Let me be the first of many to extend a HUGE congratulations to Core Concepts! Every year Polartec awards several high tech garments their prestigious Apex Award. This year Core Concepts Carve Full Zip jacket is sharing the podium with other stellar companies including Patagonia, Marmot, and Merrell.

As an avid wearer of the Carve Full Zip jacket let me just say this coat is top notch and extremely deserving of the Apex award. I have been product testing it for the last few months and have yet to uncover a flaw. It fabric is divine for us women, and the stylish details will leave your friends drooling…like my friends are! Right friends? Don’t worry, the Carve Full Zip goes on sale in September.

Congratulations to the Core Concepts crew and especially to owners Noah and Erin! You have been such a joy to work with and I know that as the years go by Core Concepts will become a household name in outdoor apparel. Keep up the great work and I can’t wait to see the Carve Full Zip walking around the streets of Boulder, or on the slopes in Vail. Because, when it comes to ‘Active. Life. Style’ you guys nailed it!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you an AWESOME new company that I am going to be doing some product testing for. Core Concepts Clothing. Their products arose out of Idaho from a fundamental desire to get outside and play whenever time exists to do so. They have bridged the gap between function and style and I can’t wait to get to wearing their base layers. Core Concepts will be releasing their 2008 women’s line in Fall 2008 and you can bet your bananas that you are going to want to be first in line to pick up some of their hot-chick clothes (especially after you have to trounce around with me all summer wearing their cute new stuff).

Like check out the Spellbound Soft Shell. You just don’t find technical jackets using Wind-proof Schoeller-WB400 fabric that look this hot on a girl. It’s like totally P-Coat style.

What excites me even more about Core Concepts is that they have taken the challenge of environmental consciousness seriously. They contribute to 1% for the planet which can be super tough for a newer company. Also, they use Bamboo and Recycled Products, along with purchasing bluesign products. All of us outdoorsy folks know that when you buy a piece of technical clothing it’s a very conscious decision. The folks at Core Concepts take your decision very seriously.

I will be reviewing some of their products throughout the summer so I urge you to come out and hike, bike and run with me to check them out too.

Without further adieu…
Not really sure what we hit, but whatever it was it took down Dad, and then me right behind it. We were laughing all day about the fact that we got it on video. We all agree that my crash is better (or worse…uhhh) than Dads.

We had a great day skiing at Vail on Monday. It was quite cold and overcast, but as they say…a horrible day skiing is better than a great day at work.

Enjoy, and please laugh at my expense! Please note that there is 7 seconds of black before the clip begins!

I have a quick second to post some photos and to write a quick blog entry so here goes. First off, we are having a BLAST up here! We have been skiing, I have been training and skiing, and everyone is generally happy! We had a quick bout of the flu that went through mom and Annie, but they are now on the mend.

Jeremy Wright Snowshoe Champs were CRAZY. Like I thought, everyone came out with their A game and it was tough competition, to put it lightly. The course was awesome and started at the top of the strawberry lift at Beaver Creek. It was defintely a “high altitude” race and you could feel how thin the air was. We had great weather, blue skies, light whispy clouds and in the 40’s. The dash for cash was once again a total riot. I got second this time, and boy, I was close…but just not quite there! After a teary moment of silence for Jeremy Wright (avid snowshoer, died in Afganistan) we were off.

The race started uphill and went up up up for some time. I just wasn’t feeling it. Last week I had to take Sunday/Monday/Tuesday off due to illness, but I’m not sure if that was it. My legs were heavy, and I felt sluggish. I had to remind myself several times that it was 100% okay to treat this as a training run. Once I believed myslef, I calmed down. Somedays you just don’t have it. So I tried to enjoy the course which had a nice mix of powder and groomed trails. Around mile 3 I started to feel better, like I had a little more in me, like I could actually start racing. So I picked it up. I started making up the huge gap that had developed between me and the lady in front of me. I continued to feel better and better and by mile 5 I was racing hard. I passed several people and was able to stay strong. Coming over the last hill my dad was there taking photos. I totally would have walked that hill, but he was there, so I ran it. Boy was I pooped. The finish was downhill and I was really glad for that.

