Running Commentary

The Week That Was...January 22-28, 2012

2012-01-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

A great thing about having a hobby, such as running, is that you get to learn a whole new set of acronyms. Acronyms are great. They enable a sense of elitism, or clubbiness. They confuse the uninitiated. And, they allow us to further render unintelligible the English language. So, let's try a few out:

MUT
w/u
c/d
DNF
RBI
HR (two meanings to this one)
WS
WTC
PR
PB (two meanings to this one, too)
FKT
RT
PF

...and so on.

The beauty of acronyms is that they are endless. There's always a new one to learn. In recent weeks, I've learned a new one, and one I sure as hell wish I had no cause to discover: ITBS.

Yep, iliotibial band syndrome. In other words, that damn thing that's making the outside of my right knee ache when I run. As such was my week...

Monday: Easy - 5.75 miles in the dark on the Custis Trail in Arlington, VA.

Tuesday: Speedwork - 9 miles. Hit the Washington & Lee High School track in Arlington, VA. This great facility is about three blocks from my organization's office. The plan was to do a ladder workout (400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1200, 800, 400). Through the first half of the ladder I felt like I was flying. Worked my way up to the mile and run it at about 5:39. Everything was feeling great. Running hard, but not redlining. No doubt about finishing the workout without dropping off. Then, about halfway through the second 1200, the right knee started a-hurtin'. I pulled up 2/3 of the way through the 1200 to stretch and chill. Got mad...then got going again. Did two more 400s (each around 70 seconds) and called it a night. Jogged back to the hotel. Frustrated to feel so good fitness-wise, but end up hobbling.

Washington & Lee High School Track in Arlington, VA

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Off - went to see a PT guy in Boulder about the ITBS. He did a bunch of ART (another acronym! - active release therapy) and used KT (another!) tape to try and tackle the problem.

Friday: Off

Saturday: Long(ish) 16.53 miles. Early morning run with JY, WA, CB and JZ from Matthew Winters Open Space through Red Rocks, along the Hogback, a lap around Green Mountain (Lakewood) and back to the Hogback and Matthew Winters. Great time running with some great guys. Knee was solid until the descent down Green Mountain. Let the others continue on and walked the climb back up the Hogback on the Zorro Trail. To my surprise, those that didn't have a pressing time commitment waited at the top of Zorro and marched the rest of the way back with me. Good guys.

Will keep at the stretching, icing, rolling to address the ITBS. And, will, of course, take it as easy as is required. I'm also going to try some deep tissue massage to see if I can get things loosened up in the hips and legs (ouch). Moab 55K in February is looking dicey at best.

Crap...that's another acronym - DNS. I hate that one.

The Week That Was...January 15-21, 2012

2012-01-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

Decent week, all-in-all. Getting a bit frustrated by the on-again, off-again ache in the outside of my right knee. Weird how it comes and goes on a given run, even on a long 32-mile run. There's nothing consistent about the pain. It just comes and goes.

Sunday - Off - taking it easy after the PP50K the day before. 1.5-hour Bikram (hot) yoga session in the a.m. New sweat volume PR. Felt markedly better after this session than I did pre-yoga. Growing more and more convinced of the recovery value of yoga following a hard run (provided, of course, one doesn't push the body too far stretching-wise). Best of all, JP and I do the classes together. So great to see her in action. She is the star of the classes...strong, steady and so flexible the teacher looks at her with envy. I'm happy to be the "before" example to her "after," when it comes to yoga (and so many other things).

Monday - Soda Creek Loop - 8:01 miles; 1:14; 1,234 feet o' elevation gain. Squeezed this one in before picking up the kids. Pleased to feel very solid after the hard run on Saturday. Right knee - good.

Tuesday - Off - schedule

Wednesday - Treadmill - for the first-time ever, all the treadmills (and even the elliptical machines) were full. I wandered around trying to decide what else I should do. Finally a 'mill opened up and I hopped on. 2 miles@8:00 w/u; 1 mile@5:52; .5 recovery; 1 mile@5:49; 1.5 mile c/d. Was planning on doing 3x1-mile but the first two wrecked me. On the second mile repeat, I was literally counting steps, ticking off the 1/100ths over the last 3/10s of a mile. Couldn't believe how hard these were. One of those sessions, I guess. Knee - quiet.

Thursday - Mt. Sanitas - 6:38 miles; 1:09; 1,571 feet o' elevation gain. Lunch run from the office to the summit of Mt. Sanitas via the backside. An easy 21:38 from trailhead sign to summit marker. Lots of people out on the mountain today dressed as if it were summer. Knee - quiet until road run back to office, then a few pains.

Friday - Off - decided I would run the Southside 50K Fat A** on Saturday so opted to dodge the stress of squeezing in a run on a crushing workload day and conserve some energy for Saturday.

Saturday - Southside 50K+ - 32.35 miles; 5:19; 3,319 feet o' elevation gain. Got the tip early in the week from SY about this run. A group o' folks was planning to run a 50K route through the open space around Superior and Boulder. With 60+ degree temps forecasted, it wasn't a hard decision to make this another long training run to bookend last Saturday's PP50K. A nudge from fellow Evergreen-er Jason P. was all it took to seal the deal.

The run was a lot of fun. Wind was a bit of an issue through the rolling grasslands of Marshall Mesa, but not too bad. The run had a bit of everything...rolling, flat, hills...dirt, mud, snow, ice, rock...you name it.

Jason and I arrived just before the 7 a.m. start. Met a bunch of new folks from the Boulder/Lafayette/Niwot/Longmont netherworlds. Even managed to lure GZ out for a few miles. Funny moment...when I walked up to the start area, a burly looking guy steps out of a group of runners and marches straight at me with a very angry look on his face. For a few anxious seconds I was working hard to remember who I might have pissed off. In no time, I realized the burly-ness was actually a down jacket and the anger was a charade pulled off with great skill by non-other than GZ. Got the bear-hug rather than a smack in the kisser. Great poker face on that cat. Beware.

Ran pretty steady for the whole 50K. Had more than a few minutes the last five miles or so where I got to wondering what the hell I was doing. Running a long time doesn't always feel all that whippy. I found myself questioning whether it's worth it. A few hours later, I decided it was...for now.

Knee was solid most of the run, but barked a bit on the steady flat stuff that comprised the final 5-6 miles. Annoying.

For the week: 52.75 miles; 8:48; 6,123 feet o' elevation gain.

Blowing in the Wind

2012-01-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Man...that was one hell of a windy night. I was awoken multiple times as violent wind gusts rocked the house. I could actually feel the house flinch as I lay in bed.

92 mph wind gusts in Boulder.

The wind drove me to the rec center treadmill Wednesday late afternoon for a bit of monotonous fun. Six miles at one percent grade (2 miles @8:00; 1 mile @5:52; .5 mile @8:00 recovery ; 1 mile @5:49; 1.5 miles c/d). The second mile repeat hurt something fierce. Was literally counting footsteps the last 3/10ths of a mile to assure myself I was going to hold on. Was wasted for the last 1.5 miles. Not a great run, but glad to have gotten in a couple sub-6 miles, even though they were hard. Lingering effects of Saturday's long run?

Followed up the running with three sets of Romanian deadlifts, kettleball swings and a mad dash to pick up the kids on time from school.

Oh, and (knock on wood) not a peep from the right knee. Fingers crossed.

Looking out the office window here in Boulder at mid-morning, it looks like things have calmed down substantially. ~~Thinking a jaunt up Sanitas might be in order late this afternoon.~~

Jogged from the office to the summit of Mt. Sanitas. 6.38 miles; 1:09 roundtrip; 1,571 feet o' elevation gain. 21:38 from trailhead sign to summit marker. Lots of hiking. Trail conditions were near perfect, just a bit of wetness here and there. Lots of people out, and dressed as if it were May, not January. Beautiful day!

(Yet Another) Ponderous Posterior Re-cap, Plus the Week That Was...

2012-01-17T18:02:00.002-07:00

Definitely the highlight of the week was the Saturday morning trek down to Colorado Springs for the second annual Ponderous Posterior 50K. I can't say enough good things about this little jaunt around Manitou Springs. Great weather. Great course. Great people. Great organization.

Beyond the PP50K, the week was so-so. Had a couple days off and a couple of good runs. A quick run-down:

Monday: Soda Creek - 6 miles; 49:21; 838 feet o' elevation gain. Easy jog through this hilly 'hood.

Tuesday: Chautauqua - Mesa - Bear Canyon - Green Mountain Loop - 8:23 miles; 1:46; 2,887 feet o' elevation gain. An auditory celebration.

Wednesday: Off - work/family schedule ate up the day. About 7 p.m. I pulled into the rec center parking lot after driving up from Denver, got out of the car, took 10 steps in the freezing cold with my quads barking loudly at me and called it a day. Went home. Quads were aching from the hard run down Green Mountain on Tuesday - my first use of Micospikes this year.

