Friday (4/6)
I biked to PT (from light rail) again on Friday and then to work. I remembered gloves this time so the 6 mile RT wasn't as chilly as last time!
PT went well! It was (hopefully) my last day. I am going to continue to do the exercises and ice it on run days. He said it might get sore, but I won't get as bad as I was if I am careful with my runs. I am sticking to the 3 runs per week so I hope that will do the trick! I am super happy I decided to go. I was a little hesitant at the beginning, not knowing if it would help, and be worth the $! But I having been running for 5 weeks and am feeling great!
It was a gorgeous day on Friday and I couldn't help the urge to just get outside during lunch! I had seen online it was going to be windy later in the day but I decided to give it a shot anyways. I headed to Cherry Creek park and planned to do an out and back ride. I was coasting the whole way there and through the park (mostly downhill). I hit about 4.25 miles and decided I should probably turn-around - it had been about 16 minutes and wanted to keep it close to 30 minutes. I turned around and was immediately faced with some strong wind and uphill. I quickly down shifted and the legs started to burn. I then recalled how I had thought another biker I had passed going the opposite direction had been moving slowly but thought maybe he wasn't a strong biker on the hills. I quickly realized the wind was so strong and that was the culprit. It took me another 16 minutes just to reach the midway point at the edge of the park (2ish miles). I ended the whole bike ride around 44 minutes and 8.7 miles. I wasn't planning on such a rough ride but was happy the sun was shining :-) I got to bed early that night as my legs were very tired and wanted to rest up for the hike!
Saturday (4/7)
Aaron and I were up early and to the trail head before 8:30! We drove to Boulder and had decided earlier in the week to do the South Boulder Peak hike. I had done this hike about a year and a half ago when I first moved to Denver with my friend Kelsey. I struggled with the hike and was anxious to see how I fared this time!
We got the last spot in the closer lot - and the back lot looked close to full as well. Scarlet made the trip with us, but I left Ellie behind not knowing what my own capabilities were. The first two miles are a nice gentle climb with about 1000 feet of elevation gain. Mile two is where it gets tough. The next 1.36 miles gains 2000 feet of elevation! You are basically climbing rock stairs the entire time. The first time I had to stop repeatedly and was not in a good mood. On Saturday, I felt strong (although out of breath and tired), I could tell that my endurance was much much better. Even though it was still hard to climb like that, I had better endurance and my lungs and legs were able to handle it better. It was a great feeling :-) Aaron was happy about my pleasant mood as well ;-)
The view from the top of South Boulder Peak is absolutely amazing. Facing the west you get amazing unobstructed views of the Rockies. The 360 degree panoramic view is limitless! The best views I've had from the front range. The is a saddle back that leads to another peak, Bear Peak, so we hiked back down and back up to Bear Peak (only .7 miles from one peak to the next) and had amazing views of Boulder. Denver could even be seen on a clear day like Saturday. We found a cozy spot on the rocks amongst the other hikers and had a well deserved the lunch! The last picture is one exhausted Scarlet! It is safe to say all three of us were very very sore on Sunday, but well worth it!
Happy Easter! AA and I were up early for Easter preparations - but I was able to get in a run around 11ish! I was schedule for my long run - 1.5 mile/1.5 mile/1 mile with .25 walk in between. The first few paces were stiff and very hard - I am still so sore from the hike! But as it progressed I loosened up. I finished the run and was happy about how I felt. I definitely went slow since I was sore/tired - but that is OK for long runs. The purpose is more to get the miles rather than run your fastest. A good way to finish the exercise week. I think tomorrow I will take the day off since it was quite the active weekend!! I hope to start the new schedule with more consistent swimming this week, wish me luck :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment