Some Colorado Adventure

It has slowed a hair, only a hair though. So I though I might take the opportunity to update quickly. So The last entry ended up being more of a race cap, than anything else. This time, lets talk about some of the fun adventures I have been on in the past 2 weeks.

 

Started on July 3^rd. Headed out to Ohio, for a friends wedding. I went to the Doo Dah Parade on July 4^th, in Columbus. If you have never been to the DooDah, it's a must go event. I can't even tell you about it. Then, we headed to Troy, Ohio, and did the Tri the next morning.  An awesome event, HFP Racing puts on a terrific local event. I would definitely do it again in the future. After the race, we rushed back to the house to shower up and get ready for the wedding; not much down time. We went to the wedding, yada-yada. We then flew out early the next morning for CO for a week.

 

Arrived CO, and went to town on that place. We did everything from running, to white water rafting. I did a few hill workouts, which blew my legs apart. Later that day I went fly-fishing. The cold, cold water felt great on my legs from earlier that day. That is a fun sport, so relaxing. It is always nice to slow things down a touch, and just enjoy nature pass by. The guide we went through was Crystal Fly Shop. They were a great outfit, and real knowledgeable. I would recommend them to any one looking to learn and experience the art & sport of fly fishing.

We spent a day on top Aspen Mountain playing Frisbee golf. Always a blast. We played the front nine only, I shot a four on every hole except for the first and last; talk about consistency. Following, a couple of us went down to the Village, and relaxed with some cocktails and seafood apps, before heading back to Sagewald for some pizza and beer.

Next day we spent some time on the bike along the Colorado River, followed by a nice hike, and then back on the bike and back into town. That was an awesome day, with some real hardcore playing.  You gotta love playing outside Colorado Style. The day was capped off with a another nice wedding along a stream bed

Now, you would think that the next day we might relax and take it easy; nope! Went back out and at it again. We went down the Slaughter House Falls. That's right, white water rafting down Class 4 rapids. This was a blast. We went through this awesome outfit called Kiwi Adventure Ko (KAK as they more affectionately go by). This was an amazing group of guides.  Each raft was intimate in that it only had two people, plus a guide. This allowed the raft to twist and turn a lot easier, and even flip and send us floating down the current on a couple occassions.  This was a blast, and the guides (mostly from New Zealand) were absolutely outstanding. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for an awesome, thrilling adventure.

What next you ask? Your's truly got engaged. That's right, I am now fianced. Looks like this year will be even busier then thought.

It is now back to normalcy though in New York. Trying to unpack everything after our move, busy with work, and trying to keep up with my training. The weekend runs are getting long.

 

Well, this has been a lot of writing, so I will cut it off here, and let you get on with your day.  Look forward to the next entry, and get back to some basics of training. Until the next adventure…go play outside!

Been A Whiiiiiile

It has been some time since my last post. So much has happened since then. I have moved apartments, done two triathlons, traveled to Ohio and Colorado for two weddings and a vacation, and got engaged. I have gone white water rafting (class four rapis) and fly fishing for the first time ever. I went for a 30 mile ride followed by a run 1.5 miles up a 1,200 foot incline to the most beautiful lake and waterfall overlooking a mountain range. Plus so much more. The whole time I have been able to keep up with my training for the most part which is a complete puzzle to me. For the most part, training is going well. I feel like some days have taken a hit because of too much going on.
There are days where I have done so much, that by the time I get to bed it feels like morning was ages ago. So, what do I write about first? How about my first two triathlons ever...

First: Flat As A Pancake Sprint Tri: June 27th
This was an awesome event, and even better first event to introduce triathlon. You could definatelt tell it was a local event, which are always the best. It was out in Staten Island. The swim was in the Ocean. For never having practiced the swim, and not having a wetsuit, I guess it went as well as could be expected. The water was freezing, and saltier then heck. I finished quite poorly in that leg. I hustled out the water, and into transition, grabbed the bike quickly and out T1 I went. I hopped on the bike and started full steam ahead. I began to start picking them off one at a time. The bike was going well for me, and my body was feeling great. Looks like being an endurance runner has helped condition the legs for triathlon quite well. I kept biking, fueling, and hydrating and eventually parked the bike in T2, slipped on the racers and was passing through RunOut in no time. The run was an 5k out-&-back. Legs felt great, and I was flying through the k's like no ones business. I rounded the turn-around and headed for the finish. I was able to negative-split the run, which is always a great thing. I made it to the finish and there was tons of cheering, and an all around great feel in the air. It was fantastic. I reflected over the race, and came to a few conclusions, I didn't stop smiling the entire time, tiathlon is awesome, really, really awesome, the community is cool and chill, and I suck at the swim; and I mean suck.
We stayed for the awards ceremony, and I got a nice little surprise, a trophy for 2nd place in my divission. Not bad, huh? It was a great first experience with triathlon, completely hooked.

Second: Caesar Creek's Wheelie Fun Triathlon: July 5th
The was a great event taking place in Waynesville, Ohio. Again, totaly a local event, with homemade PB&J sandwiches (in a bucket) served at the end. This time, the swim was in a nice warm, gentle lake. I am still bad at the swim though, but at least this time it wasn't as painful; despite the fact it was double the distance of the first one. Again, I speedily ran out of the water and into T1. I donned the helmet and shades, grabbed the bike, and out T1 I went. I hopped on the bike and was off. I biked, hydrated, and made my way through the VERY hilly course and sped my way into T2. I ditched the helmet and the bike, slipped into my run shoes, and out T2 I went. As I rounded the first turn, I caught a glimpse of the athletes ahead of me ducking into the woods. WHAT?!?! The website made no mention of trail running. Oh well, can't do anything about it now, lets go on the adventure. So, I headed into the woods, and made my way down the single track run course. When I passed people, it was in calf and knee deep wheat grass, or on a steep, gravely ledge. I was on an all out cross country run course. Made my way around the turn around point, and headed for the finish. I was surprisingly feeling great, and picked up the pace some more. I made it to the finish line in great time, and celebrated with some PB&J and watermelon...mmmmmm. I'm telling you, you can't beat local races. I finished with the second fastest run time, inside the topr 50 overall, and 4th place in my age group. Triathlon seems to be going pretty well for me so far; I am hooked.
I learned a few things this race too. 1. I will always try and keep local races in my seasonal schedule; 2. Websites sometimes withhold major details about their course, like single track runs, and incredibly hilly bikes; 3. I don't stop smiling when I do triathlon (no matter how much pain I am going through) and 4. I still SUCK at swimming :).
Well, I think that is enough writing for now, I am sure you need to get going. I will write more later about all of my recent adventures. Until then...