How We Get Around

When Woody and I started telling people we were moving to Denver, and were planning to buy a house, many people would ask if we were going to get a dog. You know, when people get a house, or at least move out of the city and have a larger apartment, they get a dog. Well, we weren’t, and aren’t, getting a dog. What we have wanted to get since we started planning our move however, were bikes.

If you saw this post last fall, you know I hadn’t been on a bike in well over a decade until last year. But since we have just one car, which we want to use as little as possible, and Denver has a great trail system plus somewhat bike-friendly roads, why not take advantage of it? Just in time for the winter storm that hit on Sunday, we picked up the newest members of our family!

I chose a hybrid because I’ll be using this for part of my commute on some days, to go to the farmers market and nearby restaurants and coffee shops and other fun times around town. I thought about a step-through cruiser, but decided on this one because it’s more versatile. Details are important so I picked out this water bottle holder specifically; it’s one of my favorite things about the bike. Nothing wrong with adding a little feminine touch.

Thankfully we made it back to our house just before the rain started to come down. We’re are pretty certain our new bikes are going to change our lives tremendously, and I’m beyond thrilled about it!

Another form of transportation, at least exercise, for me, has been wearing down so I also did a little shoe shopping on Saturday. A girl can’t have too many bright pairs of shoes, right?

I’ve been wearing Brooks Ravenna for the past several years as my training/gym shoes. After dealing with so many stress fractures I found that these work well for me and I guess because I haven’t had a fracture in a foot since I started wearing them it’s best to stay faithful. These felt a bit different than they have in past years but not so much that I was going to risk trying something different. With the Bolder Boulder coming up in a few weeks I’ll stick with my Mizuno Wave Elixir’s for race day.

If you have a bike – what type do you have? Where’s your favorite place to go on it? Do you have any tips for a newbie? * Are you loyal to a specific type of running shoe? * Do you train and race in different types of shoes?

Hope all of you Mom’s had a great Mother’s Day!

Run, Bike, Eat

Sounds like a great day, right? I thought so! Woody was golfing today with a friend from college who lives in the area and with only a few weeks left of the Cherry Creek Farmers Market before the end of the season, I wanted to get there. Plus it was a beautiful day, perfect to be outside!

I started the day with a run! It poured all day yesterday – which makes people a little nervous around here right now – but it was beautiful this morning! It was cold, but beautiful. I got to wear my Oiselle Lesley Knickers (they have magic sewn in them!) and my vintage Oiselle jacket because it was all of 39 degrees when we walked out the door. Brrr! Woody and I haven’t been running together often. He is faster than I am and likes to take a different route. Somehow though we tend to run into each other (no pun intended) at some point as we did today. I was nearing the end of my run, heading down Wynkoop towards 16th Street and I noticed Woody at the intersection! I yelled his name, thankfully he heard me, waited for me to catch up and we finished our runs together. I’m sure he had gone a bit farther than I had but I was really happy with my run this morning and felt good! I’m loving fall and wish it would last just a bit longer.

After my run it was time to get going again. While Denver has a pretty good public transit system – especially for a mid-sized metropolitan area – with local and regional buses and a light rail system, it’s lacking in some respects. For instance, the 4.5 mile trip from our apartment to Cherry Creek would take about an hour via public transportation. Thankfully Woody and I went for a bike ride a few weeks ago so now I have an option for going places when he has the car.

I got there and back without any incidents although I was a bit nervous at times and my senses were on high alert. Thankfully I can take the busy and beautiful Cherry Creek Trail rather than the busy and hectic streets almost the whole way. Tonight I am definitely feeling a new sense of freedom and with growing confidence and experience on the bike I’ll have a new way to burn some calories!

Tomorrow I’m off to Longmont bright and early for Venus de Miles 2013: Rising Above! My goal for next year is to be one of the riders!

What have you been up to this weekend? * I am loving all the fall fruits & veggies at the market, which are your favorites? * What are your favorite things about fall?

