Pikes Peak Challenge 2011, Part 1: Pre-hike travel

Welcome to the first of several installments recapping my recent trip to Colorado Springs for the Pikes Peak Challenge, a 13.1 mile hike to the summit and fundraiser for the Brain Injury Alliance. 

Packing for the trip was easy, but wow did I have a lot of gear!

Hiking boots, long pants, a buttload of sporty clothing, wool socks.

Headlamp (yes, really), sunglasses (not to be worn at the same time as the headlamp), hat and gloves for once we hit the higher altitude. IT Band strap for ol' righty (my nickname for my drama queen knee).

And my favorite part of the gear: FOOD! Various gels, bars, bloks, some coconut water, and a baggie of just-in-case meds: ibuprofen and motion sickness medicine. Neither of which will do you any good in easing the symptoms of AMS (acute mountain sickness). More on that later...

Anyhow, once I was packed I headed straight to the airport, because I'm constantly doing things last-minute. Once I checked in and got through security, there were 45 minutes until boarding time, and I decided to get a quick bite to eat at Nonna Bartolotta's, run by the Bartolotta Restaurant Group. We work with the company on several special events each year and I'd heard great things, but had been waiting for the right opportunity and travel itinerary to out Nonna's.  There was plenty of room at the bar, which had an outlet for me to charge my iPhone and get my laptop juiced up. Speaking of juice...

Knowing that the Bartolottas chose the wine list, I figured I had to try a glass. I went for a pinot grigio and was poured a generous glass. It was perfectly chilled, and hit the spot.

I also ordered the veggie pizza off of the menu, and was pleased when it arrived: piping hot, with lots of fresh vegetables and basil chiffonade. And the taste? Delicious!

With pizza, I'm very picky about sauces and crust. Both passed my test, and were absolutely delectable. It was great that this pizza was healthier than anticipated, too. 

Classy, no? 


After enjoying the meal, it was time to hop on the plane. I took advantage of the DirectTV on the flight and did what every good Wisconsinite should do on an airplane: watch a Packers game. It was the season opener, and The Pack played an epic game. After all, they are the Super Bowl champions...

Watching football on a plane was pretty fun, about half of the other passengers also had the game on and were cheering, high-fiving after touchdowns and questioning bad calls. 


Did I mention there were cookies? I love Frontier Airlines. 

The flight flew by (pun intended) and soon I was in Denver, then a short ride later I was in Colorado Springs, getting the best hug ever from my sister! 


We headed to Shuga's, where we caught up on sisterly topics over (more) wine. It was the perfect way to relax after an evening of travel, with one of my very favorite people.

source

Coming up next: The Pikes Peak Challenge pre-hike rally, hike recap and photos.


You do the talking: What's your jet-set style? Do you like to lounge at the airport bar, or head to the gate right away? I have only enjoyed airport lounges a couple of times, and the nice glass of wine definitely had me feeling less anxious on my flight. As was the case for this trip, I typically travel alone, and prefer to hang out at the gate vs. a social setting.

Traveling Wilburys

Friends, I'm in a travelin' mood today. 

Well it's all right, riding around in the breeze
Well it's all right, if you live the life you please
Well it's all right, doing the best you can
Well it's all right, as long as you lend a hand

You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring (End of the Line)
Waiting for someone to tell you everything (End of the Line)
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring (End of the Line)
Maybe a diamond ring


Fact: Up until a couple years ago, I thought this song was by the Allman Brothers. You know, because the lyrics say "Well it's all right." Not so much. 


For whatever reason, I've got this song stuck in my head today. I am currently at the Denver Airport, and just successfully (knock on wood) wrestled with the WiFi enough to get a post going. In a few minutes, I will meet up with Kath from KERF, Gina aka The Fitnessista, Ashley from Edible Perspective and Emily from The Front Burner. We're all on the same flight to San Francisco! Talk about being among great company. 


The flight to Denver was pretty normal. My stomach has been in knots all morning, but I tamed it with some Diet Dr. Pepper and candy. 

I believe the phrase is, "Yum-o?"

If you fly Frontier Airlines, you seriously have to try their "Deep in the Red" candy mix. It used to be called "Foxy's Passion" with a hilarious image of a sugar-buzzed fox on the label. I am not quite sure what happened, but the candy is still pretty tasty with licorice, Swedish Fish, Juju coins among other sugary treats.

Once I arrived in Denver, I hit up Caribou Coffee for a fruit cup and an iced latte. 

Fruitalicious.

While I enjoyed these, I gazed longingly at the lounge. 

I didn't really want a drink right then, but the idea was nice. I feel like having a glass of wine at an airport is so cosmopolitan and sophisticated. Perhaps I will indulge myself on the journey home?


Time to meet up with the ladies. See ya in San Francisco!

Farewell, 2009!

I can't believe that it's New Year's Eve!

This year seemed to go by so quickly. It was packed with happy moments, some sad ones, some I'd never like to think about again. Some milestones were had:

- I graduated with my B.A. in Communication

- I traveled to Colorado Springs and Las Vegas for the first time, also visiting Boston and Nashville for the second time

- Zak and I celebrated our five year anniversary :-)

- I discovered a new fitness passion, horseback riding

- This blog was created in June! It's been an excellent creative outlet, and I just love being more involved within this excellent community of bloggers. Can't wait to do more!

Last year, I had one main New Year's resolution: to spend more time with family and friends, and I feel that I definitely did that! I took two trips to see my sister, visited with my parents more often, and feel closer to everyone as a result. I'd love to see my girlfriends more often, but in the meantime I love our dinners and occasional nights out.

