Slogfest

Dan at mile 26, Salida Marathon

The spring snow has definitely brought the mud to the Front Range! We've been getting some pretty good snow totals on and off every few days it seems. This week I felt lucky to have slogged through the miles I got. Tuesday was a brutal run up Green Mountain. I swear with every step forward I slid three back and would end up face planting in the mud. I made it to the top though and was rewarded with views of a downtown socked in with the thickest smog I have ever seen in Denver. I could barely even see downtown it was so thick. Certainly made me glad I wasn't slogging it out through that! I also managed a double duty run this week dropping my car off for an oil change and heading down Colfax to run at Apex. Wow nothing like getting in some road miles on Colfax, not even really sure what you can say about that other than it took every ounce of determination to get a run in that I had. But I slogged through that run as well and probably appreciate every muddy step at Green Mountain even more!

Friday we were off to Salida for Dan to run the marathon. With winter storm warnings and a forecast for significant snowfall Friday night through Sunday morning Dan was slightly less than optimistic about this race. Last year we ran the half together and it was gorgeous and sunny and we had a blast. It was actually the last race the three of us ran together and I remember chatting along the course about when we thought the next time the three of us would race together would be. Saturday morning though the snow hadn't started yet so James and I headed down to the start with Dan and Mark. We honestly watched them start with Dan and Mark at the very end of the line of starters. Seriously, they had some work cut out for them. Dan ended up having a pretty good race with the snow holding off for the most part. I know he feels so much stronger than he did this time last year which is a great sign for his upcoming race season.

Salida Marathon start, you can't see Dan because he's the last runner at this point!

James with his cools shades cheering on Daddy!

Its not easy sitting on the sidelines and watching everyone else race. Especially knowing these are conditions you excel at. But after Dan finished and showered I got out for my own run. The trails were less than a mile from the house we rented so I took off up the trails I vaguely remembered from the year before. I may not have been racing, but I was ready for it. The snow was coming down pretty hard at this point, but I was still getting great traction so I didn't slow down for a second. I ended up having one of the best runs I've had in a long while. Everything just came together. I was on these amazing new trails blanketed in fresh snow and my legs felt unbelievably fresh. I ended up running 9 miles at a sub-8:00 pace, which is pretty crazy fast for me on trails. So I may not have gotten to officially race, but I still had a pretty sucessful weekend! Plus James was a huge hit with everyone while we waited at the finish line.

James post-RSV shot. Maybe getting it right before
the road trip to Salida was a good thing!

Week March 4 - 10

Miles Running: 27.5
Hours Running and Hiking: 5