#15 - Go Camping in the Mountains

The destination for this list item was the beautiful Lake City, Colorado.  We made our first trip there a couple weeks ago, and instantly we were amazed by the beauty of the area.

Kristen and I headed up Saturday morning to find a campsite - I was a little worried since all sites in the area are on a first come basis, but we lucked out and got a great site at Deer Lakes, an area known for having moose.  In between rain clouds, we set up our tent and gathered up a little wood for later.

We headed back out to town to spend the afternoon, when we had our first amazing encounter - a momma and baby moose!

In town, we waited out some of the passing clouds by visiting a few of the shops, driving to see some of the mountains, and our favorite - mini golf!  We decided dinner HAD to be at the Packer Saloon - a place named after Alferd Packer, "America's favorite cannibal," an explorer known for his cannibalistic endeavors during the late 1800s.  As the quote at the memorial marking the site of the attacks says, "You're a man eatin' son of a... There was seven Democrats in Hinsdale County and you ate five of them." Lake City has for whatever reason embraced the fame that came along with these events, and the decor was fitting for my favorite Packer fan.  You can't make this stuff up...

We headed back to our camp site and decided to check and see if any moose were out at the ponds nearby... and let's just say we got quite the show!

After a couple of hours of watching our new friends, we made our way back to our tent.  Because of rain throughout the day, all of the wood in the area was soaked.  Luckily we picked up a bundle of firewood and the people staying in the site next to us had some lighter fluid, because I had to cheat to get a good fire going.  Once I had the fire going, the obvious next step was making s'mores.  But again, because of the rain, all sticks in the area were soaked, so I had to get creative.  I MacGyver'ed a couple of roasting sticks out of a golf club and a coat hanger, and we made some delicious desserts while enjoying the calm crackling of the fire.

After a night of mediocre sleep, we woke up to a cold, wet morning.  We gathered up our things and made one last look down to see if our moose friends were still around.  Sure enough...

All in all, I guess you could say this was a successful camping trip!

#14 - Complete a Triathlon

4:30AM my alarm went off, and it was time to roll.

4:31AM I got out of bed and proceeded to stub my toe, ripping off most of my toenail.  Smooth.  I put a bandaid and tape on basically holding my nail in place.  Not the way I anticipated starting my day.

by 5 I was out the door and headed to Aurora Reservoir.

I got to the transition area, racked my bike, put out my water and food, got my number Sharpied on, and was ready for the race.  I had some time to kill and nerves were high, so I spent a little time hanging out by the water just waiting for the time to get here.

As the Olympic triathletes got in the water and started their races, I met up with my friend Jo who was racing today as well.  She and her boyfriend were a great way to kill the time and ease the nerves.  Female triathletes were up, and Jo had to start her race.  Then it was our turn.  Game on.

SWIM - 500m

We stepped in the water and... chilly!  I took a couple panicked gasps when I heard the countdown... 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. GO!

I waited for the intense swimmers to clear out of the way and I started my 500m swim.  I was still adjusting to the temp so I couldn't get a good stroke going.  I just kept moving forward.  After about 75m, I was used to the water and was getting a decent stroke going.  During training, I only swam in a pool, so I wasn't used to the thrashing of the current.  I was moving slowly and was expending a ton of energy.  After 200m, I turned the corner and started swimming against the current.  I wasn't sure if I could make it.  After what seemed like an eternity I made it to 300m and rounded the corner and headed toward shore.  Just keep swimming had a whole new meaning to me...  I rotated a front crawl-ish stroke, back stroke, and side stroke.  Just keep swimming.  My breathing was getting rough.  Just keep swimming.  400m.  Just keep swimming.  I got closer and closer, worked harder and harder, and I finally was able to touch bottom.  I made it.  I headed up to the transition area in a dizzy, panting daze.

BIKE - 12 mi

I sat down to gain my balance, threw on some socks and shoes, grabbed a bite of my Clif Bar, pounded some water, and I headed out of transition and mounted my bike.  I knew the swim went a little slowly, so I was hoping the bike would feel a little better. the first couple miles were a breeze and I was happy to be flying through the course, passing a few bikers as I went.  Then I got to the hills.  I borrowed a bike for the summer to train and do the race, and it's old school and hard to adjust gears, so it was a challenge.  I was spent, but I kept pedaling.  I hit mile 5 and I was thrilled - just a mile to the turnaround.  Then I hit the hardest hill of the course.  It just kept going and going and going.  But I made it.  I hit the turnaround and flew back down the hill.  At around mile 8 my calf started to cramp, and I was petrified that it would get worse and mess with me the rest of the race.  Luckily, it cooperated enough and went away.  I hit mile 10 and headed to the final stretch of the bike leg.  A steady uphill to the transition area.  Awful.  I couldn't breathe.  My organs hurt.  I was sore.  But I made it.

