got worse.  My workouts got worse, my zest for life got worse, my energy got worse….

I went from having good workouts that I felt stellar in to barely making it through one.  And afterwards I would be exhausted.  And if I did a “big” workout..forget about it. I was wiped out for a few days!  Not only did my workouts suffer, but I started putting on weight.  Well, fat really.  And I was eating “clean” and not pigging out! 

As the weeks went on I finally had that intuitive thought that “somethings not right.  This isn’t just mental, but something physical is not right with me.”  My guess was that something was going on hormonally (I’m officially through menopause a few months back) and I began asking people for referrals. 

I found a nutritionist and a Dr who specializes in hormones and promptly went to work with them to get to the bottom of things.  Well, it turns out that my adrenal glands are not functioning at full capacity and therefore my hormones (which where already low) are all screwy.  Plus my cortisol levels are wacky hence all the abdominal fat that has appeared without the benefit of eating tons of ice cream or something fun like that!

By the time I met with these professionals, I was barely able to get through a work day, let alone a workout….I just knew that an Ironman this year would put me in a much worse deficit….so, see ya later Louisville!  This was not an easy choice.  I mean it was hard to let go of doing another Ironman.  I really wanted to do it, but knew my body would be in worse condition if I did. From what these professionals I’m paying good money told me, I made the right decision.

So what does all that me for Go Doreen???  Well,  I immediately started a hormone protocol with Bio-identical hormones.  The very next day I was feeling better…no $HIT!  Not fabulous, but I felt rested for the first time in months.  I’m also starting to work with the nutritionist on how to support my glands using food to do so.  It will be a process, but hey, it’s better than the alternative of NOTHING.

What else this means is that Ironman Louisville has  been substituted for Coeur d’Alene!!!!!  Yeap, I’m signed up for IMCDA 2011!  I am so psyched about that. 

So the game plan is, to take the next few months to do things that are fun for me.  Keep my base with the swim, bike, run, but scale things down a bit to let my body heal.  I hiked a 13er a few weeks ago and this past weekend rode the Boulder 70.3 bike course and felt great!  I have not felt that good in a workout in months! 

I’m also going to be doing the Harvest Moon Long Course in Sept and Nationals Long Course in Oct.  This is all dependent though on how I’m feeling and how the tests come back.  But if all goes well these will send me into my training for IMCDA.  I feel hopeful that I will come out of this strong and feeling like myself again.  It helps a lot knowing that CDA is on the books for next year, since I’m out of IM this year.

What I’ve learned during this process, is it’s hard as a dedicated triathlete to listen.  To really listen to our bodies and hear what it’s telling us.  The signs are always there.  I know they were for me, I’d just kept hoping they would go away!  After a few months though I just knew I had to listen and find out what was going on.  I am really glad I did.  It’s not easy to do so.  It’s wasn’t easy to say “I can’t do Louisville this year”.  I mean that was REALLY tough! I wrestled with it for  a long time.  I kept hoping I’d feel better.  But I didn’t…but now I do.  I am starting to feel better.  And I know, I will feel great at some point in the future.  I am glad I’m taking care of myself now, so I can have more fun later!

Yesterday I got out of my biking and running shoes and put on my hikin boots!  I dug out my water filter, camel backpack, headlamp and all the fixins one needs for a 10 hour day and hiking a 13er (a 13er is a 13,000+ foot  peak).  I had made the decision to “bag” the Boulder Peak Tri and instead “bag” a peak! 

Rosalie Peak won and my friend Christyand I were off at 6am to head to the trailhead.  We set off around 8 am for the summit of Rosalie Peak which stands at 13,575 ft. 

Christy and Me at the trailhead

We put on our packs and began the 4000 ft climb to the summit.  This hike takes you through the forest and follows a stream for at least 2000 ft.  At least half of the trip we were in shade, which was great considering it was a HOT day! 

Which way???

We meandered our way up the trail, stopping to refill our water at the last place we crossed the stream before we headed above tree line. 

