Thru Endurance We Conquer!

Three days with nothing to do but my workouts and relaxing with Nick's parents. The perfect way to finish my last hard week - get some solid training and be able to recover well with no distractions. I could do that more often if only we had the money and time. Training hard is never the problem. It's finding the time to recover smart that is always the issue. Not this week. Sitting around the wood stove with a book was the order of the day. Even Nick was able chill out and do nothing! We did make sure that we got some quality workouts in. I got up to run in the fresh snow Christmas morning. It was perfectly quiet, with first tracks on the road. Nick ran the first few miles with me, then returned to the house. Without a map, I had decided to just do three out and backs on the dirt road leading to his parent's house. No traffic, just a few dogs,  some crows and a bunch of horses. A brisk wind kept the temperature chilly but the sun was making quick work of the snow. It...

Time to get away from the world. A trip south to New Mexico to visit Nick's parents turned into four days away from the world. No cell coverage, no internet - just peace and quiet. I have to admit it was nice being disconnected from the world. I knew whatever happened in the Twitterverse and Facebook didn't matter. If someone needed to get a hold of me, they could leave a message. Awesome time for some relaxing and just chilling. I've gotten so used to having my phone all the time, it was a little odd on the last half of the drive to be in radio silence. Of course, that was when we needed the phone. We knew most of the drive - just head south on I-25 to Socorro, then west on hwy 60. Overall, it was smooth sailing. So much faster in the Subaru then the turtle! A few snowflakes, some rain near Santa Fe, but we avoided the worst of the storm. Or so we thought... We were supposed to text his parents when we reached Datil. Well, just after Socorro we hit wind and black ice...

One of the best presents anyone can offer - the gift of time and a fun ride. At the start on my planned long and hard ride at CMSP, Nick and I decided to invite Mom along for her birthday ride. It's something we've done for the last few years - instead of getting her something she doesn't need, we've taken her out for a fun mountain bike ride. This year, it worked out that we could do it on her birthday, on a very beautiful day, in a quiet park, on some great trails. We always try to challenge her skills, encouraging her to try some new obstacles and work on her technique. It's been fun to watch her improvement and the increased confidence on the bike Getting some pointers before trying a new rock section Over the rock! Over the rock! This year, with a new bike under her, we decided to challenge her even more. We rode up Boulder run instead of Coyote Run, working on her weight shifting and body position on the bike. Nick made her ride some sections s...

I took cookie duty for a holiday party, which meant time to play in the kitchen! Which was a good thing, because I had something I wanted to try and a can of pumpkin in the fridge. Ended up with a pile of cookies - enough for the party, enough to eat and some for the freezer! Nick liked the pumpkin cookies best, but he's not a huge chocolate fan. Yes, I think he's crazy... So here's two cookie recipes that were a big hit in the Thelen house. Hopefully, the pumpkin cookies come out right - I was winging it with some extra pumpkin for the recipe and forgot to write down exactly what I did! Double Rich Chocolate Cookies Preheat oven to 300 Combine and set aside                   2 ½ c flour (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour)                   ¾ tsp xanthan gum        ...

2013 is looking like a fun year already. New races, new goals and a new look. We've got some fun adventures planned in addition to our classic events. I'm really looking forward to the different races and rides this year. It's going to be great fun seeking out new and awesome single track with my husband. I also have some big goals for the coming year. Its gonna be a lot of hard work, but I'm ready. And I have a great support crew to help me achieve those goals. But the biggest news is the new look for the coming year. After the end of last season, Nick was thinking of some ways to make a little extra money after a very slow summer. He decided that working at a bike shop as a mechanic might be the best idea. Something different and a way into the bike industry. Well, the week after he talked to Brian at ProCycling, he landed a good, long term contract. So much for changing careers! But we were still talking about racing for a new team after leaving Ascent (They di...

One of my holiday traditions has been the Lights Run. I've done this for the last 10 years - run after work, late enough for people to get home and turn on their lights. I pick a day where I'm just running easy and turn it into a walking tour of the Christmas lights. No route, no designated distance - just following the glow of lights. It's great fun to head out at night in the crisp air and always a treat to see how people have decorated. There's a few really well done homes in my neighborhood this year, with simple but classy lights. I like the old school style - with the string of lights on the house and neatly wrapped trees. The dangling lights a lot of people use now are also really pretty and add a bit of dimension to the house. I'm also a fan of just a few colors - light blues and whites with maybe some blue or red for added visual impact. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the really outrageous  hundreds of lights in all colors that some people...