Thursday: Off - not enough time in a busy day to get out. Good thing, too. The cold and wind were ferocious.

Friday: Elk Meadow Open Space - 6 miles; 1:10; 844 feet o' elevation gain. Thursday's wind had kicked up a lot of snow. This was a slog of a late afternoon run. Knee-deep snow drifts were everywhere. Ugh.

Saturday: Ponderous Posterior 50K - 29.15 miles; 5:47; (5:24 running time); 6,788 feet o' elevation gain. Ran to the car to lose the tights as people were gathering in JT's yard for the 7 a.m. start as warm weather was expected. By the time I got back to the house, everyone was gone. Nothing like a bit of tempo to start a 50K!

Caught up the the back of the pack as we entered Red Rocks. Slowly worked my way up to the lead group over the next mile or two. Had a great time running with PG, JY and TG, plus a host of new faces from across the Front Range. The pace was easy and the views/temps/company were perfect.

My right knee pretty early let me know that it wasn't happy. It was aching and occasionally bitching at me. I started thinking about dropping after the Incline. I'd never been up the Incline and really wanted to make the 2K climb up. The climb was tough, but manageable at our laid-back pace. Once up top, I decided to continue on to the aid station at the mouth of Waldo Canyon and see how things went. I took the descent down snow-covered road through Longs Ranch way easy. Knee was still grumpy, but holding up fine.

Starting up the Incline. Photo: PG.

A few folks were gathered at the truck taking on water and fuel (and PBR...not sure if that's water or fuel). Never really contemplated dropping at the truck. Figured it would take longer to wait for a ride than it would to finish the run. I nudged TG and off we went for the climb up Waldo. We pretty much ran all the dirt and hiked the icy sections as we made our way down into and up Williams.

I really enjoyed Waldo/Williams. We just ran/hiked steady and before we knew it, we popped out on Rampart Range Road for the final descent down to the Garden of the Gods and back to JT's place.

I was pretty happy with the run. No rough spots, no wrong turns and we finished strong. Knee was no worse for the wear, although the discomfort was/is frustrating. Hitting the foam roller, icing and stretching regularly to keep at bay what I suspect is some IT band stuff.

Great time catching up with folks back at JT's house and enjoying some fine post-race food and beers. Many thanks to JT for hosting and for everyone that took the time to mark the course. The CRUD South gang puts on one hell of an event!

Learned this morning that a large group of the 7 a.m. starters, including me, missed the out-and-back up Red Mountain, which explains why we ended up a bit short of a true 50K. Bummer.

Early Sunday I morning, I joined JP for my third-ever yoga class. This time is was a 1.5-hour Bikram yoga class, which meant even more sweating than the previous two sessions I've done this winter. I am convinced yoga is a great long run recovery activity. I feel so much better after these classes.

Sounds of the Trail

2012-01-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Running is a treat for the senses...the sights, sounds, temperature, wind, footing and smells all stimulate some aspect of our five senses, whether we think about it or not. Sometimes, though, a particular sense is activated and for a given run, that sense dominates.

So was the case on Tuesday's jaunt up Green Mountain as I was struck by the sounds of the mountain.

The run began around 3:30 p.m. from Chautauqua, climbing the old paved road to the Mesa Trail. The trail was, as expected, a mix of snow, ice, dirt and mud. No traction required (on the ascent).

I made my way over to the junction with the Bear Canyon Trail and started climbing. The further up I went, the more aware I become of the few sounds around me.

First, it was the pleasant gurgling of Bear Canyon Creek running beneath a layer of ice and snow, reminding me that even on the coldest days, our mountains remain invaluable water factories for the plants, animals and human communities that surround them.

On the climb up Green-Bear, I paused to listen to the distant caw of a crow, it's call forlorn and almost out of place on such a beautiful, sunny day.

Soon I was standing on Green Mountain's summit rock, marveling at the fact that there was no wind. None. It was perfectly still. I noticed then the constant, low rumble generated by the 97,000 or so souls moving around and going about their days down below in Boulder. Their collective sounds rolled up, combined and enveloped the mountain in a strangely comforting auditory embrace.

Green Mountain's summit marker. Photo: Brandon Fuller

Just then, the whistle of a train dropping down the side of Eldorado Mountain echoed through the hills, adding a new dimension of sound to the bass line of the city. The train's sound reminded me of hearing as a kid in Kansas the same distant whistle in the summer through my open bedroom window. To me the whistle is as much a warning as it is a reminder of movement, of going places...as in running.

On the run down Green's frontside, the dominant sounds became of my own making -- the scrape of Microspikes on ice and rock, or the satisfying "squench" when spikes found a solid purchase in firmly packed snow, propelling me around a sharp switchback.

Once back at the now dark Gregory Canyon parking lot, the sounds became those of others. A car driving down Flagstaff Road, a dog barking in the backyard of a house in the neighborhood adjacent to the open space.

The low rumble of humanity I heard atop Green's summit now was just the usual collection of individual sounds. The crows were quiet, and the train's whistle now was drowned out by the immediate din of the neighborhood.

Running is, indeed, a treat for the senses.

Distance: 8.23 miles
Time: 1:46 (Green descent - 20:57)
Elevation gain: 2,887

The Week that Was - January 1 - 7, 2012

2012-01-10T09:36:00.002-07:00

Ah yes...a new year. The time when many make new resolutions, big plans and look back to take stock of the year that just ended. I am definitely a big fan of that stuff. Thus, my resolution is to make some big plans as soon as I finish reviewing 2011.

Until then, I'll try to keep up the daily ultramarathon of work, family, running and volunteering.

So, the week that was:

Monday: Steady - 10.38 miles; 1:38; 1,105 feet o' elevation gain - Hiwan - the Ridge - Kittredge. Met up at DW's house and ran through two local 'hoods and snuck over to the dirt road that leads down into Kittredge. Ran down to Bear Creek, east down Bear Creek Canyon. Climbed back up via Kerr Gulch. Took the upper sneak back into the Ridge and retraced our steps to DW's house.

Tuesday: Tempo - 8:59 miles; 1:16; 384 feet o' elevation gain - Upper Bear Creek Road. Met up w/ Steve F. for this one. Two mile w/u jog up the road, then two miles of uphill tempo (6:31; 6:20). Actually, I did about 2.25 miles of tempo because I missed the prominent mile marker post. Turned around and did a mile easy, then two more miles of tempo (5:56; 5:55). One mile c/d.

Wednesday: Climbing - 5:12 miles; 1:06; 1,513 feet o' elevation gain - Flagstaff Mountain. Started late afternoon from Eben G. Fine and climbed up the trail to the sign that marks the loop atop of the mountain in 33:24. Trail conditions were decent, with constantly changing mix of snow, ice and dirt. Most of the descent was in the dark. Naturally, I had no light. Took me 32:50 to get down (a whopping 34 seconds faster than the ascent).

Thursday: Easy w/ hill fartleks - 9:23 miles; 1:18; 1,279 feet o' elevation gain - Ran a slightly abbreviated version of my 10-mile loop through the Soda Creek subdivision. Got in an extra mile on the bike path around Bergen Park. Toward the end of the loop my right knee started hurting - a very noticeable ache on the outside. Walked the last quarter mile.

Friday: 1 mile; 8 minutes - treadmill, Buchanan Rec Center. 6-7 miles was the plan, but my right knee objected. After some tense negotiations, I relented and headed to the weights. One and a half sets of squats was about all the knee would allow, so I scrapped that too and setting for a series of core exercises on the soft floor around the climbing wall where jP and CP were climbing. Frustrating, but was able to watch a lot more of the kids rock climbing that I would have otherwise.

Saturday: 23.25 miles ; 3:32; 2,137 feet o' elevation gain - Hooked up with CB for some early morning jogging. Started at the dirt parking lot at the Morrison exit of C-470. We headed north to Green Mountain running on the bike path along C-470, noting that the mountain ahead looked tantalizingly free of snow. As we drew even with the mountain, we called an audible and hung a right and did a loop around the southeast side of the mountain. We continued along to the snowier/icier north side before climbing steeply up to the signal towers (after I made a rather unglamorous butt slide down a steep, icy section of trail). We descended the west side of the mountain and ran the C-470 bike path back to the cars. I bid CB adieu (family commitments) and headed out for a nine-mile bike path/road loop through Bear Creek Lake park. My knee felt a little twingy now and then, but held up fine.

Lakewood's Green Mountain in the distance. From near Mt. Carbon.

Road down from the Bear Creek Lake dam, looking southwest.

Total: 67.49 miles; just shy of 10 hours; 7,253 feet o' elevation gain. Overall a very solid week. The knee issue that cropped up Thursday, and forced the day off on Friday was frustrating, but seems to be manageable (as it held up OK on Saturday's long run). Fingers crossed that it was a fleeting protestation.

On Sunday I sweated my way through my second-ever yoga class with JP. I sweated so much over the hour-long class that my fingers were pruned and I regularly found myself laying in my mat's very own private sweat pond. I feel like these sessions are great for long-run recovery. I felt so much better post yoga work-out than before. Hope to make these a somewhat weekly affair. After the class, I went home and read the NYTimes Magazine article on the injury risks of yoga. Good reminder to take it easy.

Closing Out the Year

2012-01-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

Running-wise, the last two weeks of 2011 had their ups and downs. The ups...some very nice runs. The downs...helping Santa unload a table tennis table and tweaking my back. He better get his truck lift fixed before he tries to deliver something heavy again here at Chez Jim P.!

The highlights:

Fairview High School Track - Boulder - hit this track late afternoon on December 20th before heading out to dinner with a good friend. Arrived feeling flat, not sure what I wanted to do. Thought about mile repeats and 800s. Problem was I felt tired, and miles seemed too long and 800s seems just a little less so. Settled on 8x400. Ran them all fairly strong, but started seeing stars at the end of the last few. Still, ran 'em all at a consistent pace (75, 75, 76, 76, 75, 75, 75, 74), which is something like a 5:00 pace.

This run was followed by some really, really good food at Pizzeria Locale on Pearl Street. Highly recommend this joint.

Bergen Peak - Evergreen - the annual Adamowski Christmas Eve run actually took place on Christmas Eve this year. Once again, a large group of runners from across the Evergreen area and beyond met up Saturday morning for a variety of local runs. Groups split up based on time/speed/interest. The nearly three feet of snow we got a few days prior made this an interesting run. I joined up with a group of eight heading up Bergen Peak. By turn-off for the Bergen Peak trail, we were down to six people off the front, with a pair of snowshoers leading the way, including Travis M. and Jason P. (let the Hardrock training begin!), as well as a few other locals.

Mid-way up the mountain the deep snow was taking its toll and I was starting to think snowshoes would have been the way to go. Meanwhile, the snowshoers and Jason were a couple minutes ahead and out of sight. After gaining the upper ridge and running along a bit, I saw the snowshoe tracks heading left directly up Bergen's flank. I opted to stay on the barely tracked trail and slogged my way to the overlook near the summit. I saw some snowshoe tracks there, but no people. I finished things up by making first-tracks over to the summit sign at the true summit.

After tagging the sign, I retraced my steps back down the mountain and ran straight home to jump into family stuff. Fortunately, our plans for the day weren't too vigorous because the slog through all the snow up Bergen Peak wasted me.

Beyond those two memorable (for me, at least) runs, it's been a series of road and treadmill runs here in Evergreen and from my dad's place in Kansas.

Looking forward to staying healthy and working hard in 2012 in the build-up to the Leadville 100 in August.

The Week That Was...December 12-18, 2011

2011-12-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Way delayed in posting this incredibly important data. Not an impressive week. Took a biz trip to D.C. Didn't run for three days in order to clear the system before a blood test.

Monday - Upper Bear Creek Road - 9.4 miles; 1:15 - Tempo run. Ran from the lake house with Steve F. for a couple miles before letting him dash on ahead. My legs were floundering due to the 17-mile tempo(is) run the evening prior. Got about 4.5 miles up the road when I met up again with Steve. Turned around and ran three miles of tempo with (OK, a few feet behind) him. Legs protested a lot, but held pace (6:18; 6:14; 6:08). Interesting experiment to run hard on such tired legs. Felt good (mentally).

Tuesday - Off - Travel to D.C.

Wednesday - Off - D.C. Needed to take two days off in prep for a blood test related to last summer's brachial plexus neuropathy.

Thursday - Off - Traveled home.

Friday - Hiwan Roads - 5:13; 43:24; 524 feet o' elevation gain. Easy run through one of the local subdivisions. Got the blood test in the a.m. Results at January doc appointment.

Saturday - Mt. Falcon Open Space - 16 miles; 2:56; 3,122 feet o' elevation gain. Hooked up with Woody A. for a 6 a.m. start. Plan was to run the v1 route (Woody was planning to double it.) We ran steady the whole time on snow-packed trails. Conditions were very good, with just a bit of ice here and there. We doubled the Ute Trail figure eight in hopes of finding Jaime Y. who was planning on running the same route, but started an hour later. We never came across him. I was pretty pooped by the time we got back to the lower lot. Watched with great respect as Woody set off again for the long climb back up to the picnic shelter. Went home and took a nap.

Sunday - Elk Meadow Open Space - 5.71 miles; 51:17; 844 feet o' elevation gain. Ran the Meadow View+ route from home. Easy.

Overall, a rather unimpressive week. That said, the Monday Upper Bear tempo w/ Steve was a lot of fun. And, the Saturday Mt. Falcon expedition with Woody was challenging and satisfying.

The Week That Was...December 5-11, 2011

2011-12-13T22:31:00.002-07:00

Pretty happy with the week, minus the unplanned days off (the increasingly common refrain...I know). Good quality efforts with some light intensity on Monday, more on Wednesday, a solid mountain run on Friday and a long, hard 17-mile tempo(ish) run on Sunday.

Strangely, I have been enjoying the road miles, something I have had a definite aversion to for years. I think I'm liking mostly because they aren't snow-covered, as the trails are up here. That said, I'm really enjoying the steady and quick turnover on the roads.

Anyway, this is what last week looked like:

Monday - Treadmill - 1:15; 10 miles - (all at 1 percent grade) one mile warm-up, then 8 miles at 6:58 pace followed by a 1-mile cool down. Felt great on this one. Started saying, I'll do 5 miles at the 6:58 pace. Got there, and said....OK, a 10K. Hit that. How about 8 miles. No problem. Could have gone for a lot more.

Tuesday - Off

Wednesday - Neighborhood loop; 1:09; 9.06 miles - Started from the house in the dark. Ran hilly route through a couple of the local subdivisions all while listening to Lucho on Endurance Planet describe smarter workouts than the one I was doing. Did make me up the intensity throughout the run, though. 811 feet o' elevation gain.

Thursday - Off

Friday - Green Mountain - Bear Canyon Loop. 1:47; 9.01 miles - Ran from Chautauqua to the top of Green Mountain via the backside. Great snow conditions on the Green trails - packed, dry snow, very little ice. Hit the summit rock in just over 41 minutes (disappointed with the time given the effort I put in). Headed back down to the four-way and cruised through a knee deep snow trough down into Bear Canyon. Only a couple handfuls of people had been down that trail since the last snow. Made steady progress down the canyon to the Mesa Trail and back to the car. Felt darn tuckered after this one. 2,849 feet o' elevation gain.

Saturday - Evergreen Lake - Hiwan Hills Loop - 1:09; 6.69 miles - Easy jog from the house down the Peoples' Path to Evergreen Lake and back via Hiwan Hills 'hood. 799 feet o' elevation gain. Still feeling the Friday mountain run.

Sunday - Golden and Clear Creek Bike Paths - 2:02; 17 miles - Long tempo(ish) run starting in downtown Golden. Wound my way around the Coors plant and picked up the Clear Creek concrete bike path. Ran it deep into Wheat Ridge and returned. Started around 4 p.m. and was quickly running in the dark. Decided to make this a pretty hard run. Average pace for the 17 miles was 7:09, including a one-mile w/u and c/d. Pretty happy w/ this one. 461 feet o' elevation gain.

Yesterday, Monday, I had plans to meet up with Steve F. in the a.m. for some tempo work on Upper Bear Creek Road. I was feeling a bit wrecked from Sunday night's long run, but still kept the man-date. I warned him at the onset I likely wouldn't do the tempo work. After the four mile jog up the road, I changed my mind. Decided to see if I could make the tired legs go. We ran three miles of tempo (6:18; 6:14; 6:08). Legs weren't happy, but I sure was after it was over. Felt good to push through the fatigue.

Took today off.

Must admit to being a little bummed I shelled out the bucks for the Leadville 100 now that the Run Rabbit Run 100 is being offered. I really enjoyed the Run Rabbit Run 50 in 2010. Fantastic terrain around Steamboat Springs. That said, I'm still very much looking forward to the Leadville experience.

Dog Tired...

2011-12-07T14:52:00.001-07:00

Cisco.

Before.

After.

View to the west from the Elk Meadow Dog Park.

Maya wondering if that noise was a squirrel.

You Never Write...You Never Call...You Never Post...

2011-12-07T11:54:00.001-07:00

Slowly setting back into the running routine. Consistency is getting a wee bit better, but still struggling schedule-wise.

Quick recap of the fortnight that was:

Monday, November 21: Off

Tuesday, November 22: Drove to Woody Creek (just down-valley from Aspen) for Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, November 23: Rio Grande and Sunnyside Trails - 20.81 miles; 3:31; 3,711 feet o' elevation gain. From the rental house, I ran up the gentle grade of the Rio Grande Trail, which is an old railroad bed, to Aspen. As I was running along the Roaring Fork River in town, I saw a sign pointing to a singletrack trail that climbed to the east. Sunnyside. The trail, aptly named for it's on the sunny side of the valley (less snow/mud!), beckoned me with an alluring coo.

