Yeti Chase 10K in Lakewood

The conditions for my first 10K race this past Sunday were not exactly ideal.  The previous four days leading up to the race, I'd come down with an annoying little cold.  I was using up all of my efforts to get rid of it before Sunday's event, and pretty much succeeded.  By Sunday morning, I was feeling better, in that my throat was no longer sore, and my sinuses seemed to be clear.  Unfortunately, all of the rest that I'd given my body to get better did not serve as a good training tool for the run itself.

Luckily, the weather at Bear Creek Lake was really gorgeous on race day.  The sun was out, and we were looking at temperatures in the 50s by 10:00am.  The wind was really mild, and there wasn't a cloud in sight.  The course itself did present some challenges, though.  It was a fairly hilly run; much hillier than I'm used to running on the trails near our apartment.  There were a couple of times where I had to make myself walk in order to get my heart rate down, and get back on track.  And then the "rubber legs" started to set in.  I felt a little wobbly in the last couple of miles, and really started regretting that I hadn't had the energy to get in a couple more runs the previous week.

I really only had one goal in mind for myself on Sunday:  I wanted to finish the 10K in 1:08:00 or less.  This time would get me into a qualifying heat for the Bolder Boulder race over Memorial Day weekend.  In the middle of the race, I was seriously doubting the possibility of hitting this goal.  I was just having an "off" day.  But when I hit the 6 mile marker, I had 1:05:45 on my watch, and decided to give it my all to the finish line.  I must have summoned some of my husband's finish-line sprinting energy, because all of a sudden my pace quickened, and my stride increased.  In the end, I reached my goal, but just barely!  I hit the STOP button on my watch and it read, (not exaggerating at all) 1:08:00.  My official net time ended up being 1:07:56.

Last night, I submitted my time to the Bolder Boulder registration team.  I have quite a bit of work to do before Memorial Day, but I am determined to make it happen.  Maybe my goal on May 27th will be a sub-hour 10K!

National Stock Show and Rodeo

Corresponding with Denver Market Week, the National Stock Show in Downtown Denver always hosts their annual Rodeo Series to help entertain all of the western-wear customers and companies in town.  The hubs and I attended the Cinch Jeans Sponsored: "Colorado vs. The World" Rodeo Finals this past Saturday night.

I haven't been to a Professional Rodeo since I was a kid, and it was fun to see one of my company's brands hosting the big event.  I even got to see my CEO and Company VP ride in a horse-drawn wagon as one of the attractions.  haha   But my favorites have always been the Bull Riding Competition and the Barrel Racing.  I was not let down!

Denver International Western Apparel Market Week

Every year the Western and English Sales Association (WESA) hosts several market weeks here in Denver. For RMCC, the January market is the biggest, as we invite all of our sales reps and buyers to come see our Fall apparel lines on display.  Not only do they get to walk our elaborate booths, but for each day of the market, we also host 3 fashion shows.  Between the shows, the catered food, and our prime location at the Denver Merchandise Mart, this is a great way for us to start off the biggest season of our year!

The RMCC booth is decorated in western home style, with comfy
leather furniture everywhere and gorgeous wood fixtures.

Buyers and Sales Reps getting ready for one of our
fashion shows on Saturday.

RMCC Booth is on the 4th floor of the Merchandise Mart,
with a great view of the main floor below.

Being a newbie at the company required me to be a dresser for our fashion show.  It is a high stress job since there are only 7 dressers allowed backstage, each taking on 2 models each.  The guys had 15 outfits to change in and out of within 35 minutes, and then the ladies had 10 outfits in the remaining 25 minutes.  We had some quick changing going on!!  It took me a couple of days to get into the swing of things, especially since my model was also a rookie this year.  But we found our rhythm.  We all had a blast singing and dancing in the back to the show's music.  It was an extremely tiring and long week, but it flew by!  I already can't wait for next year, and only hope it's just as much fun.

I had the pleasure of dressing our resident celebrity of the week.  Koe Wetzel is an up-and-coming country musician from Texas.  We flew him up for the show because of his amazing personality during our most recent Southern Thread catalog photo shoot.  One of the highlights of the week was hearing him belt out his songs in the ST booth with nothing but a mic and a guitar.