I'm Still Here

I guess it's been about 7 mo. since I blogged last - oops! Our summer was ridiculously busy, I think we had plans every weekend for about 3 months. Then, I got pregnant, and didn't really feel like doing much. But, now we are public with the pregnancy (and I'm at 15 weeks and feeling better). Also I think more people might interested in what I have to say now that I'm harboring a little fugitive. The due date is July 2! But I'll try not to overdo the baby stuff, because although I'm excited there are still other interesting things going on in life.

For now, I'll do a little catch up on the end of 2010. I'll try to sum it up using the metrics that mean the most to me :)

Nights spent outside: 19

Favorite backpacking trip: I have two. First, our adventurous friend Eric came out to visit in September and we spent 7 days in the Maze district of Canyonlands. This is probably one of the more remote places in the Lower 48 and we didn't see any other hikers the whole time (although we passed some roads and saw some folks driving and on bikes - smart). We covered 65 miles of beautiful and dramatic scenery.Sunrise from one of our campsites

We smelled pretty bad after 7 days in the desert :)

Second, in July, Chris, Nick, and I went on a great backcountry trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. We didn't see any other people for 2 days and enjoyed some wonderful scenery. We also had a delicious trout dinner our second night out. It felt like we had found a secret wonderland in the usually crowded park.

This is from an overnight trip in the Mt. of the Holy Cross Wilderness with Nick, Levi, and Matt. It was absolutely gorgeous. We wanted to summit the Mt but it was still too snowy in mid-June.

Miles biked: Since I started keeping track in April, I rode 1950 miles - including a 90 mile ride from Frisco to Glenwood Springs, and a weekend of 215 miles in the beautiful mountains of southern Colorado. Unfortunately the combination of the darkness of winter and being pregnant has made me completely uninterested in my bike since October. That feels strange.

Miles run/hiked: Again, since I started counting it's 493 miles. I still want to meet my goal of running 625 miles before April!

Races: I purposefully avoided racing too much this year, I felt like I needed a break and to refocus my life on other priorities. However, since I'm addicted, I did a few. :)
In May I ran a 5K to gauge how my "non-training" training was going and finished in 24:36, actually my third fastest 5K.
In July, I did an offroad triathlon at Beaver Creek. It was pretty brutal with lots of elevation gain. My friends Rachel, Michelle, and Jenn came to keep me company and enjoy the mountains so it was a nice weekend. I want to do more of these :)
Also in July I did a mountain bike race in Winter Park. Let me tell you, mountain bike racing (especially at ~9000 ft) is hard (but exciting)!
In November, while I was about 7 weeks pregnant, I did my first trail half marathon with Nick. Due to my "condition", I didn't push it too much until the last few miles. The upside of that is I finished with lots of energy and have never felt so good running 13 miles. Also, now I have a time to beat (about 2:20) when I run it next year! :)

New love: I started trail running more this year. Partly because some friends at work and I began running weekly on the trails near my department. Now I am hooked and wish I could do it all the time. I just finished reading "Born to Run" which has only fueled this flame.

Most worthwhile trip: I guess it depends on your point of view. Personally, the trip to Liberia was life-changing because of the amazing people we met and the things I saw.

Professionally, I had a great time in Brazil at the American Geophysical Union conference in August. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. There were so many other people there who focus on the Amazon - I learned a lot and made some good contacts. I gave a talk on my research and I think it went well, and I had a poster on a "side project" and got some good feedback on that too (unfortunately I'm not sure if anything else will come of that project).

Also I had a lot of fun with my friend Melissa ...

Visiting one of the world's most amazing waterfalls, Iguacu Falls.

Taking a boat trip under the falls (w/ my advisor, Scott)

And eating great food at a Brazilian barbecue (and drinking some delicious Malbecs from nearby Argentina)

New experiences: Chris and I spent a lot of time this year talking about if we're ready to have kids. I think there will always be more adventures we want to have - there is always "one more" backpacking trip to take or place to visit (or we want to go back to Moab just "one more time"). But we are excited about being parents, and I know that having a baby will be an adventure of its own. I expect it to be challenging but, as with everything else we do together, I also expect to find lots of laughter and fulfillment along the way.

Honestly, so far being pregnant has not been all that fun! But now that I'm feeling better I'm appreciating it more. Some highlights have been the day we found out I'm pregnant (Oct. 30), having an ultrasound and seeing that there actually IS a PERSON growing inside of me!, and hearing the baby's heartbeat at my appointments. That is so cool! :)