Last weekend, I attended the first-ever Trail Sisters Leadership Summit in Buena Vista, Colorado. Since I was away over the weekend, I didn't post a recap last week, so you get a recap of the summit with a little bit of my activity from the rest of the week. And as you might expect, tons of photos, none of which will do the Colorado scenery justice.
Weekly Rundown
Sunday: rest
Monday: rest
Tuesday: Fluid running
Wednesday: walking 3.5 miles
Thursday: Yoga with Adriene, strength training
Friday: travel to Colorado
Saturday: hiking 5.5 miles, 1600 ft
Sunday: hiking 5 miles, 550 ft
Monday: hiking 5 miles, 600 ft
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: walk 4.15 miles
Thursday: Yoga with Adriene, strength training
Friday: run 4.6 miles
Saturday: rest
After the previous week's steroid injections, I was finally starting to feel better when I woke up Sunday morning. We were still at the lake, and while it was too windy to waterski, I hoped to go for a hike to the top of Gibraltar Rock. Alas, I had an issue with my contact lens, and when I tried to remove it from my eye, I found it stuck to my cornea (I wear hard lenses). I used my plunger to remove it, but tore my cornea in the process, and yes, ended up in the ER on the way home. A corneal abrasion causes pain like no other. Luckily, the eye heals quickly, and by the time I saw the ophthalmologist Monday morning, she said it was almost healed. I had to wear my glasses for a few days after that and kept the activities light.
I felt much better as the week went on, and went to the gym on Thursday with determination. We started a new 4-week auxiliary strength cycle. I missed Monday's class but Thursday's class had deadlifts--ok, dumbbell deadlifts--but deadlifts still the same. Here's the workout:
Pyramid Set:
-Dumbbell deadlifts: 8-6-4-2 (build). Rest :30-:90 between sets I did 50-55-60-65# per hand
Accessory set:
-4 x 1 minute empty BB Strict Press (35#)14-15 reps per set
Loaded carry:
-6 x2 laps Farmers Carry 50# KB per hand
Early Friday morning, I was on my way to Colorado with my fellow Trail Sister Ilisa for our trip to the first ever Trail Sisters leadership summit! Once we picked up our rental car, we drove for almost 3 hours to the cute little town of Buena Vista to do some exploring and get some lunch at a brewpub. Of course. Afterwards, we drove to Silver Cliff Ranch, a rustic campground, where we would spend the weekend with 52 other TS leaders from across the country. Yes, there were meetings with Gina, the founder of Trail Sisters. Yes, we were inspired and empowered. But we also had a lot of downtime to explore the mountain trails, and you know I was all about that! Plus we saw a few mule deer, including a mom and babies right behind our cabin when we arrived! Were they there to welcome me?
We woke up early on Saturday and drove back to Buena Vista with plans to hike the Midland Hills Trailhead. We had initially planned on a low-key hike, but I got it in my head that I wanted to hike up to the top for the views. Ilisa was game, so we began the beautiful climb. Keep in mind that the town is at 8400 ft of elevation, and we were feeling a little breathless to begin with.
As we ascended, we ran into several other groups of Trail Sisters who were on the way down. Only one other group told us they made it to the top--the others had turned around before the summit. That only made me more determined to complete the hike. Ilisa was starting to struggle and needed to stop to catch her breath. I felt pretty good, which surprised me! She wanted to keep going, though, so we just took it slow.
And then, there was the pole at the very top of this climb!!! It wasn't a long climb--about 2.75 miles--and we were almost at 10,000 ft of elevation. Obviously, the descent was much easier. We got a little lost on the way back, but eventually found our way and stopped for a quick breakfast before our first meeting. We were a little late. Ilisa learned the why behind 'taking the long way home', lol.
On Sunday morning, we drove to the Narrow Gauge Trailhead, an old mountain rail trail that was up above the Chalk Creek. The road to the trailhead was between two 14ers, Mt Princeton and Mt Antero, and the scenery was breathtaking. This out-and-back 2.5 mile trail had a mild ascent (about 500ft). I took so many photos here. I don't think any of them do it justice.
After our final meeting on Sunday morning, we packed up the cabin and drove to Boulder for our final night. Ilisa's brother and one of her friends live near there, and she wanted to see them. Her brother took us for a hike on the Doudy Draw Trail, a 5 mile loop trail with a view of the iconic Flatiron mountain range. It wasn't a hard hike, but the scenery was unique to this region, and I enjoyed it a great deal.
Our attempt to return home was stymied by the weather and then the airlines. Our flight home was delayed by storms. After sitting on the runway for over an hour, we returned to the gate and were told that we could deplane, but were cautioned to stay close for immediate boarding should we be cleared by the tower to fly. We went to the brewpub right next to our gate for a beer. After an hour with no updates, Ilisa walked back to the gate to check on our flight and saw our plane pulling away. The gate attendants were not one bit sympathetic and told us we should have stayed on the plane. They also told us they had no flights until the next day, which was not an option for either of us as we both had to work. Fast forward to Ilisa's ingenuity, and we were booked on another airline later that evening. We finally arrived at O'Hare at 12:30 am and I was home and in bed by 1. Oof.
Wednesday was too hot and humid to even attempt a run. So instead, I took a walk around my neighborhood, stopping to go upside down.
For Thursday's strength sesh, we did 3 different activities:
Pyramid Set 15:00:
-Barbell hip thrusts (build) 135# x8, 145# x6, 155# x4, 165# x2
Accessory Set 15:00
-Max Effort Pull-ups 5x5 I did assisted, then banded
Loaded Carry 15:00
-6 x1 lap bear hug carry 65#
It was still oh so humid, but a tad cooler on Friday morning when I went out for my run. I started out at a decent pace for the first 2 miles, but had to take some walk breaks during the rest of the run.
Off the trails...
Our meetings at the Trail Sisters Leadership Summit covered a variety of topics--we learned about the history of Trail Sisters as well as Gina Lucrezi's background as an accomplished runner. Gina and her husband Justin are the heart and soul of the organization, but as it grows, she's realizing that they can't do it all. Hence, this very first leadership summit. We attended brainstorming roundtables as well. We received a pair of Hoka Speedgoat 7 trail shoes (they feel just like my Brooks Cascadias), Skratch fueling products (their peanut butter and chocolate energy bar got me up that mountain trail) and a PACT outdoors bathroom kit- 'leave no trace'--with a fold-up digging tool, mushroom tablets (to help the waste decompose quickly), and bathroom wipes. The accommodations at Silver Cliff Ranch were tucked into the mountains, appropriately rustic, but clean and comfortable. We packed a lot in this short weekend, but what a good time with great company. I made some new friends, and I hope I get to go again! Running is the gift that keeps on giving. I'm loving this transition I've made to trail running.
BTW, I finally did get my knee xrayed. As you can tell from the photo above, it is still bothering me, despite the steroid injection. The good news is that there is no avulsion fracture. So what is causing the pain in the front of my knee? Probably tendonitis, with the tendon pulling on the tibial tubercle. Hence the knee strap. But even better news is that there are no degenerative changes--meaning no arthritis damage. See--running for 35 years hasn't ruined my knees! So why are they so achy? I'll catch up with my rheumatologist to get her take on that.
How was your week? Are you battling the heat and humidity? Did you go on any adventures while I was away? Have you been to Colorado in the summer?
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