Mosca Pass

Mountain Run day! After munching on a Lemon Zest Luna Bar, I buckled up and headed out with the class to Mosca Pass for my last mountain run. The task ahead of me: 4 miles up, 4 miles down. The first two miles were pure agony. Sharp switchbacks on a bunch of uneven rocks on the side of a cliff. The next two were rolling in a beautifully wooded meadow. And then finally, another spectacular view at the top followed by 4 miles of flying. Literally took me 39 minutes to get to the top (almost 10 minute pace) and 27 minutes to get down (6:40 pace).It was a great way to end my mountain run adventures. After the journey back to campus, I made a big batch of pumpkin chia seed pancakes with vanilla soy milk and hit the sack. I was beat. I haven't really been sleeping too well because it is so hot here. And with no air conditioning...it's not a pleasant sleeping arrangement..but I manage just fine. After my nap Kels and I headed over to the weight room to lift, grabbed some lunch, and then headed out for an afternoon 4 miler. Another 12 mile day for me. Racking up the miles to 70 this week! What does a day of heavy mileage spell? P-I-Z-Z-A! Pizza with pesto, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach! DELICIOUS! We each had a half of the pie! Bet you can guess what I did with my crust.....give up? I DIPPED IT IN HONEY. I'm telling you, it will change your life. ;) Well tonight the boys are coming over to watch Dazed and Confused, so I better run. Have a terrific Tuesday!

Monday Monday Monday

This morning began with a beautiful 8.5 mile run with Zoila! We just did a quick out and back that both of us love. When I got back, I got straight to work on some crosswords and on a powerpoint slideshow for the camp that I work at in July. By the time I looked back up at the clock it was close to noon. (after about 3 hours) I made a quick lunch and took a power nap before my second run. I had 12 miles today, so about 2:30 I headed out for run #2. It was pretty toasty today, but with a slight breeze that helped out some. When I got back, I got a head start on packing... :( sad day. Im not ready to leave this training, but a month had to go by at some point. Spaghetti squash, chicken, and veggies was on the menu for dinner tonight. Pretty delightfully delicious. Until I go to sleep, I'll probably watch a little bit of the Bachelorette and some good ole Gamecock Baseball. Not to mention, the numerous screens of results, twitters, and chat rooms about the track trials up on my computer. It will probably be a pretty early night for me, considering I have my last mountain run in the morning. Happy Monday peeps.

It's a Scorcher

So, today it's hot. Very hot. With about 8 wildfires roaming around Colorado, the weather has been three times as hot and three times as dry. Despite the heat I still had a pleasant morning run with my new friend Zoila. We did 11 miles together and then I finished up two more to the track to do some drills and strides. 13 mile day baby. Boom. I can't believe that I only have a little over 4 days left here :/. I am excited to see my family and to live in air conditioning but I am so sad to have to leave the trials behind that have been so great for training. If any of you ever get the chance to sign up for something like this....don't hesitate. Sign Up. It is well worth it. Well after my big run, I had some delicious Pumpkin Chia Seed Pancakes and then hit up the weight room. Did a quick weight session, then headed to the store to get a few things to help me get through the week. For the rest of the day, I will most likely just do crosswords, read, and stretch. 13 miles, I feel like it's okay if I am a little bit lazy this afternoon ;). Happy Sunday everyone. Say a prayer for your health, heart, and happiness.

Saturday, Back in Alamosa

So today I woke up, made breakfast, laid out, read an entire book, did abs, ate lunch, and wrote my two page paper for class....all before 12 pm. I wish that I had saved some of the stuff for later on because after that I was so bored! Since I only had to run 3 miles this afternoon I felt as if I had nothing to do. Today really made me realized how much I thrive in my sport and how much I love to run. I was going nuts not getting to feel the dirt trail under my feet or the dry wind through my hair. Sounds lame? Well, I live for it. God has taken this past month in my life to show me that he gave me this gift for a reason. If I take the time to put in the work, and believe in my abilities that I have been given, then I will be invincible. Just wait everyone. Wait to see what is in store for this coming season :).

BOULDER!

