Lets get this party started!!!!

Hey all!!

After another day of sitting in the rain here in Boulder, CO I decided to get productive with my life!! I know crazy right, anyway one of the steps in my grand master plan to get productive is to contribute to this blog so here I go

1 week in, hard to believe and hard to remember everything we have done so far, good thing Sammy and T.J. both contributed to this thing so I can remember! This first week went by crazy fast and we have done so much so here is my recap on the week and how things went down according to me… sorry if its long! Ill go day by day from here on out.

Day 1/June 6/10 Sunday

Wally and Max in the Maxima and Sam and I in the Civic leave from my house at 8:30 in the morning. Both cars are riding low due to the amount of stuff we are taking. We go through until Iowa where we get gas and Max takes over the Maxima we continue on and just before Nebraska stop again where Sam takes over the Civic and Max stays on to pilot the Maxima. Sam is the first and only person to ever drive my car. I Will not lie I was very nervous at first and a little anxious to drive again. With this said however I don’t think I would have rather had anyone else behind the wheel. Sam proved to be an excellent driver and I was able to actually close my eyes for a minute or two. Near Lincoln we pull over for a thirty minute run. The pace is quick and I seriously start to remember what it is like to run with such great runners as Sam Wally and Max. The pace is quick and the run is not flat. My breathing stays in control however I can tell that I am laboring the most of the group. How well will I do at elevation?

Back on the road with Wally and I at the wheels we race the sun across the sky until both cars need more fuel. Pulling over in a town that is literally in the middle of Nebraska we get some chow for both our bellys and the cars and then continue on our way (we are little more than halfway and it is nine at night). While in the diner we saw the not so promising weather report about the storms headed straight towards us. The storm is so bad we miss the sign that probably said something like Welcome to Colorado! Or something. The wipers are on full speed as Wally increases his following distance and his headlights fade. Lightning lights the way as both cars increase the pace. Once through the storm Wally takes the lead for the first time in the drive. Sam plays good music the entire trip while both cars banter back and forth about miscellaneous topics over the wallkie talkies. Stoping to get gas one last time we our close now signs for Denver begin to have 100’s next to them instead of 200’s and 300’s. The remainder of the drive is easy as there are no longer cars on the road. We increase the pace again as the sense of adventure ending grows near.

1:30 AM we see the Boulder, CO highway 36 sign and take the exit. We can not see the mountains because it is pitch black however there presence is definitely felt… there is something in the darkness. The highway is very hilly never flat and no one is on it. Despite this we continue to do the speed limit. This close to our destination we leave nothing to chance. “You have reached your destination” says the GPS however it is so dark we can not tell which building is ours. T.J. comes sprinting out of the darkness and shows us where to park our cars. 2:00 AM and finally the keys are pulled from the ignition. The Civic shuts down with a sigh of relief and we start to lessen her load. Only unpacking the bags from the cars we literally throw things anywhere. The only thing that is unpacked is the air mattress, which I blow up using the motor it came with. T.J. has class in the morning and goes to sleep in his own room. Sam and Max share a bed in the same bedroom that I am using with the air mattress while Wally takes the couch. I am going to sleep all tomorrow I am exhausted. Hard part done though!

Day 2/June 7/10 Monday

The thing is an air mattress is nota all that comfortable. I wake up as T.J. heads to class and find Wally unable to sleep as well. Not being able to see the mountains on the way in I decide to go outside and walk around while I call mom dad and Connor to let them know about the drive. I have to shake my head to remind myself that I am on the phone the Flat irons are so breathtaking. Clear blue sky’s provide the backdrop for these green covered Rockies… something that should be on a postcard it looks so beautiful. I go back inside the apartment to find Sam and Max talking to Wally. We all take our cameras and decide to go for a hike around our new town before T.J. gets back from his class (Spanish 101) at CU. We quickly loose track of our original goal and start climbing up a trail. The climb is easy and does not require our hands so we start to jog. By the end Max, Wally and I are sprinting up to see the view from the top. Sam has elected to stay behind and conserve his energy for days run (A smart choice). The view is fantastic you can see all of Boulder. It is a big northern suburb of Denver. Located at 5300 ft elevation the town has no skyscrapers but does have some buildings that come close to 8 stories. With three large bodies of water that reflect the light back Boulder seriously looks like it belongs in the heavens. The way back down proves to be more difficult as our bodies just want to be flung down the path.

Run (skip to here if all you want to read about is our runs)

We get back to find a T.J. who is very happy to have his friends with him and to be out of class ready for a run. We leave immediately and T.J. takes us to the Boulder Creek Path. I have the shortest assignment of the group (30 min) Max and Wally go for 45 and T.J. and Sam go for 50. The pace is fast and hard and I can already feel the elevation getting to me… or can I? At the time I had no idea that the path was actually all up hill. I just assumed that I was out of breath because of the lack of air while in reality the path was actually at a steep grade the whole time. Every one turns back with me and plans to add on through the town. While we went out with five we turn back with six. Sean, a local guy who works at the Boulder Running Co has decided to run with us. He breathes heavily but continues to tell us all about running here in boulder. Wally and Max are out front while T.J Sam and I converse with Sean in the back. The way back is fifty times easier and I regain my composure perhaps I am not all out of shape after taking essentially a year off of running. The run over I stretch and wait for the others to get back.