It's that time of year again - time to hide in the garage with one goal. The foundation for next year's dreams are built right now, with every pedal stroke and foot step. The season starts early and to reach my goals winter is the time to work. I can't call it suffering because I love the effort and the reward later. That doesn't mean it's easy. Coach Adam knows my goals and will push me to the edge to reach them. So into the garage I go. Each workout has a purpose and next week's, next months efforts build upon the hours in the garage. If the weather is nice, I may take to the streets for the workouts but I like the garage. No cars to distract me from the effort. No ice to worry about. Dressing for the workout knowing it won't start snowing on me. I love the trails and I will ride in most anything for a fun mountain bike adventure. But when on the skinny tires, I tend to be a bit more cautious. And right now, to capture the numbers we need to really lay t...

Usually by the second weekend in December, the big rides are either snowed or iced in. Not so this year, but the snow was coming - at least according to the weather man. With that in mind, Nick sent out the text inviting the gang on what might be the final big day of the year. Hoping the pace would be chill enough for me, I packed up my Talon 11 with lots of water, food and warm clothes. I didn't know where we were headed, but I was ready for some fun. As we rolled out thru Stratton, the riding plans tossed around ranged from 666 and Section 16 to Jones-Pipeline or even Emerald Valley. All of which sounded fun - and long. Eventually, consensus voted for a truly epic day of riding UP Jones' Downhill, then down Pipeline. And I knew I was in for some trouble and some long stretches of riding alone. While the guys were riding comfortable, I was just below my endurance race pace. The train of Nick, me, Matt T, Todd and Cameron quickly caught up with Kim - who decided to tag along ...

One thing that all early morning or late night exercisers face is the darkness. Before we turn the clocks back in the beginning of November, I was starting and ending my runs before the sun peeked above the horizon. In years past, I hadn't used a head light at all - but I was running on well lit residential streets and didn't really need much additional light. Now, I'm running in Bear Creek park - with no lights at all and plenty of wildlife. Last year, I was using a tiny petzl light - just enough to kinda see where I was going, but not really enough to see anything else. And not being able to see meant I wasn't getting the quality workouts in. It's hard to run fast without knowing where that next step is going to land.  It was clear that I needed something brighter to be able to get the most out of my workouts before I headed to work. Too bad the Exposure Lights we use for night riding wouldn't work for running... Or would they? Nick had just gotten the s...

Sometimes, getting off the couch is the hardest part about night riding. It's dark and cold and the last thing you want to do is go out into the elements.  I was feeling that way on Tuesday - comfortable at home, just wanting to be a lazy bum. But when Stacy texted to ask if I was planning on coming to the ride, I was tempted. Some of the group had a party on Thursday, so they were getting together Tuesday for some giggles under the stars. I usually try to avoid Tuesdays since the boys ride then. But Nick and I have plenty of lights. And with him getting ready to go rage the Canyon and attempt to tear the legs off his buddies, my motivation kicked me off the couch. It would be a great night to ride my bike! Really quick, I got ready to go and headed over to Palmer Park. The girls were meeting at Lazy Land, but getting out of that parking lot is a nightmare for me. I just parked at the normal location and headed over. An unusual night at Palmer Park - during my 30 minutes of g...

Me and the birthday girl at the start Photo - Tim Bergsten Not to me, but one of my friends! And how do we crazy mountain bikers decided to celebrate a birthday? By running a half marathon! I'd done the Rock Canyon Half Marathon down in Pueblo last year, and off and on for a few years before that - back when I was a runner. So when Kerri posted on Facebook that she was going to run it this year, I was all in on that. I was just hoping for better weather then last year's blizzard. Well, the weather wasn't an issue at all. It's been a very mild November and the start to December proved to have more of the same. I did bring warm clothes with me and was planning on wearing a t-shirt and arm warmers and shorts. But it was already warm when I did my warmup - with just a slight chill in the breeze. It was perfect running weather. Running in shorts and tank top was a far cry from the layers and layers of clothes last year required! My goal at the start was to run smart...