UPDATE: Get Your Bike on in Colorado with Venus de Miles

** Due to the recent floods that devastated many communities throughout the Front Range in the days just after I posted about Venus de Miles, Boulder County announced that they were cancelling all organized road events for at least one month because of extensive damage to roads and they would divert police from the cleanup efforts. Faced with a decision between cancelling the event all together or holding a different type of community gathering this year, it was decided to do the latter and find a way to give back to our community. If you’re interested in learning how Venus de Miles 2013: Rising Above you can view the announcement HERE. Next year, Venus de Miles will be better than ever and we’ll have the opportunity to visit and celebrate the great communities in Boulder County that were deeply affected by the floods.**

I’m going to go ahead and clear something up right out of the gate. While I work for Greenhouse Partners which is associated with Greenhouse Scholars and I am doing PR for both Scholars and the Venus de Miles ride, I am writing this post for one reason: because this all-women’s road ride is a world-class event put on by an incredible team for an even more amazing reason – to support the high-performing yet under-resourced college students who are part of the Greenhouse Scholars program.

So let’s take a step back for a second. On Sunday, September 29th the sixth-annual Venus de Miles road ride will take place in Boulder County. As the first all-women’s ride of its kind in Colorado, it’s a day to celebrate great friendships, enjoy the beautiful Colorado countryside and support an organization that  changes the trajectory of lives. This is unlike the races we usually participate in in that it’s a ride – there’s no pressure to set a PR, opening it up to women of all skill levels.

I mentioned an organization that changes life trajectories and is creating leaders. That’s a big statement, I know. Greenhouse Scholars is a non-profit based in Boulder which supports high-performing, yet under-resourced students in both Colorado and Illinois. The Scholars are truly amazing and their stories inspirational. 72% are the first in their family to attend college. Many immigrated to the U.S. from war-torn countries as children, knowing no English. The median household income for the Scholars’ families is just $29,492 compared to $51,914 across all U.S. households. The 27 Scholars in the class of 2017 held 43 part-time jobs amongst them in high school while 100% of them graduated in the top 10% of their class. Yet they have become leaders in their communities, breaking barriers and making waves. They have set high goals for themselves and are achieving them, with the help of Greenhouse Scholars.

A few reasons why you’ll want to sign-up for Venus de Miles:

• There are four distances, all starting and ending at the same location in Longmont: 33, 51, 67 and 100 miles
• In addition to water stops, there are awesome gourmet rest stops along the way to fuel up on LUNA bars, Justin’s Nut Butter and more!
• Need a hand with a mechanical issue? Don’t worry, there’ll be pros from local bike shops and the ever-popular Men in Drag team to help you out!
• Riders get a ride shirt they’ll actually want to wear!
• Venus de Miles is working to become one of the greenest events in the country so you’ll likely see bike racks made of bamboo, Recycle Racing will be on hand to recycle race bibs (if you don’t want to keep it!) and TerraCycle will take care of all those LUNA wrappers.
• To finish off the day, there’s going to be a one-of-a-kind post-ride celebration including massages and spa services, a vendor expo, a cocktail lounge with Svedka mojitos and because it wouldn’t be Colorado without beer, Left Hand Brewery will be on hand. That’s not all! There’s also a gourmet lunch, silent auction and the opportunity to meet the very Scholars who the ride is benefiting!

Greenhouse Scholars is not your regular college scholarship. Greenhouse Scholars provides comprehensive support for these students including: mentorship, professional networking, peer support, internships, an annual summer symposium, situational flex funding to support a wide range of projects, experiences or other unmet educational needs, and a tuition scholarship.

Because this is one of Greenhouse Scholars’ biggest fundraising events of the year, in addition to an entry fee of $99.00 (through 9/22) which goes to cover the production of the race, riders are asked to raise $75 in support of the program – $1 per Scholar currently in the program.

In addition to riders, volunteers are needed to make this event a success. If you don’t feel like riding – or not ready to ride such distances, like me – please consider joining me as a volunteer. Beyond the satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting a great cause, you also get to participate in the gourmet lunch and entrance to the cocktail lounge!

By participating in this ride and supporting Greenhouse Scholars, you’ll be helping to create the next generation of great leaders!

What to do now:

• For more info on Greenhouse Scholars: www.greenhousescholars.org and www.facebook.com/VenusDeMilesRide
• To Register: http://colorado.venusdemiles.com/Register
• To Volunteer: http://colorado.venusdemiles.com/Volunteer 
• If you’re unable to ride but still want to donate go HERE

Don’t go yet! One last thing! Venus de Miles, Skirt Sports and Outdoor Diva’s joined up for this great Cycle in Style sweepstakes! Enter HERE to win a free Venus de Miles registration, $100 gift certificate for Skirt Sports and an Outdoor Diva’s bike jersey!

Please tell anyone you think would be interested about this great event and if you sign-up, let me know, I’d love to meet you! If you have any questions either email me or leave them in the comments!

Images provided by Greenhouse Scholars