This week I traveled all across America… literally! We drove from Ohio to Colorado for an extended ski trip. It was an 18 hour drive which was pretty easy and uneventful (thankfully!). We did this trip last year shortly after my Dad passed away. It was a wonderful getaway. So peaceful in the mountains. It gave me time to grieve and reflect. This year we are changing it up a bit and also going to Utah. This week we are in Colorado. I might not get much running in, but I consider skiing to be excellent cross training!

Mon – 6 miles, middle miles at race pace.  A solid treadmill run to start the week!

Tues – 12 miles/ a double. The day started with 6 easy miles on the treadmill.  I stretched!  Here is proof. Don’t mind my shorts. It was laundry day. haha!

The weather was good enough for a park walk with my mom during my lunch hour.

That was going to be my miles for the day, but with the nice weather (in the 40s) I decided I could just run another 6 miles after work and that would count as my long run for the week.  I won’t fit a long run in otherwise later this week due to travel.  But I got a little later start than I expected.  It was windy out and I hadn’t planned well.  I took a pretty sunset picture, and then still had 2.5 more miles to run.  Not good considering I didn’t have a light!  DOH!  So I made a detour from the unlit trail into a neighborhood to finish my run.  I had to get back to my car, which was also in full darkness, so I wasn’t excited about that. BUT, I did it.  “Long run” done!

Weds – 3 easy miles, before a full day of driving!  We packed up the truck and drove across the country!  Well, we made it to Nebraska at least.  It was easy driving – no snow, wind, or rain.  We saw a beautiful sunset in Iowa among the seemingly hundreds of windmills. 

Thurs – Rest day!  Another day of driving from Nebraska to Colorado.  Most of our drive was very flat land. Then we finally saw the mountains ahead. Yahoo!!

We arrived in time to relax in our condo and have some dinner.  Cheers! 

Fri – ski day!  We started out our skiing adventure at Copper Mountain.  It’s been 12 years since we’ve skied at Copper!  We spent the majority of the day on a mountain tour.  A host guided us on runs around the mountain for almost 3 hours!  We learned a lot about the area, history, plants and animals.  And, she took a great picture of us!  We loved the bright sun all day.

Sat – ski day!  We skied at Arapahoe Basin.  Known for it’s high altitude and advanced terrain.  The day started out quite challenging.  It was windy and cloudy which made it near impossible to see where we were going.  We found some sheltered areas in the glades and eventually the conditions got better.  A very different ski day from yesterday, but still a fun day!

We saw the Breckenridge troll, and walked around after dinner in town. It looks magical!

Sun – ski day!  One more ski day for the week, at Copper Mountain again.  So far my previous back issue is non existent and that pinch in my hip only bothers me when I stretch down to touch my toes. Hmmmm. So odd.

Need some more inspiration? I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Check out all of the fun blogs there!

Q: Do you have any trolls where you live?

We have a few in Ohio, near Dayton. Check out this page. You might have one near you!

14 thoughts on “Weekly Workouts – on the road and slopes”
  1. Isn’t it scary to go skiing in such cloudy weather? I would worry about getting lost!
    Very nice with a mountain tour and learning something about the area. I’ve never heard of that at a skiing resort.
    I’m glad to hear your hip and back are behaving!

    1. The concern with cloudy/white outs on the mountain is that you don’t know what terrain is coming up. Might be a bump or a dip! You’d be surprised how well you can ski just by feel. Luckily there are usually a few other skiers to follow and the trails are well marked for those situations since they happen so often.

  2. Looks like a fun time. Glad your back and hip are feeling better.

    I’m not a skier. Hate the cold weather.

    No trolls that I know of.

  3. I like the idea of having a guide to show you around while skiing! I have skied at Copper Mtn–twice when I was in high school, lol. We stayed there 2 summers ago when I ran Leadville with my son. I really like that area–there are some smaller resorts, like Cooper and Monarch, that I’d love to ski. I don’t like the crowds.

    1. We went to Ski Cooper a loooong time ago! I won a pair of free passes by calling in to a local TV show. Although I don’t like the parking and long lift lines, I do prefer a large ski resort. I like a lot of variety!
      The mountain tour was really nice. The hosts are volunteers that work at the resort 14 days a season. Mostly retirees who want to get out an ski, share their knowledge, and ski for free!

  4. This sounds so fun!!! Well- I wouldn’t do the skiing part because I would fall and break every bone in my body. But it looks fun for YOU! The drive looks fun to me- I love the thought of driving across flat Nebraska and then seeing mountains in the distance.
    I think the universe transferred your hip issue to me- mine is really achy now, SIGH.
    Have a great time in Utah!

    1. Oh no! No one has time for an achy hip!! Hopefully yours is fleeting. It’s crazy how far away you can see the mountains and then it takes an hour to get to them.

  5. The only trolls here are internet trolls. Not quite the same.

    Looks like you had the best time skiing! That second day picture is a little disconcerting with all the fog and low visibility, but it looks like it cleared up nicely!

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