The Time I Saw Bullwinkle

This weekend I headed up the Colorado hills for some high altitude training in Frisco, Colorado (elevation: 9,092 feet).

This person ^^^ is my dear friend, Erika. Do you think we look like sisters? At all?

I think it’s good to leave your husband, dog, kids, and dirty toilets for some girl time.

If you have never been there, Frisco is very ugly. Who needs quaint buildings surrounded by snow capped mountains?

You know how there are those runs that are a ridiculous suckfest of aches, pains, gas and fatigue? Then you know how there are those magical runs where everything falls into place? My Saturday morning run in Frisco was the magical kind.

My friend Julie is recovering from a stress fracture in her foot and can’t run, but she rode her mountain bike beside me. I had an 8 mile run to do with 2 x 2.5 mile intervals. Running intervals up hill at 9,000 feet hurts. In the best way possible.

I ran from Frisco towards Copper Mountain. Julie was ahead of me and would turn back to yell at me to go faster. Screw that.

One time she came to tell me that there was a big moose on the path ahead. I was immediately excited followed by being immediately scared because moose (meese?) are supposed to be kind of big and mean. They apparently like to charge people, especially runners wearing purple. Which is weird because I grew up thinking they smiled, wore tuxes, sipped martinis and answered to “Bullwinkle”:

When we did the Epic Relay in the Tetons in August, we did some research on what to do if you confront a moose. Usually they will not attack unless provoked or unless they are protecting their young.

Here’s what to do (from HERE):

• Back away with your palms facing the moose – Yo Moose! Talk to the hand!
• Speak softly and reassuringly, like you would to a little child – Well hello, would you like some warm milk and a diaper change?
• If the moose charges, get behind a large tree or rock in order to separate your body from the moose. Most moose charges, like grizzly bear charges, are bluffs
• If the moose attacks you, feign death by curling up in a little ball. Protect your head and neck with your arms. If you are wearing a backpack, your pack will protect your back

We crept up the path, but the moose had headed down towards the river. However, as we turned around to come down, there was Bullwinkle in the middle of the path walking towards us. He veered off and into the woods. Probably for another cosmo. Here are moose tracks (also the name of my favorite ice cream):

All in all, an amazing run even if I couldn’t keep my interval pace AT ALL.

I got back to find my sister still asleep so I gave her a hickey.

When’s the last time you went on a girl’s weekend? Where to?

Ever encountered a wild animal while running or seen a moose in the wild?

SUAR

PS: I’ve got a new post up at RunHaven you might like, “5 Things Successful Runners Never Do.”