Sorry for my lack of blogging over the past few days! I didn't have my computer because I was living one of my dreams of going to BOULDER, COLORADO! Here is how my trip went down...

Wednesday: Early morning 10 miler with the boys before class. Quick class and then we hit the road to Boulder. 4 hours later...we arrived on campus. We took a brief hour campus tour taking pictures and being all touristy. We then went to a famous (and by famous I mean, it was on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives) pizza place called "The Sink." We were all starving from the long drive. I ordered a personal sized pizza. Pesto, italian sausage, artichoke, broccoli pizza on whole wheat honey crust...and the kicker? They bring out a sweet honey to drizzle over your crust. True life...I am now addicted to pizza with honey. Delicious! Next stop...PEARL STREET MALL! The city was buzzing like crazy that night. There was a farmer's market going on, street performers at every turn, vendors shoving free samples down your throats, and not to mention the most beautiful views of the mountains. Naturally, I was not going to pass up the homemade ice cream stand. After sampling everything from Chia Tea flavored to lemon sorbet...I landed on a waffle cone with Cookie Dough and Cake Batter! DELISH! After all the festivities...we still had to find a place to stay. Lucky for me, going with all boys meant that noone wanted to spend money on a hotel...and the trunk was full of sleeping bags and tents. So, the final solution? We drove up to 8500 ft and camped in the middle of the woods on the famous Magnolia Drive (from the book Running with the Buffalos). I was petrified...beyond belief. But I thankfully survived the night.

Thursday: Early morning wake up 6:30 am. We headed down to Boulder Creek to do a 9 mile run. It might have been my favorite run all summer. Winding through the town of Boulder and along the mountain passes of Canyon Creek. Incredible. After a few quick strides and drills, we walked on up to the bagel shop where I got a delicious Whole Wheat Bagel with...wait for it....HONEY drizzled on top.  Told you I was obsessed. Next we went to the Boulder Running Company...as any crazy runner kids would do on a trip up there. Then, we drove to the top of Flagstaff road to pay our respects to Adam Goucher's falled teammate Chris Severy "Sev" (in Running with the Buffalos). Then it was down to the park for a nap under some trees. I needed it. Sleeping on rocks and roots the night before did me in. So, after an hour or so, we got up and ran three more miles. At this point...I was cranky. I had run 12 miles, eaten one bagel and an apple and was disgustingly dirty. So what did I do? I went to the Boulder YMCA and payed $5 for a shower. It was worth every cent. So after we got all cleaned up, we were all starved so we hit up the Walnut Brewery. There I indulged in pecan crusted salmon over lemon rice and fresh vegetables. Woah. We took a quick trip down Pearl again where I had to stop at my new favorite ice cream stand to get some NUTELLA flavored ice cream. Um yes, delish. Then, we boarded up in the car to find a new place to camp. We came across a place called Sugarloaf mountain. We pulled up to the parking lot, got out, and asked a couple where the best flat place to set up camp was. They said, "You have to make it to the top. It is the best view of Colorado." We got so excited..until they told us that it was a mile hike. Yay...I had rainbows on. But I was not about to pass up a view like that. So we grabbed all of our gear and started to climb. Once at the top, I felt like crying. It was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen. Wanna know the funny part though? There was a sign...NO CAMPING ALLOWED. ALL CARS FOUND AFTER SUNSET WILL BE TOWED AND FINED $300. ouch. Well, needless to say..noone was willing to risk it, so we climbed back down. We got back in the car and made our way back up to Magnolia (our previous campsite), set up camp, and crashed.

Friday: 7 am wake up and off to run. We drove to the Buffalo ranch, which houses the CU home cross country course. It was gorgeous as always but very hot. I was only planning on going 7 miles, but it was too pretty to resist. I went 9. Don't regret it even for a minute. Afterwards we hit up the famous Village Coffee House for pancakes the size of my face. They were absolutely delicious and extremely filling. They put me in a food coma for the 4 hour trip back. Now, I am back in Alamosa. Boulder...will be my home one day.