So, I started climbing. Glorious. Big views. Nice temps. I figured the trail would climb for a while, then drop down Smugglers Mountain and back to town. To make a long story short, the trail never dropped, but the sun did. After slogging through snow, abandoning an ill-fated attempt to bushwhack down in hopes of meeting the family at the pre-arranged time/location (I already was 30 minutes behind schedule), I finally admitted my trail sense was failing me and I turned around and ran back down the way I came. I was a good hour and a half late. And, it was now dark. The plan was to meet at the Aspen Recreation Center. I had to ask directions from a guy driving a Ritz Carlton Hotel van. "Where's the rec center?," I asked. "Just a quarter-mile up Maroon Creek Road," he replied. Turns out its quite a bit further than that. The good news is, he picked me up as I was slogging up the road and gave me a ride the rest of the way.

By the time JP returned from the rental house to pick me up (they gave up and went home), I was a muddy, bloody (lots of fun traipsing through brambles during the aborted bushwhack attempt) and starving mess (no calories on this run). Definitely learned a few things about admitting defeat sooner and not digging oneself deeper into an already head-height hole. I had a lot of apologizing to do.

Thursday, November 24: Rio Grande Trail - 6.01 miles; 51 minutes; 361 feet o' elevation gain. Headed south on the Rio Grande Trail from the rental house. Easy, recovery pace (definitely feeling the previous day's run). Three-mile out-and-back. Didn't get lost.

Friday, November 25th: Rim Trail, Snowmass - 6.4 miles, 1:18, 1,100 feet o' elevation gain. Dropped CP and jP and my nephew off to ski at the upper village at Snowmass. Put on the running shoes and headed out from the skiing parking area. Found a trail that headed up and took it. Turns out it accessed the Rim Trail, a great ridge-top trail the runs along the spine of the mountains surrounding parts of Snowmass. Snow and mud were prevalent, but not too bad. Topped out at an interesting polished granite circle with a yin/yang symbol in the center. Wasn't expecting to find that on a trail run.

Steve HappyTrails makes good use of granite yin/yang thingy during warmer months. Photo credit: HappyTrails

Saturday, November 26th: Off. The whole family went to Ajax to watch the Women's World Cup ski race. Today was the giant slalom. (The slalom race was the next day - Sunday.) This was a LOT more fun than I was expecting. Very exciting to watch the skiers fly down the mountain, weaving in and out of the gates.

The finals were rip-roaring fun to watch. A large timer told you what the skiers' splits were at different points, so the excitement would build as racers vied for the best combined time of their two runs. American Julia Mancuso made the podium with third. Lindsey Vonn was 12th.

The gang awaits the final giant slalom runs.

By the second runs, the bottom of the mountain was in the shadows.

Another highlight was I won a free parka by answering a trivia question shouted out by the race announcer: "How many world cup victories does Lindsey Vonn have?" I threw up my arm...I was called on...and with great authority (I was guessing) I shouted, "Three!" Right. Who knew?

Sunday, November 27th: Troublesome Gulch/Elk Meadow - 9.62 miles; 1:25; 1,123 feet o' elevation gain. Easy jog.

Monday, November 28: Treadmill - 8.25 miles. Squats/leg press, etc...

Tuesday, November 29: Upper Bear Creek Road - Tempo - 10.01 miles; 1:16; 334 feet o' elevation gain. Met up w/ Steve F. We jogged up five miles, ran down one mile then started the tempo portion of the day's program. Ran three miles at 6:02 pace. Felt very solid. Could have done (one) more.

Wednesday, November 30: North Table Mountain - 6 miles; 59 minutes; 874 feet o' elevation gain. Easy run.

Thursday, December 1: Off

Friday, December 2: Flatirons' Doorstep Run - 7.37 miles; 1:15; 1,269 feet o' elevation gain. Post-work run from Chautauqua up to the Mesa Trail, over to Bear Canyon and down. Then ran a bunch of trails just above the 'hoods to get back to the mesa just south of Chautauqua. Lots of snow. Finished in the dark.

Saturday, December 3: Alderfer-Three Sisters - 6.10 miles; 1:08; 914 feet o' elevation gain. Figured it was time to give Maya a double dose of fun - trail run and fresh snow. A good eight inches of fresh powder greeted us. Maya loves this stuff. Me...not so much. She runs full speed and buries her snout in the powder as she cruises along. It's heart-warming to see that kind of joy from a dog. Slogged out six miles in the snow, breaking trail in a lot of places. Very cold out.

In other news, due to the fact that kisses from JP were getting fewer and fewer, I gave up the no-shave November facial hair on Saturday. No one, including me, missed it.

Grrrrrrr.

The Week That Was...November 14-20

2011-11-21T11:54:00.001-07:00

Were it not for the schedule-induced (er...the "I hate running early during the week") gaps, this would have been a solid week. If not solid from a mileage standpoint, the week was solid from a quality standpoint with some tempo and a good long run.

Monday - 7.1 miles; 50:56 - Worked from the LoDo office. Got out on the Cherry Creek bike path, pressed for time, just as it was getting dark. Was feeling a bit lackadaisical, but decided to get after it a wee bit. No warm-up. Just started going. The miles went like this (7:16, 7:00; 7:09; 7:15; 6:33; 6:20).

Tuesday - 7.2 miles; 60:00(ish) - Long day at work, but managed a trip to the rec center around 7:30 p.m. Hopped on the treadmill. Did five miles at 8:06 pace at 1%, 4%, 1%, 5%, 1%, than a mile at 6:58 at 1% and a c/d mile at 9:5 at 1%. Jumped into a lower body workout post-run (squats, abductor/adductor, dumbell lunges, etc...)

Wednesday - off

Thursday - 5.26 miles; 36:37 - Squeezed in a quick run from the LoDo office on the Cherry Creek and South Platte bike paths. Just aimed for getting in five miles (7:22, 6:59; 6:35; 6:42; 6:23; .26 c/d) before I had to leave to head back to Evergreen for a land trust board meeting.

Friday - Planned on running. Even had the shorts on for most of the afternoon. Just couldn't get away. Frustrating.

Saturday - 20.48 miles; 3:03; 1,455 feet o' elevation gain - Woody A. hosted a fabulous run at his place in Highlands Ranch. A great group of 16 area runners gathered for a jaunt in the Highlands Ranch Backcountry. True to word, there actually is some backcountry there. Tons of trails, too. I was surprised at how much there is to run out beyond and within that vast subdivision. We were treated to a post-run feast at Woody's place. Many, many thanks to Tanya and Woody for hosting us all. It was really great to re-connect with friends and make new ones. And, it was swell to put a few new faces to blog personas - Chris B., Wyatt H.

Most of crew pauses for a pic at the tail-end of Saturday's run.

Sunday - 8.39 miles; 1:44; 1,693 feet o' elevation gain - A.M. - JP and I went to a morning yoga class, my first-ever exercise class of any kind...ever. Hell of a workout. Tons of stretching, sweating and core work. Very satisfying, and humbling. P.M. - Early evening run up and around the upper loop on Bergen Peak. Took Maya with me. Got about 30 minutes in and had to break out the headlamp. Ran easy due to snow/ice in the trees and upper ridge. I was amazed at how well Maya navigated the dark trail (and surrounding environs) in the dark. Sure would be great to have eyes that functioned that well in the darkness.

The Week That Was...

2011-11-15T16:01:00.001-07:00

Starting to get back into some structure and a wee bit o' consistency, albeit with some scheduling struggles. Solid week with a couple of quality days and some good runs in between.

Did all the runs this week in a pair of Saucony Peregrines. I've had these shoes since early summer, but haven't run much in them. Used them mostly as walking around kicks. Decided to try them out again since I was doing a fair bit of non-technical running (Sunday being the exception). I really like them...light weight, minimal heel drop.

Monday - off

Tuesday - Tempo - Upper Bear Creek Road - 1:13; 10 miles; 434 feet o' elevation gain. Jogged five miles up the road from the Evergreen Lakehouse, the turned around and headed back. Stuck in two miles at 6:10 - 6:15 on the way back. Perfect chilly, sunny Colorado day.

Wednesday - off (unplanned) - Work schedule got the best of me and wasn't able to get the run in.

Thursday - Hill repeats - Quarterhorse Road - 4.64 miles; 40:18; 706 feet o' elevation gain. Pressed for time. Hauled myself the mile or so over to the bottom of Quarterhorse Road and did 3x3-minute hill repeats. Each was about .4 mile in length on a fairly steep dirt road. The plan was for 6x3-minute, but time was fleeting and had to cut things short.

