Waiting is the Hardest Part

71 Days Until Leadville

I'm getting antsy and I'm really excited about the trip we have planned - Leadville Marathon and after-party on Saturday, drinking wine while we sit in the hot-tub and fancy-pants pool in Vail on Sunday, pizza from the Blue Moose and gelato from that really awesome gelato place we found last year, then a few days of hiking and biking to round it all off. It's so far away! In the words of the kid, "It's not NEVER going to be here!"

My fancy new trail shoes were waiting for me when I came home last night. RunningWarehouse had ONE PAIR left in my size, at about half off, so I snapped them up. An online friend of mine also had a coupon code, so when all was said and done I only paid $42, including shipping, which is a good 60% off retail.

Of course, I'm dying to lace them up and go out for my first ever trail run, but, alas, I'm in the middle of more waiting - it's Flying Pig taper time. That means cutting back on the running and not doing anything to hurt myself. I'm anxious about the Pig, because I'm really hoping this will be my sub-4:00 marathon, but I'm trying to remind myself that Leadville is the bigger prize. The Pig was supposed to be a distraction from the Colorado Countdown :P

I have a really good shot at the under 4:00 thing, even though this course is super hilly. My training runs have all been spot on, and I'm confident that if I were running the Air Force course in two weeks rather than the hills of the 'Nati, I could finish in 3:50, easily. Unfortunately, instead of the pancake flat runways, I've got the rolling hills and the steep, steep climb up Gilbert Ave and Eden Park.



The other concern rolling around in my head is the weather. We've been super lucky that we avoided any real winter this year. Temps have been in the 70s for weeks now, which is super because I love spending hours playing outside. The downside? Well, there was the Heart Half last month with temps in the 60s and blazing hot sun. That was MARCH. Pig is MAY. We've already blown past the 70s and had a few 90 degree days. I hope we see some normal temperatures, just for one day!

16 Days Until Pig....