Pinos Creek

Mountain run day! Today we drove about an hour out to Pinos Creek. It was a beautiful run and the hill was not terrible to be honest. Probably because nothing could be worse than Rock Creek form last week! I only had to run about 6 miles on it this morning though because I have a 3 mile shake out and weights this afternoon. The full trip from this morning was bout 4 hours so we just got back. I'm pretty beat, so I will most definitely be taking a nap in the next few minutes. Tonight should be pretty calm. The boys are coming over to watch game 4 of the NBA finals and we are going to start to plan our weekend excursion to Boulder starting tomorrow! I cannot wait! I have been dreaming of Boulder for years now and in less than 24 hours, I will be on my way! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.

Taking The Necessary Steps

Today was an early day for me. Up at the crack of 5:30 am to run with Zoila! Ran a beautiful railroad loop of about 7 miles to begin the day. After that I headed over to class. Today we discussed ideal conditions for racing and how to calculate your VO2 max. (For those who don't know, VO2 max if the amount of oxygen that you can inspire in one minute per kg of body weight) Scientific stuff. Anyways, class ended early today so I have had a lot of time to do pretty much nothing. but you know, that's what living like an elite running looks like sometimes. You head out for a run in the morning, fuel up with a good meal, nap, and then get up and do it again in the afternoon. Anything else that I do outside of training wastes my energy for my next run. Aside from the daily core sessions in front of the TV, and weights and drills twice a week, I don't do much to stress my body....well the occasional excursions that we go on out here don't count because I would be crazy not to go enjoy Colorado! Most of my afternoons, like today, involve countless crossword puzzles and reruns of Greys Anatomy or Say Yes to the Dress. That is, if I'm not off sleeping. Recently I have begun my book for the month of June. Running the Edge by Adam Goucher and Tim Cataland. It's fantastic. If you love a good running book, go get it. Run to it. I am about to head to do a quick shake out and some drills followed by a pleasantly freezing ice bath. On the menu tonight? Baked Swai fish (I had never heard of it either) with a side of cous cous and cooked carrots. yum diddly. Probably will try to go to bed early tonight too. We have a big boy mountain run early in the am. Something like 6 miles straight up the hill to start before it ever levels off. Yikes. Can't wait! Go big, keep the fire burning.

South Bend Lake

So yesterday was a spontaneous type of day. I had the day off from running because I had already hit all of my mileage, so the boys and I decided to do a little nature hike. Little is the farthest from what it actually was. We arrived at the beautiful Zapata Falls around 10 am and played in the waterfall for a while. Then we saw a trail head with a sign that said "South Bend Zapata Lake Trail." The map said that it was right around a 4 mile hike, so we though, no big deal. Well, it ended up being 3 and a half hours of treacherous rocks and straight up and down hills. and that was only to GET there. But let me tell you something, once I got to the lake, it was the most beautiful place that I had ever seen in my life...wouldn't you agree?

Never wanted to leave this place, we sat for about an hour just in awe of how spectacular it all was. After a while, we decided to head back for a storm was looming overhead. I got to the lead the way this time. I was a lot slower than the boys on the way up so this was my chance to blaze the trail. We started to give each other a lot more space coming down so that nobody would fall. I started getting a little farther ahead...but they some feeling came over me. Like the kind of feeling where you are invincible. Maybe something like running an ultra trail marathon. Sure you are tired, but with all of the beauty around you and the sense of being alive just captivate you. So then..I started running. I ran the rest of the way back. The ups, downs, rocks, trails, everything were slaves to my feet. I was running because I felt alive. Coming out here has shown me so much about God's reasons for why my career in running has been the way it is. If I never hurt my heel, I would have never been out here. If I didn't keep coming back after every mishap, the picture above would have never been taken. He sure does work in mysterious ways. My life with running, I feel is just beginning.

Today I had a glorious long run with Zoila. We chatted the whole time about passion for running and how each of us got started. I feel like that I love to run, but I have, for so long, not had a strong enough belief in myself. This year is going to turn from the "maybe someday I will" and "I'll try"s to "today I will" and "I will"s. Zoila has helped me so much to uncover the true runner inside me and I'm loving every minute of it.

