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.