I finished in the 8th place overall for the women. I am happy with that given the way my race went. Steve had some really kind words after the race, and I know in my heart that this is where I need to be right now. It’s easy to want to enter the 5K and win and get to stand on the podium, rather than race a race that is twice as hard and not come close to the podium. But racing the with the top of the top is what makes you strong, both in body, and in mind. I was not trained or tapered for this race. They are just strength training exercises, and they will make me a stronger triathlete. So, as I told Steve yesterday “I will keep on keeping on”.

I hope that some day Beaver Creek hosts the USSSA Championships b/c it would be the IDEAL location for a Championship race, as it was on Sunday!

We hosted lunch back at out condo after the race. We had lots of friends and teammates over and I had a blast! Massive amounts of Pasta, salad and cookies were eaten, and the company couldn’t have been better.

I am hoping to blog at least once more, but since we don’t have internet in the condo it makes it a little tough! Dad, Vahid and I have been skiing with the helmet-cam and we got a GREAT clip of dad and I crashing one after another that I am definitely going to post soon.

Here are a few pictures from Sunday. Here is me coming up the last hill.

Here is Troy, Annie and I after the race.

Here is Jon, Beth, Me and Jewles after the race.

Here is Amy on the lift on the way back down.

I LOVE this shot of my dad that I took. We never have pictures of him b/c he is usually the photographer!

Lastly here is an awesome shot that I took when I was on the lift coming back down. My dad was skiing under the lift and I got this awesome photo. I should totally be a sports photographer…not!

VACATION WOO HOO. My parents flew into town yesterday and we are heading up to Avon/Beaver Creek/Vail for 9 days. We have a nice little 2 bedroom condo rented and we are ready to have some fun. Food and beer have been purchased and packing will take place this evening. We pick up a good friend from the East Coast tomorrow at the Eagle Airport and then it’s party party party…okay as much as you can party with a 2 year old and some serious training to do.

This Sunday is the 3rd installment of the Beaver Creek Snowshoe Series. This race is the Jeremy Wright North American Snowshoe Championships. All the fast folks come out of the woodwork to race at this race and it’s usually very competitive. Exciting! If you are planning on coming up, my parents and I are hosting vegetarian lunch/dinner back at the condo afterwards, so be sure to let me know so I can send you directions!

After the race on Sunday it’s all about SKI SKI SKI. If you plan to be up skiing next week be sure to let me know so we can hook up. We will be at Beaver Creek and Vail most the time. We would love to see you!

Hopefully I can get some posts up during vacation, wish me luck!

It matches my blog!

Tell me that the new Garmin Forerunner 405 isn’t absolutely awesome looking. Go ahead…try, yea, that’s what I thought, you can’t even say it. The new Forerunner is HOT HOT HOT! The last two versions were a bit more lets say…large…maybe clunky is the word. But we still bought them, and we wore them, and we used them. Why? Because WE LIKE DATA. And there is nothing like knowing your pace and your distance.

We were set free by the Garmin Forerunner. No longer did we need to run routes that we “knew” the distance. Nor did we have to just “Run for Time”. Oh no, we could now step out the front door and just start running, letting our feet and heart take us were they may. And boy have they taken me places.

When we got home we knew it all…where we had gone, how far, how fast, how many calories. It was all there. Yet we just got to run, to let loose.

I was very lucky to have trained with a Garmin Forerunner 201 this past year, and I have loved it. It’s especially awesome to get back on the computer and review past runs and rides from months back. However, during the Beaver Creek Snowshoe Race #2 my Gamin suffered an injury. It got torn from it’s wrist strap during one of my many falls. Ever since I have been forced to train with it in my pocket (or sportsbra) b/c it’s doesn’t have a strap any more, nor does it have the pins to hold a replacement strap on. So needless to say when I saw this new one on the market, I started drooling green. The only problem…

Suggested Retail Price: $318.74

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On Saturday my dad drove down from Aspen so that he and I could participate in the Talons Challenge together at Beaver Creek Ski Resort. It was a sort of daddy-daughter date and we had such a blast.