Some resolutions that I have in mind for 2010:

Personal goals:

- Research and buy my first home (with Zak!)

- Put as much money as possible into savings

- Get engaged? :-D

Fitness goals:

- Continue to be as active as possible, each day

- Continue with horseback riding lessons, and start on the trails in the spring!

- Find a good yoga group and practice at least once per week

- Get back into running shape, and possibly do a race in the spring / summer

Healthy eating goals:

- Make at least 3 healthy dinners per week (planning for leftovers). For me, the big thing is dedicating the time to make this happen.

- For lunches at work, limit eating out to once per week

- STOP frequenting coffee shops, take advantage of the free espresso at work

What are your resolutions and goals for 2010?

Tonight's plans include a concert with Spoon and Jay Reatard at our largest venue, the Riverside Theater. I've spent every New Year's Eve for the past 6 years, at work! Luckily I am able to bring Zak and some friends along with to enjoy :-) What are you up to for NYE?

Where the Heart Is

Tuesday night... 10PM... and it feels good to be home.

Zak and I had a great time in Nashville, but were both anxious to get back to Milwaukee; back to our apartment, our pets, and most of all - back to normal food!

We got into the airport and decided on our tasks: Zak went to his parents house to pick up Blue, and I went on a grocery shopping bonanza.

Now Zak usually does the majority of our grocery shopping because, ahem, he eats most of the groceries. I typically pick up staples, stuff for my baking projects, and hot ticket items that I match coupons and sales for. After this evening's trip, I have a new respect for Zak and his thrifty produce shopping. Let's just say I picked the wrong kind of apples and spent like $5.16 on 6 - ouch. Also learned that cauliflower costs $4, which seems unjust.

I digress. We got right into dinner... Huge salads with spinach and black beans, and tons of raw veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, et. al.

I heated up some Trader Joe's multigrain pilaf on the side, topped with some green salsa.

So I ate about half the salad and all of the pilaf, and remembered that I had sliced up a sweet potato and was baking some cheetahs! I put away my leftover salad (lunch tomorrow) and dove in.

Mmmmmmm, is there anything better? These really hit the spot on this cool Wisconsin evening.

A couple hours later, I was ready for something sweet. Enter: Ben & Jerry's Half Baked fro-yo. On the side, an episode of True Blood. I can't get enough of this show!

Hello, Lover.

I am beat and have a million things to unpack. Tomorrow will be crazy with having been gone a few days, but I am hoping to post some photos and such from the rest of our Nashville trip.

A sneak preview... yup, that's a red carpet.

G-night!

So come and visit me in Music City...

Hello friends... blogging to you direct from Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee.

I have been enjoying a long weekend here with Zak, and so far we've done a whole lot of nothing. The resort is beautiful, 100% man-made "gardens" under huge glassed in ceilings, waterfalls and rivers, the works. It's gorgeous and we're having a great time.

We've enjoyed taking in the sights, working out at the great fitness center and pool, and even made it to their Vegas-style nightclub for some dancing. Can't say that I've ever paid $22 for two cocktails, but hey! We're on vacation.

As for Nashville itself, we're gonna get there tomorrow. Will be spending the better part of the day touring the historic Ryman Auditorium and exploring Downtown.

Now that we've been here a couple days, we both are thinkin' we could have planned ahead a bit more, food-wise. The restaurants here are nice, but are overpriced ($17 for pancakes? Seriously!). We found a Cracker Barrel restaurant that's about .75 miles from our room at the resort, and have visited twice. For our dietary needs, there are a few menu options that offer fish or seafood, as well as a breakfast menu that's offered all day long. Tonight for dinner, I had two scrambled eggs, grits and biscuits. Random, definitely breakfast foods, but they did the trick to fill me up. Zak liked his entree of seasoned catfish filets, baked beans and a side salad. Our tab, including tip, was easily half of what it would be had we dined at the resort.

For snacks, I brought several packets of Justin's Natural maple almond butter, a can of Blue Diamond whole natural almonds, and a couple random bars. Honestly, I wish that I had brought 3x the amount of healthy foods, especially fruits and veggies. It would have been very easy to bring a couple cucumbers, a small bunch of bananas, and some apples in my carry on bag. Does anyone know is hummus is allowed to clear through security? Not sure that it's considered a liquid / gel.

Anyway, time for some photos! I really enjoyed this Jam Frakas strawberry bar that I won from Heather's contest. It's from the makers of Larabar, so I guess that's no surprise! The texture was dense, the ingredient list was all stuff I recognized, and I loved the little crunchy strawberry seeds. I haven't seen these around the stores, but if I see 'em will definitely purchase in the future.

I have had my share of indulgences, too. This morning after my workout, this pastry was giving me the eye, so I took care of it :-)

Apricot cream cheese danish... mmm.

Yesterday, I was excited to find a Romano's Macaroni Grill nearby. We had lunch and started with their signature rosemary bread with olive oil, and delicious marinated olives.

I've been thinking a lot about Backstage Pass and am going to be making some changes over the next week, tweaking and revamping the theme and look. I'd like to achieve better consistency with topics, if you have any input I'd love to hear it. Of course, these thoughts don't pertain to just the blog but also to my overall approach toward health, diet, exercise, etc. I believe in rethinking things where necessary, and that evolution is the best approach to problem-solving. Gotta do what works for you!

Anyhow... hope to blog tomorrow with a recap of Downtown Nashville. Cheers, friends!