Steamboat Springs Race, Rodeo, and Friends Weekend

A lightly planned weekend trip thanks to our friend Shelby who acted as our host and guide in Steamboat Springs was the perfect way to spend the Independence Day weekend.  We drove with the hordes of people to upstate Colorado late on Friday night to the secluded ski town and fell in love with the livable, diverse, and aesthetically pleasing town quickly.  I imagine the place will become increasingly exclusive as people continue to learn how livable it is year round.  The best way to explore your first day is a race (duh) so three of us ran the Mountain Madness Half Marathon which included beautiful quiet roads and one nasty long climb.  I had my best performance since coming back from an unplanned layoff and was able to use the big hill to run away and hang on for first place overall in the race.  It has kept me sore for a few days!  The local running community was friendly and lovely just like the views.  This was just the start of our mountain town getaway!

1st Place Mountain Madness Half Marathon

After the race we cleaned up and went out on the town with friends.  Shelby took us to Storm Peak Brewing to try out the local brewery scene.  The crew we were with (besides the two very underage boys) are all members of the Brewer's Cup in Colorado Springs so you know we have to grab a cold one after a race.  Storm Peak had a great variety and each was clean on the finish and thoroughly enjoyable.  Worth checking them out especially since they are dog and kid friendly.

"The Fit Shall Inherit the Earth" - Endurance Conspiracy

That night, we ventured to the nighttime clothing optional hot springs at Strawberry Park.  Obviously, at night, in a place with nudity, I didn't get my camera out for my own sake and yours.  Jess and I have been to multiple Hot Springs in Colorado including Mount Princeton, Pagosa Springs, Glenwood Springs, and Conundrum Hot Springs.  Strawberry was unique in its layout and feel which means we'd highly recommend the unique experience if you're in Steamboat.  No lights and large very hot pools contained along the edge of the river with a lot of extracurricular activity around at all times.  It is also well worth taking a short swim in the stream of mountain run off before hopping back into the hot pools to enjoy the lively tingling of returning feeling to your feet.  Go after dark, take $15 per person and a flashlight ... but be careful where you aim it!!

The following day we spent the morning hiking the ski resorts summer trails, watching the kids enjoy playing on the "beach" by the main square in ice cold water, getting great food and outdoor hangout time along the river at Sunpies, napping for way too long, and then we headed for the rodeo and bbq! Jess, the horse lover she is, has never been to a rodeo in her life and was quite excited for the experience.  We didn't know (should have clarified) that we had signed up for a "Ranch" Rodeo which means we missed out on a few classic events such as bull riding, mutton busting, barrel racing, and of course, the rodeo clown.  This rodeo featured cowboy competitions of Bucking Broncos (cool) and very repetitive cattle herding and handling competitions (got long).  The venue in Steamboat is really nice and relaxing with beautiful views and the old west mixed with the upscale ski town is a pretty awesome dichotomy to experience in the same town.  

Hang On Buddy!

On July 4th Steamboat has a nice parade where the kids collect endlessly thrown candy and avoid camels, horse poop, and fire breathing metal dragons followed by watching a summer time ski jumping competition.

If you're willing to take a little bit of a longer drive and get up there to Steamboat, you'll be doing yourself a favor.  Jess was looking at homes there the night we got back home.  It is a town that can accommodate the cowboy, skier, mountain biker, runner, food enthusiast, and beer drinker in all of us.  Happy Travels!

Jess telling this horse how good of a job he did.

Boulder Ironman 70.3 Race Recap - Finally Back on My Feet

Two weeks before Marathon Monday in Boston the sharp and shocking pain occurred in my right knee what changed my well planned racing path for 2016.  After a relatively healthy 10 plus years in a row of running and racing, I became a spectator at the Boston Marathon for the first time.  It was a great experience but I couldn't help but be disappointed to be on the side instead of in the middle of the street.  So my focus switched to my first triathlon of the season, Boulder 70.3.  I knew I had great running fitness 8 weeks prior, the question was how much remained.  As I told those who asked, at least I was fresh!

