Now that I have a week back in Boulder, I have realized that as much fun as it is to be away, there really is no place like home. I sure missed having Amanda around for the past week, but the dogs, Frisco, and I made the most of our time.

I had a nice bonus last weekend, as my good friends Jack and Stacy were up in Keystone for a ski trip. I scrapped plans to do any triathlon training on Sunday, and zipped up the mountains for a visit... and the SuperBowl. Before my rendezvous with Jack and Stacy, I stopped over at the Frisco Nordic Center for a final Cross Country Ski for the season. I suppose I could make it back out a few more times, but I'm not sure I want to risk it. I did manage one little tumble during my 90-minute workout, and I've got the resulting sore chest to prove it. While it didn't slow down my training last week, the discomfort is starting to get to me, so I'm going to have to lay off the skis!

Boulder weather got back to normal last week, and the temperatures got up to the mid-sixties. I was happy to be out running in shorts, and even started a ride without arm warmers! I found that it was a bit colder out on the plains, so I quickly pulled them on, but it was a far cry from the single digits we'd been experiencing! I managed a nice, solid week of biking and running, but must admit that my swimming is still taking a back seat. I'll get to it soon enough!

The highlight of the week came on Friday when Amanda returned to Boulder. The dogs and I piled into the car for a late-night trip to the airport. We were all very happy to have her home, and even Frisco waited up for her arrival!

Yesterday morning we made our way over to the Cross Counrty National Championships. It came to Boulder for the first time in its history, and it was quite the show. While the women's race was a bit of a blowout (Deena Kastor set a punishing pace at the outset and never looked back!), the men's was very close. Alan Culpepper managed a come-from-behind victory over a gritty-tough Adam Goucher and early frontrunner Dathan Ritzenhein. Jorge Torres rounded out the top-four finishers, making it a 1-2-3-4 for former CU Buff runners. It's an incredible thing to watch these guys saunter around a muddy golf course at a sub-five-minute pace--at altitude--while looking very controlled. It definitely got me in the mood to race!