Triathlon for a cause and other events

I shouldn't write for too long because I am waking up at 5 AM!!! Rachel and I are doing a practice run of a triathlon, in training for the Tri for a Cure race in about 10 days. It should be fun as long as I actually wake up. And hopefully I can still get some work done tomorrow, I'll have to not go too hard.
I am pretty excited about this race because we are raising money for breast cancer research and support for women with breast cancer. It's nice to be doing a race that means something. I think it will be a powerful experience. There are 3,000 women participating, so it will by far be my largest triathlon. If you want to donate, visit http://www.active.com/donate/triforthecure07/atmos.

On Monday, we sent an email to some friends and family, as well as to the atmos department. Our goal was $500 and we surpassed it in 6 hours!!! I was so amazed, but I guess it just goes to show you how many people have been affected by breast cancer. My grandmother lost her battle on Sept. 13, 2001 (an unfortunately easy date to remember), about 2 years after being diagnosed. I have been and will be thinking of her a lot during the next few weeks.
Anyway ... on the brighter side I have great news! I got my model to run for a day! Results!!! Yes!!!! Well, they are not very exciting results because I ultimately want to run it for several years, but this is a big step.
And the bad news ... drugs in cycling. Three of the top 10 have now been dismissed from the Tour de France because of doping allegations. Plus my favorite before the race began, Alexander Vinokorouv. It's so disappointing because I admire these guys so much. They really capture my heart with their courage and determination, but then I feel cheated just as much as their competitors when I learn they did drugs. When I'm racing, I work my ass of to ride like I do (which isn't very good) and would never consider putting drugs or someone else's blood in my body (it just doesn't seem smart/healthy for one thing) ... why can't they do the same? I hate it. I hope the sport cleans up. This tour has been exciting but now ... grrr.

I am excited about this weekend. I am going to Georgia and Tennessee for several big events. The main reason is to see my one of my best friends, Kristi, as she makes her first profession of vows to become a nun. She is through 2 out of 7 years in the process. It is an amazing process, I can't believe she's already been there for two years. Sometimes it seems a little strange to me but I think she's very happy with her life, and I admire the commitment she has made. I just don't completely understand it, I am so happy being married, but giving your life to God can't be a bad thing (as long as you're not a freaking suicidal zealot). Oh yeah, I'm rambling ... the other things I'll be doing this weekend are: seeing my cousin, Patrick, and his two year old daughter (it's her birthday), seeing my other cousin, Crissie, and her newborn son (due today, I need to call!), attending another good friend's bridal shower, and seeing a lot of other wonderful friends and family. It will be busy, as all trips back to Georgia are, but I am excited about it.

Ok I should go to sleep now for sure. 6 hours of sleep is about the bare minimum I can get. Good night!

Montgomery Pass

Ah ... TGIF. A lot has happened since my last entry! My mom and stepdad, Jim, came to visit us last week. We had a good time exploring Colorado. I was very impressed with both of them - we had a busy, active week. Jim had a small heart attack last year, and it is great to see him being active. He arrived on Tuesday night, on by Thursday afternoon was hiking 6.5 miles at 10,000 feet in Rocky Mtn. NP. My mom completed a tough hike up the west side of Montgomery Pass earlier in the week. Good stuff!

The hike with my mom was part of an overnight trip to the Upper Montgomery Pass yurt (operated by Never Summer Nordic). We stayed there Monday night. On the way up, we ventured along Long Draw Road, on the eastern side of Camerron Pass. We saw 8 moose!!! The coolest sighting was our first - 3 males hanging out in Trap Lake. We also saw a baby, probably just a few months old. It was so cute! We arrived at the yurt around 6 PM and it was literally 110 degrees in the Yurt! So we hung out on the porch overlooking a valley and the Mt. Zirkel range to the west. The 12,000+ foot mountains that rise from Montgomery Pass were to our right. It was a great view. The sunset was phenomenal, we could actually see the sun go all the way down, as it sank slowly behind the far off mountains.

The hike to Montgomery Pass is kind of hard because it's on a 4 wheel drive road, which tends to have less switchbacks than a trail. But it was well worth the ascent to see the glory of the meadows at the pass. The air was fragrant from the abundant wildflowers. It was amazing. Chris and I daydreamed of hiking along the ridgeline that goes from Camerron Pass to where we were and then on and on for miles into Wyoming and beyond. It will be a good trip sometime (soon, hopefully!).

That is probably enough writing for now. It is about 12:25 AM and I am waking up at 6:00 to ride with Christine (I'm getting up early so I can eat breakfast and have coffee, we aren't riding until 7:30). But there is more to come ... 4th of July party and watching fireworks in 4 different cities at once ... a good, wet hike in RMNP ... the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and hanging our feet off a 2300 foot cliff ... rafting on the Arkansas ... etc etc. I feel so fortunate that for Chris and I, the vacation in Colorado never ends. :)