Colorado Weekend!

This is what it's all about.  Summer is just a few weeks away, and already we are enjoying fantastic weather and some good times! 
On Friday, Melisa and Maya went to a school function which gave me an evening with Lily.  We had a great time that included dinner at the mall Food Court (she had pretzel dogs and a blue-raspberry slushee while I opted for nachos)!  Then we took in a cute movie called "The Croods," which I have to admit was pretty funny.  It was really great to just spend a little time with my youngest daughter and a fantastic way to start the weekend.
Around 4:45 on Saturday morning, I found myself laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and waiting for the day to start.  With a century ride just over a month away, it was also time to start getting some T.I.T.S. (that's Time In The Saddle for the uninitiated).  After a couple of cups of coffee and some time on the computer, I set out on my first bike ride in about 3 or 4 weeks.  The first half of the ride was into the wind and took a little over an hour.  The return trip (with tail wind) took a little over 45 minutes.  I didn't push too hard on this ride, and I never really felt too tired or winded.  Even though I don't have a lot of cycling specific training, the 50 miler has given me one hell of an aerobic base.  During the coming weeks, I plan on doing some more challenging rides and also integrating some speedier workouts into the mix.  By the end of June, I hope to really be able to crank out some miles on the bike.  I'm also excited to get a fitting for my Boy Blue (see below) and see what I can do on a more aero bike.  At any rate, here's are some of pretty maps, graphs and charts from Saturday's ride courtesy of Strava (Note- Of all the android exercise tracking apps that I've used, Strava has to be my favorite so far.  Although, I've only used it a half dozen times, I've had no issues with it dropping mid-workout, pausing, etc.  It uploads quickly to the web site, and has some good data which has been fun to review):

First long ride in quite some time. An out and back course along Hwy 50 and through parts of P.W.

Nitty gritty details from the ride

Can you see where the Headwind stops and the Tailwind starts????

Later on Saturday Afternoon, we cruised up to Denver to get ready for Melisa's Marathon.   We arrived at Sports Authority Field for packet pickup around 3:30 and got all of Melisa's items.  I also picked up an item called: "The Stick."  It's a small plastic stick that you roll back and forth along your muscles and is useful for breaking up scar tissue, etc.  Then it was off to the Hyatt Regency at the Convention Center , and dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.  As I wasn't running, I felt it only appropriate to indulge in a couple of pints of Dale's Pale Ale, a Macaroni and Cheeseburger (yes it had macaroni and cheese on it, deep fried of course, and Chocolate Tuxedo Cheesecake (not shared) for dessert!
After a luxurious breakfast buffet at the hotel on Sunday Morning(Lily believes that the breakfast buffet at the Hyatt may be the best place in the world), we headed over to City Park to watch Melisa complete her first marathon.  It was a beautiful day and we spent a couple of hours just relaxing on the grass near the finish line.  This may be the first time that I've been a spectator at a race and not felt a twinge of regret that I wasn't a participant.   Maybe I would have felt different if I hadn't just done CPTR two weeks ago, or if I hadn't done this same marathon last year.  Either way, it was great to relax and just spectate for a change.  Melisa's mom and several of her aunts came up for the event, which was a great boost for Melisa.  After about 5 and 1/2 hours, she came running along towards the finish.  I must say that she looked great and I'm so proud of her for accomplishing this amazing feat!  Having done most of the longer runs with her, I had no doubt that she would do it, but I know what an incredible feeling of accomplishment there is in doing your first marathon.  It remains to be seen whether or not she has been bitten by the Marathon bug, but it wouldn't surprise me at all!  A few snaps from this morning:

Checking out the MLK Jr. Statue

Big smile considering that she's just run 26 miles!

Bling at the Finish Line!

Post Race Recovery Beverage Courtesy of Michelob

Next up for the family is the Bolder Boulder.  Last year, I posted a RR that said it was my 23rd time running the race.  However, as I count back, I think that it may have actually been my 24th, which would make this year the 25th time that I've run the race.  Yep, the more I think about it, it will be the 25th.  This will be a special one as well, because our daughter, Maya, will be joining us this time (I actually carried her back in 2002, when she was a baby).  Lily probably has a couple of years yet, but I suspect this will soon become a family event. 

 But before the race on Memorial day, we get an unexpected bonus trip next weekend.  A couple of friends got in touch with us last week to see if we were interested in a short trip to the Mount Princeton Hot Springs on Saturday.  They'd rented a cabin and were looking for another couple to join us them on the trip.  Would we like to go?  Absolutely.  The Salida/ Buena Vista area is my new favorite getaway in Colorado.   Since I do need to get a long ride in this coming weekend,  I'm going to leave from Pueblo a few hours ahead of Melisa and start riding west on Saturday morning.  I don't know how far I'll get before Melisa catches up with me in the car, but I'm going to do my best to get as many miles as I can in on the way up.  Once there, it will be nothing but soaking in the Springs.  The resort has a "spa" area that is for adults only, and there is a small bar located just inside of the pool area.  Oh yes, it will be glorious!