New Workout Music

I struggle with finding workout music because I need both depth and tempo.....a hard combo to find.  But I saw these guys in concert yesterday (amazing show!) and I think I've found a new band to accompany me on my workouts.

Guess what? Another hike!

I hiked for two and a  half hours tonight.  TWO AND A HALF HOURS.  Two thirds of which was uphill.  Because that's how things work around here.  When you live in a canyon and you want to get anywhere the direction is pretty much always up.

Which, you would think would be great because well, duh...there's always the down part on the way home, right?  Yes, true.  Problem is, the down is not exactly easy around here.  You're usually coming down steep loose dirt or gravel so you need to be paying attention for sure, and then just hoping your quads can hold on until you hit flat ground.  Not easy kids.  My knees will probably never forgive me.

But tonight's hike was great.  A climb (I'd like to call it steep but it is more likely to be classified as consistent grade, or some other such wimpy sounding nonsense) out of town to the base of yet another waterfall with a friend that I haven't been able to catch up with now that I'm doing this thing called working (highly overrated if you ask me).

I'm finally starting to build a little posse of people to call on when I feel like taking off on an active endeavor.  I have really missed this.  Right now the circle that I call on is small, but I'm happy that it even exists at all.  I know I've said it before but its still true -- I miss my workout friends.  My bike-therapy buddies.  My walkers, my runners.....my lets just do something active so we don't have to feel guilty about the wine we're going to drink afterward friends.

If you were all here this place would be SO MUCH MORE AMAZING.  Because while its beautiful here, this place is just a place without beautiful people to share it with.

Just an average morning hike around here

Snapped a few pics with the camera on my new phone.  I was hoping it would take better pics than my point-and-shoot (it has more megapixels) but I'm not sure it does.  Regardless, the scenery still poses pretty well around here.

Hiked for a solid hour uphill and then made quick time of the downhill because work was calling.  Only saw two mountain bikers and one 4x4 vehicle the entire 90 minutes.  Watched the town bustle with activity below.  The biggest festival of the season is this weekend and everyone's getting ready.  I even stocked up on groceries, for two reasons,

1) when the town is full of tourists the residents -- like me -- are very busy working which means not much time for grocery shopping, and

2) if the town is full of tourists the grocery store is going to be a zoo that I'd really like to avoid.  I think I'll have my fill of humanity with just my regular work week thankyouverymuch.

Fat, skinny, whatever....

Its official....I don't discriminate in my love for bikes.  I adore them all.  Skinny tires, fat tires....doesn't matter.  I just love biking.

After a long "week" (my weeks are slightly different from the average office-dweller these days) I rewarded myself with a little mountain bike ride.   I started on a paved trail, heading toward a trail I knew to be pretty mellow about three miles from my house.  A few things happened along the way:

1)  The seat-post on my rented bike kept slipping down.  I didn't realize at first.  I just kept stopping, thinking no...a little higher.  Just a little bit higher.  So annoying.  Finally got it fixed though before I hit the dirt.

2)  It started raining.  Kind-of.  But it was kind-of awesome.  I had my waterproof ski shell on so it didn't phase me much.  (Its cold here -- snow on the mountain tops this morning!)

3)  I used my new Osprey Raptor hydration pack.  Totally awesome.  Most impressive was the water reservoir.  Not only is the thing easy to fill (they put a handle on it, genius), but the way it sits in the pack keeps constant pressure on the water.  Why is this important?  When you're sucking wind you don't have to suck for your water too.  The first drink I took caught me so off-guard I had to spit it out because I nearly choked.  The water quite literally flew into my mouth.

4)  I didn't find the trail I was looking for, but I think I found one much cooler.

5)  I realized that I really like mountain biking.  It does freak me out a bit at times, but I'm excited enough about it to want to get out and there and get better at it.  There's NO TRAFFIC.  The scenery is amazing.  And sometimes I have to stop and just take it all in.  Quiet little bubbling brooks.  Rolling rivers.  The wind in the trees.  The mountains.  The waterfalls.  The whole scene can be pretty spectacular.

6)  I was reminded how much I LOVE living someplace where I can hike, bike, and ski right out my front door.  NO CARS INVOLVED.  I don't even drive to work.  I have driven my car once in the past 5 weeks.  Once.  Take that BP.

7)  I was also reminded that I live at the top of a VERY BIG HILL.  The hardest part of my workout is always the last three blocks, but this is just something I'm going to have to deal with, I guess.  Because living on a hill does have its perks.  (exhibit A: The view from my deck.)

