To say that I needed to get away is a crazy understatement. Things have been tough around here these days (if you would like to hear why read here). I had booked this trip long before I knew my family was being moved (via the USN) to Southern California. As the weekend approached, I was hesitant. The thought of traveling while my family is going through such a stressful time seemed a tad too much for me to handle. I pulled myself together, though, and pushed through those overwhelming and guilty thoughts to wake up at 3am last Friday to catch my 6am flight to Denver. I swung by my friend Alison’s place to pick her up – yes, a girl’s weekend away! -and we were off on an adventure to run one of the largest and most famous 10K’s in the country, The Bolder Boulder 10K.
We landed in Denver, rented our Enterprise car, and made the half hour drive up to Boulder and the home of my sister Kim and her family. But first, we made a quick stop at Boulder Running Company.
We arrived at their mountain abode and were greeted by a herd of mule deer and a black fox and, oh yes, then out pops my sister from the front door. We had just stepped into a whole new environment and Alison and I look at each other like, “Is this for real?” It’s so calm, quiet and relaxed, we instantly begin to let go of our stresses and I was already telling myself, this was exactly what I needed… to step away from the constant stress I was experiencing and take a metaphorical (and literal!) breath of fresh air.
We caught up with my sister, unpacked, and threw on some running clothes. My sister recommended a few different trail running options around the area. We decided on an easy, but beautiful, 3.2 mile trail out and back (the Anne U White Trail). The trail head was inviting and we headed out at a slow jog. Soon our slow jog turned into a walk. Our hearts were pounding and we were breathing hard due to the thin air at an altitude of 6,530 feet, that’s more than a mile above sea level. We took in the beautiful views and just enjoyed the walk. No pressure, no purpose other than to relax.
Friday night dinner with my sister, her husband Peter, my niece Tea and nephew Tallin.
Saturday morning Alison and I went on a hike through Chautauqua Park at the baseline of the Flatirons.
Sunday morning more trail running on Mesa Trail…
Sunday afternoon we headed down to the Pearl Street Mall for the race expo, lunch and some shopping. I will discuss how awesome the expo was in my race recap, but until then, here are a few photos of Sunday.
Sunday evening dinner and resting up for the race in the morning…
It was a relaxing and much needed weekend… Monday morning we were up bright and early to race. Stay tuned for my Bolder Boulder 10K race recap, the best race/experience I have ever had!
