29 & counting

Published February 25, 2019

birthday GEOCACHE

House, husband & 2019: grad student. Kiddo’s star’s a bright one.

Ash’s first 29^th birthday – Italian celebrazione this year, Zucca’s in downtown Louisville.

Still re-homing cats & dogs at PawsCo AND reducing landfill disposal everywhere she goes. Gal walks the talk. 3 cans at work (compost, recycling, trash) AND NO PLASTIC STRAWS – never EVER. Mother Earth thanks you.

Happy Birthday Ash. You inspire.

Dominican Republic in August, Austria in September, lotta Colorado in between. Live, laugh, love. #noregretlife next generation 😊

Ash’s HIGH HOLIDAY kicks off a month of Wilpiszeski celebrations.

Bucket of chicken with Tom (happy 34^th) & grandpup Marty’s GRAND #8. Sweaters, hats, bandannas, his OWN full-sized bed and once-a-month ‘can’t miss’ grooming – 8 never looked so fierce. Fried eggs & Pupperoni at Papa’s house 🐶❤️

: Happy 29th Ash!

: Italian celebrazione

: Colorado ‘Post’ tradition

: winner winner, chicken dinner (& fried cheese curds too)

: 8 never looked so fierce 🤠

Wilp Birthdays 2019

Waterton Canyon

Published February 23, 2019

Past 2 weekends away, really good to be Colorado home — mighty FAAANNNTASTIC. And this weekend, a rare non-snow reprieve. I dig the white stuff but outdoor run miles been super limited in 2019, lotta treadmill ticks. Every Wednesday/every Saturday, precip pattern this season. Mountain snowpack over 100% now, reservoirs expected high once Spring melt begins. Happy water news for high altitude/arid Colorado (300 days of annual sunshine, notta lotta summer rain).

Saturday run, new run. Hour-15 south to Littleton, day destination: Waterton Canyon. Parking lot still ice-packed with remnants of winter past. Crampons, no crampons? Micro spikes? Hmm. Just trail shoes & a hydration pack today. Tenth mile in, dirt road CLEAR, plowed & DRY. SUCCESS!

Early start, notta lotta faces on the trek out. Peaceful, quiet. Foot pulsed easy on packed clay. Outdoor eye-candy, crazy beautiful. Big scenic walls, reminiscent of local Boulder Canyon.

GREAT day for a Colorado run! SUNSHINE, snow & mile-high attitude 🙂 Outta road 6 ½ miles in, just past the Dam. 9 minute clip, gradual grade UP, gonna make the return FAST.

BIGHORN SHEEP run reverse. On the road, surrounding rock walls, high plains grazing – all food foraging for Spring green. Mostly female, single ram spotted high. Unexpected. WOW!

Thin air, outdoor-adventure every day — even in February.

Ski. Hike. Ice fish. Climb. Or take in a canyon run. LOVE LOVE my Colorado life ❤️

: feb FUN run

: outdoor eye-candy

: gradual UP

: dirt road CLEAR

: Strontia Springs Dam

: end of the road

: BIGHORN SHEEP

: lone Ram

: Spring green foraging

: tableside GUAC reward

Posted in Denver Metro, Run Challenges | Tagged wildlife | Leave a comment

Lost Dutchman Marathon

Published February 17, 2019

South by Southwest, 2 hours by plane, vast difference in geography. Home snowscape replaced by Saguaro cactus & blooms. Spring’s sprung in the Arizona desert 🌵

Touchdown in Phoenix, Lost Dutchman bib pick-up 45 minutes away. Quick food find in Apache Junction. Motel 6 sleeps ten minutes from tomorrow’s early 4:30am shuttle.

Arizona’s Superstition Mountains. Superstition of a lost gold mine, hidden 150 years – while still a Wild West territory. 50 State reunion here last year, they also visited Saskatchewan in September – both on my 2019 calendar, I’m just a year late.

Sunday cold desert Start. Layered, extra jacket, gloves. Still an hour+ ‘til race kickoff. Soaking it all in today. Website said come early & enjoy the campfire. Reality, lotta campfires. LOVE LOVED. Fave part of day’s event. one Better? Sharing the moment with my Antarctica bestie, Katya. She’d run her first FULL here. Run buddy DAY!

First 7 miles, AMAZING. Everything you see in the tourism promos. Bouldering mountains, towering cactus, desert valley. Arizona flag SUNRISE 🏜️󠁵󠁳󠁡󠁺󠁿 WOW’d!

Right turn outta Lost Dutchman State Park, traded Peralta Trail for US Highway 60 & retirement subdivisions. Not super scenic but not super important. RUN BUDDY DAY! AMAZING experience sharing someone’s first marathon FINISH. Great job Katya! Gal’s born to run, easily has 50 miles in her already. Finished & finished STRONG!

Prospector Park end. Caught site of the ‘Lost Dutchman’ before hotel-racing back for a post-run shower. SUCCESS!

Sky Harbor dinner. Celebrated Katya, her moment, her FIRST FULL. Girl’d up, traded run shoes for pumps. BAM! No one would’ve believed she literally just ran 26.2 miles. CONGRATS friend! FAAAANNNTASTIC first!