I should know better then to try to lead a group ride at Red Rocks - I rarely ride there during the day and only know a few of the trails really well. So when Nick asked if I wanted chaperons (him and Cameron) for yesterday's ride, I quickly agreed. Stacy and Lonna don't usually ride there either and having the boys around would be good. They know all the trails and the easiest ways to connect between singletrack fun. With that said, it was the perfect night to ride at Red Rocks. As we started on the first section of single track - Codell's trail, a newish trail that traces the top of one of the ridges, we were treated to the moon rise. The just past full moon gleamed pumpkin orange, ringed by low clouds. There were plenty of times I had to remind myself to keep my eyes on the trail instead of moon watching! A chilly wind cut through the air, but otherwise it was a perfect night for ride. Codell's is a fun trail and riding it at night was cool. One of the few trails i...

At some point in time, we'd like to be able to take the cats with us camping. I don't leaving them home alone - they always seem so depressed when we leave and so skittish when we get home. So we've been gradually getting everyone ready for a camper trip. Step 0 was really the harnesses. We got harnesses for all of the cats - blue for Sasha, red for Dum Dum and pink for George. The first few times we harnessed them up was funny. George didn't seem to mind at all, but the other two acted like they were paralyzed. So silly. But know, they all seem to be handling the harnesses well. Sasha is even back to playing with her harness on. So onto step 1 - introducing them to the camper! Parked in the front yard, not going anywhere... We got it all nice and warm, took the litter box out and some food and water out. Then time for the cats. Loaded them up in the carriers and out we went. And the meow choir began. All three of them - whining and meowing like crazy. George was of c...

November certainly flew by. It seems just yesterday I was talking with friends about the Rock Canyon Half Marathon and deciding to sign up. And now the race is just a week away. Wow. Am I ready to run a half marathon? I think so, actually I'm pretty sure I'm ready. I've done plenty of good workouts in the last few weeks. A few long runs and some really solid interval sessions. I've seen some good times on the Garmin on the last two workouts and know I can run a solid race. Pacing will be an issue. Because of the low running workload this year, I won't be able to get away with starting too fast and hoping to hold on. Starting smart and steadily building will be the best way to finish with a solid time. Hopefully I will be able to match last year's time. I'm also bringing all my warm clothes again. Last year, with the shoe and wind and sub freezing temps was a bit of a challenge. It will be a little easier to plan since I am driving down race morning this ye...

Watching all the ads on TV has gotten me thinking. We aren't allowed to celebrate holidays anymore - at least not in the traditional way. Instead it's all about the shopping and getting the best deals on junk you don't need and probably can't afford. I don't remember which store it was for,  but the ad with the turkey throwing the car keys in the middle of the dinner was disturbing to me. I mean, really? Is trying to gather friends and family together for a nice dinner that wrong? It's rare to even sit down as a family without electronic interruptions - let us have one day of silence and togetherness. The other thing I found disturbing about that commercial was the emphasis on more, more,  more. It is not enough to be happy and thankful for what we have any more. It is always out dated or just not in style Unless what you have doesn't work anymore is another of the same thing really needed? I would say no. And the disposability of today's items makes u...

I know one day the snow will come. I'm actually looking forward to a few nice, snowy days and the moisture is badly needed. All the trails are loose and dry - sand surfing on the kitty litter is a needed skill. But until we get some snow, the big rides in the canyon are still on. We held off one weekend doing the planned ride up to St Mary's because of the weather and bike issues. The brain and shock on my Era needed some major work, so I was riding my HT. Not a bike Nick wanted me to take down St Mary's. So with a working suspension and nice weather forecasted, we headed up this Saturday. There's snow and ice up high - but not enough to keep us from riding! As usual, the climb up Gold Camp was long. I was working hard, trying to keep up with Nick and Matt. But the sluggishness and gunk in my legs from the cold were gone, so I was able to settle into a solid tempo. The boys still pulled away as we climbed, but I wasn't getting completely dropped. It was chilly...

After two years sporting the red and white of Ascent Cycling, Nick and I have decided it's time for a change. We parted ways with Ascent in early October. It's been a good two years, but it was time to move on. I'm happy we had the opportunity to meet and race with the Ascent gang. It's a good group of guys and gals who like to ride their bikes almost as much as they like talking about riding. I'm also happy we parted ways on such good terms and with the high of our second place at the 24 Hour Mountain Bike National Championships in our back yard. Obviously, a change like this required a lot of thought. Nick and I spent many hours discussing our options and where we wanted to go - both team wise and for our riding and racing. In the end, there were a number of things that factored into our decision to leave Ascent, including the possibility of Nick working for another shop in town. I don't feel it is needed to go into details, but we happy with our choice and ...