Friday - Easy - Buchanan Rec Center - Troublesome Gulch - 55:20; 6.12 miles; 540 feet o' elevation gain. Easy jog with Steve F. Felt really solid and fresh. Great feeling. Hit the weights at the rec center post-run. Long series of squats, Bosu ball/dumbell squats, dumbell lunges, leg press, hip adductor/abductor machine, back extensions and calf raises.

Saturday - Easy - Buchanan Rec Center - Elk Meadow - Troublesome Gulch - 1:28; 9.01 miles; 928 feet o' elevation gain. Early morning run around the Meadow View trail in Elk Meadow followed by a run down Lewis Ridge Road and up Troublesome Gulch to complete the loop. Ran with Steve F. and Steve G. Wind really started kicking up the last couple of miles. Major stop-in-your-tracks gusts testing our mettle.

Sunday - Moderate - Bergen Peak Upper Loop - 1:35; 9.41 miles; 1,868 feet o' elevation gain. From the house, ran up the neighborhood access trail to the upper lot at Elk Meadow Open Space. Ran the upper loop clockwise. Trail conditions were pretty good with the icy sections confined to the dense tree sections. Hit the Summit Trail intersection in 49 minutes flat. Steady, but not hard effort. Felt great. Back down via Too Long, Meadow View and Painter's Pause. Finished up in the dark with a mile of pavement.

I really enjoyed and respected Aaron K.'s pursuit of the Free Fall Marathon course record. Not only did he nab the CR, he also set a marathon PR in the face of some fierce Colorado winds.

With a month and a half to go in 2011, is it too early to declare the top 25 beers of the year? Apparently not. My ~~favorite~~ most-feared...the Mangalitsa Pig Porter, brewed with five cold-smoked pig heads and a bag of pig bones.

Weekend Jogging

2011-11-06T12:46:00.002-07:00

I'm trying to recommit to working on my body's weaknesses, which pretty much means everything. So, at least twice a week to the rec center gym will be part of the routine through the winter and into the spring.

I did this two years ago, and had some good results from core work and over all strengthening...fewer injuries, form holding up longer during epic runs, etc... This past year, well, not so much...

So, a new commitment.

In that spirit, I hit the gym twice this week, but really only hit the weights once, which was Saturday evening. After a six-mile treadmill run (8:30; 7:30x2; 6:30; 8:30x2), I stepped into the squat rack (3 easy sets of 10 reps at 135 lbs), 3 sets of lunges with dumbells, then onto the hip abductor machine and the quad raise machine. (Then the sauna.) Figured that was enough for a start. Didn't want to be too sore for the Sunday morning long run.

Morning

Today's long(ish) run was 16 easy miles (2:34; 1,672 feet o' elevation gain) with Steve F. looping southeast from Elk Meadow's lower lot through the Ridge subdivision and into hills above Kittredge via an unmarked connector. Once down to Bear Creek, we ran a few miles through a neighborhood and into O'Fallon Open Space before ascending Kerr Gulch Road and sneaking back into the Ridge via another unmarked connector. Jogged back to the cars via roads through the Ridge and Hiwan 'hoods.

The pace was very easy, but it didn't feel that way. After the first six miles, my glutes and groin muscles were barking at me, "Why the squats and the hip abductor machine before a long run, you idiot?!"

Still, made it through the run. Everything will feel much better, and I'll be glad to have the first workout soreness bit done. Eager to see if I can stick with the plan. I'm sure it will pay dividends by the time summer rolls around. Wouldn't mind some additional muscle strength for that double crossing of Hope Pass.

Afternoon

Headed out in mid-afternoon for a hike in the Mt. Vernon/Beaver Brook Open Space off the Genessee Exit off I-70 with J and C, along with Cisco and Maya. We did a bunch of exploring down an old two-track, which C named the "Old Bridge Road" for the rotten remains of an old bridge we came across. We probably hiked a good four miles with a significant amount of on and off-trail elevation gain. We had a really great time...letting the dogs roam, romp and explore while we did the same. Good times.

Juniper berries. Photo: CP

C & J and Cisco.

Knowing Your Limits...or Not

2011-11-05T12:19:00.000-06:00

So, yesterday I posted that signing up for the Leadville 100 trail run scared me. It isn't Leadville, per se, that scares me. I'd likely feel much the same had I signed up for any other 100. And, it's not the distance that scares me, although I certainly have a healthy dose of respect for it.

What scares me about the 100-mile distance is the mental aspect.

I think I have the mental toughness to grind out 100 miles, mind you. I worry, though, about whether I have the perspective required to know when to quit.

Last year at the San Juan Solstice 50, I out-ran my training and finished better than I should have given the work I'd put in. In the process, I ended up a shaking, shivering, aching mass of skin and bones at the finish line. I could barely move. The woman offering free massages at the finish ordered me off her table into a chair and she practically force-fed me electrolytes. My piss was a lovely earth tone color. Not good.

A few days later, I spent two days in a hotel room bed in D.C. wracked with the worst flu I think I've ever had. A few days after that, I was having an MRI on my cervical spine to try and figure out why I had intense pain that felt like someone had dumped hot lead on my shoulders and let it drip down my arms.

Fast forward to November and I'm still recovering from a gem of an auto-immune-connected brachial plexus neuropathy, which basically means my body turned on itself and started treating nerve cells in a nerve cluster beneath my right collarbone as the enemy. In the process, I chewed up some of my very own (and important) nerve cells, causing all sorts of issues down my right arm...loss of strength and fine motor skills, odd tingling and the long-since-gone pain. Fortunately, the body has slowly been doing its repair work and things are 85 percent or more back to normal.

Did I miss during the run signs that I was doing more than the usual damage? Did I find my limit and kept going? Or, did I simply get a dose of bad post-race luck, picking up a virus thanks to an immune system depressed by the exertion of running 50 miles and hitting the jackpot in terms of the rare auto-immune response to the virus?

No real way to know.

Undoubtedly, though, it's all connected to the race.

So, will I put in the time and effort to get to Leadville in the kind of condition necessary to meet my yet-unstated goals? Will I manage to run to my potential, or better? Will my body endure the torture without another rebellion? Will I have the mental strength to quit if the signs point in that direction?

You know...come to think of it, answering those questions is exactly why I signed up for this race.

Nevermind. I'm not scared, I'm excited!

P.S. 8 miles yesterday late afternoon in Elk Meadow running the Meadow View-Plus route in the mud, slush and snow.

This scares me.

2011-11-04T20:13:00.000-06:00

When my beautiful wife got home tonight, I told her I'd done something that scared me (and it had nothing to do with the $15 "service fee."

More to come.

Consistency

2011-11-03T14:20:00.001-06:00

There's little doubt that consistency is a key to running success. I have been incredibly consistent lately when it comes to running.

The problem is that what's been consistent is my inconsistency.

Work/family commitments have kept me running in place...kid activities, work projects, board meetings, late nights, early mornings... It all adds up to fewer and fewer places to squeeze in the daily run.

So, I've been trying to make the most out of the times I can run. Most runs, when they happen, fit into the "quality" category - tempo runs, intervals, long runs, etc...

Last week, for example, during a trip to Washington, D.C., I got in a nice 20-mile jog from my hotel up into the upper reaches of Rock Creek Park. Two days later, on Tuesday, I ran did an eight-mile bike path run with 4x800-meter repeats (3:00; 2:50: 2:50; 2:39) in the middle. Got in a couple local jogs, too.

So far this week I managed a 14-mile hilly jog on Sunday and the first treadmill workout since last winter. I actually enjoyed the 'mill yesterday. I did 2 miles@7:30 w/u followed by 1x1 mile at 5:49; 1x1 mile at 6:30; and, 1x2 miles at 7:30; 1x1 mile at 8:30 and wrapped it up with a half-mile speed hike at 14 percent grade. Nice workout, but I could feel effects of the inconsistency and depressed mileage. My plans to do three mile repeats under 6 were scrapped after the first one. My fitness is just too far off. Felt good, though, to sweat. And, the local rec center has new treadmills. The one I used can go up to a 30 percent grade. Very solid, impressive machine, as treadmills go.

I realize I need to make a commitment to getting up and running early in the morning, at least on the day's when JP's and my schedules align and the early mornings are available. Consistency takes commitment...and that's what I need to work on.

Looking Ahead

I've also just begun thinking about what I want to do running-wise next year. I've been mulling over giving the Leadville 100 a shot. I remain interested in tackling a 100-mile race. I'm not excited about the course, but it's local(ish) and logistically much easier to manage. By the time I make a decision, though, I'm sure the race will be filled.

I also might toss my hat again into the Wasatch 100 ring and see if the Lottery Gods like me this year.

Or, I might just stick with the marathon (Pikes Peak) and 50-mile distance (Run Rabbit Run). It's looking like I will not be around in June for a return to the San Juan Solstice. That's a bit of a bummer as I'm keen on trying to break 10 hours on the non-snow course. There's a good chance, though, that I will run the Safaricom Marathon in Northern Kenya at the end of June instead. Fingers crossed on that one.

