Post-Leadville Recovery

After what was an incredibly fun but also incredibly active weekend, I promised myself no running this week. That was not a hard promise to keep as I was exhausted after I arrived home. It didn't help that on Monday night after I got home, Cocoa made friends with a skunk. Ugh. The hubs and I were up late scrubbing her fur with Dawn, baking powder, and peroxide. We were able to avoid most of the stink in the house, fortunately. I had trouble sleeping that night and the next day, had a very challenging day at work. 

As the week went on, I started sleeping better but still felt really fatigued. The hubs noted on Saturday that I told him how tired I was about "10 times". I guess the race and the altitude really took a toll on me. I'm not regretting the race--it was definitely worth it! I feel no guilt about taking time off from running. I'm not sure if I'll run at all next week either, but I will be active. I'm heading to Alabama for a long weekend of waterskiing with Holly! 

To be honest, I haven't missed running at all this week. Sometimes, a little time off is a good thing. Running will be there for me when I get back.

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Colorado Trail run/hike 6 miles, 1000 ft climbing

Monday: return to Chicago

Tuesday: rest/work

Wednesday: Yoga with Adriene

Thursday: Strength Training, 3000m row

Friday: Bike ride 10.5 miles

Saturday: Waterskiing

Running

I know, I know...I was supposed to be in full-on recovery mode after Leadville. But when I realized that the Colorado Trail was right up the slope in Copper...well, you know I had to check it out. The kids wanted to golf, so I decided to do a little hiking, The trail initially took me across the ski slopes, with some wooded sections in between. Once I got to the end of the resort, the trail took on a very 'trail-like' appearance--much like those trails I run in Wisconsin. It was simply beautiful. There were a few mountain bikers and one group told me they were riding to the top, which was 13 miles up. I would have loved that, but not on this day. I continued to climb and passed a waterfall! At 3 miles, I turned around to head back. I did do a little running on the way back since it was downhill. I rolled my ankle a couple of times on some rocks, but luckily no harm done. I am so glad I got to do this!

Cycling

In the spirit of recovery mode AND to fulfill the cycling requirement for the CrossFit summer challenge (see below), I filled my bike tires with air and prepped for a ride on Friday morning. The weather forecast called for storms, but a check of the radar didn't show anything imminent, so I put my new helmet on my head and clipped in. I headed down the street and marveled at how good it felt to be gliding down the street. I rode the neighborhood streets until I linked with the bike path. Since the morning was so gloomy, there weren't many people on the trail. I saw a deer munching on grass and chased down a gaggle of geese who were running down the path. It was so peaceful and made me so happy! 

Strength Training

After sleeping for 10.5 hours Wednesday night, I woke up in a panic. While it felt great to sleep that much, I slept much later than I normally do and I still felt a little off. I almost told SJ I wasn't going to make it, but I shook it off and headed over to the gym. She had me work on hang snatch complexes, building to 55#, but I could not get under the bar at that weight. I did successfully snatch 50#. It always amazes me what a difference a small weight change makes! I alternated the snatches with barbell glute bridges, 4 sets of 10 at 85#! I finished up with 3000m of rowing for the week 3 summer challenge, which was a 'triathlon'. My run/hike on Monday counts for the run portion and Friday's bike ride completed the challenge. 

Waterskiing

The hubs and I drove up to the lake on Saturday morning. After unpacking the car, we hopped in the boat where he took me for a ski. The first time around was a little choppy with the boats cutting in and out of the bay. So he took me to my favorite bay, which is secluded and calm. We got lucky--there were no boats when we got there and I enjoyed a long ride behind the boat, cutting in and out of the wake. No photos, because the driver doesn't want to take his eye off the water...

Our time in Colorado

If you haven't read my Leadville Silver Rush race recap, you can find it HERE. 

After the race and lunch, my son and I headed back to Copper Mountain to meet up with my other son and their girlfriends. We sat at an outdoor beer garden and soaked up the beautiful surroundings. There were people skiing on a snow patch at the base of the mountain. We walked through the village and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant. After dinner, we walked back to the condo where I called it a night, but the boys and their girlfriends went back out to a bar for the night. 

I woke up early the next morning and made some coffee from a local roaster. It was yummy. I felt overall pretty good with the exception of my feet. The kids had plans to go golfing and I considered my options. They invited me to join them, but as I shared above, I decided to explore the Colorado Trail, which I could access halfway up the mountain. Even though I knew I should take it easy, I didn't want to miss a chance to explore a new trail!

I made it back in time to shower and meet the golfers for lunch. After lunch, we walked back to the village for some go-karting! That was an absolute blast. I had a pretty zippy car and always the competitor, it was fun to race around, passing everyone. We walked back to the condo and drove to Breckenridge, where we had plans for dinner. What a cute town! The mountain is much bigger than Copper Mountain and the town's streets are lined with historic little homes that are restored. We did some shopping and then had a fantastic dinner. 

On Monday, we had to be out of the condo by ten. Our flight didn't leave until 5:30, so we went back to Leadville to do some exploring. Leadville is an old historic mining town and there were all kinds of cute shops lining the main street. I'm so glad we had the chance to do this since we were too tired after the race. The drive from Copper to Leadville is probably one of the most beautiful drives I've ever taken and we stopped at one spot for photos. There was a trail there and I so wanted to explore it! Guess I'll have to go back!

My oldest son's girlfriend and me. I adore her.

My boys and me

Have you ever been to Colorado in the summertime? Do you take time off when you're feeling burnt out on running? How do you like to recover after a hard race? Can you relate to my prolonged fatigue after a hard race?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown.