Summer in Stunning Boulder!

Boulder is a place that you just want to get up each day and train in!! It dosent matter what time of the day there seems to be this inherant pull that lures you oustide. It has always amazed me the energy during the summer months that runs through a city or twon that has spent the best part of the year covered under think snow and ice. Everyone seems to just be out there embracing and soaking up the summer weather. The gardens are flourishing with wild flowers, the squirrels are huslting around and apparently the racoons are scrounging around at night! There is also streams of cyclists everywhere no matter what time of day or where you are you can always know that you are not alone in your adventures that the roads will always be full of cyclists! So it has been one week since I arrived and things seem to be going really well. We are one flat mate short at the moment but are assured that we have one arriving in a few days..... just not sure who will be staying right through to August with us!! Training has been going well, I have had to back things off a bit to allow my body to adjust to altitude which has been hard as its such a stunning place to be that there is always the temptation to just keep going that extra bit and explore a bit more on the rides and runs! But am sticking to the plan. The condo we have rented has turned out to be the perfect location. It is only a short walk away from the main pool and athletic club, is across the road from the running track and has a super market just dwon the road. We also have pretty easy access out of twon to all the good cycling loops so been feeling pretty blessed with the set up. I have done a couple awesome rides up into the hills through amazing canyons, alongside rivers, and through some beautiful farmlands. It truely is stunning here. The highlight or should i say quote of the week has to have been when i was riding with Callum and Matt on Saturday (first longish ride and day 3 at Altitude) and Callum turns around and says "I dont know how to break this too you but we are at the start of a 2 and 1/2 hour climb!!" Needless to say i didnt do the whole climb, but what an amazing climb it was! I didnt realize how far up i had gone until i was making my way back dwon again! On Sunday Matt had the use of a car so we headed up to the Table Messa Trail Head and had an amzing run on the trails up here. My memories of Boulder from when I used to live in Colorado are mostly of the trails as i only ever really came to Boulder to run/train, so getting out and running again on them made me feel a lot more at home and familiar with the twon. We ran up on the Elderado trail which was one of my absolute favourites so I was staoked to be up there running 7 years later. I have had a few direction issues in the pool with the locals!!! but am getting the hang of it, who would think it would feel so wierd swimming up and dwon the lane in the reverse direction!! It is also an outdoor 25m pool and i have for what ever reason not learnt how to tumble turn, so this week has been about geting the truns sorted so can join squads next week. THe swim coaches appear to all be quite well known such as Dave Scott and Simon Lessing.... My first race is next weekend so I am starting to get the final organisation done for that. Will be a new experience staying with a home stay etc but I am really looking forward to getting out and racing. Its been a while since i last race in Janurary so I am keen to see how the training and hard work has prgressed since then. So now I am settled in to my new summer home, its time to race!!