Time to go for a run.

Thursday Jogging

2011-10-20T18:49:00.001-06:00

Easy early afternoon jog around Elk Meadow Open Space.

Distance: 7.2 miles
Time: 1:04
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Sunny and warm(ish)

Completely uninteresting (compared to what, oh Exciting One!?) jog around the Meadow View loop at Elk Meadow Open Space. Ran today with Steve F. Definitely feeling the effects today of a series of lunges I did post-run yesterday. My ~~ass~~ glutes is are sore! Reminds me of how badly I need to get back to the gym now and then. That's what winter's for, I guess.

The easy pace had me looking around at a summer's worth of trail impacts.

The crushed gravel Painter's Pause trail, which already was a good four feet across and smooth, now has a hard dirt singletrack trail running alongside it, separated from the main trail by about three inches of grass. Seeing that got me to wondering...why do people walk on the side of perfectly good, smooth, well-maintained trails? Surely I'm not the only one that likes single track singletrack, am I? Don't other people hate seeing braided trails? Don't others' hearts sing when they see a single ribbon of dirt heading off through a meadow, over a hill or across a vast stretch of tundra? Am I in the minority on this?

Which leads me to another question I've been wondered about for a while. Why are there not regular volunteer trail days at individual JeffCo Open Space parks? (I know they have occasional volunteer days here and there, such as the recent one at North Table Mountain.) Elk Meadow has a resident ranger. That park is the centerpiece of North Evergreen. Surely there are many people like me that would jump at the opportunity to donate some sweat equity several times a year to our beloved trails system.

820 feet o' elevation gain.

Tuesday Tempo on Wednesday

2011-10-19T23:19:00.003-06:00

I like alliteration, so I'm sticking with the Tuesday tempo run, even if I have to do it on Wednesday.

Distance: 8.2 miles
Time: 58:44
Effort: Hard
Body: Fair
Weather: Sunny & Cool

Last week was the first decent week of consistent running since the mysterious neuropathy issue popped up following the mid-June San Juan Solstice 50. It wasn't a big week mileage-wise, but it felt solid with six days on the trails. It looked like this: 53.76 miles; 11:30; 12,578 feet o' elevation gain.

Following Sunday's 24-miler in the Lost Creek Wilderness, I was pretty whooped. Took Monday off to recover a bit. Ended up taking Tuesday off as well due to work/family schedule issues. So, time to get after it a bit today.

Headed over to Teller Farms in Boulder to get in a bit of turn-over at a tempo effort. The plan was to run tempo for 45 minutes.

Parked at the lot off of Arapahoe and started quick right off the bat due to time constraints. I must admit to still feeling the effects of the Sunday run...even with two days off. The fitness is still proving to be elusive.

Did my best to hold a tempo pace along the old farm roads, past lakes, cows and fields. Hit Valmont Road and ran a quarter mile west and picked up the continuation of the trail and proceeded on until about the four-mile mark.

Turned around and continued the tempo effort (if not pace) up to the 47-minute mark in the run (the extra two minutes to make up for a brief bathroom stop and having to wait on a flagman on Valmont Road (the whole road is being re-done).

Never felt good on the run, but got it done. Perfect running temps.

Add This to Your Must-Run Loops List

2011-10-16T23:59:00.000-06:00

The Goose Creek Loop in the Lost Creek Wilderness Area should be on every Colorado trail runner's to-do list, especially in the fall. Spectacular scenery, great trails and a decent amount of elevation gain.

Distance: 24.27 miles

Time: 6:16

Effort: Easy

Body: Poor

Weather: Perfect - sunny and cool

I've been eyeing the Lost Creek Wilderness Area for a long run for a couple of years now. It's a rare low-elevation wilderness area (8,000 - 12,400 feet), standing in stark contrast to many Colorado wilderness areas dominated by alpine habitat types. Plus, the LCWA is just a hop, skip and a jump from the Denver metro area. The LCWA was created by Congress in 1980 and is comprised of 120,000 acres (187.5 square miles).

On Friday I did a little online research, typing "Lost Creek Wilderness Area, loop" into Google. Out spit the Goose Creek Loop, which begins and ends at the Goose Creek Trailhead near Deckers. I saw a few pics from several backpacking reports and I was sold.

I was up and out of the house by about 5:20 a.m. on Sunday, bound for Goose Creek. By sunrise, I was driving up a washboarded dirt road through the Hayman fire burn area above Cheeseman Reservoir. (The 2002 Hayman Fire burned 138,000 acres.) The trailhead is about 12 miles from pavement on a very windy, but good (washboarded sections notwithstanding) Forest Service road.

Sunrise over the Hayman burn area en route to Goose Creek Trailhead.

There were a half-dozen cars in the large parking lot when I arrived, but no one was stirring. I figured the cars belonged to backpackers. With the rising sun casting a red glow on the Tarryall Mountains ahead, I set off down a buff, crushed granite-covered trail. The initial quarter mile winds through a burned section of forest.

Let the fun begin!

After that quarter mile, the loop begins with a choice. Go left up the forested Hankins Pass Trail, or right up the Goose Creek Trail. I figured any trail with "pass" in it's name would indicate climbing, so I figured I'd do that section first. Turns out, it was a good choice. I definitely recommend running this loop clockwise.

Typical Hankins Pass Trail scene - aspen, meadows and coniferous forests.

The Hankins Pass Trail heads up Hankins Gulch, repeatedly (at least in the opening couple of miles) crosses a small (unnamed on my map - Hankins Creek?) creek. At 4.5 miles is the first trail junction of the day.

At the junction, I hung a right on the Lake Park Trail, which climbed steadily up and over a few humps offering great views to the northwest into South Park.

South Park in the far distance.

After a couple miles, one enters the trail's namesake, Lake Park, an open meadow surrounded by mountains and granite outcroppings.

Lake Park. The sign reads "Lake Park. Elevation 10,880 feet."

After a bit of downhill through Lake Park, the trail climbs again to a saddle filled with amazing slabs of granite - a mere hint of the scenery to come. I think this saddle was the day's high-point at something like 11K feet and change.

I'd be running down the distant valley above in another hour or so.

From the saddle, the trail dropped down a north-facing, snow-covered slope. This was the only real snow I encountered all day.

Lake Fork Trail down a north-facing slope.

After the snow-covered descent, one hits another trail junction.

My NatGeo/Trails Illustrated map says I should have hit the McCurdy Trail, rather than Brookside. The map shows Brookside ending at an intersection further south with the "McCurdy Trail." Still, it was easy to figure out that I needed to turn right, regardless of the trail's name. (UPDATE: Map shows the trail as "Brookside-McCurdy Trail.")

From the junction, the trail winds through some heavily treed area and then emerges in McCurdy Park, another open meadow with a creek ambling through. This meadow was gorgeous, with big rock outcroppings out in its middle. Off to the right were other amazing rock formations, including an ominous looking granite sawtooth, the McCurdy Park Tower, which the maps marks as a climbing location.

McCurdy Park Tower

McCurdy Park.

McCurdy Park. Log cabin ruins at base of granite rock outcropping.

After McCurdy Park, the trail switchbacks down the eastern side of a long valley. The sounds of falling water are all around as the creek that flows through McCurdy Park tumbles down to meet up with Lost Creek at the valley's bottom. Lost Creek, the wilderness area's namesake, gets its name because it "disappears" a couple dozen times beneath the ubiquitous granite and reappears again downstream. Once Lost Creek emerges from the valley and all the granite, it becomes Goose Creek.

As one gets near the bottom of the valley, the views open up and the most sublime scenery of the trip unfold below. This area feel unworldly, or at least un-Colorado. It sorta feels like Utah, with granite instead of sandstone. Big rocks. Canyons. Incredible. It was here that I saw my first people of the run, two backpackers who were shocked (!) to learn I was running their multi-day loop in far less than a day.

There were a lot of yellow left on the aspens, but the leaves were falling fast.

A spot on Lost Creek where the creek emerges from granite near Refrigerator Gulch

There are lots of places where small tunnels or arches are created by the haphazardly placed rocks and boulders.

From the head of the valley down which Lost Creek flows, the trail initially hugs close to the creek. Soon, though, the trail climbs the north side of the valley to get around major rock outcroppings. It drops and rises multiple times, quickly padding the elevation gain totals.

After several miles, the Goose Creek Trail enters from the north and the McCurdy Trail ends. After several more miles of ups and downs now on the Goose Creek Trail, one passes a trail spur that leads down towards the creek to some historic buildings, the remnants of a failed attempt to dam the creek (the area dodged a bullet there!). I by-passed the buildings due to time and flagging energy.

Once past the spur, the trail opens up and follows an old (wagon?) road bed, the grade and surface of which reminded me of the Bob's Road section of the Barr Trail.

