Cortina d' Ampezzo and Lake Garda

Cortina d' Ampezzo is the one place we've been in our travels that I would go back to in a heartbeat!!There is no kind of mountain landscape like it! Cortina is located in the Dolomite Mountains in Northern Italy and a must see if you are in Europe!

So a few things we did this weekend:
- Went to see Tre Cime with Ian and Fran.
- I raced the Cortina Skyrace 20k
- Crosby did the Cortina Kids race
-Hayden ran the 120k (post-race interview here)
- We visited Lake Garda in Limon

Our Journey to Cortina d'Ampezzo:

Driving into the valley

We decided to drive to Cortina d'Ampezzo instead of flying because the drive was supposed to be only 6.5 hours. I thought, "oh with a baby, driving should be much easier than flying." Now I take that back. We got lost on the way there because the GPS took us off course to "avoid traffic." It ended up taking 10 hours, which became very hard with a baby that doesn't like to sit still. Next time we are flying!!  But hey, we made it and this view was worth it as we came into the Cortina valley at sunset!



Tre Cime de Lavaredo

The next day we went to Tre Cime with our friends Ian and Fran from Chile! You have to pay a 35 euro toll, but it is super worth it to go there! Ian and Fran are some of the coolest people we've ever met. Hayden met them at a race last year and they came to run Lavaredo this year. They are the best people. Crosby loved Fran. She is like that really fun aunt that everybody wants to be with. While Ian and Hayden ran, Fran and I hiked to Tre Cime. It was soooo stunning up there!

Our view from the top

Tre Cime meaning "Three Peaks"

My Race-The Cortina Skyrace 20k (12 miles, 3500ft of elevation gain)

Photo Credit: Jorge Saragossa

I  really wanted to do some races while we were traveling Europe, so I signed up for this one. I had heard that European racing wasn't like American racing because things were a lot more hilly, rocky, and rooty especially in a Skyrace. In a Skyrace, you are basically running up a very steep and rocky mountain!! I was particularly nervous for this race in Cortina, because the month prior when we were in Slovakia, I did a Skyrace called Poludnica. It was my first European race and it went absolutely awful! I was not used to that type of elevation gain (4900 ft in 7 miles), heat, and technicality, and I died hard core!! It was only 25k, but I ended up walking 10k of it after going out too hard on the first ascent. I decided I needed to train SPECIFIC for a Skyrace, which meant lots and lots of hill running  and technical trails. We would be in Chamonix for the next month, so I ran up as many mountains as I could. If you think you can run a Skyrace with training on roads and not a ton of miles, you might be in for a huge surprise! But when we fail, we must pick ourselves up and try again!! I knew I had to do that, so I still decided to still race the Cortina Skyrace.

Ok, now back to the Cortina Race. I was on a mission for redemption.  I wanted to prove to myself that I was in shape, could run a Skyrace, and do well on European trails. I may have been a little too hard on myself because I was only 10 months post baby, but I knew what kind of shape I was in. My goals for the race were to go out a little more conservative, never stop, and come away feeling like I had a decent race. I felt horrible for the first 6k, but then when we got to the steepest part, all of the sudden I felt fantastic!! I started passing people and was doing really well. I had no idea what place I was in, but towards the top I heard someone yell, 3rd female!! Holy cow! I couldn't believe I was up that far, I was thinking maybe 5th or 6th! After I heard that, it kept my motivation going and  I cruised up the rest of that climb and then was just flying on the downhill. I finished 3rd in 1hr 57 min and only 2 min off the winner.  Rachel Drake and Yiou Wang were first and second and they are amazing runners from the United Statess, so I felt good coming in near them!

Redemption earned-✔
Never stopped✔
Good experience/race✔

Cortina Kids Race
This was such a fun event put on by the race organization and we are so glad we were able to participate. Hayden carried Crosby for the 200 meter race because he obviously he can't walk yet. Below are some pictures from the fun festivities. I wish more races would do this, because it makes the weekend a family event and gives this race such a good, family-friendly vibe.

Dad and Crosby ready for the race

Look at that focus!! Pre-Race and hydrating, we taught him well

Lake Garda/Limon


We loved Cortina and wished we could've stayed longer to check out some of the area, but we still had the place we were renting in Chamonix, so we had to head back. We decided to split the trip up into 2 days to make it easier for us and the baby. After a few hours of driving we stopped in Limon which is on Lake Garda. This is a super beautiful place and a hot tourist spot for a lot of people, but not so touristy that we didn't like it. We stayed one night and then headed back to Chamonix.

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