Wednesday, February 1, 2012

More to life tthan Ironman


JD and I hit the road on Wednesday and headed to Denver.... well Colorado Springs but we flew to Denver, rented out ridiculously large Ford F-150 (due to the pending storm) and made our way to Cheyenne Mountain Resort- I was mixing college tours with some work tours so we scouted out a few hotels. Arriving into a new city in the dark is always strange, as you have no idea of your surroundings.  I was up early and out for a sensational run in foothills- it was chilly but nice. Altitude did not bother me until I started going up so I avoided going up!  We were right next to the entrance to NORAD, a bit of a cold war entity, I think...but a highlight of Cheyenne Mountain nevertheless.

Run done, tour of the hotel done, work done and off to UCCS.  JD liked the school....the town of CO Springs is nothing to write home about- urban sprawl without a real downtown area and the school is just up the road and has no curb appeal- 1969 architecture is just plain ugly....but the kids were great, the business school was very informative, caring and gave him a lot of good information. He left thinking it was a definite possibility, especially the year at the Frankfurt School of Finance!

We did a quick tour of The Garden of the Gods
Amazing natural beauty....amazing geologic features.  Wild to see the red rock amidst the mountains and the trees....it looks so desert like but then you have Pikes Peak in the backdrop...really an amazing sight.

From there we checked into the Broadmoor....CO Springs 5 Diamond Historical Hotel..opened in 1918 and I always picture it lush and green...not so much in January- try frozen lake and brown- but the hotel is stunning, in an old world way.   I have booked a few groups there so it was great to see it finally.  The service was exceptional and the hotel is well old....Personally I like new and crisp- the florals and poster beds are bit over the top for me and JD agreed.  Nevertheless we had a sensational meal and watched a terrible movie for $17- oh well...

My Friday run was a bit different...snowing outside and I am wearing long sleeve shirt, gloves, silly hat and shorts.  The cool thing about CO is that despite the 26 degrees and snow there were a lot of runners...although I was the only one in shorts.  After 4 miles I gave up and finished on the treadmill.  Serious Southern CA wimp.

Workout done, site inspection done and we are on the road to Greeley.  I have zero hope or expectations for Univ of Northern Co. When mentioning it to most Colorado peeps I got the snicker, cow town etc....but we wanted to see for ourselves.  While the drive into Greeley was miserable and the town was not much to shout about the campus is great.....Built in 1899 the architecture is wonderful, lots of open spaces and the kids were great.  Monfort Business School really has their act together and despite JD getting stuck in an elevator in a dorm for 1 hour he loved the school....

So 2 for 2! Lots of questions to be answered but I am 99% sure he will end up in Co.  

Onto Boulder and then Breckenridge with my sis and family..... we got up to Breck late...had a nice family night and were up early to ski.  I woke up with that feeling of dread - sinus pain, headache, stuffy head....really, really?  I was hoping it was lack of sleep or whatever....after a few hours of freezing cold skiing- icy wind and crappy snow I called it a day and went to urgent care.  Only to find my sinus infection had resettled.... another Z Pack- afternoon of sleep and bailed on skiing Sunday.  I was in bed by 8 and determined to get well-

I have lost nearly 2 weeks of good training and I was not coming home to take more time off....Good news is I am feeling better each day and am on day 3 of a big week! 

My new masters program is seriously kicking my arse every Mon/Wed/Fri. I share a lane with 2 swimmer types who can just kill it...their easy is so easy it drives me nuts but when the main set hits - they are a solid 8-10 seconds faster per 100.  I finish each workout trashed...



Workouts are 5:30, 6:30 or 10am and I am loving the 10am - I can get my run done early with Mako and get a few hours of work done and then head to the pool- the pool is only 6 lanes, no gutters but the workouts are all freestyle and all a minimum of 4000  yards! 

On we go.... big week, long ride this weekend and then another monster week culminating in Palm Springs with the PS Century on Saturday the PS 1/2 Mary on Sunday!! yee haw

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