Colorado. Is. Amazing. Just wanted to put that out there first thing. Since I have been home I have done open water swimming, trail running, hours of tennis, and canal running. On the to-do list is cycling and Red Rocks stairs, in addition to anything else we can come up with during my visit. I forgot how amazing this state is...Boston warps your mind into thinking anything but Colorado is acceptable. The outdoor, healthy culture of this state is out of control awesome. Unless you are someone that NEEDS ocean, I can't think of a single downfall of Colorado. Obviously I am in love with my home state. It is hard not to be when every day is 90, dry, sunny and perfect. And within like 30 minutes there is access to every possible physical activity you can dream of. Sigh. I never want to leave. Can't my life in Boston just move here...?
My mom and I have been workout buddies since I arrived home. We are like two peas in a pod exercising together. She has a big tennis match this evening [I'm totally cheering her on with huge obnoxious signs] and has been trying to conserve energy all day, which left me to my own devices for today's workout. I decided to take a drive and do a nice morning run along the High Line Canal, which is essentially a dirt/gravel path that twists and turns and has beautiful, cool tree cover for the majority of the mileage. I used mapmyrun.com [which is awesome if you want to check it out] to map out a couple of run options last night. If I felt ambitious post-coffee in the morning, I had mapped out a 6.5 mile run with a shorter 5 mile option if I decided I was tired mid run.
I felt really good when I started the run. My legs were fresh, it was a cool 65 degrees outside, and I was wearing my new Nike Frees 3.0 so I was super excited to get the party started. I was running at a really good pace and decided 3ish miles in that 5 miles was probably enough for me. Between all the hours of exercise over the weekend and the fact I am running at a mile high, 5 felt good. I got to the point in the run where I could take a turn for the shorter mapped run, and decided to head back to the car. Blonde moment of the day: I turned the wrong direction.
Because the High Line Canal twists and turns, I approached the main road from the opposite direction that I thought I was approaching. I haven't run this route before but I seriously should have realized I was running the wrong direction. Something called the ROCKY MOUNTAINS are in the west, and I was running away from them. My car was west. My legs were moving east. Finally I saw the tennis courts of my old health club and thought to myself 'holy SHIT these are not anywhere close to where I parked'. To be exact, it took me 2 miles in the wrong direction to realize I was going the wrong way. This is the story of how my 5 mile mapped run became 9 miles. 2 miles the wrong way means you have to run those 2 miles back in the correct direction. 5 miles + 4 corrective miles = 9 miles. When I meant to run 5 miles.
It was sort of funny...except that I was super thirsty, and I had been running a 5 mile run pace the whole time. I think I set a new personal record by a TON for a 9 mile run. Funny how you run faster when you aren't planning on running 9 miles. Maybe I need to start playing mental games like this with myself when I start training for my half marathon. Despite the logistical..umm..issues of the morning run, it was really awesome. Perfect weather, legs felt great, some accidental hill work, and I broke in my new shoes! I was really proud of myself for killing a 9 mile run at altitude with zero training. I feel great about the half I am running in Denver with my mom in October!
Conclusion of the day: just roll with the punches. Directionally challenged? Might turn out better than you think!
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