If you don't have anything good to write about then don't write at all...

I haven't written since the race two weeks ago, mostly because I feel like I need to have some cohesive story or theme to write about. I've had a hard time keeping up with life these past two weeks, and I'm an introvert so I haven't had time to reflect on everything happening around me. But you know what? It's ok to just write.

After getting the whole weekend off from work to race the Golden Gate Dirty 30, I launched back into it including a 12 hour work day on Wednesday. Then on Thursday my in laws came to visit! I truly believe that I got the best in-laws in the world, but after working all day I didn't have a lot of energy for hanging out. After I worked open to close on Saturday we packed up to head to Fraser to stay in the fabulous Leslie Demmon's condo.

On Sunday morning as we prepared to leave for the mountains, I was so tired that I just couldn't get myself out of bed. Then I got a text from a most wonderful friend and old running buddy that had come all the way from Pittsburgh and was staying at a neighboring friend's house. We were about to leave but I threw some clothes on and ran across the parking lot separating our apartment complexes.

Then a most ironic thing happened. I somehow made it through a very technical 50k race without falling, but when I tried to run across a nicely graded parking lot I took an epic spill. I bashed my shin on a parking block, rammed my knee into a pile of rocks and my hand got ripped open in a pile of scrap metal. I had a long piece of pronged wire sticking out of my palm that Cory had to rip out.

As I got to my feet I could hardly walk. I've broken bones before and this hurt just as much. I was mostly just angry that it seemed like I wouldn't be bale to run once we got to the mountains. After taking as much Ibuprofen as I could handle and icing my knee the whole drive to Fraser, I couldn't bend my leg but I could put weight on it.

When we got to the cabin, Cory announced that he was going to go run on the High Lonesome Trail towards Devil's Thumb. I couldn't take it, I had to run too. I'm stubborn. And I found that it actually hurt less to run than it did to walk but it hurt a lot to do either. Unfortunately we did not expect so much snow still on the trails and didn't get to go as far as we wanted. Probably better for my knee anyways.

A meadow by the trail head. Too much snow to get up high.

Mayla obliging us to carry her around like a suitcase.

The next morning Cory and I woke up early and went for a run on some nearby dirt roads. Cory went ahead as usual (plus I was slower because of my swollen knee) and I took Mayla with me. About 7-8 miles is her limit and I knew this run would be a stretch for her. Soon after reaching the turn-around point, we encountered what appeared to be a collie/aussie mix that couldn't have been older than 3 years old. This beautiful pup, named TeeJay, followed us all the way home. He kept running in the roads and people hollered at me to get my dog under control. No time to explain that it wasn't my dog.

Mayla and TeeJay got along well and running with another dog made Mayla more competitive to keep up with me. I continue to believe that Mayla is the dog version of me. As we approached the cabin an aroma of bacon filled the air and I thought, "Dear God, please let that be coming from my house!!" It was and TeeJay wanted to come live with us. After calling TeeJay's owner he said just to let TeeJay go and he would find his way home. I thought this was very irresponsible seeing as TeeJay tended to run in front of cars and had 4 miles to go to get home, but we complied.

Later that day we headed to Grand Lake where nothing spectacular happened except seeing this moose!!!

On Tuesday morning at 5am we descended back into the heat of Denver for another work day. Monday morning I took our car into the shop to get fixed. I was involved in a four car accident just before the race... I didn't get hurt and I wasn't at fault.  The annoying thing is that our car will be out of commission for at least 10 business days. And this is really bad timing because we are trying to move to Golden but we don't have a vehicle to go look at apartments. We have 30 days to find a place and move. Fortunately we have wonderful friends who lend their second vehicles to us!

Just a lot of cumulative stress right now. Can't wait for life to return back to some sort of routine.

The cutest pup in the whole wide world.