Lazy Friday

Today was a great day for running. Honestly though..what day isn't in a place like this? Nothing says good morning to your legs like an 8 mile run on the dusty trails of Alamosa. Accompanied..once again..by my new pal Zoila Gomez! Although my body isn't fatigued at all, I have been super sleepy the past two days. I toss and turn quite a bit out here at night and since the sun comes up SOO early I don't really ever sleep in. On the agenda today will most likely consist of laying out, reading, doing crosswords, and running a little shake out this afternoon. Pretty lazy day. Hitting around 60 miles for the week, so I think it's okay to take a little extra downtime :). Grilled tilapia with avocado and stir fry vegetables is on the menu for tonight. Could be a winner. Hope you all are enjoying day one of the weekend. Keep grindin.

In The Presence of Excellence

So today, I got up around 4 am with a "runny nose." Only, it wasn't a runny nose at all...try a gushing bloody nose. Ew. Dry air finally snuck in there and irritated it. Finally, once it subsided I was able to get back to sleep before my 7:45 wake up for a run with the girls. A couple of us met to run around 8 am, but we also had a surprise guest join us. Zoila Gomez! If you don't know of her, here is a brief fact. She was 4th at the 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon! Just off of making the Olympic Team! She is a beast. With college PR's of 15:57 in the 5k and 32:47 in the 10k...and not to mention a 2:32 in the marathon! Woah nelly. Running with her was such a treat. As the miles flew by, she told me stories of racing and training that blew my mind. At her peak of marathon training her easy days are a 75 min run in the morning AND a 50 min run in the afternoon! EASY DAY? All the while, I looked down at my watch to see 60 minutes looking back up at me thinking..dang, this chick will have run 65 more in her easy days...Yikes. Can't wait to do that someday. After the run, Kelsey (my roomate) and I stumbled over to Mellagros for some iced coffee and roamed around Walgreens looking for some funny Father's Day cards to send to our Daddys. Just finished watching Captain American. Um, hello Chris Evans, where have you been all my life? Well, I'm gonna catch a quick snooze outside basking in the sun to prep for an afternoon shake out and drills. Oh yeah, something for you all to try...oatmeal with lemon zest, vanilla extract, and cashew butter. Tastes like cake. Yummy. On the menu tonight? For Kelsey and I...STEAK! Yes mom and dad (if you are reading that is) your little girl is, BY CHOICE, cooking up some good old fashioned iron filled RED meat. Happy Trails ladies and gents.

Hello Deer.

Howdy Yall. Today started off pretty much at the crack of dawn. Got a good 7 mile run in with the boys and casually ran through a herd of 11 deer. The deer here let you get within a foot of them before they even make the slightest movements. So Cool. After the run, I had day two with Coach Vigil! We learned all about iron sources and the importance of iron in our diets at altitude. He also told us multiple stories of his trips to the Olympics, of the athletes he coached, and of the famous people that he has met. such a cool man. After class, I came back and SURPRISE...took a nap. Altitude sure knows how to drain you. I don't have too much going on today. Just a trip to the store for some essentials (aka bananas and cottage cheese), some rummaging in an old antique store in town for family gifts, and a quick drill session with a shake out. It's a gorgeous day here folks so I'm signing off for the day. With love.

Coach Vigil

Today was just an ordinary day. You know, that kind of day when you spend a few hours conversing with one of the most famous coaches in all of distance running in the world. Like I said ordinary. Class this morning was mesmerizing. I mean, listening to man who has coached Ryan Hall, Deena Kastor, Meb Keflezigh, Olympic Teams, National Champions, and so many more for me to even name. Every few minutes I would have to make sure to blink so that he would know that I was alive, instead of just staring mindlessly in awe at him! He talked to us about training at altitude, optimizing your diet to be a champion, and the most important key of all of distance running....belief in yourself. Another cool statistic...he told us that running is the one thing in the entire world that has unified people disregarding race, religion, ethnicity, etc above all others! This class was incredible. I hope that everyone has the chance to hear that man speak. For the rest of the day, I did my shake out, lifted, and got a big care package from my darling mother :). What a treat :). In a few hours, I am heading out for my real run with some friends and then watching GAME 1 of the NBA finals. On the menu tonight? Who knows? Spontaneity at its finest.
Until then...keep the fire burning. (shout out to you Laura Miller)

