You'll just have to believe me.

Wednesday, Regina and I went on a hike with our friend Pam outside Boulder on a great trail. It was beautiful and shady and had lots of little creek crossings. Undaunted by the "Mountain Lion Habitat" sign, we enjoyed about 4 miles round trip of great scenery followed by pupusas at a little El Salvadorian restaurant.

We took a picture, but we're having technical difficulties so you'll just have to believe me.

34 days til Pikes Peak Rocks!

Food for Songs

I'm sure everyone who reads this blog is well aware that Neil Finn makes my knees weak from sheer songwriting talent and that voice. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a perfect pop song, BUT someone I love for all the same reasons is Justin Currie and I don't talk about it as much because not many people know who he is.

When he was just in his teens, he formed the band Del Amitri in Glasgow. They are one of those bands that you love when they come on the radio but often forget to go buy their records. We were outraged when they did not make the list of Scotland's Top 50 bands of all time. Robbery! Justin's solo career is even more obscure, but the songs are just as good, the lyrics are sarcastic and slightly toxic at times (which I like) but always poetic, he has a great sense of alliteration and the voice is perfection.

Seconds before midnight at the Toad Tavern:

I have been obsessed with Justin's new album The Great War since it came out, and was actually super-torn when U2 was scheduled on the same day as his Denver show. Ultimately, I did not have to choose due to the U2 date being postponed because of Bono's back surgery (Get well soon!).

Saturday night was the show, and Randy actually got off work early to come with me. We bought a ticket for him while standing in line to get in and made some new friends, sisters Karen & Jane, in line who had much in common with me musically. We discussed the Neil Finn obsession, the Hoodoo Gurus, and how great that Alarm show at the Rainbow Music Hall was.

My Glaswegian friend Doug has met Justin a couple times and told me that he had said he would no longer be performing Del Amitri song, but to our surprise, Justin mixed several Del Amitri songs in the set. I was glued, and probably looked like a real geek from the permanent smile on my face throughout the show.

Afterwards, we went up to say hello and discussed a bit of Glasgow neighborhood geography. It made me homesick for our "other" hometown and the simple life we had there for just a short time in 2004. I told him we lived near the council flats in the shadow of the Finnieston Crane.

"What a weird neighborhood to stay in," he said. "There are definitely some neighborhoods you wouldn't want to walk in at night in Glasgow."

"We felt pretty safe there until we told a Belfast man that we heard no gunshots and he told us the knives don't make any noise unless they hit a rib."

"Oh, for f^(k$ sake!" he said laughing.

I really miss hearing Scottish people swear. Something about that accent makes it seem right instead of wrong. Is that bad?

Mostly, though, the show inspired me musically.

Since the show, I find myself conflicted between feeling a real urge to pick up the guitar and write better, more poetic lyrics, and the sinking feeling that I will never ever do it as well as this guy. Yesterday, I picked the guitar up and gave it a whirl. Nothing solid yet, but I am listening obsessively to the entire Del Amitri/Justin Currie collection in hopes that something intangible will sink in.

Setlist (not in perfect order)

Always The Last To Know
Never Too Late to be Alone
Just Like a Man
A Man With Nothing to Do
Home Is Anywhere (I'm Away from You)

Move Away Jimmie Blue
Why Would I Do That?
Not Where It's At
The Way That It Falls
Tell Her
What Is Love For
Driving With the Brakes On
The Fight to Be Human
Whiskey Remorse
Nothing Ever Happens
Can't Let Go Of Her Now
No Family Man

Be My Downfall
No, Surrender

Problem + Solution

It has been a slow week due to lousy weather. Regina is in Ohio so my coach isn't nagging me to work out, and I slowed down considerably. Still, after realizing that our road bike was going to cause all kinds of sore (and not the good kind), I decided to scour craigslist for a good deal on a bike with a "ladies" seat. I found a shiny red bike in good condition for $60 and it has been purchased.

No sooner had the bike been bought than rain started pouring down. We've had the most "Scottish" weather for the past few days, and riding around the park just didn't seem possible, but thanks to a loan of a bike trainer from my brother Josh I am back on the horse. Randy set this up a couple days ago and I got a good indoor workout yesterday. I didn't time it but I watched a sitcom and a half--so that's gotta be at least half an hour of straight pedaling. Don't laugh--that's good for me.

Red Rocks and Rattlesnake!

06.03.2010 Red Rocks/Diamond Ridge

What better way to train for Pikes Peak Rocks--the combo of rock and roll and mountain hiking, than a trip to Red Rocks?

Red Rocks Trail meets up with Diamond Ridge Trail to make a 6.5 mile challenge of ups and downs and beautiful views. We organized a little group from work to take a hike starting from the Lower North Lot of Red Rocks Amphitheater on the day of the second Tom Petty concert...



Left to right--the "pink ladies": Me, Regina, Michelle, and Stacie. Carrie, behind the camera goes to school with Michelle. She has already climbed several 14'ers and her mom and my husband are pretty much the same age. That made me feel kind of old!

