Train Hard, Keep it Fun

On Saturday morning I woke up and felt as though I was preparing for a triathlon minus the swim. I got my bike and gear in my 4 runner and grabbed my Newtons and running clothes. First stop of my morning was the Law day 5k held on the University of Utah campus. I was invited onto a 5 man team to race it. I decided to rename the race the "Ego 5k!"  The team competition I found out was serious business. The different Law Firms in the valley had recruited the fastest of the fast distance track stars from up and down the Wasatch front! Lining up for the race I felt as though I was back in college toeing the line. Only this time 10 years older and a child later.The course was hilly and twisty and a lot of fun. I did my best to go fast, but it is amazing when you train distance, the leg speed isn't always there. When my race was over, I finished 5th female overall in the mix of a lot of talent. Time was 18:26. It is funny to me how I can manage to run a 6 min/mile pace for a 5k,10k and half marathon?  Pretty wild.After the race I jumped into my vehicle, met up with a friend, transported all of my biking gear into his car and drove to the Uintah mountain range for a climbing day on road bikes. Typically my forte' I was excited. Today was not to be my day though. It was many miles and several hours of everything I had to stay with the guys.Sunday morning I woke up, this time thankful to be only trail running. I met up with two pro XTERRA friends, Renata Bucher and Emma Gerrard. We had planned a two hour run. Wow! They are so strong and fast right now. It didn't help that my legs were a bit tired from the day before. But I held on as we passed on foot many surprised mountain bikers up and down the mountain trails of Park City, UT. I was exceptionally relieved 22 miles later to finally get back to the car.I am looking forward to recovery this week and a great half marathon distance La Sportiva Mountain Cup series race in New Mexico next Saturday!