Rock Creek

If Heaven and Hell had a baby, it would be named Rock Creek. This morning, I had one of the most difficult yet most beautiful runs of my entire life. With only a 7 miler this morning, I thought, surely it can't be too bad. Boy, was I mistaken. Lucky for me the last 6 miles of this mountain are where they entire 2200 ft climb takes place. Battling up steep switchbacks at 11500 ft altitude, my body was hurting. My legs with running on pure adrenaline from all the beauty around me. The run was breathtaking, with a view so stunning it could make you cry on either side. It honestly took me about 70 minutes to run the last 6 miles. That's how steep it was. Yikes. However, the accomplishment that I felt at the top was well worth the struggle. After the 40 min ride back, we were all pretty beat up. So, I made myself a hearty breakfast with scrambled eggs, fresh blueberries, and lemon ricotta pancakes...then took a nap that lasted until about 20 minutes ago. Now, I'm up to do a shake out, to get my legs fresh and ready for tomorrow. Then its chicken, bean, rice, and veggie stir fry, a good movie, and off to bed early for me. Hope you all are having a lovely Monday.

Runner's High

I know it's super early in the day to be writing this entry, but I just couldn't wait to write about my morning! I had an awesome ten miler this morning finishing at 6:45 pace for the last couple miles (at altitude!). My legs feel so fresh and the weather was gorgeous! Post run breakfast? Chia seed pancakes with sliced banana and peanut butter. AMAZING! So now what to do the rest of the day. Well, I may go help some girls paint their house, may go present hunting for the fam, or may just cuddle up with a book in Mellagros and get lost in a cup of coffee and a good read. I just got the book The Help, so I may just have to start on that one. I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday as well!

All of Alamosa..in One Day?

Today was an early morning. We had a beautiful run accompanied with the infamous "fanny pack speakers" to keep up entertained. The weather was rather crisp but nothing a long sleeve dry fit shirt couldn't fix. After the run, we made the new daily trip to Mellagros for some yummy coffee and then headed on down to the weight room to lift a bit. I made it back just in time to enjoy my lunch while watching the finals of the women's 1500m race at NCAA. The majority of the early afternoon hours, for me, were spent lounging on the couch, watching RV, and surfing the internet. In the attempt to get moving somehow, a few of us decided to go to downtown Alamosa for some shopping. Well, we made it all the way through downtown and back in less than 30 min. Small town. On the menu tonight? Pesto, mushroom, spinach, tomato, mozzarella pizza. Yep, it was as good as it sounds. Now I better run! Everyone is coming over to watch TANGLED! Until tomorrow, adios chicos.

Rio.. A No Go

Well, today did go exactly as planned, but hey, not complaining here. After the early morning 8 miler and a trip to Mellagros for some vanilla coffee and steamed soy milk, we all decided to get lost in the local book store. And there is a chance we browsed around a new boutique for some frosting :) (aka jewelry). We were all pretty beat and didn't want to make the trek to wally mart to buy inter tubes so we just decided to soak up some rays in the apartment courtyard. Good thing too, because I was out like a light...which could have ended bad if I was asleep floating down the river. Any who, this afternoon we are all going to meet to do some hurdle drills and core exercises. Have to get it all in before 5:30 so I can watch my main Tiger ALYSSA KULIK dominate the steeplechase at nationals. What's on the menu for tonight you ask? Baked salmon, my dad's famous spiced sweet potatoes, and a side salad. Followed by a hearty dose of Tangled or Snow White and the Huntsmen..depending on whether or not anyone feels like spending money. And then early to bed, because it's going to be an early morning tomorrow as we try to sneak in a run before some of the troops head home for the summer. Until tomorrow. . . keep it classy.

