Day 20: Laramie, WY, to Boulder, CO (Friday, July 4)
Distance traveled: 110 miles
Personal running distance today: 9 miles
Total personal miles to-date: 152 miles
Today's dedications: Max Lacewell and America
My running buddy: Mo
Weather: Overcast, windy, 70s
Everyone woke up excited this morning because it's 4th of July! Several of us on the team ordered American flag shorts, plus a mom had sent a care package with 4th of July tattoos, so everyone was festive in some way. We took possibly the coolest team picture ever before we left our host in the morning to show off our patriotism.
Distance traveled: 110 miles
Personal running distance today: 9 miles
Total personal miles to-date: 152 miles
Today's dedications: Max Lacewell and America
My running buddy: Mo
Weather: Overcast, windy, 70s
Everyone woke up excited this morning because it's 4th of July! Several of us on the team ordered American flag shorts, plus a mom had sent a care package with 4th of July tattoos, so everyone was festive in some way. We took possibly the coolest team picture ever before we left our host in the morning to show off our patriotism.
I was in Team 1 today, and today was the first day in a long time where our teams actually were able to split up to do their miles because it wasn't too hot and the roads were good for us. We started right from the host and headed toward Boulder, CO. I was especially excited about today not only because it was 4th of July, but also because we were finally going to make it to one of my all-time favorite states.
The weather couldn't have been better. There was a storm blowing in over the mountains, so there was plenty of cloud cover for us. Also, the wind kept up a steady breeze, so the temperatures weren't bad at all. Today I ran with Mo again, but I had a great time. She had bought an American flag, so we took some pretty awesome photos with it, like this one which became quite popular on my Instagram:
The weather couldn't have been better. There was a storm blowing in over the mountains, so there was plenty of cloud cover for us. Also, the wind kept up a steady breeze, so the temperatures weren't bad at all. Today I ran with Mo again, but I had a great time. She had bought an American flag, so we took some pretty awesome photos with it, like this one which became quite popular on my Instagram:
I also loved running with Mo today because we had some really good conversations. I love running one-on-one with teammates, especially when I get to learn more about them. Mo's such a great teammate, and I loved getting to know her better.
In the middle of our day, we made it to the state border! Since Team 2 had already been past here, we only had the Team 1 half of our full team, but we took a joyful photo at the state line.
In the middle of our day, we made it to the state border! Since Team 2 had already been past here, we only had the Team 1 half of our full team, but we took a joyful photo at the state line.
After this, we only had 3 more miles to make it through before we were done with our day. Once everyone had finished all 9 miles, we started driving toward Boulder. We made a quick pit stop for coffee in Fort Collins (one of my favorite places!), and then it was straight on to our church in Boulder.
As soon as we arrived at the methodist church in Boulder, Caleb and Rachel were there waiting for me! It was the happiest of Mizzounions as we met up. I was also excited to find that at our Boulder mail drop, I had received such a sweet card from my South Carolina roomie, Sadie. Even though she's in Europe right now, she was thoughtful enough to send it before she left! Once I had gotten all my stuff put away and helped unload vans, I headed out for an incredible lunch and fun day/evening with them.
We went to get lunch at The Sink, a Boulder favorite which has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, PLUS Obama went there once! I had the most amazing veggie burger and a great Rocky Mountain Red Ale, made in Grand Lake, CO. We were sufficiently stuffed after we left our late lunch, so it was time to do a little exploring.
We went to the Pearl Street Market, which is a pedestrian street in Boulder with tons of shops and vendors. Since it was 4th of July, the place was packed and there was so much going on. I loved seeing all the cool shops, and there were tons of outdoors stores, all of which were tempting me to go in and buy everything.
We spent about an hour on Pearl Street, then decided we should find a bar to get a couple drinks before we went to the fireworks display. Nathan had driven up from Denver and met up with us as we were finding a bar, so it was great to add him to our Mizzounion.
After a beer at a German brewery/restaurant (yes, we realize that we went to a German place ON the 4th of July...oh well), we headed toward the University of Colorado campus for the big firework display! I had never been on CU's campus, so I was immediately impressed when we got there. The buildings all match and are made out of the same stone, and they're gorgeous.
The firework display was set up in their football stadium, so I was pretty pumped to get to see that, too. We had perfect seats for the pre-show, including a local band, a local jumprope team (which is way more hardcore than you'd think), plus Ralphie ran through the field, their live buffalo mascot! Nathan, Caleb, Rachel and I also had some wonderful ice cream to top off the night as we waited for fireworks to start.
As soon as we arrived at the methodist church in Boulder, Caleb and Rachel were there waiting for me! It was the happiest of Mizzounions as we met up. I was also excited to find that at our Boulder mail drop, I had received such a sweet card from my South Carolina roomie, Sadie. Even though she's in Europe right now, she was thoughtful enough to send it before she left! Once I had gotten all my stuff put away and helped unload vans, I headed out for an incredible lunch and fun day/evening with them.
We went to get lunch at The Sink, a Boulder favorite which has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, PLUS Obama went there once! I had the most amazing veggie burger and a great Rocky Mountain Red Ale, made in Grand Lake, CO. We were sufficiently stuffed after we left our late lunch, so it was time to do a little exploring.
We went to the Pearl Street Market, which is a pedestrian street in Boulder with tons of shops and vendors. Since it was 4th of July, the place was packed and there was so much going on. I loved seeing all the cool shops, and there were tons of outdoors stores, all of which were tempting me to go in and buy everything.
We spent about an hour on Pearl Street, then decided we should find a bar to get a couple drinks before we went to the fireworks display. Nathan had driven up from Denver and met up with us as we were finding a bar, so it was great to add him to our Mizzounion.
