A Look Back at 2013 in Photos

As I wrote about in my last post 2013 was not my favorite year. Looking back is still fun and while the day to day was a little stressful there were some big sparkly moments that were great and I am sure in a few years I will remember the big highs more than anything else. So here's a look back at 2013:

January started out with our traditional News Year Day Hungover Half (my families self run half marathon, so fun)

And a trip to Miami to run the ING Miami half marathon

February was pretty mellow with lots of training on snowy trails and time on the trainer

March took us to Cabo San Lucas to celebrate 10 years of being together.

As a happy accident Ironman Los Cabos was running while we were there and we got to watch the race, probably my favorite part of our vacation.

In April we took our first long training weekend in Moab and had a blast!

May was running our second open marathon together
And had me headed to Baja Mexico for work

June was fun and exciting with lots of training, my mom's first triathlon and a half ironman for me.



July started with a trip to the Oregon Coast, one of my favorite places in the world.



and finished with lots of climbing mountains

In August we raced Ironman Boulder 70.3 to PRs for both Cory and me

Then Dad and Cory took third overall for relays at Boulder Sunset triathlon. They took third even through dad did the bike AND run! I was so proud. Mom took first in her age group but I didn't get a photo =(


September was a great month, Cory took 8th overall and first in his age group at the Denver Trail Half Marathon

Then we all headed to Lake Tahoe for my second Ironman, while it was difficult I am proud that I finished!

October was pretty low key running lots of trails, one half marathon and a work trip to Ohio

November came and went quickly ending with our traditional family Turkey Trot

December didn't have any racing for me, but lots of food, family and fun.

We end the year on an upswing with a new job for Cory and putting our house on the market to move north. Packing isn't my favorite but I am so excited to get into a new house, new city, new start.

Happy New Year everyone, have a safe fun night!

Transitions

Well hello! Its been quite around here with my focus on Christmas, family and other life changes, but we will get to all of that. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season celebrating with their families. I Had a wonderful Christmas that left my little heart bursting with joy and love.

I will admit that 2013 hasn't been the easiest year for me . Nothing tragic or unmanageable, just more stressful than past years so I won't shed a tear to see it go and start fresh in a week. I also have had a few significant changes in the last couple weeks, it feels like a great transition to 2014.

I haven't really talked about it here to respect my husbands privacy but he is the most open and honest person I know so it wasn't really necessary. Cory was laid off from the company he was with for over seven years in May and diligently searched for a job for over seven months, about two weeks ago he finally heard that he got a job that he really wanted, it was the best Christmas gift we could have asked for.

After Cory started his new job with a hellish commute to Boulder we finally decided to put our Denver house on the market so we could move out of the city. We still love our little 1928 tudor house but finally agreed that it was worth it to move to make commuting easier for Cory as well as having some more modern luxuries (AC, decent closets, master bathroom, storage, etc). The biggest reason we would like to move is lifestyle, we really like to ride our bikes out the door of our home and run on trails. This is hard to do in the heart of Denver so we are looking to move closer to Boulder back roads with great trails. I am very excited about this change but getting our house on the market and selling it will take some work. Showing a home with three dogs and a crazy schedule would just not work so we will be moving out in a week and a half.

Another big change for 2014 will be a new coach for me. I really love my former coach and will still work with him in group workouts but I missed the boat to individually train with him again this year. I gave up the expense of a coach after Ironman Lake Tahoe, but after Cory found a job and a lackluster fall of self coaching I was in the market for a coach again. Not surprisingly a lot of coaches in Colorado are full up with it being so late and so many local athletes signed up for IM Boulder. So I researched and thought a lot about my options and I think I have found the perfect fit. I am very excited and think this change will be really great for me, sometimes a change is just what I need to push me out of my comfort zone. I will let you in on who my new coach will be after we sign all the docs and get going but I am ecstatic to get to work with her.

A lot of new things coming in the next month or so, new schedule, new coach, new commute, new home, new gym, new neighborhood, the list goes on. So 2013 will end on an upswing that will hopefully propel us into a wonderful 2014.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying some time off!

Gift Ideas for Runners

1. Lululemon Speed Tight *cozy - I resisted buying Lulu for a long time, it seemed ridiculously expensive. That went out the window when I finally got some shorts as a gift and I realized how much more comfortable Lulu is than other brands. I even ran Tahoe's marathon in Lululemon Capri's, they were amazing with no chafing, love them! These tights are lined and perfect for winter, I wear them all the time.