RUN - 3.1 mi

I swapped shirts, pounded a little more water, and trudged toward the run course.  I was spent.  I wanted to be done.  My legs were heavy.  I kept trying to run, but I just couldn't sustain it.  I didn't care any more, I just had to finish.  I ran/walked the first mile, now feeling the heat.  I took the time to cheer on every runner that passed me on the way back toward the finish.  I trudged on.  I finally hit the turnaround and was on the home stretch.  So close!  Slowly, I crept closer and closer.  I kept dumping water over my head.  I rounded the final corner.  I saw the chute and the finish line.  An amazing feeling of euphoria came over me.  The announcer welcomed me in, I made it over to Kristen, who was cheering me on, I gave her a kiss, and then I crossed the finish line.

I made it!

Kristen found me and told me how proud she was of me - I met up with Jo and her boyfriend, and we shared in our excitement of being done.  A brutal race, but an enjoyable one and super memorable for me.  My results were slow to come in, and they headed out.

Way to go, Jo!

Kristen had to leave to take her mom to the airport, so I had an excuse to just hang out and relax.  I went back to get my results - it didn't go as well as I had hoped, and I had expected my times to be a little better, but there was one thing that gave me a double take.  It said Clydesdales: 3/10

For those of you who don't know, in addition to the regular age brackets, some triathlons add extra divisions for Athena (women) and Clydesdales (men) based on weight - in this case, Clydesdales are men over 225 lbs.  It said I got 3rd place.  It had to be a typo.

I waited around for the awards ceremony, and they made the announcement:  3rd place Clydesdales: Jeffrey Parker.  I was floored.  I made my way up and accepted my award, still in shock.  My only goal was to finish, and here I was, getting an award.

It was exhausting, exhilarating, draining, refreshing, demoralizing, and uplifting all at the same time.  And yes, I can't wait for the next one!

A special thanks to my biggest fan for coming to cheer me on along the way!

And yes, this is already on my car!

#13 - Visit Kristen's Parents in Idaho

Kristen and I finally made the trip together to visit her parents in beautiful Sandpoint, Idaho.

It was a wonderful trip, and there's no real way of doing it justice on a post, but here's a few highlights, and LOTS of pictures!

-Several outings on the boat, which included relaxing, games, grilling, 4th of July fireworks, tubing, and bald eagles EVERYWHERE!

-Visiting some of the local beauty including Schweitzer ski resort, and a few amazing places in Montana.  I got so reinforce my fear of heights on the swinging bridge...

-Spending the 4th of July in a new place - complete with parade and fireworks on the lake!

-Most importantly, spending some quality time with Kristen's parents, sister, and pets.  I won over the dog, but next up: one of the cats who is comically uncomfortable with everyone.  I got to see Kristen's baby pictures, and spent some quality bonding time getting to know them better and them getting to know me more!

Most trips are hard to come back from, but this one was especially hard, because of how special it was.

#3 - Go White Water Rafting in CO

Today Kristen and I got to show the Arkansas River who's boss!

Thanks to our friends at Groupon, we got a sweet deal on a rafting trip, and we headed to Cotopaxi, CO - in between Salida and Canon City.  We checked in at Rock n Row  and signed all the waivers we needed to, heard the safety talk, and got pumped up for the morning on the water.

We headed on the bus up to our launch site, met our guide Nick as he explained a few things, and we hopped into our rafts and headed into Bighorn Sheep Canyon.  Our entire group had 5 rafts, and we got to share our raft with a couple who drove up from Denver.

It was a phenomenal trip down the river - a few class II rapids, and a handful of class IIIs, and one class III+ super fun rapid.  It was the perfect combination of exciting water and not over our head craziness, which allowed us to have an amazing day on the river.  Kristen and I had a wonderful time, and I already can't wait for the next whitewater adventure!

Thanks Nick and Rock n Row - if anyone is looking for a place to go rafting in CO, check them out - a small company without the glitz and glamor of the big companies, and an amazing staff - all the guides were great!  I'll for sure check them out again if I'm looking for a rafting/climbing/horseback riding adventure.

