High Altitude Prep: 2 More Sleeps

It's kind of strange to wake up at 2,500m and be at the 'bottom' of the valley...

We finally arrived in CO yesterday with plenty of time to cruise around Denver for some last minute shopping and to pick up Dennis (TR partner) at the airport. A trip to Denver wouldn't be the same without a stop at 'Outdoor World', one of the biggest and most complete redneck stores I've ever been in! If you're looking for some new camo-wear, and need to catch up on you're taxidermy skills, then look no further! If anything, it's a good way to waste a couple hours by counting the number of antlers displayed on the store walls-

Redneck Paradise

It was good to catch up with Dennis on the drive up to Avon - 'Shop talk' ruled the airtime as we talked about the week ahead. Dennis is a firefighter from Edmonton and has been pulling extra shifts to manage the 'vacation time' - needless to say, we are both in full on R&R mode this week, to try and gain as much energy as possible before the start on Monday.

On the road again-

We joined the TR crew in Beaver Creek and moved into a cozy little condo in the resort community (perks of being on the TR Staff!). A quick hello and everyone jumped back in their pre-event routine, nose in their computers or ears to the phone. It's interesting for me to be on the 'other side' as I sit amongst the hustle and bustle...Kevin (McDonald), is the Operations Manager for TR Run, and having done this duty last week in TR Bike, I fully understand where his head is at- I can't help to smile as I see him pacing in the living room, his mind filled with 'things to do' in preparation for a busy week. I on the other hand, put my feet up and rest for the week to come.

Once settled, we slipped on the dirt shoes and headed off for a quick burn up the Beaver Creek trails to get rid of the kinks and stretch the legs. Although we both huffed and puffed our way to the 3,000m summit, we also knew that 3 days from now, the brain 'switch' will turn to 'ON' and we'll be ready to hurt even more-