After a beer at a German brewery/restaurant (yes, we realize that we went to a German place ON the 4th of July...oh well), we headed toward the University of Colorado campus for the big firework display! I had never been on CU's campus, so I was immediately impressed when we got there. The buildings all match and are made out of the same stone, and they're gorgeous.
The firework display was set up in their football stadium, so I was pretty pumped to get to see that, too. We had perfect seats for the pre-show, including a local band, a local jumprope team (which is way more hardcore than you'd think), plus Ralphie ran through the field, their live buffalo mascot! Nathan, Caleb, Rachel and I also had some wonderful ice cream to top off the night as we waited for fireworks to start.
I also made friends with the people sitting next to me, a dad and his 4-year-old daughter. They gave me some great pointers about the city, and further solidified my desire to move here. Here's to hoping CU would like to hire me when I graduate! Finally, it was about time for the show to start.
I was really impressed by their display. The Boulder community seems pretty awesome, as they had several sponsors who made the event happen. They had about 15,000 fireworks shot off during the show, so it was a great time for us. Afterwards, Nathan, Caleb and Rachel headed back to Denver and I met up with some girls on my team at a local brewery briefly before we headed back to the church and went to bed.
Day 21: REST DAY - Boulder, CO (Saturday, July 5)
Weather: Overcast, 80s/90s
I "slept in" until 8:30 a.m. today, which was quite the treat for me, and I was feeling great and well-rested. I recently learned that my friend Alan was in Denver for the weekend and had some free time this morning, so I was incredibly happy that he was able to drive up to Boulder to grab breakfast with me!
We tried a local spot, the Village Coffee Shop, and enjoyed it. Afterwards, we explored the Pearl Street Market for a little bit, then decided to head to University of Colorado's campus to look around. After that, Alan headed out to meet up with friends in Fort Collins. It was great to get the chance to see him while he was nearby, though.
I was really impressed by their display. The Boulder community seems pretty awesome, as they had several sponsors who made the event happen. They had about 15,000 fireworks shot off during the show, so it was a great time for us. Afterwards, Nathan, Caleb and Rachel headed back to Denver and I met up with some girls on my team at a local brewery briefly before we headed back to the church and went to bed.
Day 21: REST DAY - Boulder, CO (Saturday, July 5)
Weather: Overcast, 80s/90s
I "slept in" until 8:30 a.m. today, which was quite the treat for me, and I was feeling great and well-rested. I recently learned that my friend Alan was in Denver for the weekend and had some free time this morning, so I was incredibly happy that he was able to drive up to Boulder to grab breakfast with me!
We tried a local spot, the Village Coffee Shop, and enjoyed it. Afterwards, we explored the Pearl Street Market for a little bit, then decided to head to University of Colorado's campus to look around. After that, Alan headed out to meet up with friends in Fort Collins. It was great to get the chance to see him while he was nearby, though.
I went back to the church to rest just a bit after Alan left until my Uncle Steve and Aunt Paula arrived a bit later. This has definitely been the place where I've met the most people along the trip! Between having tons of friends and family in the area, it made for a great stay in Boulder.
My aunt, uncle and I went to Pearl Street Market to walk around a bit, then decided to head to get some late lunch. We ate at The Sink again, which was perfect because I had really been tempted to try their veggie mac n cheese, so I was able to do that today! It was great to be able to spend time with them and catch up since they live so far from us in Missouri and we don't get to see them often.
When they dropped me off, I tried to catch up with some postcard writing. I also went with a few teammates to pick up Chipotle donations, plus we met up with Stephen, a staff member for the Ulman Cancer Fund who is going to be joining us tomorrow night in our run for a few days.
Right now I'm sitting at a laundromat waiting for my clothes to wash. Afterwards, I'm heading back and straight to bed! Today was pretty exhausting. Even though it was only a rest day, I saw a lot of people and walked around a ton. I am really in love with the city of Boulder. The size is great, the campus is beautiful, the mountains nearby are a huge plus and the people are very friendly and open. I could certainly see myself moving out here someday, so let's keep our fingers crossed.
Tomorrow we head out of the mountains for good, sadly. We'll be making our way to Yuma, CO, and running 13 miles each. I will definitely miss Boulder, as this was one of the towns I was looking forward to most. However, at this point, we're officially on the downhill side of 4K with only 21 more days until we reach Baltimore, which seems crazy. We'll see what adventures the next few weeks bring!
Run happy,
Natalie
My aunt, uncle and I went to Pearl Street Market to walk around a bit, then decided to head to get some late lunch. We ate at The Sink again, which was perfect because I had really been tempted to try their veggie mac n cheese, so I was able to do that today! It was great to be able to spend time with them and catch up since they live so far from us in Missouri and we don't get to see them often.
When they dropped me off, I tried to catch up with some postcard writing. I also went with a few teammates to pick up Chipotle donations, plus we met up with Stephen, a staff member for the Ulman Cancer Fund who is going to be joining us tomorrow night in our run for a few days.
Right now I'm sitting at a laundromat waiting for my clothes to wash. Afterwards, I'm heading back and straight to bed! Today was pretty exhausting. Even though it was only a rest day, I saw a lot of people and walked around a ton. I am really in love with the city of Boulder. The size is great, the campus is beautiful, the mountains nearby are a huge plus and the people are very friendly and open. I could certainly see myself moving out here someday, so let's keep our fingers crossed.
Tomorrow we head out of the mountains for good, sadly. We'll be making our way to Yuma, CO, and running 13 miles each. I will definitely miss Boulder, as this was one of the towns I was looking forward to most. However, at this point, we're officially on the downhill side of 4K with only 21 more days until we reach Baltimore, which seems crazy. We'll see what adventures the next few weeks bring!
Run happy,
Natalie