Filtering water through the water pump

One of the beautiful things about being outdoors is you lose touch with “reality” for awhile.  There is no cell phone, email, texting.  No cars, no noise, no distractions.  There’s just you, your breathing and nature.  There is something so wonderful about being in the back country with no one around.  We saw birds, and rabbits, squirrels and marmots.  I felt at one with myself and I felt at peace.  It’s a sense of peace that I can’t get any where else but out here. 

As we climbed in elevation I could tell we were getting close to tree line.  This was Christy’s first 13er and I enjoyed teaching her how to read a map, a trail, the way the trees change the higher you get in elevation.  I love the forest but I love even more getting above tree line.  I love how when you get above tree line it’s like time has frozen still.  Everything is so delicate and nothing moves.  The plants and trees are small and ancient twisted looking.  It sometimes can seem like you’re on the moon.

Well, we hiked our way above tree line and to the saddle where we would hang a left and cross country it to the summit of Rosalie Peak…only 1600 feet left to climb!

One of the false summits of Rosalie Peak!

We spent the next 1.5 hours hiking up to the summit.  We meandered back and forth in the steeper parts.  We hit false summit after false summit (darn it…dontcha just hate those!)  We finally made it to the REAL summit 4.5 hours after we left the car!  We had arrived!  And as in every true summit fashion, we got to enjoy the beauty for about all of 10 minutes before we had to head down.  Literally minutes after we summited, these big dark clouds moved in from the west and weather was moving in fast. 

Storm moving in...

 With our packs on our backs we headed down the peak toward the main trail.  We picked our way down as thunder started rolling over Mt Evans and the wind started to blow rain on us from far away.  We scurried our way down and made it to tree line and breathed a sigh of relief to be in the coverage of the trees.

The rest of the day was spent heading down down down.  I didn’t realize how much elevation we gained until I had to go back.  It’s so true that downhill is harder.  Yeah, uphill taxes your lungs more, but downhill works all sorts of muscles you don’t even know you have.  We made it back to the car in a respectable 10 hrs round trip.  We had a blast!  I got to do something besides swim, bike and run…and I was able to be in nature for a whole day.

I did come to realize that hiking a peak is great cross training for an Ironman.  You are at it constatly for hours, and your lungs and legs get one heck of a workout.  My legs are sore today.  Sore like afer I run a marathon sore,  and I’m lovin it!  I can’t wait to get out there again and bag myself another peak…..(or two)…..

On Roslaie Peak Summit

I’ve been thinking about flexibility a lot lately. Not so much the flexibility of the body, but flexibility of the mind.

The King of Flexibility

You see, a lot of things that were planned this season didn’t happen. Or maybe I should say they didn’t happen the way they were planned.

I remember when I started training two years ago, I HAD to get my workouts in EXACTLY as they were written.  I HAD to hit the right type, cadence, heart rate, speed, course, you name it.  If I didn’t do it just right, everyone heard about it and needless to say, I was NOT very flexible. 

Fastforward two years, and today I have embraced the attitude of flexiblity.  Granted, I don’t have it down pact, but I’d rather be flexible than how I was before.  I have found that I get to enjoy life more with an attitude of “oh well.  What are we going to do now? ”  This is helping me tremendously to enjoy training, life and my friends more.

Here’s an example….Saturday a stack of us met at the pond to swim a lap then head to ride City View.  We decided with the crowds riding City View and with how “friendly” the locals can be sometimes, that we would head to Cyclist Friendly Boulder!  (Boulder is the BEST place to ride and be safe!)

So that’s exactly what we did.  Swam at the Pond, drove to Boulder, cycled up there….then we had Lunch, went to Newton Running Labs and had a jolly good “Girlfriend” Day! 

Enjoying Friendship

See, two years ago, I NEVER would have done that!  I would have insisted on riding City View because that’s what my plan said.  I would have been so narrow minded that I would not have gone to Boulder.  I would have missed out on a wonderful day filled with sisterhood!  What a shame that would have been.

Flexibilitly of the mind has allowed me to enjoy my life more.  It has allowed me to be more spontaneous and to “go with the flow”.  It has allowed me to enjoy the journey of training and the moments I share with friends.  It has helped me with the bumps and cracks in the road that happen in this thing called life.  I’m not sure how I came upon this flexibility of the mind, wether it was life or training that helped me find this.  All I know, is I’m glad I have embraced it and attempt to live with flexibility as much as possible.

