Day 3 & 4 at Boulder Timex Camp

The day started off pretty relaxed as we packed, cleaned and got ready to ride back to Boulder from beautiful Winter Park.

Unlike Boulder at 8am, the mountains are a little more chilly in the morning, especially riding down Berthoud Pass. Will thought it was funny that he was wearing a base layer, ss jersey, ls jersey, vest and jacket so he unzipped all of them to show off how cool and matching he was :)

We originally intended on taking a different route than we came, but turns out it was a bit more off-road riding than we thought. We adventured some then got back on the same course as we came out on.

That meant making another stop at the Casino for free soda! Yeah for Blackhawk :)

After arriving safely in Boulder, it was time to chow down and get to bed early to participate in the Bolder Boulder 10K on Monday morning. This event brings 50,000 runners and walkers to the streets of Boulder for the biggest festival of the year. Unfortunately I wasn't able to run, but it does come right by my house so I got to watch all the fun and madness.

After the run was the final BBQ of team camp. We grilled, played on cruisers, made smores on the propane firepit, chatted, relaxed, jammed, drank alot...you name it.

Team Timex Camp in Boulder was an absolute success and a total blast! Congrats to everyone who made it through and big thanks to Will Kelsay for getting the idea flowing and all the people who made it run smoothly! GO TIMEX.

Day 2 at Boulder Timex Camp

After a killer breakfast by Shelby, we woke up to great weather, a sweet view of the Flex's and ready to get our swim on! It's never easy swimming at 9000ft but we all made it.

After playing in the pool, everyone was ready for lunch and naps...it's not like we've been training a lot or anything!

After the much needed relaxation, we headed out to some of the best running trail I have ever been on! Tristan, Jackie and I ran a solid 80min (with a mini pit stop) which marks my longest run to date since December 2008! Talk about a total runner's high...it was pretty epic!

After the run, we met up with the Bingham's for some running photos which should be really neat. Then it was off to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant and an early bedtime for all. Sunday will be another big day of riding as we venture back to Boulder from Winter Park!

Day 1 at Boulder Timex Camp

The mission was to ride from Boulder, CO just past the Winter Park Resort to Fraser, CO!

It all began at Amante in North Boulder - a classic meeting place for group rides. Bryce's parents were there with lights set up and snapping away some great candid shots.

We then headed up Left Hand Canyon...in style of course!

At the top of Ward, we made our first pit stop. Tristan had been following us in the Ford Flex that was loaded with Powerbar, water and other goodies! We then set off on the Peak to Peak Highway where we met up once more with Bryce's parents for a few group shots with an amazing background view. Can't wait to see how those turned out!

At the end of the highway and about 4.5hrs of ride time, we reached Central City. This is a huge gambling place on an Indian Reserve in the middle of nowhere! Of course Will and I had to go in and waste a dollar or two...in our lycra :)

After hitting the road for another few hours, we reached a small town called Empire. This was our final stop before the BIG climb of the day! Over the next 14 miles we were headed to well over 11,000ft! It was getting super hot so we all loaded up on ice, coke, iced animal cookies, you name it.

The climb was tough, but we all made it...well kind of. Will may have had to lay down in the back of the Flex for a moment or so to regain consciousness! At any rate, the views were unbelievable and how Pro do we all look with the Flex?!?! THANKS FORD!

A proud group of Timex Multisport Athletes!

Big thanks to Tristan as he followed us the entire way with everything and anything we may have needed. There's no better support than that! We love you T :)

Finally, we couldn't have logged our killer ride without the Timex Global Trainer and I most certainly couldn't have generated this sweet graph without Training Peaks.We were in the saddle for 8hrs 14min, traveled 109 miles and ascended 13,143ft. Congrats to everyone for making it through day 1. Stay tuned for more!

Packing for Timex Camp Round 2

This is what my suitcase is composed of for the next couple days of training! Stay tuned for the madness of what Will Kelsay has deemed to be the most EPIC adventure yet :)

Moto Mondays

Starting last week, we put together a weekly moto ride on Monday nights with the Boulder crew.

It was a small and perfect group this week with Melissa, Bob, Bryce and myself.

Melissa and Bob showed us some super fun trail around Gordan Gulch that we can't wait to ride again.

Awwww....so cute :)

Getting over those 'humps'...

There are some things in life that just scare the living crap out of me. Throwing up is by far the first on my list and as of late, this stupid pipe section at the Miliken endurocross has taken a close second!

