CrossFit Verve and a Hike

I was in Denver earlier this month and made it to CrossFit Verve, co-owned by Games Athlete Matt Chan. Fun fact: the first CrossFit Games I watched was in 2012 and I was rooting for Matt Chan even though I really didn't know much about the sport and had no idea who he is. He came in second, but from then on he's been my guy.

I walked over from my hotel downtown, which is about 2 miles. Ignore your GPS and take Blake or Market Street. A lot more scenic and a lot less populated by drug addicts. You're welcome. I made sure I left with plenty of time because I like to get to boxes early to get the lay of the land.

the WOD before mine

Coaches Eric and Colby had us do a group warm-up and then we got to choose if we wanted to work on box jump technique or muscle-ups and split up. I went with the box jumps and maxed out at 32 inches. We sat on one box to jump on the other and it was cool how it forced me to use my hips to jump up rather than launch my body at an angle and over.

Spartan Race: Colorado Military Sprint

Today I did my first Spartan Race. The Colorado Military Sprint was held at Fort Carson, about an hour outside of Denver. It was a really well-organized event but it took a while to clear security and enter the race area. Oh, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Rachel and Tammy had planned on doing this event with their friends Scott and Andy. They all know each other from Equinox in New York. They now live in Denver. I'm pretty positive I took one of Scott's classes before he moved out here. Andy generously offered to drive us all out to Fort Carson.

Andy and Scott holding down the front seat.

Denver Run

After an incredible week at Exploring Leadership, I had Friday to explore the city by myself. Tammy and Rachel from CFHK have been on a cross-country road trip and didn't get in until last night. I visited the Clyfford Still Museum and had lunch at Cap City Tavern. I recommend the perfect little side salad with grilled chicken and a side of their garlic rosemary fries.

I had planned on going to CrossFit but it was absolutely gorgeous out and I decided to run instead. I wore my new favorite tank.

WODs on the Go

So I'm in Colorado for a leadership journey and I have entirely lucked out with my roommate Kristen. She's based out of our San Francisco office and she's a CrossFitter! We were so excited when we found out that we had that in common. Kristen goes to Diablo CrossFit, which happens to be where Alessandra Pichelli trains. My name is Alessandra, her name is Alessandra. I'm 27, she's 27. She holds a special place in my heart.

Kristen and I have been committed to exercising during this trip. We spent the first couple of days at a YMCA in Granby, Colorado. This is the mountains and there was snow. As much as I would have liked to run outside, I value my ankles too much and didn't want to fall off a cliff. Instead we did 100 burpees for time and both finished under 10 minutes. My time was 9:26.

Homeless or Nature Enthusiast?

We're in Denver for the Regional Admin Conference. Booyah! This is my first conference ever (like the DOE would send me anywhere) and I am super excited and I'm presenting a session on Thursday. I'm cool like that.

We landed and it was beautiful, sunny, and in the 60s. Although I'm a little sore from the 50K, I couldn't pass up a chance to run. The concierge recommended this path along the Speer creek or river or whatever this body of water is called. It was a pleasant path, but it didn't let me see any of Denver. Fail.

 

I quickly realized that my left Achilles and my right IT band are a little pissed at me. I did 5 miles anyway. Since there wasn't much to look at, I took an interest in the other people who were out. People were running, cycling, walking their dogs, and sitting on the bank of the creek (?).

Yes. 70 degrees one day, and snow the next two.
In the sunniest city in the country.

The non-athletes really caught my eye. Some of them were obviously students or professionals enjoying the weather, but others might have been homeless. I stress might. The homeless people in Denver sure don't look like the homeless in New York. That's where homeless or nature enthusiast was born. My foot hurt for all 50 some odd minutes of my run, but at least I was entertained.