Cranberries are one of the joys of the fall season. There's nothing like the sweet tartness of homemade cranberry sauce to recall holidays and gatherings past. Since I don't have a huge family and the holidays weren't a big affair, I make just make cranberry sauce from the time the berries appear in the store to when they vanish come January. But I limited my cranberry adventures to just sauce - sometimes with a little orange or a touch of ginger. I'd never tried baking with cranberries before. So these scones were a pleasant surprise - combining all the things I love about cranberries in a light and yummy scone. Add in the ginger orange glaze and they are perfect for a holiday brunch or a not so sweet dessert. Pre heat oven to 375 and grease a large baking sheet In small bowl, combine and let sit: 1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries 1/4 cup white sugar 2 tbsp orange juice In a separate bowl, mix: 2 cups flour (combining types is okay) 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if maki...

A long time ago - either while in undergrad or PT school, I read an interesting definition of health and being healthy. Since I spent last week fighting off an early seasons cold, it seemed very applicable. I don't remember the source or context, but it still rings true. Health is the absence of disease or a condition when there is nothing wrong or unusual happening in the body. Think about it - do you notice when you are healthy? waking up saying "Man, I feel healthy today." Not usually - but you definitely notice when you are not healthy. You don't feel awesome working out when things are going good and don't pay attention to little signs. But when an injury has laid you low, things aren't "right." So its a perfect definition - the absence of disease. Working in health care makes me appreciate my own absence of disease. I see a whole rang of people -from those who know they are sick and want to get better to those who have no clue. There are...

Winter time for Nick and I means its time to think about Colorado's favorite illegal trail. The Manitou Incline. As a native, I actually remember there being a train running up those ties. And I even had the opputuniety to ride the Incline a few times. Mostly when I was training for the Pikes Peak Ascent and didn't feel like running down Mount Manitou. But now, its a series of brutal steps up to the top of Mount Manitou. Still technically Illegal and trespassing but a really good workout and lots of "fun." I've only done it a few times and usually when the snow is flying and the temperatures below freezing. So with a chilly sun and neither one of use feeling ready to bundle up and ride in the cold, we headed to Manitou. There were already plenty of people out hiking but less then on normal fall days. I was still feeling a little under the weather from my cold so just hikes. Even just hiking was hard. Those steps aren't designed for short legs. I remembered r...

When I was growing up, the favorite saying was "wait five minutes and the weather will change." It was a reference to how hard forecasting the weather in Colorado Springs can be and how volatile the weather is. Well, today was definitely a "wait five minutes" kinda ride. We went to bed with the idea to go big and get another solid day in on (for me) some new, fun trails. Woke up to grey, overcast and a smattering of rain and those plans changes. We opted to still have a big day up in the mountains, but to not stray quite so far a Field. With the clouds and the off and on rain, getting miles from Gold Camp and a quick bail to home didn't seem all that smart. Meeting up with Cam in the Stratton parking lot and we all decided on the back-up plan. Still fun, but not as big a day. Then came the weather changes. When we pedaled up the Chutes, it was grey, cool and windy. But at the top of the Chutes, the sun had chased the clouds away, revealing crisp blue skies...

For the last two winters, our method of cross training has been bouldering. We go to the climbing gym - not to climb up, but across the walls. Its loads of fun, great strengthening and an awesome dynamic activity. Propreoception, motor planning and balance are all challenged while hanging on the wall. Or more accurately, trying not to fall off the wall! Skinny armed cyclists with muscles legs tend to stand out just a little among the shiftless convention of the other boulderers. We are rather bottom heavy, which does not make for great climbing. But fun is the point and so is getting out of the house during the winter months. Bouldering uses a 0-10 scale for rating how difficult the problems are. The smaller the numbers, the easier the problem. So a v0 is like a ladder on the wall and a v10 is like.... well I've never climbed a v10 so I don't know! Harder then most people can do. Us poor cyclists must give the real climbers something to laugh about as we flail about on the v1...