We have work today at five so we decide to go get our groceries for the next week. We have plenty of time work is at five and it is currently 12:30 how could we not make it? First T.J. and I go to Boulder property management to pay our first months rent. When we get back we load up the car and T.J. takes us to the Wal-Mart that he and his sister used in the first week that he was here. Wally drives and I expect a 5 min car ride. Wrong… the Wal-Mart is in bufu and takes us twenty five minutes to get to. Whatever, I love Wal-mart they have everything and we need a lot of things and we still have plenty of time before work. For the first hour we decide what group foods we should get for dinner. Then for the next hour we get stuff that we will eat individually for breakfast and lunch. Then we must get miscellaneous stuff such as tape and charcoal for our grill. When it is all said and done we each have spent around $50 for food and have been at Wal-Mart for three hours. The drive back takes us west so we can see the mountains for the first time from a far instead of at their base. Wow what a view. The snow capped taller peaks can be seen way behind the Green of the Flat irons, it truly is beautiful. A moment occurs in my head, you know the moment where you are so happy for no reason, I mean just ecstatic, SO HAPPY!! Unfortunately we take two wrong turns on the way home (one my fault sorry guys) and end up spending more time than we have to in the car. When we get home we have just enough time to unpack the groceries make a sandwich and then jump in the car and speed off to Chatauqua (our jobs).

At Chatauqua we meet Tommy our boss and Andrew and Max two boys our age who attend CU but oddly enough are from LA. All three are real cool and we get along well. Tommy explains to us we will be directing traffic and goes through with us all the stuff he has to tell us that we will never use… its parking cars people… cake.

Back home Wally and I set up the grill while the other cook corn inside. The meal takes a little longer to complete then originally thought however it is very good. Once we finish eating we walk the two blocks to get to Pearl Street the home of Boulders night life. Once there we meet Amanda Good and here friends. Wally knows Amanda through Kirsten who met Amanda in High school. Amanda is a year younger then T.J., Max, Sam and I and plays on CU’s ultimate Frisbee Club Team. A couple of our group gets ice cream and the girls show us around the street. The night goes very well as we all laugh at jokes that our told and put downs that our exchanges between our group. I love the group that I am with and am great full to have everyone of them here with me. This will be a great summer! We get back home and all fall asleep instantly. Big day tomorrow have to set up the house and go to work again!

Day 3/ June 8/10 Tuesday

Alarms go off at 7:45 AM and everyone is up with out a complaint. Our shoes laced up and watches synched we go for our run.

Run (Skip to here if all you want to read about is our runs)

Today I have a very short an easy assignment only twenty minutes. Something to get me acclimated better the air here in boulder. Immediately we start heading up hill and there seems to be no break insight. In fact for the entire ten minutes out I never once run downhill or on flat ground. Wally is ahead of the group by 2 feet and runs on the sidewalk. In the street Sam and I run stride for stride behind T.J. and Max. At the turn around point I am easily laboring the hardest as my lungs search for the air that is not there. Ohhhh man only ten minutes and already I need a break. I turn around after forcing the words “see ya” out of my lungs and droped the pace back to a reasonable 7:30. Back in the parking lot I wait for Max and Wally to get back and then for T.J. and Sam. We do not have much time to chat as T.J. has class and the other four of us want to go get passes to the CU rec center, they have a hockey rink!!! After a four hour walk, just kidding but that’s what it felt like, we reached the rec center only to find that in order to get a pass you must be a CU student. Oh well we back track home and make some lunch. We have work at one so we eat quickly and then drive up the hill to Chatauqua.

Tommy greets us with a smile and we go through a walk through of what we will actually be doing tomorrow night. As the job goes on the more and more apparent it becomes that this is going to be the easiest job any of us have ever had. Tommy lets us go after a solid 2 and a half hours of paid training.

We go home and while the others prepare dinner I call Comcast and our Electric Company to get those set up. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting to be connected to an actual human I ended up getting both electricity and cable to our house. We opted out of getting internet because we are currently steeling it from our neighbors. I drove to the Comcast store to pick up our box and head home to find dinner cooked and everyone else ready to eat. We eat a delicious dinner and then head over to Amanda Good’s Frisbee game.

Her team plays well however they end up loosing the game. After the game we all through the disk around with Amanda and her friend/teammate Shannon. Both girls are ridiculously good at Frisbee and we all learn a few things. After the sun sets we all head over to Amanda’s house for some games. While at Amanda’s house I can barely keep my eyes open and almost pass out. Apparently this is the general consensus among us so we all head off to bed. This is the latest we will stay up (1 in the morning) for a long time. I decide to sleep on the couch tonight because the air mattress makes to much noise whenever I switch positions. Tomorrow is my day off and even though my shins are not hurting I still feel the need to take the day off if not to let my entire body rest. Great day… tiring though.

