Top 5 reasons I love commuting

I found myself commuting home from work today with a smile on my face looking at the beautiful sky similar to this mornings commute. Then I realized I needed to stop by Walgreens and King Soopers which can both be on my route  home if I take a certain way.  I absolutely love stopping grabbing my goods  throwing them in my bag and being on my way! I feel so efficient! I am also getting my exercise and vitamin d for the day and avoiding traffic which is an amazing feeling! Lastly since I have limited room in my panniers I can only buy what I really need, no extra things for this girl. And this is why I love commuting!

Finally

 So, this hasn't been my best race season ever.  But, after healing from a bit of a mishap earlier this year - I feel like I'm finally back. Two weeks ago the amazing Carrie and I raced the Outdoor Diva's Triathlon. This past weekend, I raced the Boulder Sunset Tri. Although my swim time, transition times and run were laughable- My bike time was lightning fast. And, by lightning fast I mean I passed a few people along the way - which is always a bit of  confidence boost after you watch everyone glide by you seemingly effortlessly during the swim. My new Cannondale Slice is finally the speed machine the manufacturer intended it to be thanks to the help of the wonderful bike people at Treads. So excited- and I can't wait until next season!

Commute Packing 201

If you're looking to change up your commute a bit, then here's some food for thought. ;-)

When I first started commuting, I figured that I would take everything I needed just for that day with me in my backpack.  So I had the typical nightly list of:

• work clothes
• shoes
• socks
• undergarments (I seriously triple check this one E.V.E.R.Y. time!)
• make-up
• packed lunch

As I've gotten more comfortable with my commute and my route, I've decided to start changing things up a bit and make it a little more interesting....  "How?' you ask. Let's talk about my plan for this week!

Monday: commute to work with daily list of clothes and lunch 

Tuesday: drive to work with 3 sets of clothes for Wed, Thurs and Fri and leave make-up at desk

Wednesday (now this is where it gets fun!!): commute to work with breakfasts, lunches and post-ride snacks for the rest of the week 

Thursday: commute to work with no pack and take the longer route for some hill climbs (b/c climbing with a heavy backpack before coffee just isn't really my thing)

Friday: drive to trailhead, do an early morning CX ride, then drive to work, take home clothes and food containers from the week

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a bit of a planner!  But in reality, figuring out my clothes for the week took me 4 mins and it was one less thing to think about at night (or early in the morning if I forgot to pack my stuff!).  Plus, by driving them to work, I didn't have to worry about my clothes being wrinkled for a big meeting, which was one reason why I considered NOT commuting to work today.  Excuse rejected!!

Planning lunches for 3 days was a breeze, but hauling them to work was a bit more challenging, which made it fun!!  I don't want to carry a 15# backpack every day, but once a week for an added workout isn't bad at all!  (Sidenote:  I had no idea just how much food I actually eat during the week, but I do now!!)

By consolidating my clothes and food, I'm now able to be a little more flexible for the rest of my mornings and can do a longer/harder ride than what I might typically do with my normal bag. 

Moral of the story:  Keep commuting fun and change up your routine once in a while!  You might be surprised at what happens!

Exploring some Leadville singletrack

What better way to kick off a honeymoon, than by sniffing out new singletrack!

We were lucky enough to find some super fun (and VERY flowy) trails in Leadville.  It's so great that we live in a state where there are tons of well-marked trails and these gems had maps at every intersection, drastically reducing the chances of us 3 musketeers getting lost!  I definitely recommend taking a MTB or CX bike out to the Boulders MTB Trail system and checking it out!  

You won't be disappointed!  :-)