This past weekend we held the memorial celebration for my father.  It was the most wonderful, yet hardest day.  80+ people from around the country came to honor my father Frank.

We had a wonderful time sharing stories from a microphone about my Dad.  People talked for 4 hours.  It was amazing, and sad, and fun.

Dad's Celebration- The intermission break

The themes that seemed to be repeated by everyone were that Frank was:

-A true steward of the earth.  He spent his whole life fighting for water.  He helped found CalTrout and most recently he successfully fought Nestles’ attempt to build a water bottling plant in McCloud. It was a 5 year battle and just last September Nestles backed out.  My Dad was a environmentalist and he went Green way back in the 60’s.  We grew up recycling and littering was not tolerated!

-He was a good listener and always could give sage advise.  Many people shared about the times my Dad took someone aside and helped them through a difficult time.

-He was a hard worker and could fix ANYTHING!  I mean ANYTHING!  Everyone had a story of how my Dad had come over and helped them fix, build or replace something.  A few times a hammer to whatever wasn’t working was all it took, but usually the fixes where very involved.  My Dad loved helping people fix things!

-He had a great sense of humor.  My Dad could bust you up laughing for hours.  He could also imitate just about any noise.  And if his comedic timing didn’t get you, his SMILE did!  My Dad had the best smile I have ever seen.  The world lit up when Dad smiled.

My Dad was many things to many people…and these are just a few.  I always thought my Dad was the most amazing man I had ever known.  I felt it in my gut that this was the truth, but then at times I’d wondered if I thought that just because he was my Dad.  After this weekend, and after what  people shared, I now know for certain that my Dad was truly that GREAT of a human being. 

My Dad, Frank, was the best father, mentor, friend, human being that I could have ever been blessed with. 

May you rest with the Angles Dad.  I love you and I will see you and that big smile again.

My Dad, Frank- the greatest father a daughter could ever have!

I HIT IT.  I HIT the training Wall this weekend.  I hit that point where it took everything I had in me to get my workout done…and it was not a pretty sight. 

The past 6 weeks have been a mad push of building both my run and bike with a few races thrown in the mix.  I have had back to back big weekends followed by plenty of training during the week.  And as a result I HIT IT! 

I hit that point where I knew without a doubt that I had nothing left in the tank for any more workouts!  I hit that point where I needed a week of doing whatever and recovery.  I physically hit that point where I had nothing left in my legs!  After 2.5 years of training for triathlons I finally hit the spot where my body needed the rest! 

I had a mental wall I hit last February and took one week off….but this time my mind is in the game, but I body is screaming differently.  I didn’t even know I was cooked until I attempted to ride the Copper Triangle on Saturday with some friends. 

There were six of us who headed out for a SAG supported ride.  The day was perfect; the weather perfect; the company perfect! 

Ready to Ride Copper Triangle

We set off to ride up Vail Pass.  I started off like I would normally on a long ride,  riding a nice easy speed, letting everything warm up.  Nothing felt different…just the typical thick feeling in my legs.  I didn’t think much of it…just the slow steady warm up…..

As we began to ride through Minturn I started to get a clue that something was not right.  I was still feeling like I had lead for legs and by now I would have usually been warmed up.  I mean…there is barely an incline through Minturn and I was feeling as if I was climbing Mt Evans or something!  Needless to say my ability to ride got worse from there! 

Top of Tennesse Pass....

Tennesse Pass felt like Mt Everst!  I’m not kidding!  It was an all out struggle to get up the Pass.  I had nothing in my legs.  I wanted to stop so many times and then would not.  I would keep going…some how.  I am not sure how I acutally pulled this ride off.  Even on the flats I could barely ride!  I was telling my riding mates that I was “toast”!  Well finally I became “burnt toast” and took my turn SAGging for the last 2 miles of Freemont Pass on back to the parking lot.  I barely had anything left in my legs for walking! 