The trail was really pretty--like so much of Colorado. I am starting to feel less pathetic on these narrow trails and doing a little less heavy breathing. This time, I brought TWO water bottles. Smart move!

When we broke for a snack at the picnic area near Matthews Winters Park, we kept joking about what to do if we saw a bear or mountain lion (wave arms around and make loud noises) vs. a rattle snake (Back away slowly!), making sure we knew the difference. I added that if we are getting shot at, it's best to run in a zig-zag. We laughed again when we saw THIS sign:
However, we did NOT laugh when we heard a rattle right by the trail! It is hard to see from the pic below (mainly because I appreciated a safe distance after having to knowingly walk past a coiled rattlesnake), but coiled just beneath the bush sticking out at a 45 degree angle is the offending snake. We waited forever and he wouldn't budget so eventually, we all had to make our way past. Scary!

A scene from the trail...

Feeling triumphant and just wanting to capture the moment. Red Rocks Amphitheater is jutting out to the left in the distance...


After finishing the trail, we made it back to the parking lot where we shared a beer and watched the first few Tom Petty tailgaters arrive. This guy leaning up against the cooler was riding a unicycle with no shirt on and a red bandana headband around his shoulder length blond hair. It was so "Damn the Torpedos" era and I wish I had grabbed my camera sooner.

Workout #2 - Healing...

Not much to report for the last week. Very frustrated that the twisted ankle held me up a week, but I didn't miss working out at all. Wish I could find that thing that makes people like physical exercise.

Today, Regina and I got up at 4:30am and worked at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. We hoped to check out the Seven Falls Trail, but thunderstorms hit just as we finished our shift and grabbed some lunch. Mission cancelled.

When I got home, I took the bike for a spin around Sloan's Lake (about three miles) just so I could say I did SOMETHING to better my condition.

Sloan's Lake is pretty great since you get the Denver skyline going one way and the mountains going the other, but my head was down because of the way the street bike I was riding is built.

Tomorrow, we are going on a group hike of the Red Rocks Trail. 6 miles near Red Rocks Amphitheater. Perhaps we can hear some of Tom Petty's soundcheck during the hike! Fingers crossed.

Training Log - Mt. Sanitas

05.22.2010 - THE FIRST CHALLENGE

Mount Sanitas Loop Trail

Trailhead-Mount Sanitas

Roundtrip distance-3.1 miles

Difficulty level-moderate to difficult;

Approximate one-way hiking time-1 hour and 30 minutes to summit;

Restroom facilities-no

Elevation-6,863 feet at the summit;

This is my friend Regina, who has agreed to coach, nag, and otherwise train me for the Pike's Peak Challenge. Regina lives in Boulder and hikes several times a week. She is brave and she is tough, and she is a tree hugger.

Randy said I needed new shoes. Since he is more familiar with exercise than I am, and since new shoes never upset me, I believed him and invested in some New Balance 645 walking shoes (tan), which I found on sale at Nordstrom Rack.

The trail was beautiful. The sun was hot. I could not stop huffing and puffing. Boy, am I out of shape. Note to self: Bring more water next time!

Since this was the first outing, Regina let me take a break halfway up. This is more like it.

We ate lunch at the top and made our way back to Regina's place. About halfway down, I twisted my ankle. It hurt for just a few seconds and then it was back to work. They say going down can be more dangerous than going up. When I got home, I noticed that my ankle was very swollen so I spent the rest of the night on the couch with my foot elevated and the Cryo-Cuff on.

As the week went on, my ankle stayed swollen and I developed two black and blue racing stripes on either side of my foot. I should have taken a picture, but I didn't so you'll just have to believe me.

A break for the Present: Pikes Peak Rocks!

I missed an important detail on the last day of the Gathering in one of my previous posts...

At the meet and greet with Mike Peters, he mentioned an event called Pikes Peak Rocks, the symbolic climbing of this 14'er to raise funds for Love Hope Strength, the charity he co-founded with James Chippendale.

Mike has twice beat cancer and currently lives with the knowledge that although he is in remission (again), he will need to find a bone marrow donor match to completely beat the disease.

I did not realize how easy it is to join the bone marrow donor registry, nor did I understand the nature of Love Hope Strength until I was educated at the Gathering. After learning about this cancer charity and their efforts to build cancer centers, provide screening equipment that saves lives, and build the bone marrow registry, I was also excited to find that their HQ is in Denver.

At the meet and greet, Mike mentioned that Pikes Peak Rocks would be happening in July and encouraged me to participate. Well, I'm a sucker for that kind of encouragement, and I think Randy nearly passed out from shock when I said I would do it.

I have never climbed a real mountain--well, I drove up Mount Evans last year, but that doesn't really count. I'm a very sore sport about exercise in general. I cannot touch my toes and complain about long flights of steps. BUT...2010 is the year of new challenges.

Since returning home to Denver, I have become a volunteer for LHS and I am committed to climbing Pikes Peak. I wil try to be accountable to train by means of this blog. Deep breath!