Soon, the trail dropped back down to the creek, flattened out and suggested the homestretch was near.

Sure enough, after crossing a solid footbridge over Goose Creek, I re-entered a Hayman fire burned section and soon was standing at the Goose Creek/Hankins Pass trail sign. Another quarter mile climb and I was exiting the wilderness area.

Looking back down toward the Goose Creek/Hankins Pass junction.

Done.

This has got to be one of the best long trail loop runs I've done in Colorado. Sure, it doesn't have the grandeur and high altitude of the Four Pass Loop in the Snowmass-Maroon Bells Wilderness, but it has such unique scenery that it should be on the list of any Colorado trail runner. And, fall has got to be the absolute best time to run here. When I was there, the aspens were a week or so past peak, but still spectacularly ablaze with color. I strongly recommend running this one!

My legs today had no pep and I walked a LOT more than I normally would, plus I had an hour of picture-taking/scenery gazing/bathroom breaks. So, a more reasonable run time would easily be in the five-hour range.

Pikes Peak was visible at several places on the run. This pic from the road on the drive back to pavement.

There's still time to hit this one before the snow flies.

5,840 feet o' elevation gain.

Bull!

2011-10-14T10:27:00.003-06:00

"May I see your registration and driver's license, please"

This guy was roadside as I drove the kids to school this morning. He was standing along Bergen Peak Drive, about 1/4 mile from the house. He was keeping watch over 10 or so cows, who were on the left side of the car grazing on the other side of the road.

Beats dealing with road rage-filled drivers on I-25!

Red and Green

2011-10-13T18:46:00.000-06:00

Red and Green? The question a waiter asks when you order enchiladas? Nope. Shorthand for the last two days of running.

Wednesday - Red

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 54 minutes
Effort: Hard(ish)
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and warm

Afternoon run squeezed in between work and family stuff. I was pressed for time and figured I could squeeze in a run right off I-70. So, I pulled off and parked in the park-and-ride just west of the hogback.

I headed up a steep trail to the ridge line of the hogback and started heading south on the rugged, very-rocky trail. I figured I had enough time to loop over to Red Rocks, pick up the Red Rocks Trail and cruise back to the car via Matthew Winters Open Space.

I dropped down off the hogback on a now-closed paved road and ran over to Red Rocks. I forgot I had about another mile of road running to get to the trail that would lead me back north. Now I was going to be late.

What was supposed to be an easy-paced effort quickly morphed into a tempo effort run up around the Fountain Formation rock outcropping and up to the Red Rocks Trail. Once on the trail, the real cruising began as the trail flattens out with some easy undulation.

Made it back to the car about 10 minutes behind schedule. Nothing some creative driving couldn't cure.

879 feet o' elevation gain.

Thursday - Green

Distance: 6.02 miles
Time: 1:19
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Sunny and warm

Looked at the day's calendar on the way into Boulder and realized the only chance I'd have to run was first thing in the morning (gotta remember that for the future...who knew?). So, I hung a left at Baseline and soon was parking at Chautauqua and gazing up at Green Mountain.

I had hoped to run the loop up Bear Canyon to the top of Green and down the backside, but there wasn't time. Instead, I opted to head up the frontside and down the back.

I took it easy on the ascent, knowing there was no point in punishing myself after the last two days of fairly hard running. Hiked a lot, ran the flattish stuff. Tagged the summit marker in about 41 and change.

Had a really nice time on the descent. Weather/temps were perfect. Surprisingly, I came across a lot of uncommunicative, grumpy hikers. Decided it must have been Dour Day on Green today.

Great way to start the day.

2,506 feet o' elevation gain.

One of Those Runs...

2011-10-12T10:08:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was one of those days out on the trails. You know the kind...a day when the leg muscles feel way more impressive than they are...when one's endurance feels limitless...when you look forward to the hard parts...and time seems to fly by way too fast. Yesterday was one of those days.

Distance: 6.46 miles
Time: 54 minutes
Effort: Hard
Body: Good
Weather: Sunny and cool

I left the house planning on a hard effort. I jogged about a mile to Elk Meadow Open Space and up the spur from the lower lot to the Painter's Pause Trail. At the junction, I started five miles of alternating one minute hard, one minute easy.

The first couple hard minutes felt...hard, but soon I was in a rhythm and the hard minutes felt good and the easy minutes were simply time gaps between the fun stuff. A few times I was tempted to keep rolling with the hard pace and skip the easy, but managed to stick with the plan for the 45 minutes (or so) of the 1/h x 1/e.

Ran an extended version of the Meadow View loop and finished up with a c/d jog through an adjacent neighborhood and down the hillside behind the house. Had an enthusiastic greeting from Maya and Cisco, who were rambling around the newly-fenced backyard.

Felt just great after the run, as well. One of those days...

Weekend Fun

2011-10-09T13:21:00.002-06:00

This was a tough week for running. Let's just say the work/life balance was non-existant this week. Any breaks I took from work were for post-school day family stuff. One and two a.m. bed times were the norm. As a result, I didn't run Mon. - Thurs. I can't remember a time when I missed four days due to work/family commitments.

The days off were made more difficult given the fabulous weather and the knowledge that it couldn't last.

And, it didn't.

We got the first snow of the year yesterday up here at 7,600 feet in the foothills. jP burst into our room around 7 a.m. yesterday morning proclaiming loudly, "It snowed!"

While I was grinning from groggy ear to groggy ear at his enthusiasm, I can't say I was glad to see the snow.

Thankfully, I got out Friday around 4 p.m. in the sun for a dash around the upper loop on Bergen Peak (8.2 miles; 1,631 feet o' elevation gain). Maya was along for the ride and showed no ill effects from her running lay-off. She was bounding ahead and exploring at will, easily adding another mile or so to her day.

After a Saturday morning of snow, the sun finally came out around mid-day, which was enough encouragement to get me our for an extended version of the Meadow View Loop at Elk Meadow Open Space (6.3 miles, 820 feet o' elevation gain).

This morning, I was up a bit early to meet up with David W. for a run at Alderfer-Three Sisters Open Space. We started easy from the lower parking lot and ran the eastern loop through the old Blair Ranch property and over to Elephant Butte, a Denver Mountain Park property.

We picked our way up the well-defined trail to the hump's summit. We spent a good 10 minutes soaking up the SPECTACULAR views to the west of the Mt. Evans group. Perfect morning.

We finished up with a couple more miles on the Alderfer trail system before piling back into the cars and getting on with the non-running parts of our days (6.2 miles, 1,597 feet o' elevation gain).

A few pics from the morning:

Early morning view of Evergreen Lake with mist rising.

Obligatory summit pic atop Elephant Butte with Mt. Evans in the distance.

The Mt. Evans Group.

Bergen Peak.

Looking south to Evergreen Mountain with upper Alderfer meadow in the foreground.

Elephant Butte from upper Alderfer meadow.

View of the Three Sisters rock formations from the upper meadow at Alderfer-Three Sisters Open Space

Hoping to get back into more regular posting here.

Maxwell Falls

2011-09-17T23:59:00.000-06:00

A nice clear-out-the-body-and-get-over-an-early-season-cold jog at Maxwell Falls, a local, hidden Forest Service gem.

Easy five miles on the trails around the Maxwell Falls parcel off Brook Forest Road. The trails were damp and tacky following a late afternoon rain shower. The sun peeked out a few times, brightening the trail and opening up the views here and there. Maya enjoyed the creeks and the easy romp.

Looking northwest from the Cliff Trail Loop

Looking northeast from the cliffs off the Cliff Trail Loop

Can't tell a dog to not look down.

Saw this feller on the way home, standing about 30 yards from busy Evergreen Parkway. His harem of cows was off to the right.

The bonus for this run is that I think it helped me finally kick the cold that's been hammering me since Monday. Onwards!

James Peak and Runnin' for Fun

2011-09-13T16:15:00.000-06:00

Getting back into some good, hard runs as my schedule allows. Managed a quick jaunt into the James Peak Wilderness on Sunday.

Running has been going well lately, when I've scraped together the time to fit it in. Work/family schedules have been crazy lately, so I've been plunged into the world of inconsistency. A biz trip last week to Mexico City (and 14+-hour work days) threw a big wrench into things.

I haven't been sweating much the inconsistency, especially since I don't have any races on the calendar yet. Still, I'm hoping to pick things up later this week and return to some facsimile of a running routine. Fingers crossed for less schedule craziness.

Recent running highlights included a trip to Mt. Falcon with JY and SY for a v1 circuit (14.3 miles; 2:16, 2,830 feet o' elevation gain), and an alpine sojourn on Sunday up James Peak (9 miles; 2:36; 3,048 feet o' elevation gain).