This was a really interesting experience for me.  I have never been to the point of being “done”.  Like having nothing left and knowing it’s time to take a recovery week.  I’ve had difficult workouts, but my body always comes around.  That didn’t happen this time.  There was no point in the ride when I “warmed up”.  I was done and there was nothing left!  I know this ride will make me stronger, both physically and mentally.  I made it through the day, I kept going and didn’t give up…and now with a week of recovery fun/workouts my body will have a chance to replenish and get doubly strong! 

I’m grateful I got to join the ride and I’m grateful I made it as far as I did!  And now I’m grateful for a week of sleeping in and eating dinner at a reasonable hour!  Ahhhh….

Ahhhhhhhh.......

All I can say is- Boise sure knows how to roll out the red carpet and has great hospitality!  And they put on a darn good race!!!

Where to start? The whole weekend was fantastic! We stayed at the Hampton Inn which was right in the middle of everything…literally.  I mean T2 was right next to the building!  On the other side was the finish line…..You can’t get any closer to a race venue than that!

Friday we went to the expo early to attend the Athlete meeting and buy shuttle tickets to the race start followed by some grub.  We then drove the race course with our new found friend Richard (who had a car) and then of course, some more grub.  When we got back it was off to packet pick up and then started the task of waiting for Black Betty to arrive in the back of Keith’s truck. 

Early Morning at the Expo

Betty and Keith rolled into town around 3pm and we went right up to the swim start/T1 to drop off our bikes.  I walked into transition and looked for the row with my number (#183) and low and behold it was right on the end of the LONG rack just yards away from the pros!!!!  Betty was going to be getting some pointers over nite! 

I couldn

We racked our bikes and walked DOWN to the swim start.  Water temps were rumored to be 58-60 degrees….burrrr…we had to put our toes in the water of course!

Swim Start w/Andrea, Steve, and Keith

The water levels in Boise have been really high and they were releasing tons of water from the dam.  We had to stop on our way out and smell, feel and see the majesty of so much water moving!  It was amazing, the raw power of that much water.  You know how fresh the air smells when your standing near a water fall?  Well times that by 1000 and you have what this was like.

Water being released from the dam.

We were done with our chores and it was off to…..more grub! (Imagine that!!!)  And here’s the weird thing.  Boise 70.3 is a 2pm start time.  So that meant we didn’t have to be all anal about getting enough sleep and having everything in order before going to bed.  It was kinda cool, and really strange at the same time.

Race day arrived and we went downstairs for some morning grub (the Hampton has an awesome spread!) Then it was back upstairs to put the run and bike gear bags together and drop them off. Here’s the tough part about a 2pm start…the waiting around. But the time finally arrived to get on the shuttle and we were finally race bound.

T2 in Downtown Boise

That's me!!!

Run Gear is Ready to Go

So what about the race!! You’re probably thinking. Enough with all the pre race stuff!!

Well… I started in the 1st wave after the Pros- 2:05 to be exact! I put myself in the front of the pack as we got into the water. I’ve learned now that my swimming is good enough to be comfortable right in front. We waited, waited, and……the gun went off!!! 50+ women swimming their hearts out!

I had an awesome swim, especially since I’ve barely swum since February due to my shoulder. I had a lot of open water and swam the buoy line. I only had to swim over 1 woman and only got one hand to the head. Not bad really!!!

The swim felt Long, not because I was tired but every time I sighted the bouy line seemed so flippin far to the next turn! I was thinking “Dang! When we turning” and finally we did right back to shore.

I ran up the hill to transition and when I arrived realized only a couple of bikes where gone from my age group. “NICE!” I thought! It was onto Black Betty and on down, down the hill from T1. 

You’re probably imagining me getting all tucked down in my bars and screamin down this really cool hill…and you’re partially right.  The hill was awesome, only problem there was such a head wind that there was no tuckin and goin!  It was tuffjust to keep the bike under you and not get tossed around too much.  And to be perfectly honest….that is pretty much how it went the whole ride!!!!  The winds were FIERCE!  35 mph with bigger gusts. 

The bike course is great and relatively flat for those of us from Colorado…but any time we had a down hill it was in a headwind, so never once did we get the benefit of screamin down!  I cranked on the bike course.   A few times I thought I might puke…but didn’t.  I picked off a bunch of people which was fun!  I PRedon the bike, even with the nasty winds!  (BTW- Crowie’s finish time this year was 13 mins longer than last….the wind folks).

