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Boulder Train-Cation - day 1


Day 1 in Boulder started with a 50-minute run through Wonderland Lake Trailhead.
With this being my first workout in Boulder, I just went by feel to make sure I didn't overdo it with the altitude of ~5400 feet above sea level. 
We are staying at our athlete's house which is just a mile from the trailhead so it was the perfect warm-up before an absolutely wonderful, beautiful run. 

The altitude wasn't too much of an issue but I certainly didn't push it during my run. I did notice that for the same RPE, I was running 30-60 sec per min/mile slower which was just fine by me. I really enjoyed the ups and downs on the trail and if you know me, you know I just love running on hills and trails so this was a very welcomed run. I included a few more frequent walks if I felt short of breath just to make sure that my aerobic run didn't turn into an anaerobic run (regardless of the pace). 

I had 2 x 10 ounce flasks during my run in my Nathan hydration belt - one with water and the other with Clif Hydration. 

Here are a few pics from my run. 







After the run, I had breakfast #2 which consisted of homemade banana bread (thanks Kristen!) and a glass of milk. I didn't want to eat too much as I only had an hour or so before our morning swim at RallySport Boulder


An outdoor pool with a view....yes please!!!


My friend Katie invited Karel and I to join her at her masters swim at Rally Sport at 10:30am. 


Did I mention that the swim was coached by Professional triathlete Julie Dibens?
Here's the workout (if I remember correctly):
800 warm-up (150 free, 50 non free)
10 x 100's (first 4, moving 25 of kick, the rest free. Last 6, 3x100 of the first 25 of each 100 being IM order, then freestyle for 75. The repeat). 
600 buoy (300 build, 300 steady/strong)
6 x 100's (25 fast, 75 EZ)
6 x 100's strong
400 paddles/buoy
8 x 25's (15 yards fast, then EZ, 20 yards fast, then EZ, 25 yards fast, then EZ, last 25 EZ. the repeat)
100 cool down
4200 yards total


Once again, the altitude was a factor in that the effort felt a little harder than what we were doing but after around 35-40 minutes of our 1:15 masters workout we felt more normal. 
And since Karel and I have been swimming long course meters all summer, it was fun to swim short course...outside!


Thanks Julie and Katie for welcoming us to Boulder with a great workout! 


After our swim, it was time for lunch. 
Katie took us to Modmarket. Karel got the Wintergreen salad and chicken sandwhich and I got the Superfood salad with tofu. The menu had so many great selections! 



After lunch, Karel and I did some grocery shopping after a little walking around Pearl Street and stopped by Vecchios.
I suppose you can call this a bike shop but for Karel, this was a bike museum filled with all things cycling memorabilia. 









Now you may be thinking that we didn't have a lot of carbs after our swim. Oh don't you worry. We made up for that at Bread Works.

If a place has BREAD in the name, I'm pretty sure we will walk out with something in our hands..or in our belly. 



After a busy day, we had a little furry company while watching Stage 1 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. What an amazing performance by Taylor Phinney! 


As for the rest of the evening, Karel went for a short run in the evening and I took a walk with our athlete/friend Kristen and then we stayed-in for dinner.