It was as predicted in Boulder this day - hot, sunny, and brutal for anyone who doesn't have ice in their veins (literally, not figuratively).  I have been fortunate this year to have a fantastic sponsor in TriSports.com and have some performances to put up in order to prove my elite team status.  Due to my pre-Boston injury I had been able to swim with more frequency and relative comfort.  The race started well, as I kept my line on the edge of the buoys for the first 1200 meters or so.  After the last 90 degree turn as we began to catch waves of swimmers who began in front of us, my focus wavered and I began to go a little too wide too often most likely pushing my finish time back a minute or two as a result of no ones fault but my own.  Fortunately, with my increased training time in the water, I had my fastest swim in years for the distance and actually feel like I have much room to improve this season.  Swim was a success!

This day was also my debut on my Quintana Roo PRsix despite only a couple rides to break it in that week.  I found it comfortable enough by adjusting its height and reach close to my old road bikes specs and decided to race the more aero bike.  The ability to adjust the QR is easy for a bike that is fast, light, and responsive which makes it the best decision I could have made for my first tri bike (have to thank TriSports again for that one and their help picking it out!).  I was well on my way to a 56 mile bike PR when a thumping sound began in the back wheel as I neared T2.  Soon, as the handling disappeared and I saved multiple fishtails from becoming full on crashes, I had to sit up and ride on a flat at mile 52.  So close to the finish I decided to ride it out instead of change the tube, and I received a stroke of luck, the course was nearly 2 miles short and I only needed to struggle in for a few minutes and took a very careful dismount.  Despite the late bad luck I was still well on PR pace for the distance when I dismounted.  Bike was a success!

Despite the late bike stress, I transitioned in T2 with optimism for a new 70.3 PR, for I only needed a mediocre run in terms of history to take care of business.  I was aware of the short bike course but figured a huge PR would nearly nullify that discrepancy.  It was rough, and I mean rough, from the first step to the last.  Despite have relatively retained some speed, the distance and time out that day was not friendly to an out of shape athlete when you combined the sun and heat.  The simple sugar of red bull and coke took me from bonk to mediocrity in countless cycles throughout the run as I couldn't stomach the 90 degree gatorade and water was running through me.  Luckily, I believe my pancreas survived and that I did not acquire diabetes that day.  Run was a terrible fail and no PR was had this day.  Hopefully it will help me regain some fitness needed for my big races occurring later this year.

Special thank you to TriSports.com for all of the help with my gear and new kit!  If any fellow triathletes out there need a little something I am happy to send you 20% off coupon codes for most products on the site (including all the great nutrition which kept me relatively going that day).

Cheers to you all.  Happy Training and Racing!

For the Colorado Mountains, Snowboarding Season has Started

13 inches of powder welcomed us to Vail on our first snowboarding trip of the season.  We regularly go to Vail during early season when the crowds are non-existent but the famous Back Bowls are closed awaiting their 60 inches of base needed.  Everyone is excited for a massive year of snow from El Nino's input and so far it looks like the rumors may be correct.

Clear blue skies during the day gave way to heavy snow our first night.  Vail offers beautiful views from the valley and a pure European feel to the town.  There are too many amazing runs and Colorado ski towns to tell someone to go to just one, but you won't be disappointed in Vail if you like first class amenities and don't mind a few high prices for dinner.  

We spent each day traversing from Lionshead Village to East Vail making sure to use the gondolas whenever possible.  Vail is special in the way you can extend a run from East-West or West-East by a bunch of easy connectors and varying terrain.  When you need to unfreeze your face you can finish a run right into a restaurant's patio - this winter may make that a common need.  Western skiing has spoiled us royally compared to our formative days in the hills of Pennsylvania hitting ice slopes.  Altitude, powder, and long runs leave you exponentially more sore!  If you haven't been, what are you waiting for?

Jess was sure excited to get going!

Happy Holidays!

Tents attempting to be kites and Hikers wishing to have sleds: 14er Hiking Trip in Colorado

Last weekend we packed up our tent, hiking gear, food, and anti-bear attack supplies to get in a final mountain hiking excursion before snow takes over the peaks.  In Colorado there is an obsession that some catch to climb all of the 14,000 feet peaks in the state and if you did one a week for a year you'd still not be finished.  We aren't quite enamored as some with the idea of Class 3 and above climbs so instead we decided to knock out some Class 2 climbs and live to run and race this weekend.