The 11 miles of head wind into town and to T2 was tough.  I just keep my legs going and new I had the juice to keep strong…heck, I’m an Ironman…… Rolling into town and seeing the capital building was a welcome relief from the wind.  I got into transition, made my way to my run gear, a quick change and I was out the other end running.

The run is awesome and takes place on “the Greenbelt”, which is  along the river.  The course was two loops and is shaded the whole way.  I learned a lot on the run.  I came to realize after the run that I am a stronger runner than I think I am.  I began with the pace I have been running for the last two years, thinking that is what I “have” to run. 

Well I discovered around mile 8 that I had a ton more in the tank.  I began running faster than I ever had in a half.  I felt good.  I felt strong.  I felt like I was becoming a “runner” and not just a “trodder” any more!  This was a big breakthrough for me!  Huge! 

I finally passed the 12 mile mark and picked up my pace even more.  I  made it back onto the street with the finish line is sight.  And this is why I know I had way more in the tank…I pretty much sprinted the last 4/10ths of a mile.  I passed so many people and when I made it into the shoot and across the finish line I was not totally spent. 

Crossing the finish!!!!

Good thing/Bad thing.  Good because I finished strong/bad because I didn’t leave it all out there on the course.  But then that’s what racing is about sometimes…learning what you have and seeing what you don’t have.  I learned  I could crank harder on the bike now, and I have more to give on the run.  I was really pleased with my race!  I placed 8th in my Age Group- 6th on the swim, 6th on the bike, and 8th on the run…..Not bad!  I’m ok with that…for now.  I’m looking forward to seeing how I continue to improve and get stronger. Every Time I race, I get the “bug” to workout harder and see how much better I can do in my next race….

So, if anyone is looking for a great 70.3 to do, I really recommend  Boise.  It was a awesome experience and a great venue….plus the crowds rocked!!!

This weekend my training got kicked up a notch.  Yeap- the serious part of Ironman Training is ON!  I mean ON!!!  E-Rock (Elephant Rock Century Ride) was the kickoff to back to back to back fun! 

Saturday I warmed up for E-Rock with a 15 mile run on the Highline Canal.  Another wonderful shaded run in scorching heat.

Sunday morning found me waiting in a long line of cars to get to the fairgrounds in Castle Rock to start the ride.  I was riding with my bud Sharon again.  We weren’t so green and took two cars.  Sharon was doing her first century and my instruction was to “race” this ride. 

Ready to Ride!

 We got our selves and our bikes ready and started rolling at 7:00 am.  Now Elephant Rock is an event.  It’s not a race, it’s an event.  There are people riding who are doing a 65 or 100 mile bike ride for the first time, and some who are have done E-Rock a few times. 

What beauty!!

The reason I bring this up is that many people complain about how crowded it is; how people don’t know how to ride correctly…Heck, there are even  bad-a$$ cyclist (or so they think) who come by screaming at people for doing something they don’t like.  IT’S AN EVENT PEOPLE!    CHILL OUT!  Everyone is doing the best they can on that day and for each person it’s their own personal challenge, even hell at times.  I am sooooo much more impressed and inspired by an overweight person on a mountain bike riding the 65 mile course than I am of some 6% bodyfat athlete in their cycling kit!!!!  Who gives a crud if you don’t like how people are riding.  This day is NOT about YOU! 

This day IS about camaraderie and friendly people though.  This day IS about wonderful volunteers and hard working regular folks.  It’s about making a new friend as you pedal hard up a hill or fly on the downhills.  It’s about saying “Thank you” to every volunteer you meet.  It’s also about giving encouraging words to those you pass.  It’s about doing something that challenges and pushes you.  It’s about 6000 feet of climbing and 100 miles of pavement.  It’s about giving your all AND having fun!

One of the Aide Stations

 E-Rock was like that this year for me.  I had a wonderful time and once again met some great people.  Riding E-Rock hard this year was tough at times.  I remember thinking to myself as I was climbing some hill, “Am I going to be able to make this?”  “Am I going to be able to finish?”  I was able to make it, and I was able to finish. And I had a fabulous, hard time! 