2. Smart Wool gloves that have touch screen capabilities that are great for Garmin operation as well as instagramming your favorite trail

3. Petzl Headlamp great for evening runs when there is little daylight, or if you have an ultra runner on your list the NAO is supposed to be amazing.

4. A foam roller can be the difference between a PR and an injury, I have had my trigger point roller for years and it hasn't broken down at all. Now if I could get someone to do the rolling for me.....

5. A Garmin 910XT is a great watch for any triathlete or runner, I have the 410 and it's great but even with a full charge it has died on me, the 910 offers more battery power.

6. Everyone needs to hydrate on runs, even in the winter, this Nathan Hydration Vest makes it easy.

7. Give your favorite runner a nice way to display all the race bling!

What's on your list?

Training For a Hot Race in Winter - Four Months To Go

In (a little less than) Four short months I will be toeing the line at Ironman Los Cabos. It doesn't feel real yet, it's NEXT year, it will be warm, it's a triathlon, and it's clearly not triathlon season in Colorado (hello lowof -8).

But 4 months is not a lot of time and will go by quickly, I need to keep my focus and eyes on the prize. I try to think about warm(isn)aqua ocean water, palm tress and margaritas.

My training plan is very similar to my last two ironmans, I am just hoping that I won't have to spend too much time on the trainer and treadmill (I will run in snow but ice is another thing). The new things I hope to start incorporating some heat training. I have done a little research on how to train for a race in warm conditions over winter. Starting in January I will start:

• Going to hot yoga to get my body used to moving in the heat



• sitting in the sauna after swims for increasing amounts of time.



• No fan or open windows while on the trainer



• Overdressing for runs

Other than that I think I will just have to gut it out. Regardless, I am excited to head to mexico to race towards the end of a long, cold winter.

Have any additional tips? Have you ever races in the heat after training in the cold?

I haven't really but I did train in the heat to race in the ridged cold in Tahoe, I guess that doesn't hep me here.

Gift Ideas for Cyclists

In honor of Black Friday I thought I would post my second Wish List for Athletes, you can find the first here. I didn't venture out shopping myself today, too scary. I took down all my fall decorations, put out Christmas and put up a tree. The house smells amazing and now I can spend the weekend swim bike running with my chores being done.

Onto my list of fun items for cyclists:

1. Speed Fill makes drinking a breeze and keeps that expensive bike aero

2. A fun little bike ornament for your cycling enthusiast office mate

3. Zoot Knickers for those cold weather cycling adventures, so comfortable and keep your legs and bum nice and toasty

4. Bonk Breakers are a great snack while riding

5, This Cervelo P5 is for the athlete on your list who has been very good this year

Trail Runs in Colorado

Happy Thanksgiving (to my US readers) I am excited to spend the day giving thanks, doing a Turkey Trot with my entire family, watching movies and easting lots of great food. It will be a day of relaxing and finding peace. Luckily my contribution of pies will be baked this evening so I can mostly relax tomorrow.

I haven’t made tome to share much lately to I thought I would bomb you with some trail porn. Given my upcoming trail ultra marathon I have been spending my weekends climbing and descending. So here are some great local trails if live or ever visit Colorado.

Golden Gate Park: Lots of great trails that can keep you running for 30+ miles.

Centennial Cone: There is a 12 mile loop with approximately 3 mile spur to a lower parking lot, add that on as an out and back and you have a great 18 mile run.

Lory State Park: miles and miles of trails can be strung together here, we planned out a 20 mile course but you could run shorter or longer easily. This trail has been my favorite so far in Colorado. Tons of climbing but the trail is interesting and the views are incredible. This one was furthest from home but I will definitely be back!

So that's what my weekends have looked like, what have you been up to? Any big plans for the holiday weekend?

Athlete Wish List - Swim!

Hard to believe that it's almost Thanksgiving and given this years' late date it means even less time to shop for holiday gifts. I thought I would share some holiday wish lists for the athletes in your life, or to possibly add to your own list. I'm starting with swim goodies but will move onto biking, running and other fun items. 

1. A Swim Buoy to work on arm strength and rest your tired legs

2. Splish has fun suits to keep you smiling when swimming lap after lap while it's cold and dark outside

3. Zoot Prophet is my fantasy swim gift if you are looking to spend big bucks

4. Keep things interesting with this waterproof mp3 player

5. Many people swear by chlorine removing hair products but I find they dry out my hair and skin even more, I really like this product from Philosophy. It comes in fun scents and is a shampoo and body wash in one so it saves space in my swim bag.  

What's on your wish list? 

Swim Wish List by bethcn