The Talons Challenge is held once a year at Beaver Creek and it’s a free event where you attempt to ski the 13 hardest black diamond and double black diamond bumped out runs at Beaver Creek Resort. These runs are super challening, expert only, bumpy LOVENESS! AKA - SUPER FUN! If you complete all the runs then you get entered into a raffle for sweet prizes and a chance to win a week long ski trip to Austria. Plus, finishing gets you a brat, a beer, a finishing pin, and and a hat!

Since dad has been a ski bum the last month he has gotten wicked good at all sorts of terrain. My bump skills have gotten much better recently. Dad has been helping me learn to properly weight my uphill foot. I am skiing nice and controlled over them now. 13 runs gives you some serious practice time! I was also really excited to try out my new Beyond jacket skiing. It’s the BOMB. I had the pit zips open most the day, and my map, Talons pass, cell, and chap stick were always accessible via my chest and arm pockets. Dad said I was really noticeable due to the lilac color. It’s just so nice to have something that fits perfect, especially skiing, when you already feel like a stuffed monkey.

We started off the day trying to hit the hardest double blacks while the snow was still good. The resort had 4 new inches from the night before. That was on top of an awesome powder base. You really can’t beat the snow in Colorado right now…it’s the best we’ve seen in years! Dad and I worked our way through the runs, one run at a time, one bump at a time. We snacked on the lift ride, and chatted with tons of fun people. The challenge really brought out some awesome folks! I couldn’t believe how many little kids were out there kicking major butt on the bumps! We rode up with one little boy that this was his 3rd year doing it, and he was 10!

By the last few runs dad and I were ready to be done done done. The legs were shot! We finished strong, got our raffle tickets, and went to cash in on the free food. Not 1 minute after I sat down to eat my brat did I hear them call my raffle number! I won a Talons Challenge sweatshirt. I was pretty happy about that one! We stayed and basked in the sun until the end of the raffle where we did not win the trip to Austria (shocking). Strapping on our skiis to ski back to the village was delightful (ouch) and we just missed the strawberry lift by 10 seconds, so we had to ride the bus back down to town and then walk back to the condo.

All in all it was such a great daddy/daughter day, we both just had a blast together. I feel so blessed that I have such an active father. I could tell that lots of people we met yesterday were jealous of dad and I’s relationship. It’s not everyday that you see dads and daughters together on the mountain, enjoying the time they spend together.

My dad was at Play in Again Sports in Aspen yesterday and saw these next to the dumpster. They are Annie sized and the owner said he was going to throw them away. They still need bindings, but you can’t beat free skiis.
Woo Hoo! Thanks Dad!

These pics are from our Christmas Eve skiing expedition to Keystone. Todd (crazy Google man from California, AKA Uncle Pid, AKA Troys brother) took these awesome shots of Annie skiing.

She went on the magic carpet twice, this time she stood on the carpet herself rather than asking for dad to hold her.

She also went up the lift twice, once with Troy and I, and anther time with just Troy. I thought I would be scared for her to be on the lift, but she did just great and didn’t squirm at all!

After 4 runs she was pooped and took a big long nap in the lodge in her snowsuit.

We just heard good news as well from the ticket agent at Keystone. I told her that although Annie gets a free lift pass, we always have to wait in the lift pass line to get it, even though Troy and I both have season passes. She said that in that case we can stop by the lift pass office and get Annie a free season pass for this year. That way we don’t have to wait any more. We will definitely be doing that next time we get up to the slopes!

How cute will it be to show her the first season pass she had at age 2!

We just returned from a GLORIOUS weekend up in the mountains. We left Friday night (after a gracious friend took Arwen at the last minute) and headed up to Winter Park where our friends Chris and Taylor had reserved a condo for the 5 of us. We had a great night with them, chatting and catching up. Saturday morning we made our way to Winter Park Ski Resort which was a 2 minute bus ride from the condo. I skied in the morning while Troy stayed with Annie and then I met him at 1pm and we swapped. I picked everyone up in the car at the end of the day. Everyone had fun skiing, it snowed the entire day and the conditions were FABULOUS! The bumps were soft and we did some awesome runs off the top and through some dense trees. The snow was powder, and fluffy, and just lovely! That evening we had lasagna, garlic bread and a salad, prepared by yours truly. The boys all seemed to enjoy the food. Annie was an absolute RIOT that evening. I knew she was outgoing, but it was a hoot. She played with Chris and Taylor without even acknowledging us for about an hour. She would sit on their laps, bounce on their tummies, laugh, giggle, roll around, bounce on the couch, and act generally silly, all pretending we didn’t exist! She went to bed like clockwork and slept very peacefully. After getting her to bed I had several glasses of wine, a mimosa, and hit the hot tub! Ahhhh!

