Aspen, Basalt, a Half Marathon and Consignment Shops

  

Have you ever gone from sea level to 9,000 feet in less than 24 hours and run a half marathon?  I            know, that's a dare on par with betting someone they can't eat a whole jalapeño.  This was not a dare.  I did this on my own accord because I am training for the marathon and needed to get my long weekend run in while on vacation.  I had planned this trip in advance of signing on for the marathon and there just happened to be a half marathon in Aspen at the time I planned to travel there.  Lucky me.

So, here's a rundown of what to expect on a very hilly course (hills at the end of the race...extra awesome), in the hot sun at 9,000 feet after coming from sea level with less than 24 hours to acclimatize; cramping, flaming knee and thigh pain, wanting to cry in the middle of a race and utter and complete exhaustion.  This was the first half I have ever had to walk at several points but somehow I managed to beat my Chicago Women's Half time which I ran about a month ago.  I started out strong but the hills at the end killed me.  The race organizers said that this was a mostly downhill course.  Bastards lied.

Anyway, so I lived and the remainder of the vacation was excellent.  As you can see from the pics, Colorado is never short on breath-taking scenery and fun things to do.  This was my first paddle boarding stint and I loved being much closer to the water and scenery than I would be in a boat.

One last tip on the Aspen and Basalt areas; skip the high end shops and head to the consignment shops.  God bless rich people throwing out gorgeous clothing after wearing it once and sometimes not wearing it at all.  At one consignment shop I saw a Versace dress with the Saks tag still on showing a price of $1,335.  The consignment shop price was $250.  I ended up getting a jacket, skirt and a top for just under $100.  These items, with their gorgeous cut, fabric and design fit me like a glove.  Hooray.         

  

Sox Game, Running and Pesto

Parade at The Cell

I started the weekend out by taking my little guy to the Sox game at which he got to parade around the field before the game with his T-Ball team.  The only thing more fun than a baseball game is getting to see your son this excited to be on the baseball field.

Foster Ave. Beach - Run Start Point

As if the baseball game wasn't awesome enough; my run this weekend was much better than last weekend's painful slog.  The weather was perfect, I hydrated and took in GU along the trail which made the difference between being able to function and being a hot mess, like last weekend.

Hot Pink Roses

Then a friend stood in a very long line to get me the Farmers Market Doughnuts, met me back at my place and, wait for it...the doughnuts were warm and they came with gorgeous roses.

Basil for Munch Pesto

Finally, a challenge.  I ate at Munch, a vegetarian restaurant in Oak Park and I ordered the special which was pesto pasta.  The pesto was vegan and I absolutely loved it; so much so that I tried to sweet talk the recipe out of the waitress.  Apparently the recipe came from the owner's Grandmother and it would not be revealed.  In fact, the waitress kept looking nervously over her shoulder like she was divulging C.I.A secrets as I tried to gently coax the ingredients out of her.  I was able to get a few tips on how the pesto was made before she ran off claiming she needed to help another customer.  I will be attempting to replicate that recipe and taste in the coming days.  

Friday Cocktail, Spiced Nuts, Goat Cheese with Honey and a Long Run

Happy Friday, Folks.  A cocktail will be in order this evening after a hectic work week.  I would have more than one if I could but I have 12 miles to knock out tomorrow morning.  Since last weekend my run had shades of the Bataan Death March, I am hoping to make it through this one with toenails intact, knees in place, nausea kept at bay and sustained energy levels so the last two miles are not of me practically walking, like last weekend.  I had a Christopher McCandless moment before I headed out for said run and did not bring any fluids or food/ gels/ sports beans with me.  P.S. My iPod ran out of juice right around mile 7.  So, poster child of prepared I was not.

So what got me to the end of that run?  Food, of course.  Specifically, thoughts of the Oak Park Farmers Market Doughnuts that are served, usually warm, until 1pm every Saturday through the summer and early fall.  I have a deep infatuation with those doughnuts and they were going to be my prize for finishing strong.  Unfortunately, they never even made it to my lips since I was in the doughnut line for all of three minutes before, out of nowhere, I started sweating profusely, my head started spinning and I felt like I was going to dry heave since there was absolutely nothing in my stomach.  I bent over, put my hands on my knees and tried to look normal.  Unfortunately, I looked like some rookie college kid who spent the last night drinking and just happened by the doughnut stand on the walk of shame.  I realized that if I did not get out of that line, the scene would go from bad to scenes out of "The Hangover".