It's always funny - the first days after the fall back. Sunday morning, everyone is so excited about the extra hour of sleep and the light in the mornings. But as the darkness creeps across the land earlier then expected, those same people start complaining loudly about the loss of light. Maybe I just noticed it more this year on Twitter and such. I know people complain every year about falling back and the early sunset, but I was also seeing the "real time" exultation's about the sunrise in the morning. I'm a morning person - I like getting up, getting things done early. Over the last few weeks, with the sunrise approaching 7:30, it's been hard to get motivated and get up. Darkness does that to you! It just feels really early since the sun isn't peaking above the horizon yet. Running before work has been fun, getting home before the sun even rises. I love the peace and quiet of early morning runs, but the the animals still out and about, it's a litt...

Sometimes deciding to do a local race at the last minute is the best decision. I had been on the fence about doing the CES Cafe Velo Dirty Duathlon for several weeks - one day I'd been feeling spunky, so I was all gungho, the next day dragging and not wanted to race at all. Just starting to get my running back was another concern keeping me from signing up. But after two solid runs this week and a really fun TallBoy ride on Friday, I was all in. And it turned out to be a great day for a race. It was fun to see so many members of the local MTB crowd stepping outside the box and giving multisport a try. With an "about" three mile run, nine mile bike and another "about" three mile run, it was a short and sweet event. I pushed the pace a little to take the lead in the women's race on the first run and was able to hold on until the finish line in 1:21:57. Jayson and Colorado Endurance Sports did (as usual) a fantastic job with race and the post race party at Cafe...

A planned girls night ride and party for Halloween turned into a solo adventure for me, myself and I. It was too nice a night to sit around and hand out candy. All dressed up and ready to go, with my lights charged and mounted - so off I went, with my phone close at hand and my pepper spray in a jersey pocket. (I'm not supposed to night ride alone - just not smartest thing) I bolted past the herds of kids out searching for sugar, seeking the solitude of Stratton. And in the darkness broken only by my lights, I found a new awareness - the stillness of peace. There is no silence in Stratton - but the utter aloneness with my thoughts, my tires crackling on the gravel and the rasp of my breathing and pounding of my heart. Stillness - at night, all alone, the air is still in the trees of Stratton. There is no wind and although the city is sprawled out below, a sense of isolation.Clouds obscured the rising moon, lending an even heavier air to the feeling of aloneness.  Except not ...

I think I may have used this title in the past, but when it comes to the riding down at Lake Pueblo, it's the truth. I am reminded of that every time we make the trek down there; how varied the terrain and trails are out there. There really is something for everyone there - flat, easy and fast, sinuous and twisty along the cliff edges, or the canyon descents. Want the fast stuff - head west to the isolated Voodoo Loop. A little more twisty and view inspired? I like Outer Limits and the new Inner limits for that. And if rocks are your thing (Like Nick) stay on the east side of the park where all the canyons are. There's been some sanitation from the trail fairies - smoothing out the lines, but there are still plenty of big drops and butt pucker moments. Nick also noticed that where there's been some sanitation, there's also been some really big lines created - bigger then what he wanted to ride that day. We spent two cool but sunny days down there last weekend, riding wh...

Ah, Strava Challenges. Always fun, usually nearly impossible to complete (but that's what makes them challenges) and mostly just for bragging rights. I've glanced at the challenges on a regular basis, but only joined two. I completed one of them, but barely made a dent in the other one.The timing was great for the first one - got to use a race with lots of climbing for that one. As for the second one - yeah, right after a race where I needed to take some serious recovery time and not be riding my bike a lot. Part of the reason for that is I join for fun - and don't alter my training much while "competing" in the challenges. So I've tended to ignore the challenges or pick and choose carefully. So what did I do for my goof off, end of season break? Joined three challenges that I am almost certain to not complete! It's going to be fun to see how far I get with just my normal training load, but there is no way I'm going to finish at least the first two. ...

Life's not complicated - we just choose to make is crazy at times. But sometimes, getting back to reality and simplicity is what makes things right. For me, that moment of simple joy came riding alone at Lake Pueblo State Park after work. Just me, my bike, the brisk air and the setting sun. No distractions for miles, no pressure to ride hard and the ability to ride for as long as I chose (or as long as I told Nick I was going to ride...) It was a perfect closing to a crazy day at work. On that ride, happiness was... - Listening to the sound of shale under my tires as I climbed up Rock Canyon - Riding under the chilly sun while Pikes Peak was surrounded by clouds and snow. - The long shadow of a rider silhouetted alone against the edge of the cliffs. Juniper trees under the setting sun - iPhone photos without glasses never quite look right... Exhilaration was - Dropping into the canyons on the east side of the park, knowing I could ride whatever trail I wanted. - The b...