Sunday morning we checked out of the condo and drove over to Beaver Creek Ski Resort for the third race in the Beaver Creek Adventure Series, called the Jeremy Wright North American Snowshoe Championships. This is the largest snowshoe race in the world. They have a heavily competitive 10K, and a “more on the fun side” 5K. The 10Kers race for $$$, the 5Kers, for goodies! My very good friend Amy had taken the plunge and signed up for the race. This was to be her first race EVER, in any discipline. What a rock star! We met up with her at the free parking, and Troy dropped us off at the lifts. Troy went to check into our hotel in Avon, while Amy and I took two lifts up to the top of the mountain where the race was. The previous two races started at the bottom of the mountain, and therefore Troy could participate, or spectate. But the last two races are at the top of the lift and infants are not allowed on the lifts, so Troy and Annie must kill time until we are finished racing. We got dressed to race, took a small warm up, and stood around to let the nerves swell! Amy was nervous, and that made me even more nervous, but I tried to stay upbeat! The race was off! Swells of people with snowshoes all instantly on the move. The start was uphill, and not a very nice uphill. Quickly the pack broke into small groups as we trudged upwards. Somewhere between 0.5 and 0.75 miles the 10Kers took a left up some huge nasty hill while we 5Kers got to continue on a modest hill. I remember feeling tired and wondering early in the race if I was having an off day. I looked ahead of me, I could see 3 women and I thought to myself, what if those 3 are in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. How would you feel knowing you could get them now. I sped up. We passed the 1 mile marker (15 minutes…huh). I passed a girl, she passed me back. We took a dip into a deep powder section. The powder was knee deep, not runable (not a word, I know), dang. The girl ahead gained distance on me, I gained distance on her. The 10Kers joined us again. There was a 2 mile marker (apparently for them, not for us, b/c later we passed another 2 mile marker). A water stop, I passed it without water. We dipped into more powder. I had a fast 10K lady on my heals. One step before the end of the powder section I tripped on my snowshoe and fell on my face. We both had a strong laugh about that. “You almost made it” Hahaha. More hills, bye bye 10Kers, they turned off to more hills. The real two mile marker (30 minutes), and another powder section, this time hip deep. I got stuck several times, so stuck I had to yank at my leg several times to free it. Women were told to run through the powder on the right side of the flags, men on the left, I complied (apparently the winner of the 10K did not, but they let her keep her title…hum…interesting). Out of the powder and more rolling hills, I now loose the girl in front of me to the fog, she’s there, she isn’t. She’s far ahead, I’m all alone. Slowing down. I catch a glimpse behind me on a turn…girls behind me…close behind. I go, I go hard. Don’t want to get passed…no! It works, girl in front of me gets closer. I hear the announcer, the end is close. Time to haul. I pick it up, I dial in the form. I finish. I look around, not many women. I count 3. I get in the tent for snacks and see another 2. 6th, could I be 6th? Sure enough. 6th it is. Time of 47:08 for a 5K (although, this “felt” longer than 5K). I’m high…ooh, but now getting cold, very cold. I change clothes quickly and walk back along the course to cheer for others and watch for Amy. Sure enough, there she comes, looking strong as ever, and awesome as ever. You would never know it was her first race. I watch her run to the finish, so proud of what she overcame, and what she now knows is possible.

Ahhh, the sweet taste of being done and knowing you did well…ahhh.

We ride the lift down, meet up with Troy, and grab the provided lunch. I win a pair of Atlas kids snowshoes in the raffle and we head off to have a few celebratory drinks…thanks Amy!! Awesome race!