#colorado13er

[gogohedgehoglegs]

Colorado 13er

Colorado 13er

June 2, 2019

So I almost don't know how to tell the story of the half marathon.  Because its not JUST a half marathon. This was a big weekend adventure for me.  I told some of the story in an earlier blog post, so the short version of it is that this race was the crown jewel of the weekend long Skirt Sports Ambassador retreat.  I flew in on Friday, got to visit what all of us ambassadors refer to as “The Mothership,” AKA the Skirt Sports store, and finally meet so many of the wonderful women ive known through facebook and some other meetups all these years.  I of course spent too much at the story(how do you not when yore flying southwest, so you can check a bag of all the goodies?!?!?!), and had the most amazing Pie and Bubbly courtesy of another ambassador Erin, who owns a pie shop in TX.  Yep, you read that right- she flew from TX to CO with so many lemon pies and peanut butter pies. And man oh man am I so glad she did, they were just amazing!

The official retreat kicked off that night with a bunch of speakers, happy hour, beers, and more friends. Yours truly was given the award of Miss Skirt 2019, for my overall contribution as an ambassador, which I was most humbled by- to me I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, I was just sharing my love of the brand.  

Saturday started with an early morning hike, which brought some of the most beautiful views I have seen in a very long time, mostly because its been 20 years since ive been to Colorado. Breakfast was awesome- a huge old plate of home fries, my kind of breakfast!  The second day was jam packed- speaks through the morning, with some short moving sessions to keep us all from getting squirrelly.  Dinner was great with a friend Amy(local), and another friend of hers, and then the vintage fashion show to end the evening.

Morning dawned quickly- the race starts at 630am, but that's mountain time, so really that's 830 for this East Coaster, so no big deal.  Nuun, decaf coffee, and the leftover pizza was breakfast, and the carb loading was complete.  I wondered how I would do, my diet this weekend left something to be desired- it was really just potatoes, beer, more potatoes, a veggie hummus wrap, more beer, pizza, and more beer.  I think there were some veggies on the pizza!  Met up with some other ambassadors to snag a ride, helped Amy get her bike in the car(she was doing a bike race that morning), and then over to the start we went.

The race went off, with me pretty in the middle of the pack.  This used to be a women's only race, so lots of women, and only a few men in the crowd.  The race is primarily on all of the womderful crushed gravel trails/paths that wind all around Boulder and Louisville- I want to call them railtrails because that's what we have, but these are all bike/run/walk paths that are just all around.  This is a 2 loop course- you run out, run along the trails(watch out for the geese, they're not friendly!), almost back down to the startline, loop around and cone, and do it all over again.  I must say I just loved this course- you go uphill, its flat, then you go downhill.  The crushed gravel was such pleasant footing- that perfect cushy, without kicking up stones, and have I mentioned the Rockies all around you?? And the big sky?? And the fact that I can breath for the first time in 20 years?

Yes, yes, I know I'm at altitude. A lot of it.  Yes, yes, I know I'm technically a flat-lander, and that doesn't make any sense.  But that's the truth of it.  I love being at altitude, I liken living in the northeast to feeling like you're drowning all the time.  I don't know why. Maybe its just the fresh air, maybe that its not as polluted, I have no idea, I just know it was glorious.  For the first rae in a long time- it was easy to breath, I wasn't sucking wind, and I wasn't in pain.  I could have run a marathon today, and it would have been awesome.

I have to also say it was fun running with so many Skirt Sisters.  I don't think ive ever been at a race when I knew so many people.  As much as it wasn't local for me, I knew more people through this- this extrovert doesn't belong to any local running clubs, so this race was much more with my tribe.  Its such an encourgaging atmosphere- with the figure 8 course, and multiple distances, there was a ton of people out there. When I came off the second loop and back down the hill toward the finish, it felt great to head down that hill.  I'd set no expectations for this race- between the traveling, the retreat, the recovery from training(Lake Waramaugh was only a month earlier, and Rhinebeck Marathon only 2 weeks after that), and the fun and games eating wise, I knew the stars were not quite going to be in alignment.  I have to admit, after running a race that felt that good, I contemplated if it was a sign we really should move out West, whether I should just eat potatoes all day every day, or whether just letting all the pressures go meant that much.  I will say I still technically ran a new personal worst, but if I'm going to have that much fun, it was worth every second.

I crossed the finish line, and then spent the next 1.5 hours with my Sisters, doing zumba, eating cake, and cheering in runner after runner.  I must say, I can't wait for next time!

Final stats:

2:00:29

36/224 overall, 20/177 women, 5/59 women 35-39

[epicstratton]

Not dead. Counts as a win in my book after my first run at altitude. #Colorado13er #50stateshalfmarathon (at Louisville, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByNzGt4FR_HNCl9vqqNPvMsIlP80L0E1VoAFqo0/?igshid=1445eww13twpc

[dirtbagswithfurbags]

#mondaymemories Robyn looking like she is about to go on adventure! "The world is not in your books and maps, it out there" Get outside and see the world, you won't be disappointed. #mondaymemory #mondaymotivation #lordoftheringsquote #lordoftherings #hikingviews #hikingcolorado #hikingmountains #hikingmountainsandshit #adventures #adventureswithapartner #adventurecouples #hikinggoal #coloradohiking #coloradomoutains #13er #13ersofcolorado #colorado13ers #grizzlypeak #grizzlypeakview (at Grizzly Peak (Summit County, Colorado)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMdfGSrpEtl/?igshid=1hzzk6uy27uo3

[newmystics]

Nice walk up Sheridan with this dingbat. Haze in the distance... . . . #backyard #mtsheridan #colorado #colorado13ers #dayhike #leadville #hound #houndsofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #wrongwaygang (at Leadville, Colorado)

[justfeltlikemovingtocolorad-blog]

Seeing through a filter: when original outdoor plans fall through and the backup plan “limits” you to this trail at higher elevation then you can’t really complain and hard not to see the same old trails through a different filter. 🏔🙌 #justfeltlikemovingtocolorado #jflmtco #trail #trailrun #trailrunning #run #running #coloradogrammers #runshots #colorado #coloradogrammers #coloradoliving #coloradolife #mountains #mountainview #lovelivingincolorado #5280lifestyle #viewcolorado #optoutside #seenonmyrun #mtaudubon #indianpeakswilderness #13er #colorado13ers (at Indian Peaks Wilderness) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0M-QLGlaFP/?igshid=1pxs85apfl9eo

[epicstratton]

@corinne_thebean did it! S State number nine in the books! #colorado13er #50stateshalfmarathon (at Louisville, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByNy3vVlx224hnT7PyJC3Zz1gKEqzjvvqB2fpI0/?igshid=1d4cgwesdnbhl

[justfeltlikemovingtocolorad-blog]

Windy reward: great views and another effort well worth it. However you should appreciate that my phone can only capture views and not the wind otherwise your screen might fly off just about now. 😂 🏔 💨 #justfeltlikemovingtocolorado #jflmtco #trail #trailrun #trailrunning #run #running #coloradogrammers #runshots #colorado #coloradogrammers #coloradoliving #coloradolife #mountains #mountainview #lovelivingincolorado #5280lifestyle #viewcolorado #optoutside #seenonmyrun #mtaudubon #indianpeakswilderness #13er #colorado13ers (at Indian Peaks Wilderness) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Jm-58FAxi/?igshid=5ndxw64wrnnl