Day 4/June 9/10 Wednesday

Alarms go off at 7:45 but I do not get up. There will be no run for me today as I am assigned off. While the other are out on their runs I catch up on some sleep and then pack my bag. Today I am going to find a place to lift, it has been four days since my last lift… far to long. Eventually I find this place that looks like it is straight out of the movie Dodge Ball. Remember Global Gym? Yeah that’s this place. As soon as I walk through the door I am greeted by three personal trainers who offer me vitamin waters, hot towels and any other crazy vita-object you can think of. I decline each of them and ask about a membership. I end up paying $46 dollars for the rest of the month and finally get a lift in. The weights are all brand new and they have every piece of equipment imaginable. It is a great chest and tri’s day and already I start to feel better. I bike home to find Max watching tv on his laptop as our cable still hasn’t been turned on. Sam and Wally went for a bike ride and T.J. is still in class. I decide to take my bike and book and head over to the creek for some reading. I am currently reading The Years Best Science Fiction 1998 edition. The book contains 16 short science fiction stories and I plan on reading them all by the time I’m done here in Boulder. At lunchtime I head home to find that Sam, T.J. and Wally have all returned home. We have work later today but to kill time Sam Wally and I decide to take my camera up one of the nearby paths. The pictures turn out great and it is a great day for a hike.

We get back just as it is time to leave for our first day of work. Tommy seems a little nervous but we help put his mind at ease as we all go to work setting up our stations with out instruction. Cars start pulling in but we all handle them accordingly and the night is a success. At the end of the night Tommy is beaming. He cant believe how smoothly everything went. He sends Max, Wally and I home first and keeps T.J. and Sam for another hour for some extra work cleaning up. It is currently 9:30 and the last time we ate was at noon so needless to say we are starving. Wally drives Max and I into town for some chipotle burritos while we wait for the others. Sam calls me at 10:30 for a pick up so I jump in the civic and run and get them. Once home T.J. and Sam devour leftover food from last night and then call it a night. Wally and Max are already asleep. Another successful day here in beautiful Boulder.

Day 5/June 10/10 Thursday

Run (Skip to here if all you want to read about is our runs)

7:45 and we are already running. Only four pairs of shoes can be heard smacking the pavement of East bound Boulder creek this morning as today is Max’s day off. Wally and T.J. are once again up front setting a pace that for once is comfortable to me. I am becoming fit again and even though I am nowhere near my four teammates fitness levels I feel as though I can bridge the gap this summer. Wally turns back at 15 as Sam and T.J continue on with me. We reach 20 minuets and head back. My stomach is upset from the altitude and I only run 40 even though this is what I was scheduled for I was hoping to go for 45 because I was feeling good. Still no shin pain! Sam and T.J. close the day off with a 50 and all runners are accounted for.

While T.J. heads off to Spanish I bike over to One Boulder Fitness to get my lift on. Today is shoulders day. For some reason this is the day that I struggle most while lifting. My own theory for this is that while I use every mussel daily, my shoulders get the most use just because of running. Today is no exception as I struggle with every lift. It does feel good to be lifting and doing abs again though and I am contempt with having a mediocre lift.

Back at home it has been decided with our day off of work that we are going to climb one of the mountains that provides the backdrop for Boulder. With each of our packs packed with food and two water bottles we begin our climb around 1 PM. The trail starts at a gradual incline but quickly turns into a rocky trail that must be hoped and climbed to ascend the mountain face. We take several breaks and climb off the set trail several times. Each time we do this we are rewarded with a view that is more breathtaking than the next. Near the summit of one of the shorter mountains we decide to take a break and eat lunch. With our feet dangling high above Boulder we savior our break and a flood of happiness reaches all of us. I still can not believe that I am 1000 miles from home living with four of my best friends in one of the best places on earth!! Once the surreal moment passes we begin our assent again. The path steepens even more and switchbacks are sharp and often crossing over very loose rocks. After two and a half hours of climbing we are rewarded with an unbelievable view. To our left (west) there are snow-capped mountains that seem to be endless, while to our right (east) the city of Denver can be seen and the little town of Boulder sits a mile below us. At the summit we find a gold plate that lists the height of all surrounding peaks including Mount Green the mountain we are currently standing on. The plate says that we have climbed more than 3500 feet and are currently standing at 8100 feet. At the base of the plate there is a piece of paper and a pen where we all sign our names and place back into the mountain. Our names our forever saved here and we truly feel accomplished… and tired.

Boooooom!!!!!! “Huh missed that one!” The temperature has dropped significantly and dark clouds are rushing towards us. While it took us 2 and a half hours to get up the mountain it only takes us one to get back down. It rains only for the briefest time but we do not mind we are exhausted but safe and moving at a comfortable pace. Back at the car it takes me a while to realize what we have just done. We get back home cook dinner and call it early. We have agreed to wait for T.J. to come back from class tomorrow to do our run so that everyone can get more rest time in. Great day!

I will post days 6 7 8 9 and 10 tomorrow! Stay tuned