Bump Up Sprints and Boulder's Hometown Mountain (Mount Sanitas)

Yesterday started with a good elliptical workout with mrC joining me on the treadmill. He did walk/run intervals and I did sprints. It was bump up day for me, so after a 10 minute warm-up, I did 15 sprints @ 20:40 work/rest. It felt good and I did not want to die, ha!

After our workout, we grabbed a low carb breakfast from the hotel buffet. You never know what you are going to get, but usually the options are satisfactory to me. Basic, but good. The only way I can eat ham slices is with honey.

We had time to kill before meeting up with middleC after his finals, so we decided to go for a hike. Before we left, I got caught up on my PPB challenge. I did the over-due 40 burpees (15, 10, 10, 5) and a 2 minute plank (60, 30, 30).

Last year we hiked Royal Arch Trail and Woods Quarry in the Flatirons, so we wanted to hike something new. Mount Sanitas is considered Boulder's hometown mountain and is rated as a moderate plus hike.

The hike was a 3+ mile loop of three connecting trails that took about 2.5 hours with an elevation gain of over 1300 feet. It was the perfect hike for us ---> a little bit moderate and a little bit challenging.

We started the hike on the Mount Sanitas Trail which is recommended if you are looking for a workout. This trail definitely put our legs to the test, but there were plenty of places to stop and rest and take in the views.

This hike is probably faster if you don't climb off trail to get to the best seats to take your water break, but we couldn't resist taking in every part.

After passing over Mount Sanitas summit, we joined the East Ridge Trail and began our descent. This part of the trail was very technical and took a lot of concentration working our feet on the rock. It was definitely harder because I did not have my hiking shoes with me.

Although this trail was almost as challenging as the climb up, we did have fun following it through some interesting twists and openings. The last section did finally smooth out just before the next trail connection. And I have to share that my Miir Slate water bottle from Oiselle kept my water nice and cool. I've had it for years but because it's heavier I avoided using it. I'm so glad that I did! It was warm hiking in the sun.

The Sanitas Valley Trail was the final part of the loop. As it's namesake suggests, we were literally in the valley below Mount Sanitas. It was so peaceful and beautiful.

Although you can't tell from my photos, these trails were busy yesterday. We saw lots of other hikers, with and without their dogs, and lots of runners. I don't know how they can run on such technical trails, but they were doing it.

Throughout the hike, we enjoyed the beauty and fragrance of Boulder's flowers in Spring bloom. Of course we had to stop and smell them.

Speaking of flowers, we met up with middleC again for dinner and strolled along Pearl Street afterwards. It felt like we were attending a flower show. Planters of different colored tulips dotted the pedestrian street from end to end.

Do you prefer flat trails or technical trails for hiking/running?
Do you stop and smell the flowers?