Whirlpool that is life in the mountains.

Today would have been 10 years anniversary since I moved to Austin, TX. But - I am no longer in Texas! Because as of tomorrow, we're hitting 2 months living in Colorado, and let me tell you, we're definitely taking advantage of life near the mountains! That's why we came here, anyway. Everything we do on the weekends has to have mountains. But, of course. We run our longish runs on Saturday, we explore near-by towns and history and check out history by car some days. It's wonderful.

On the weekend that Hardrock 100 was to be held (which was cancelled due to high snow levels and avalanche debries, past winter has been brutal here), where I was supposed to crew my good friend Ronda, we still decided to make a trip to San Juan mountains. Before we got even half-way, we stopped on the side of the road not far from Monarch Pass and took an amazing hike to beautiful alpine lakes and Continental Divide. So worth to break the trip with THAT!

We also made a quick stop to reunite with our awesome Austin friends, who were near-by Hardrock course themselves, and that was nice.

Since we didn't have exact plans for the night, we turned to Mineral creek campground road just before Silverton to see how the situation there - and before we had a second thought, we strapped our backpacks and headed up the mountain, to Island lake, famous part of Hardrock course. Starting 3 miles ascend at almost 6 pm might be unwise for some...but not for us! It was such a heartwarming feeling to have a pack on my back - oh, how I missed it. Having it filled only half-way (if that) in weight was pure paradise, and to me it was like carrying nothing at all. The views, oh, my God, the views in San Juans!!!

 We reached the Island lake, but the top was windy and snowy, so we retrieved down a bit, found a good spot to put a tent down, and finally ate - first time since lunch at 1 pm. We were hungry, getting cold and a touch grumpy with the fact that we had to go down, but still, it was a night in the mountains...who can be mad at this? Well, besides me listening most of the night, with my eyes open, to the sounds of potential mountain lions, my best "friends"...PTSD never left me.

In the wee hours of the morning, still chilly, we quickly ate our only Larabar, and started the descend to the car. Only to decide, less than a mile in, at the intersection - why don't we take a detour and check out an Ice lake right over there?

The waterfalls were so alive after an extremely snowy winter, and the lush of green, the delayed - to our pleasure - wild flower bloom, all of it was absolutely taking our breath away!

We made it to the top and over to Ice lake in no time at all, and set out our cookwear - I remembered I actually packed some oatmeal! Thank God for that, because by now, we already decided we're going over the ridge back to Island lake, to see it in all its morning glory. For now - the glory was all of Ice lake! True to its name, it was covered by ice, and so big and magnificent! The water in its inlet, though, that we had to cross...was, obviously, icy!

The voyage across the skimpy ridge wasn't that bad at all, and only a mile, if not less - and back to Island lake, with Grand Swamp Pass behind, bringing vivid memories of being scared on either side of it! Wow, just like yesterday, my Hardrock was in front of me. 10 years ago. Long time...

We ran into a couple of guys camping there, and chatted for quite some time, and then into our very old-timer running friends Mark Tanaka and Howie Stern. Gosh, another many years back...

We dropped to the car, did a little cleaning up, and drove into Silverton. That tiny mining town had changed big time! Very touristy, and actually blossoming, which is good for their economy...but a different feel, indeed. Everything changed since we had that enforced break in racing. We found our way to a coffee shop - which, of course, switched names and owners - and watched the heavy rain arrive. Just in time off the mountains!

But, we also decided, by then, we no longer want to hang out here, in this "changed place", nor do we want to camp under the rain, wet and cranky. So we took a longer route back home, driving through Pagosa Springs and talking about what was - and what will be.

We got home by 8 pm, and discovered that rain wasn't only in San Juan mountains, but in Colorado Sprigs as well, and one of those fierce, once-a-year, when a lot of rainfall goes down in a short (45 min this time) period of time. Old Colorado Springs roads are not equipped with enough drainage system, and all our neighborhood's old houses with their driveways and garages flood with standing water. That was an awakening call for a come-back from paradise...We spent all Sunday cleaning the garage of debris and rearranging what's in there to put it all off the floor.

