The rest of our Friday was pretty relaxing! We decided it would be easiest to make our own dinner at the hostel, so we stopped at Whole Foods and stocked up. The guys went on their ride and I did some work in our room. Then they came back and we started cooking!
I LOVE this stuff. I’m glad I had it because it came in handy for Jake during the race on Saturday when he was having some pretty terrible cramping.
Jake and I were in charge of salad – we had spinach, blueberries, mushrooms, feta, and onion, plus that yummy Tessemae’s dressing.
Check out this deliciousness! Big shout-out to Cynthia (John’s wife) for the AMAZING meatballs. THANK YOU! Our dinner was awesome. And while I probably could’ve used that whole plate of balsamic, I shared it. I LOVE balsamic. A lot.
After dinner, Jake and I walked around a little – I loved these flowers. We also saw a house that was for sale and its numbers were 417 (which is our area code). Is that a sign that we need to move to Leadville?! Ha!
Since it was the last weekend before my own training started and I wasn’t racing in the morning, I decided I needed some wine. This was SUPER good. I highly recommend it. The guys took me on a drive to show me where I would set up in the morning to crew for them, then it was off to bed!
Up to eat breakfast and get ready! We had steel cut oats, granola, banana, blueberries, strawberries, honey, and peanut butter. It was yummy.
The guys, making sure their bikes were all ready! I had a blast with this group of awesome athletes.
Okay, so this picture doesn’t do this massive hill justice, but this is the START of the race. Everyone has to run up this hill carrying their bikes. WHAT?! That’s Jake waving up at the top. It was crazy.
All four of the guys at the top, ready to get going! I didn’t walk up the hill, but now I kind of wish I would have…maybe in August! 3 of the 4 guys had done this race before, so they knew exactly what they were in for. Like I said, they might be a little crazy. ; )
They were ready to start riding! You have to get to the start super early because it’s a such a big race. Luckily, the guys were able to stake out their spots.
Jake and his Dad, John, repping their Kuat and Springfield Brewing Co. kits!
LOOK AT THAT HILL! No thank you. So, run up this, carrying your bike, then go ahead and ride 50 miles on a ridiculously hard course through the MOUNTAINS. Yeah, sure, no biggie. Guys, I fall off my bike ON THE ROAD. I’m still in awe over these athletes. They’re SO inspiring. And tough. And crazy – but they’re the good crazy.
These views. All the heart eyes. <3
I stayed by the truck for the start since I wouldn’t be able to see the guys, and I was crewing for them, so I needed to leave as soon as the race started to drive to my spot. I took these pictures of the start from the truck. This was a couple of minutes before the gun went off – spectators stood all along the sides cheering – it was awesome.
Look. At. That. Just looking at this picture makes my legs burn.
I watched a little of the start, then I drove up to a spot by an aid station, where I would see the guys at miles 13 and 35. Check out my sweet set-up! I read A LOT while I waited for the guys. I had planned to do a long run and work on my dissertation, but the timing just didn’t work. I was kind of bummed about the run, but it was SO nice to relax and read, which I never get to do.
All smiles and ready to cheer my guys on!
I read almost 200 pages while I sat here. The weather was so crazy, so I was either super hot or cold/windy and I had goosebumps (pictured). But I still managed to get a really weird sunburn…
Crewing for the guys was a last minute idea, so I totally spaced on taking lunch with me. Eye-roll. I chowed down on this stuff while I waited for them. I was definitely ready for REAL food! Also, those Fig Bars are AMAZING. I’m obsessed.
All 4 guys came through the first time, at mile 13, and looked really strong. It was super fun to cheer them on and get to help! After that, I managed to get away for a super short run. I had forgotten how hard it is to run uphill in Colorado. Hello suffocation!
When the guys came back through at mile 35, they were all having some cramping – I felt so bad for them. BUT, this is where the Kombucha came in for Jake – he drank a little of that, hoping it would help with his terrible cramping, and then was on his way. After I saw them all that last time, I packed up and headed back to the finish line, which was at the bottom of the hill where they started. It was fun to see some of the top guys finish while I was waiting!
They all finished!!!! Don came through first, with his fastest time on this course – HOLY COW. Then it was John, Jake’s Dad – he did SO awesome. John was followed by Dathan, who took a really bad fall and had a HUGE gash on his knee and the beginnings of a black eye – but he still killed it! Then it was Jake – who finished under his time goal, even though he felt AWFUL. I was SO proud of all of them!! I was also ready for them to shower. ; )
We went back to the hostel to shower (check out my weird striped sunburn) and then we hit the road again!
SO proud of this guy! He pushed through some really hard things during his race. I can’t imagine riding 50 miles in the mountains and then getting into a car to drive…
We stopped for Mexican in Frisco! Mmm. I had the burrito and Jake had the tacos. It was delicious.
Whoops! I love Sour Patch Kids – they’re a weakness! Jake and I ate this entire bag in maybe 6 minutes…
Then it was movie time!
We got to our hotel about 12:30…we were all pretty worn out and ready to be out of the car. I had planned to get up and run before we left in the morning, but I didn’t fall asleep until about 4 am (I was going to get up at 4:15 to run….) so, I slept for about 2 hours, then we got up at 6, ate breakfast, and hit the road at 7. Our hotel had the BEST breakfast – lots of healthy options, which I wanted after being in the car so much.
I was starving, so i chowed down on this chicken taco salad from Qdoba around 11. It hit the spot!
We got home about 4:30 pm on Sunday – the girls were pretty dang excited! Thanks, Chels, for watching them!! <3 We met Jake’s Mom and Dad for dinner, then went home and crashed. It felt so good to be in our own bed.
I ran 5 this morning – it was HUMID! Woof. But it felt SO good to get my legs moving. It took me awhile to warm up, but I was so happy to not have to get into a car today.
The welcome home party after my run. They were going wild.
We didn’t eat much for dinner last night, I think we were both feeling blah, so I was starving this morning. I had steel cut oats with PB and honey and two eggs. It hit the spot!
I’m spending the day doing stuff around the house (allllll the laundry), doing our meal prep, working out, and getting ready for the class I teach on Tuesdays. I’ll try and work on my proposal, if I have time. Vanessa, the owner of the company that Jake is an ambassador for – Ames Adventure Outfitters – is going to be in town tonight, so I think we will get to see her for a little bit! We have a pretty busy week, well, I guess the next month is pretty crazy! So we are mentally preparing for that.
Happy Monday, everyone! I hope your day is wonderful!