The nice thing about E-Rock is eventually the crowds thin out and you end up riding alone often.  It really is just you, your bike, and your mind for most of the ride.  I didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy the views or chat much with people (another one of my instructions was “NO Lollygagging!”).  And me being the “good” athlete :) I tried to keep that to a minimun. 

A perfect day

Elephant Rock was wonderful and I highly recommend it.  Yeah it’s crowded, just bring your patience for the first 20 miles….Remember it’s an event and there are people who are doing something this hard for the first time.  Be Kind, Say Thank You, and most of all Enjoy Yourself!

It’s the official, unofficial start to SUMMER!  Can you say…it’s about time???  And this weekend did prove to be a summer weekend.  No rain, snow or howling winds!  It was spectacular…and long!  Four days of pure -heavenly training and recovering bliss!

Friday started out with a 30 mile run with the temps forecasted in the 90’s.  I hit Highline Canal at the Goodson Rec Center and was on the trail by 6:30am.  The sky was slightly overcast and the temp was already 60 degrees. 

Early Morning on the Highline Canal

At first I thought that I would run 3 x 10 miles.  Out 5 back 5- 3 times….About 4 miles into the run I decided I would rather get 15 miles out of the way my first time out, then run 10 miles and then finish off the 30 with the last 5. 

Sounded like a great idea and it actually was!  Mostly because of the mind game I was playing with myself.  Do you ever do that?  Play games with your perception?  It seems like a pre-requist to racing and training long distances….ya know…a 15 mile run, no problem; a 10 mile run, no problem; a 5 mile run, piece of cake….they just happen to all be in a row!!!

15 Miles and smiling

I knocked out the 15; reloaded at the car; knocked out the 10; got back to the car and had a Humongous blister on the bottom of my foot from a iny-tiny grain of dirt.  The blister started to change my gait around mile 23 and when I got to the car, I took a look at my foot and decided to go for my post-run swim…..didn’t finish the 30 but had a successful 25 miles of running.  Plus the temps were officially in the mid 90’s.  Did I mention how refreshing my 20 minute swim was?????  Ahhhhhhhhh

Saturday was a rest day!  I went to Boulder, got my weekly body work, enjoyed the festival and relaxed!

Sunday was back at-it!  4+ hour ride with a bunch of women! Oh yeah- remember that sore throat I had last weekend…well Sunday morning it decided to become a sinus infection……When I met up with everyone at Boulder Res I felt like crap.  I decided to start off easy and ride what I could. 

Lucky for me even though the sinus infection didn’t go away, I was eventually able to feel good enough to have a stellar ride out to Carter Lake and back.  I had a blast.  I was back on Black Betty (my Ordea Ordu) and we were flying! My training buddy, Sharon, and I rode the whole way together and just enjoyed the heck out of the day! 

Who's having FUN??? Not us :)

Back at the Res after 56 miles of pavement under our tires, I threw on my Newtons and hit a  hard 10 minute run.  I have NEVER run Hard off the bike- I was blown away by how I actually felt fine!  I was surprised!  I always thought I couldn’t run that fast off the bike…..but then- that’s why I have coach Andrea!  To help me learn new things about myself!

And then there was Monday.  Monday was all about the Honey-Do-List.  Can a  Honey Do List be a HDL when you’re writing it for yourself????  Anyway- I got through pruning trees and bushes in the front and back yards, and did all those piles of chores that I didn’t get to in the last year.  It felt fabulous to look around and see the piles gone and the trees trimmed.  I settled into my chair in the back yard and enjoyed the waterfall and the cool shade of the trees.  Another one of those AHHHHH moments.

I have the best backyard ever! Kai agrees!

For me, this was the best start to summer I can ever remember.  Two hard training days and two awesome rest days.  There is something to be said for having your “house in order” so that your training can just take off.  And with that….it’s time to take out the big guns and hit some pretty tough training in the next few  months…..but I’ma ready!!!

Awe shucks!  I got myself a sore throat this weekend and had to back out of my plans to run 30 miles….Darn 

When I woke up at 2:00am with a sore throat on Saturday I knew that I could be in for trouble if I didn’t take it easy this weekend.  Drag!  I had plans to volunteer for the whole morning at Project Homeless Connect, then get a 2 hour bike ride in, then wake up early on Sunday and run 30 miles with my coach. 

Well, my best laid plans went out the window again… So what I opted for instead was…….a weekend long session of the last season of LOST!  You see, I’d DVRed this whole season and had not seen one episode yet.  I have always liked watching 2 or 3 episodes in a row, rather than one weekly.  Usually I”ll begin watching LOST over the summer when there is nothing else on TV. 

Boo hoo...the final season

Since this Sunday was the final episode of the whole series, and I had nothing to do but lay low and lay on the couch, plus I didn’t want to come into work on Monday and have the finale spoiled for me….I watched all 12 or so season 6 episodes in two days…just in time for the finale last night!

What a finale!  We’ve been talking about it non-stop at work today.  Mixed feelings about being satisfied with the ending.  Personally, I love it!  I thought they did a great job and did justice to the show and the fans.    How I will miss catching glimpses of Sawyers abs………

How we shall miss ye!

So there ya have it!  A full weekend of training from the couch (although I did get an hour spin on the trainer in on Sunday). 

LOST  you will be missed!

What a wild and fantastic weekend it was. Wild as in the weather. Fantastic because I was in Buena Vista with the best group of triathlon women friends!

After driving through the snow on Friday afternoon to get to BV, we arrived at packet pick up where we were told that the Century Bike Route would be changed due to 8 inches of snow around Turquoise Lake. Cool, we can handle that!

Middle of May and snowing

Next the seven of us made our way to the cabin we rented on the Arkansas River. We unloaded our bikes and gear and settled in for a carbo loading feast of spaghetti and salad.

The bikes inside and staying dry

Carbo Loading Feast

As we sat around the table each of us kept checking our Blackberries for weather updates. No matter how many times we looked the forecast was always the same…Snow all night long and into the morning. Dagnabit!
We all decided we would get up and put all our waterproof gear on and ride as far as we could the next day.
We were up at 5:00am to be ready to roll by 7:00. We kept checking to see what each other was wearing and what we should wear. Nerves were running high. As daylight approached we could see the rain turn to snow.
We were all packed, bundled up and ready to leave when we got a text at 6:30am letting us know the event had been cancelled! Dang…all dressed up with no where to go!!!   What’s a bunch of women to do???

All Dressed Up and No Where To Go

Well, head to the event site to see what’s up and grab a cup of coffee of course! The whole town was full of disappointed cyclist. And there were even a few brave ones out riding in the snow.

Plan B kicked into action. Kendra and I opted to postpone any cycling until the following day when the forecast was clear and in the 60’s. We went for a 30 minute run, the first since our marathon the week before. Then we had the chore of figuring out what to do with the rest of our day. This was brutal! I felt like a caged animal. Here I had been planning on riding 100 miles and had to chill. Tough but I (we) made it!  All the rest of the gals went for a 20 mile ride when the weather started to clear up then headed back to Denver. It was just Kendra and I left to ride.

Sunday morning found us waking to clear blue skies and warmish temps. We ate, packed the car and drove to town to start our ride.  We met up with a some others who opted to stay and rode south to Salida for the first 50 miles of the day.

Sunday Morning Bunch

The views were spectacular- the mountains freshly covered in snow, the sky a clear blue backdrop.  The wind….not so fun.  But heh- it’s Colorado- and here we are use to riding in the wind. 

The Beauty of the Collegiate Peaks

The out and back made for 55 miles with a fuel and water reload at the cars.  Next we were headed north towards Leadville.  More fun and WIND!  Did I mention the wind was from the north..so it was against us as we climbed???  FUN!

Me- headed up hill and into the head wind!

We finished the ride, ate some great burgers, fries and chocolate shake at K’s in BV, then headed home for the two hour drive.  It was a great weekend, that once again taught me about flexibility and making lemonade out of lemons.  I wish the rest of the gang had been able to stay, as the weather was great and the riding even better.  Not as good as the actual Bike Fest itself….but much better than nothing!!!

Burgers, Shakes, And Fries...That's what I'm talkin about baby!