Other activities of interest (or not really, probably but I'll tell you anyway).....

I had Indian Food for dinner.  It was, delicious.  It made me realize I miss Indian food.  This little mountain town has no Indian restaurant.  Bummer.

Also, I have become mildly addicted to mochas in the morning.  This is a very slippery slope I am headed down.  But they're so good.  And I usually only have them on mornings I work (4).  Green smoothies the other day.  That's almost balanced, right?

I lied

There wasn't a waterfall on yesterday's hike.  Just a beautiful raging river that followed me the whole way.

And at the turn-around, a cute little suspension bridge.

Since we left at noon for this two hour hike, it was hot.  And this nordic girl and the heat don't really get along.  Not too much humidity but the sun is a ruthless beast when you're up this high in elevation.  Luckily I had slathered myself in sunscreen (having learned my lesson in Boulder a few days ago).  But I was hiking in black 3/4 length yoga-ish pants.  NOT IDEAL.  I think it might be time for me to invest in some proper hiking attire since it seems this hiking thing is going to be a regular occurrence in my workout calendar.

Its funny how life shifts.  I have countless wardrobe options for conference-room oriented meetings.  Presentations, interviews -- got it covered.  But hiking, river-trips, casual lounging in mountain town coffee shops --- I've got nothin'.  My Banana Republic wardrobe isn't really meshing well with my mountain town life.  But my mountain town budget doesn't really allow for much wardrobe replenishment.  So I'm not sure how this is going to work.  Hopefully I can find a compromise.  

Just life

Apparently, its been a week since my last post.  Feels more like a month.

So much has happened.  Lots of good stuff.  Some stressful stuff (good stress though, and yes, there is such a thing).  Some active stuff.  Just lots of stuff.

More driving than hiking this week.  (Whohoo trip to the big city and a full pantry!  I'm set for the summer.  Though seeing all that beautiful reasonably priced produce that I couldn't stock up on was torture.  Oh the luxury of having a Whole Foods right down the road.....you big city people don't know how good you have it.  On the other hand, I ran about a million errands the other day, on foot, in under an hour.  So small town living has a few perks, I guess.)

And more working than playing, thanks to the driving.  But I did get some time to enjoy the latest festival in town -- balloons.  Such a cool sight.  I wish I had been here for the big morning event, but I did manage to get a few pics late in the weekend.

I've started two new jobs (such are they joys of mountain living, multiple employers) and two volunteer gigs.  And to be quite honest, I'm much more excited about the volunteering than the jobs.  Figures, I guess.  But what I'm hoping is that the volunteering might open some doors to paid gigs along the same lines.  So....we'll see.  In the meantime, I've got a pretty sweet schedule and I'm almost paying my bills.  What more could a mountain girl ask for?

Throw in an amazing sunset view from my deck, and I'd say I'm a pretty lucky girl.

And....as if life couldn't get any better, this morning I made this yummy concoction for breakfast: fat-free greek yogurt, homemade granola, blueberries, raspberries, chia seeds and honey.  YUM.

And now I'm off on a two-hour hike through a canyon to a waterfall.

What's this thing they call running?

I went for a run today.  Its been so long I almost forgot how.  It was a hot, sunny, windy day in the mountains but I got out there and put in a few pavement miles (4ish, I'm guessing).  And while it all kinda came back to me, it still felt a bit like I was doing it all in slow motion.  I'd like to blame acclimation, but at this point I have to realize.....I'm just out of shape.

Out of shape SUCKS in case you were wondering.

I've been consistent with my workouts this week and I'm hoping that trend continues.  But I do have a busy week ahead, with travel and driving included.  So we'll see.

One thing that's nice is that its pretty easy to be active here.  Just today I walked to work, then home.  Then went on a dog walk with a friend, that turned into my run when she turned back, then I walked into town for a meeting, then ran into a friend on the street while I was walking to the post office and went on an impromptu little walk with her to catch up.  Just 20 minutes or so.  But 20 minutes or so every couple days over a week, or a month adds up to a whole lotta minutes.  Add to that all that commute walking and well...it adds up.  I walk everywhere.  I don't see my car for days.  So even if I'm not getting in true sweat-fest workouts....I'm still staying active, which helps.  Because my off-season laziness is not playing well with jeans these days.  So I hope this pseudo-euro lifestyle pays off like all the research says it will.

In unrelated news, the aspens are finally budding and the new leaves are the coolest shade of green.  Every day I'm reminded in a new way of how beautiful this place is.

Ok, enough blog rambling.  The weekend's over.  I have work to do.  Happy Memorial Day!