Let’s pick up from where we left off yesterday! I spent the weekend in Boulder, CO for a Trail Sisters Running Retreat – I split the weekend into two posts, so this post will cover Saturday and Sunday. THIS post covers Thursday and Friday.
I woke up SO sore Saturday morning. The 17.5 miles from the day before definitely wore me out. But, I was stoked for another day in the mountains! I grabbed breakfast at our lodge and got ready.
We loaded up and headed to the Mesa trail for the day.
Colorado is so beautiful.
I hiked any and all uphills. My legs were toast from the day before, but it felt good to move a little. I stuck with two other girls for the day and we had a blast.
We saw a bear!!! It ran right across the trail in front of us. You might have to watch this video a few times to see it. I got a little excited and couldn’t record very well.
We ended with 10 muddy miles for the day!
Darcy Piceu joined us for Saturday’s run! I couldn’t keep up with the the three girls that ran with her, but it was a blast to talk with her when I finished my run.
After our run, we headed back to the lodge and had lunch. We had potato salad and tortilla chips.
After lunch, we did yoga in the sunshine. I just wanted to nap!
Mud tan lines andcalluses…the yoga felt so good. I needed the stretching.
This was our yoga spot. It was so relaxing.
After yoga, it was time to get cleaned up and head downtown. I wore a version of THIS Marmot dress. I love it because it’s so comfy and easy to just throw on. Any time I only need a single piece of clothing, I’m pretty excited.
I did not want to leave the next afternoon. The weekend was going by way too quickly!
We all had dinner together at The Med, but a group of us went down early to grab a drink. We went to Oskar Blues and sat outside.
Beer and tots – yum!
How awesome is this menu The Med had for us??
All of the appetizers were incredible.
I had the salmon for dinner.
This is my new friend, Nina. I told her we were twins!
Cheers to Gina for creating such an incredible community for women.
After dinner, we walked to a gelato place. I seriously did not want the weekend to come to an end!
Our last day was Sunday. The lodge had a waffle machine, so I made a waffle before our run.
By Sunday, my legs were DONEZO. I wasn’t sure how I’d climb another mountain, but I was stoked to spend one more day on the trails.
We spent the day at Mount Senitas – it was 1.25 miles straight up. Here’s part of the climb.
The views!
We all made it to the top! Here’s our whole group.
We climbed to the top of that! We ended with a little over 5 miles for the day. After we got to the top, everything was super runnable and downhill, so we took off and made it down the mountain pretty quickly.
I was starving when we got back to the lodge, so I had some leftover cereal and yogurt.
We had our last meal at the lodge, then spent some time just hanging out.
So thankful for these two women! Gina, the one in the hat, is the founder of Trail Sisters. Heidi co-hosted the weekend with Gina. They’re both awesome.
Our last group photo! So blessed to have met all these amazing ladies.
Once the retreat wrapped up, a bunch of us headed downtown to wait for our flights back home. Since we had a few hours to kill, we grabbed drinks and food. I had a delicious BLT.
Check out these monster nachos!
I loved getting to know and spending time with these ladies.
I took the bus with two other girls from Boulder to the Denver airport. Two of us passed out on the bus because we were so tired. Once we got to the airport, we said our final goodbyes and made our way to our gates. I had about 2 hours to waste, so I found a place for dinner right by my gate. It was the cutest wine bar.
I had pizza and wine while I waited for my flight.
Jake got called into work, so I wasn’t sure if he’d be able to pick me up from the airport. I told my family I’d just Uber since my flight got in so late – my Dad did not like that idea. He’s the best. <3 Jake ended up getting off in time, so he picked me up!
I listened to this podcast about Courtney Dauwalter on the plane ride home. I still couldn’t believe that I got to run with her on Friday!
I got home about 11PM on Sunday evening. I was excited to get home to see Jake and our girls, but I was definitely sad about leaving the mountains and all the incredible women I met. This retreat was definitely a trip of a lifetime and I will never forget it! I came home with a very full heart, new running knowledge and inspiration, and very sore legs.
Happy Tuesday, friends!
That’s amazing!