That week prior our trip our renovation/remodeling works had started. The bathroom was ripped out, and the concrete stairs from the back of the house broken down. We now live in a war zone - and that before they tear out the kitchen! Fun is not a word that I'd use, but it has to be done, we planned on it, and for 2 months will have to suck it up, showering in a leaking basement shower (thank God we have it at all!), and soon eating food out of microwave.

With all that, life goes on, and we're settling in, for sure. Larry is continuing working at Dell, remotely (bless this ability), and my massage work at chiropractor office has picked up a bit - although my first 2 weeks paycheck showed the number I used to make in one day back in Austin. Luckily, I made a decision not to fret about it and just do it for the pleasure of sharing my passion and serving people - and for pocket money for our trips and extras. We are extremely fortunate to be where we are, and now that it is our final destination, I feel by far more relaxed about that. Not to mention, I really - REALLY - love working only 3 days a week, and only limited hours at that. The exchange of lesser pay for more sanity and health is worth it at this point of my life, and I get to be around Larry, help him not feel too lonely working inside 4 walls, feeding him fresh salads daily, and knitting and reading and yoga a whole bunch. Plus, we are all set for our bi-monthly visit of Austin for Larry's job purposes, and that means I am on the schedule for 2.5 days - fully booked already - in which I will make up somewhere equal to 2-month pay here. Ha. Sounds drastic. I am simply happy to have arrived at this state of my life in this state of mind.

There were knits, of course, plus a few smaller projects that went to friends and Larry's family members as gifts. There was yoga, now back to Core Power studio that is a mere mile a half away. I decided against joining any gyms for now (mountains at my disposal), but I did set up a bench with weights downstairs, in a basement room, and now lift a little twice a week.

And there are runs, and even races. Yes, we did sign up for a race here! But the evening before, we were also invited by our realtor and his company to a client appreciation event - they rented a Zoo!! The highest Zoo in the country, Cheyenne mountain Zoo, is a site to be visited, and it was a thrill - plus they fed us too, all few hundreds of people! Wow, what a great place, tucked between the slopes, with so much space for every animal's habitat! And the views, the views down the city!

It was a blast, and we slept well - even if ate not our normal food prior the race. But morning came, and we drove - all of 10 min! - to the start of Pikes Peak ultras out by Mad Moose events. No, we didn't sign up for an ultra. We're not that crazy. It has been exactly 4 years for each of us, since we pinned the bib number on our shorts. And we were fearful we forgot what it means, how to manage things, least prepared...still with very arbitrary goals in our hearts. But body remembers. It was hard, that 30k. Super-hard by our new standards, high effort, high altitude, long steep climbs...but we both persevered, and even exceeded our expectations. The last 2-3 miles were not pretty by any stretch of imagination. I walked more than I care to admit. yet we still possessed the endurance from ultras. Each of us had started passing folks from mile 5 on, and only 2 passed me in the last 3 miles (miraculous, considering how slow those last 2.5 were, barely held off a girl I switched places in the middle miles). We made it count, and in style! Larry was 11th man (16th overall), and I was 14th female (37th overall) out of 136 finishers. Not bad for old folks who no longer train, just moved to altitude and real hills, and haven't raced in forever. And the vibe was so familiar at the finish line, with tired runners, great hot food served, and even a free massage! For, like, 3rd time in my all of racing life, I laid on the table and got attention to my old injured hamstring (which had not been doing well at all lately, what with the hills running and hiking). It felt like we were back, however in small way.

Somewhere this month Larry also turned another corner and had a birthday, and we quietly celebrated it with a dinner at the restaurant on our "home-turf" gold course Patty Jewett. The burgers were delicious, just as promised by everybody, and the views couldn't be better.

And that's how July went. The race reignited the bug to have that adrenaline rush, again, and we're looking for a few local and short trail races, hopeful, with fire in our hearts. Life continues to dish out all kinds of things, good, bad, indifferent, and I am doing my best to keep my head leveled, soul open, and body healthy for anything it needs to do.