Couple's Run: Black Forest Winter Series

Jess and I had a fun time this morning at the Black Forest Winter Series.


It was a beautiful, albeit cold morning.  The course was well sheltered from the cold breeze by the thick coniferous forest.  It's a gorgeous segment of Colorado Springs laid east of the mountains in between desert and alpine climates.

After our unexpected move back to the area we haven't had a consistent race schedule.  Our last race was 3 months ago as our focus has been all over the map.  Luckily, Jess is the queen of finding Saturday morning excursions to get us back on track.

The morning run in Black Forest followed dirt trails with a nice majority existing on packed snow.  Due to our recent lack of racing we both opted for the 10K short series section to get back in the groove.  We were glad to keep the slippery hills short today as the course was a nice combo of rolling and slow.


We found our way back eventually, despite less than stellar speed which will hopefully improve over the next month as our racing season starts.

Fortunately we found our way back fast enough to get our pick of chocolate donuts, hot chocolate, and hot apple cider!

It's important to spoil yourself a little bit after a hard effort!

Can't wait until next time.  Run hard!

Seizing the Opportunity

Jess and I never planned on being back in the Springs, but what we've found is great training for our upcoming triathlons.  Jess performs yearly in a woman's triathlon series, and we will be traveling to Texas for the Ironman 70.3 this April.

We experienced a lot of disappointment when our jobs in Texas fell through, but luckily Jess found that exploring the mountains can lead to a great natural chair with a view.

Our new focus on triathlon training in Colorado also landed us at Life Time Fitness.  Spin, master's swimming, and altitude runs in combination with a hot tub makes life really nice.  Jess prefers to do all her laps in the pool when she knows I'll be making dinner... the girl just can't stay awake after a water workout!

The cold nights in southern Colorado are accompanied by warm sunny days.  We've often been able to go out in shorts during mid-day, just make sure you take a bunch of layers for when the sun goes down!

At first we thought that losing our training in the Texas heat for a race that's been over 90 degrees in recent years would be our downfall; now, we have come to enjoy the opportunity of living at altitude and with a community passionate about sport.

Until next time, my favorite Saucony motto:  Life's Hard!  Run Hard!