This obstacle is easier to ride than half the stuff I attempt on a daily basis but it just looks really scary. At any rate, I had to conquer it because it's part of the course during the Miliken Enduro in the fall. Bryce assured me a million times he would never let me do anything he thought I would get hurt on and promised the second I did it I would say 'Duh, that's so easy'!!! Well he was right and it was stupid easy...I just had to commit!

Sunday turned out to be an amazing day beginning with a great run then a fun day at the moto track with the best boyfriend in the entire world.

Wheat Ridge Cyclery Timex Ride

Saturday morning, some of the Colorado Timex clan (Barry, Tim, Trista, Brian and myself) went down to Wheat Ridge Cyclery for a little clinic and fun ride!

It was SUPER windy but we all made it to the Coors Brewery in one piece!

It was a blast chatting and teaching everyone a few things during the ride. We even had a little contest to see who could guess the time it would take to return to the shop with the crazy tail wind!

Everyone had a great time and returned with big smiles. I gave a group of ladies a 411 on sports nutrition and how Powerbar offers products for every stage of activity. The questions were phenomenal and I gave away all sorts of Powerbar product that got everyone amped up. Finally, Tim gave a little demo on how to parallel park the new Ford Flex Timex car without any hands.

Barry just wanted to let everyone know that Tim Hola IS THE MAN!!!

Another new sponsor!

Remember years ago when I found this stuff and couldn't get enough?!? Well guess what...it's back and in amazing new flavors too...

Oh, how incredible it is to have a sponsor that makes your absolute favorite food :)

Do you have small wrists?

Because I do! And my new favorite Timex watch - the Global Trainer GPS - doesn't quite fit!

However, I did find a solution that is inexpensive and makes the watch super comfortable.

That's right...a cheap sweatband under the watch makes for a perfect fit if you've got mini wrists like me :)

The funniest thing EVER

Tingle comes home the other night stating that until she gets a 'man', her mom thinks she needs some of her own tools.

I'm not quite sure this validates 'real' tools but holy crap did it cause a good day of laughter!

She swears there's a 'drill', some 'tweezers' and other things in that kit you would never think, but maybe she's just got the names wrong...it is Tingle. We're thinking about teaching her how to use the hammer...not so sure that' s a good idea :) This tool box even has a special spot in the garage with the big boy tools. We're also thinking of putting a name plate about it's home so they don't get lost or misplaced...ahhhhh, the hilariousness that goes on around here!

Bike Source Timex Clinic

Sunday afternoon, immediately following the sprint triathlon, Tingle, Denny and I drove down to Highland's Ranch to one of the biggest bike shops in the state!

We met up with Trista, Will and Brian where we took a group out for a short run then talked about all things triathlon related.

The shop is a multi-level store that has the fullest line of triathlon apparel and gear you could ever imagine on the 2nd floor. It was awesome!

It was also pretty sweet showing off our gorgeous Orbea bikes! Big thanks to Trista for setting up such a successful event!

I'm back...kind of!

As of Thursday last week, I finally committed to racing a local sprint triathlon with Tingle and Denny.

After venturing into the XTERRA world, I haven't had much desire to race on the road, but I figured it would be a good mental refresher. I needed to race and this was a good opportunity with a very short run.

Other than the water temperature being 53*, the swim didn't go nearly as bad as I thought and I even got to use my brand new Aquasphere wetsuit!

Since I spent a good 30min the day before practicing my transitions, I managed to be the fastest girl in T1 by a really big margin!

I headed out on the bike and immediately felt awesome. I was sitting 2nd overall and only seconds behind Tingle at the first of 8 turnarounds. At that point, I was really looking forward to hammering the rest of the bike. About 10min later I felt a sharp seize in my lower left back and could no longer produce power in the aero position. I spent the rest of the bike trying to stand up and arch my back and riding on the hoods. I guess that's what I get for not riding my TT bike since Clearwater of 2008. No joke, I literally threw the bike together the night before and just went for it!

I was a little bummed entering T2 as the bike definitely didn't go anywhere near planned, but hey, I told myself this race was strictly for fun so I head out on the run with absolutely no expectations and evening knowing that walking or not finishing was a possibility too.

Deep down, I really wanted to run under 22min which in years past would have felt like walking, but I also didn't want to push anything or make my pelvis any more injured than it already is.

Surprisingly, the run was nearly pain free but a little slower than I had hoped. I still feel so incredibly awkward when I run but I think that my stride will eventually come back with time.

Overall, the race was an absolute blast! Tingle (pictured above) came home with the big win and I was 5th overall. Denny also had a great race and it was really nice to see some of the 'road folk' I hadn't seen in quite some time. Also, big thanks to Bryce for coming out to help and support me! He's the best :)