#27 - Denver Outlaws Lacrosse Game

I live in a sports haven.

Not only does CO host the big 4 - NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB...

But there are also 3 other professional sports teams - MLS, and 2 lacrosse leagues.

And now, I have officially been to games for all of our teams.

The last one on the list was the Denver Outlaws - our outdoor lacrosse team.  Kristen and I went, sat in the front row, and watched a blowout win.  Go Outlaws!

#16 - Climb the Manitou Incline

When I first moved to Colorado, I nicknamed the stairway at Red Rocks Amphitheater the "Staircase of Death."  My first weekend here, I checked out the amazing landmark, but I wasn't at all used to the altitude, so I had to stop a lot on the way up.  Well, little did I know, the stairs at Red Rocks were nothing.  Weak.  Easy.  An hour south of Denver lies the real Staircase of Death - the Manitou Incline.

The Manitou Incline is basically a downtrodden staircase that climbs 2000 feet in a mile.  Because of its location to the Olympic Training Center, it is known for having some olympians racing up the incline.  If you're doing it properly, you're supposed to time yourself from the trailhead to the top.  They say that world class athletes can do it in under 20 minutes.  It is my sad duty to report that my trek confirmed that I am, in fact, NOT a world class athlete...

I was planning on doing the Incline in the fall, but I found out that it would be closed for 4 months starting in August for renovations.  So... now or never.  When looking at weekends that I would have the time to do it, the best case scenario ended up being Friday... before a wedding... that I was doing a reading at.  So in the wee hours of the morning, I trekked down to Manitou Springs, conquered the Incline, then headed back to Denver for the wedding festivities.  A crazy day, but a memorable one nonetheless.  And another item off the list.

My time was 56:40... I'm coming for you Apolo Ohno! (17:45)

First Glimpse!

It begins...

All done!

50th Race - My Tribute to an Angel

This morning, I ran my 50th race - at least one every month since December 2010.  It is quite the milestone, and something that I view as a testament to the consistency I have had these last few years.  There have been good days, bad days, peaks, valleys, and everything in between.  Since my marathon last June, there have been more negatives than positives in my running journey - slower paces, weight gain, running races I'm no longer at the level of - it's been a wake up call.  When preparing for my 50th race, I wanted to do something big - a half marathon, an obstacle race, my first triathlon, etc. as a way to celebrate the milestone with a bang.  But I had to be realistic.  I'm not there.  So I decided that my 50th race would go back to my bread and butter and where it all began - a small 5K.  I found my race and I was ready to go.  But I had to change my schedule and find something that worked due to life having other plans.  And I quickly had a little extra motivation...

Yesterday, heaven gained another angel.  My Grandma passed away peacefully and beautifully after living an amazing life of 92 years.  When I think of her, I think of all the support and pride she had for me.  A lifetime of moments and memories.  The childhood trips to New York and Disney.  When she made me, my brother, and my cousins matching candy cane pajamas.  When she and my grandpa used to give me rides to my first ever band practices.  When we used to call each other to get advice on the difficult levels of FreeCell.  Our countless "dates" at Buffalo Wild Wings and Leeann Chin.  And maybe most vividly, receiving this picture of her cheering me on during my first marathon from long distance while proudly wearing the bracelet I made for her.

Grandma cheering me on with my aunt last June

I got to say goodbye to her last weekend in a way that I will remember forever.  We shared a short but amazingly meaningful conversation before she lost her ability to talk.  She got to spend her last days recollecting her fondest memories, bragging about her grandkids, and surrounded by the love and support of her family and friends.  This world is a better place because she was here, and so many people have been changed forever because she was in their lives.

With a heavy heart, I ran today as a tribute to my Grandma - to honor the love and support I have received all my life, and to continue to propel myself forward into the best version of myself I can be.  I knew this race was going to be terrible, because I am only recently getting back into consistent training.  But I didn't care - I just wanted to have a few moments alone with me and my Grandma.  But as I was running, I felt the ease and painlessness of each step.  I felt her warm smile shining down on me.  And I finished about 2 minutes faster than I than I imagined - and faster than any race I have done in almost a year (my first sub-30 since July).  I am in much worse shape than I was then, and training has been way more inconsistent, and my running has been heading in the wrong direction- so there's only one explantation.  As she has done my entire life, today I had an angel cheering me on pushing me forward...

...thanks Grandma!