Taco Taco

Today was another gorgeous day in the valley. Began with an 8 am dirt road run with the girls and a quick trip to Monte Vista, Colorado for some shopping! Tried to get on the anti gravity tread mill today...only for the second day in a row...the sucker wouldn't work for me :(. Tomorrow. I'll try again. Any who, I got to run my shake out with the girls instead which was much more pleasant than being in a hot room all alone strapped to a treadmill. After the run, my new friend Essa, invited us all over for TACO NIGHT. This was no plain shell, meat, cheese, lettuce taco...they were toasted corn tortillas, with mexican cheese, homemade tomatillo salsa, guacamole, sausage, chicken, tomato, lettuce, sour cream beauties! Oh yeah, authentic mexican food from good ole Alamosa. Tomorrow is going to be another great day already. My plans are to wake up, run, eat, throw on a bathing suit, grab my inter tube, and FLOAT DOWN THE RIO GRANDE! How sweet ride? Casually floating down the Rio. I hope you all are enjoying these little blurbs of my trip. I'll keep the pictures coming.

Day 3

Day 3: Woah baby were those Sand Dunes incredible. Although I complained and struggled up the 13,000 ft peak, the reward...priceless.

Today was a very chill day. I had class this morning and learned a lot about different paradigms of training, about nutrition at altitude, and about maximizing you training to peak at the desired meet. After class I got to run with the Adams State Girls! We had a beautiful run along the Rio Grand under crystal blue skies. After a quick core sesh and some stretching, I grabbed a bite to end and passed out for a two hour nap. Altitude sure takes it out of you man. For real ha. Well, when I woke up, I was GOING to run a few shake out miles on the Alter-G Treadmill, but the little sucker didn't want to work for me. I will have to wait until tomorrow. eh. Guess I'll live. I mean, I still am in one of the coolest places on earth. Tonights menu? Pasta with grilled chicken, peas, broccoli, garlic, yellow peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, sprinkled with a little parm. Delish? yes sir. After dinner you ask? Two hours of WII FIT AND JUST DANCE. By this end of this trip, I'll be a pro...but until then, I'll be a bit of an amateur. haha

until tomorrow....peace easy

Day 2: Mountain Run

Today was our first mountain run. Coach V took us out to a place called Fort Garland where the view is stunning from the peak..only problem is...you have to run to it. 7 miles of winding dirt roads with hills that will make you want to cry to your mother. but the reward, let me tell you is priceless. Once I reached the top, the air was silent, the mountains were majestic, and nothing else in the world seemed to matter. How incredible that our God created all of this with his hands? woah. I was speechless...and a little breathless from the run :). Also, casually saw a coyote running across the trail! After descending the mountain and getting back to campus, I did a little bit of muscle building in the weight room with my new roommate Sarah! Now, I am taking some downtime with a little lunch and nap before yet another adventure tonight....CAMPING AT THE GREAT SAND DUNES. If you don't know what they are or have never seen them...stop reading now and google it. Mindblowing. Cant wait to update you guys on how that goes!

Alamosa or Bust

Hello everyone! I know that it has been a while since I have blogged. I have made a lot of steps in my life the past few weeks...and have ended up in my dream state of Colorado. Spur of the moment decision to come out to Alamosa to learn about and train at high altitude. I thought that you all would be interested in hearing my journey and I personally want to write it all down anyways to always remember it.

Day 1: This morning, I woke up in utter panic thinking that I was late for my 8 am class (Human Performance at High Altitude with Physiology) because the light was pouring in like it was noon. I jumped up to grab my watch...looking down to see that it was only 5:50 am...Welcome to Colorado. I wasn't too upset about having to wake up so early though, considering I barely slept a wink last night. With a combination of the jet lag, adrenaline, breathing changes, etc...it made for an interesting night. Finally around 8 am, I walked to class with my 3 fellow classmates. There we met Coach Martin (the distance coach here at Adams State) and he dove right into telling us the history of the college, of his coaching career, of the history of high altitude training, and so much other interesting/valuable information ...and it was only the 1st day! We then took a tour of the school and its facilities and got a good feel for the small town of Alamosa. Then two of the guys, and myself went on a 7 mile run on an amazing dirt trail. It went on for miles and miles with nothing short of soft dirt surface and herds of deer lining the sides, and not to mention the view of the snowcapped mountain range throughout the entire run. My breathing and my legs felt honestly pretty good, but I for sure have to slow myself down a lot over the next few months to prevent myself from burning out.

I feel so blessed to be here and can't wait for all of the exciting things to come in the next month. I know that I was born to run.