We drove to Alma, Colorado on Friday as the sun was setting and pitched our tent on a campground near Kite Lake at an exposed 12,000 feet.  The wind and cold quickly ramped up with no where to hide.  After a quick meal of rehydrated lasagna and teriyaki rice compliments of our JetBoil we retreated to the tent for warmth at the late hour of 8 pm with the goal of starting our trek at sunrise.  

The best thing about camping up in the mountains in Colorado is the view at night.  The Milky Way was out in full force and the stars were beyond beautiful as they filled the sky.  If you have a nice camera where you can adjust shutter speed and capture the night glow of the stars and galaxy on the mountains it would be time well spent.

After struggling to sleep (holding down the tent) in 30+ mph winds all night we woke up cold and reluctant to leave the little warmth we had in our sleeping bags.  So, after quickly lighting fire to our coffee (Pumpkin Spice Latte Via will go up in flames if some of the powder floats into your JetBoil flame) we began our hike with the goal to summit four-14 thousand foot peaks in one nice bundled 7 mile hike.  

First, with our hearts struggling to help our legs warm up we went the traditional route and summitted Mt. Democrat.  Here we are below...

The 2.5 miles to the top of Democrat took more of a toll than expected, most likely from the lack of sleep, shivering, and having already spent the last 12 hours at 12,000 feet or above.  Looking across we saw the long high altitude trek to the next two peaks of Mt. Cameron and Mt. Lincoln.  As we hiked the saddle between the mountains the exposure increased and the trail led us into snow and scree.  It became much slower and more brutal than expected as we transversed packed snow/ice occasionally with skids or using all fours.

On of the easier parts in the snow heading to Mts. Cameron and Lincoln

Eventually, after a few more hours had passed, we achieved our summits of Mt. Cameron and Mt. Lincoln and turned our attention to hiking towards Mt. Bross which was ... closed ?? ... but the enforcement of closure was to be done out of respect to the land owners who have not given 100% blessing for the Forest Service to allow access to the summit.  Many people were resting and enjoying the summit of Mt. Bross, and as a 14,000 ft high peak, many wanted to bag it while they were there to count towards their tally.  The bypass trail and summit trail of Mt. Bross take you down a scree field at a nice 40 degree angle where skidding and using your hands is necessary.  It appeared that there was another trail across the valley, I would recommend seeing if you can find a way over there to make your descent back to your car less of a frustrating and slow experience.

All told we hiked 4.5 hours and spent 6.25 tiring hours getting it done - here is our strava data: https://www.strava.com/activities/410426542 

A nice size camelbak and some lunch/snacks should get it done for ya.  If you finish up early enough stop at our favorite little local diner in Fairplay/South Park - the Brown Burro - to refuel as well.  Happy hiking!

Hiking Scree up Mt. Democrat was much preferred to sliding down it on Mt. Bross

Conundrum Hot Springs Hiking Vacation

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures.  One of those places in the world where pictures don't do it enough justice.

We arrived into Aspen on Wednesday night in order to get a good night's sleep before our early wake-up time to start the hike.  The drive from downtown Aspen is no more than 15 minutes (if you don't miss the turns) as you take the first roundabout on 82 to Castle Creek Road for approximately 5 miles until Conundrum Creek Creek appears on your right.  It's a disguised turn on the forested road so keep your eyes peeled if you want to give this hike a try.  Just stay on the road, which narrows to a wide single lane dirt passage up to a dirt parking lot where hopefully you will find a spot!

Our GPS information on the hike up from Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/352795676 , expect 8.3-8.75 miles one-way based on any side excursions you may take.  We hiked 17.5 miles total on the day, which is no joke especially if you don't live at altitude, and it took us about 3:45 up and 3 hours down with some periods of jogging and lots of stops for photos.  Pack a lunch and plenty of fluids (or a water pump/water purifying options) and plan to spend some time soaking your legs half way through in nature's hot tub if you do it as a day hike like us.  Most people spend the night at one of the multiple camp sites near the hot springs which requires a heavier pack, but half the hiking per day.  There are both campfire and non-campfire legal sites off the trail near the hot springs and depending on the weather, there are sites out of and under tree cover.

Take a look at some of the route below with some more information on the hike!

