The Drive Out

The drive from Boulder to Kirkland was absolutely uneventful-thank god.

Having driven through Wyoming too many times, I went through Montana instead which I have previously done before.

The only highlights of the 23.5 hour trip were driving past the south, middle and north forks of the Crazy Woman River. I think a few ex-girlfriends hung out there from time to time.

The other was passing through Clinton, MT and seeing a billboard for the "Testicle Festival". On the sign there is a bull standing up on its hind legs and covering its genitalia. Apparently, this is a pretty big thing (pun intended). http://www.testyfesty.com/

I spent the night in Bozeman the first night, and then made it into Kirkland early Friday evening.
I really thought I was screwed when I hit the Seattle traffic at 5pm, but it turned out to be fine. This will probably be the only time I say that about Seattle traffic.

The weather the first 4 days was fantastic with temperatures in the upper 80's. It felt like I had never left Boulder. However, I woke up this morning to rain falling. Man, I'm going to have to get used to that!

Last Couple of Weeks in Boulder

The last couple of weeks were a complete whirlwind trying to say goodbye to everyone, get packed, and get my athletes set up. There were times when I didn't know what day of the week it was or what I had done the previous day.

It was bittersweet to say goodbye to my friends and to leave Boulder. I felt like a housewife with planning a lot of lunch, coffee, and dinner dates. I don't think I've ever been so social in a such a short period of time.

I feel very fortunate to have such a great group of friends, especially when I moved to Boulder 11 years ago I didn't know anyone, nor for awhile an ex wasn't too keen on having friends (that's another story).

The going away party was a lot of fun and sad too. The house was pretty packed most of the night and concluded with a Rock Band. Dorky as that is, a fun time was had by all. Probably not as much when I was signing though.

The Writing Is On the Wall

One of the more interesting parts of making this comeback is making the change over to being a horseman from being an athlete. Over the last 6-8 weeks I am feeling more like a horseman and less of an athlete.

I'm not training like a used to and I know/have felt that I am not in great shape now (I know relative to other athletes). However, it came to a head on a bike ride yesterday.

I rode with a few of my athletes and I was completely humbled. We rode for 2:45 with most of it easy and on the flats/small rollers. On the short uphills, I got blown off the back without my guys riding hard.

We rode for 35 miles and then finished the ride up Flagstaff Mountain. Flagstaff is one of the famous hills in Boulder. You can ride all the way to the top or go about 3/4 of the way to the Ampitheater. I chose the later and I am glad I did. It's roughly 4.5 miles long and you gain ~2000ft elevation (click here for a map). Flagstaff will always hurt no matter what shape you're in. If you're in shape the pain is only over a shorter period of time.

I felt awful and got destroyed by my athletes. The steep sections (10-15%) I could barely get my legs over each stroke. I did get through it and felt good afterwards, but my god, I realized I am no longer an athlete, but a horseman. Still it was fun to hit up Flagstaff one more time before I leave.

And you know what, I am perfectly fine with that. Actually, really happy to be a horseman once again.

I did the double ride yesterday in that I rode a bike and then a horse. Now that should be a sport!