You'll enter the Maroon Bells/Snowmass Wilderness - if this is your first trip to Aspen you can't miss Maroon Bells, some of the most photographed peaks in the world.  There are also great hikes in that valley if you don't have your heart set on bathing in the natural hot springs reward of this hike.

We spotted a moose early on while looking right off of the trail about 0.5 miles into the hike.  He was a big active bull moose feeding voraciously.  Just like bears, I was happy to be far away while we spectated.

Pack an extra pair of socks for the hike, some river crossings are simple wide balance beams like below, while others aren't so easy including a river ford crossing about 6 miles up.  

You can't hike in Aspen without a picture of the famous trees of course.  This grove was leaning with the hill and would be absolutely stunning in the fall when your path would be lined with gold.

We didn't get fall foliage colors, but all of the wildflowers were in full bloom.  The variety of flowers (and bugs) was terrific.  If you haul a quality camera for the hike you won't be disappointed with your photo haul.

As you hike you will see the 14'ers in the distance, that is where you are heading!  It's a long ways but you'll be happy when you're in the hot water taking in your majestic Rocky Mountain surroundings.

Be fleet of foot to keep your shoes dry!

Check out the views from Conundrum Hot Springs - and you get to be relaxed and warm as you take them in.

 The large and warmer pool

 Taking it in with a GoPro selfie in the big spring

 The small, cooler spring.  Also muddier and buggier - we were big social pool fans

Jess with an incredible balance performance - she kept her shoes dry and I'm going to credit her gymnastics history.  This is the river ford but you can try to stay dry like Jess on the log crossings.  There are multiple water crossings during this hike.

And Celebration!  We took a stop in a nice part of Buena Vista on South Main at Eddyline Brewery.  It's a nice little spot if you need a stop outside of Aspen (assuming you took Independence Pass!)

Boulder Peak Triathlon Race Report

We were back in Boulder, Colorado for another race this past weekend finalizing my 5 races in 5 weeks streak and firmly earning a nap.  As always, I had the best support in the world from Jess which makes the early mornings easy.  This week the Life Time Fitness/Ironman event - Boulder Peak Triathlon - went off without a hitch.  The course support was excellent and the climb up Olde Stage Road left many legs screaming after only 6 miles into the bike course.

It was a nice sunny warm day and the competition was fast including one of my past teammates Tyler Evans who finished 3rd in the Pro race.  He showed up strong a couple weeks after an unfortunate bike wreck and really earned it out there - check him out!  For my race, I started about 10 minutes after the pro group in the age group race and, like usual, despite it feeling fine during the swim I had a poor swim time and was surprised with just how behind I was on the start of the bike.  Luckily, I had the legs to crank out the fastest bike split of my age group and come home with the fastest run split as well.  Despite the land sport efforts, with my swim time those two "sport wins" didn't result in the overall three sport win.  I'll be hitting the pool and the upper extremity strengthening hard this next month hoping to make up as much as possible for my long term lack of arm sports!  We will see in Milwaukee how that has all gone.

The reason this race is special is beyond the beautiful venue that Boulder always provides.  The long steady climb including a mile averaging 15% grade up Olde Stage Road added a new element to the triathlon.  A lot of triathletes, like yours truly, can sit in aero position and hammer out a steady flow of watts for hours on end; this race required each athlete to work hard just to keep moving with most athletes spending time around 5-7 mph for a long period of time where aero position won't do you much good!  The first half of the bike course was advantage to the cyclist, the second half was advantage to the time-trialist.  I was hoping to have a shot at the "Reach the Peak Challenge" which was a separate timed portion from T1 to the top of Old Stage Rd.  After the race I found out that the Pros were included in the challenge and that my legs aren't quite up to that level yet.  Instead, I was happy with a respectable 6th in that competition.  If you want a triathlon with fast competition, beautiful scenery, and great support, this top-10 triathlon in the country a must-do.

Splits for those interested:
Swim: 29:04, 17th/47 Age Group
Bike:   1:06:47, 1st/47 Age Group
Run:    37:46, 1st/47 Age Group
Total:  2:16:10, 2nd/47 Age Group

Thanks as always for your support!  Till next time, train hard and enjoy the process!