My namesake peak, James Peak, is an easy, close-in 13'er (13,294 feet) with access from St. Mary's Glacier. (Alright, the peak is actually named for a Edwin James, a botanist who was on an 1820 Rocky Mountain expedition.) If you go, there's parking in a couple of private lots below St. Mary's Glacier. I met the guy that owns the lots. He seemed like a nice guy, but he takes his parking rules seriously. Pay the $5 to park in his private lots so you don't get towed or have the sheriff show up with his ticket-writing book.

I was up early and running by about 7 a.m. There were a few campers stirring at St. Mary's Lake at the base of the glacier, but other than that, I had the place to myself. In fact, I didn't see anyone the entire day until within half a mile of the glacier on my return.

The ascent is pretty easy, with some steep stuff up through the trees and a lot of gentle running through the tundra flats before entering the wilderness area and beginning the ascent of James' long southeastern slope.

Heading up toward James Peak, about a quarter mile from wilderness boundary.

Looking south toward, I think, Grays and Torreys Peaks (right)

Mt. Bancroft (left) and James Peak (right)

I love these signs. James Peak to the left.

The James Peak Wilderness and James Peak Roadless Area were created in 2002 and encompasses 17,015 acres. The entire area only has about 20 miles of trails. It borders the Indian Peaks Wilderness to the north and the Vazquez Wilderness and Vazquez Roadless Area to the west. The Continental Divide Trail runs through it. This place should serve as a good reminder to all of us that things like new wilderness areas and new trails don't happen by accident. It takes years of commitment and the support of people like you and me to protect and expand our public lands. Plans for the James Peak Wilderness had been around for years before then-Rep. Mark Udall got it passed in 2002.

Take the time to make your voice heard on public lands issues you care about, whether that's night access issues in OSMP in Boulder, or new wilderness areas near the Front Range. Speaking of new wilderness areas, check out the Hidden Gems Wilderness proposal and let your reps in Washington, D.C. know you think it's worthwhile.

Looking down on Ohman (?) Lake with Mt. Bancroft looming above.

Ice Lake

View from the summit of James Peak toward Winter Park.

Chillin' summit style.

Looking back up-trail toward James Peak

Year round jibbing on St. Mary's Glacier

St. Mary's Lake

Fall was definitely in the air on this run. The wind was coming hard from the west, and I was pretty damn chilled anytime I stopped. Thank goodness for the 2-3 wind shelters at the summit.

I thought about descending to the north from the summit and dropping down to James Peak Lake and climbing back up to the tundra flats for the return to St. Mary's Glacier, but between the wind, the chill and the fact my allotted time was quickly dwindling, I opted to retrace my steps back to the truck.

A wonderful morning in the high country.

Mt. Falcon - Ups

2011-08-31T22:34:00.000-06:00

Solid run up the big climb from the lower lot, then sort of dragged myself around a big loop up top.

Time: 1:45
Distance: 10.3 miles
Body: Good
Effort: Hard
Weather: Warm and sunny

Heading over to Mt. Falcon in Morrison from an appointment in Englewood, I had that feeling indicating a good run was in the cards.

After lacing up the shoes, and setting off up the Castle Trail, it was confirmed...I was feeling pretty good. I hung a right on the Turkey Trot Trail and wound my way up through the early steep stuff. Still feeling good. I cruised up Turkey Trot to the intersection with the Castle Trail. Hit a split here - 19:20. Maybe I could PR the climb from the lower lot to the picnic structure.

I was focused on quick turn-over and a short stride, whizzing right by a half-dozen mountain bikers on the way up. Ran hard up the last switchback to the picnic shelter and looked down at the watch - 32:32. Not a PR. I was 1:13 off of my best, which is 31:19, set a while back when I was chasing Scott Jaime up that climb. Still, given the last couple of months of modest-at-best running, I was happy to feel good up that long (actually, just three miles - and 1,400 o' elevation gain) climb.

From the picnic shelter, I ran a bit more up the Castle Trail, took a left on the Meadow Trail and ran a big loop via the Parmalee and Castle Trails (counter-clockwise). I definitely mis-judged the length of the Parmalee Trail and ended up being out there far longer than planned. The last 1.5 miles (or so) down Turkey Trot were tough (and slow) in the fading light, especially since I was still wearing prescription sunglasses.

I'm still shooting for a sub-30 to the picnic shelter. I'm going to get that by the time the snow flies.

2,172 feet o' elevation gain.

U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge and the Week That Was

2011-08-28T15:03:00.001-06:00

Great time today watching the pro cycling parade of color whoosh by up on Lookout Mountain in Golden. A nice capstone to a solid week of running.

It wasn't until about 10 a.m. this morning when I decided to head over to the Lookout Mountain area to catch a bit of the U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge race. I've been watching each stage on Versus (thanks to whomever invented the DVR!). Time to see some of the action up close.

I parked over at the Mt. Vernon Country Club, about 3/4 of a mile from the junction of Lookout Mountain Road and Highway 40, both on the race's route today. I ran pretty hard about 3.5 miles to the King of the Mountains arch, then another half-mile to get down into the crowds. I figured if I was going to watch the race, I should do so among the rabid throngs that line the climbs.

I wasn't disappointed. The vibe was great, the crowd seemingly vibrating with anticipation. As the racers appeared below (great view of the switchbacks below from our vantage point), the spectators limbered up. There was the guy in the gorilla suit and viking helmet, a couple of guys in the now-ubiquitous Speedos, a few guys with their chests painted, a Gumby, a banana and a whole bunch of regular folks out on a beautiful morning watching a first-rate athletic event. Good stuff.

Proof that evolution continues.

I had to tell this guy that the racers were coming from the other direction.

Much waiting for a few seconds of excitement as racers whiz by.

King of the Mountains arch, post-race.

Here's a couple of videos. The first is the leaders blowing by. The second is what was left of the main peloton.

The week that was:

Monday: Matthew Winters/Red Rocks/Hogback - 1:19, 6.75 miles, 1,182 feet o' elevation gain. Tough day in the heat. Bonked hard.

Tuesday: Apex Open Space - 1:20, 8.3 miles, 1,210 feet o' elevation gain. Still hot, but was fueled and carrying water. Solid climbing. Good day in the heat.

Wednesday: Evergreen Mountain - 54 minutes, 5.68 miles, 1,052 feet o' elevation gain. Nice evening dog run. Had to use headlamp for last mile or two. Maya led the way on the climb. Perfect running temps.

Thursday: Elk Meadow Open Space - 42 minutes 5.18 miles, 579 feet o' elevation gain. Squeezed this one in post-land trust board meeting and dinner. Nice jog. Followed it up with short dog park jog with Maya and Cisco.

Friday: Off

Saturday: Eccles Pass Loop - 3:51, 15.07 miles, 4,049 feet o' elevation gain. So great to be back in the high country running. Eager to get out into the hills again soon.

Sunday: Lookout Mountain Road - 1:03, 7.31 miles, 671 feet o' elevation gain. Road run in the heat. Ran solid in both directions. On the out, I was driven by the desire to make sure I found a good vantage point before the riders appeared. Turned out I had plenty of time. Run back was harder (and hotter...thermometer in the truck said 87 degrees...and that's at 7,200 feet!

Totals: 49.23 miles in 9:29 with 8,854 feet o' elevation gain.

A solid re-building week. Very glad to feel like I'm getting back into things.

Eccles Pass Loop - Eagles Nest Wilderness

2011-08-27T22:14:00.002-06:00

This run had it all...gorgeous high country scenery, acres of colorful wildflowers, a hornets nest and a blood-covered mountain man. What else could one want in a 15-mile wilderness trail run?

Time: 3:51
Distance: 15.07 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Mostly sunny

A week or so I go, I saw a message on the Boulder Trail Runners listserv from Charles Danforth about a run he did in the Eagles Nest Wilderness in the Gore Range. The route, at a relatively modest 15 miles, promised spectacular high country scenery, some wilderness solitude and was only 40 minutes from home.

All that came as advertised, however I got a few bonus items, including a trailside hornets nest and the a blood-covered mountain man.

The route was the Eccles Pass Loop. After a bit more research, I found a post from Woody about his run around the same route. He too sang the loop's praises. I have been itching to get into them thar hills for some adventure, so with Woody and Charles' descriptions flitting about in my head, I decided to get up early and head to the Gores.

These signs always make my heart go pitter-patter!

I hit the trailhead around 6:40 a.m. and was soon off running up the Meadow Creek Trail. The plan was to run the loop counter-clockwise, so I took a right at the Lily Pad Lake Trail junction and made my way though much beetle-killed lodgepole to the namesake lake. It wasn't much to look at, but it certainly was an appropriately named body of water.

Lily Pad Lake - Eagles Nest Wilderness

After passing the lake, the trail continues on through dense forest, leaving the wilderness area, and dumps one out on a water storage tank service road. After a few minutes of head-scratching, trying to figure out how I could be on the edge of a residential neighborhood, I headed downhill onto a short stretch of asphalt and quickly found the Buffalo Cabin Trail trailhead. Soon, I came upon a sign gave me pause. After a quick map check, I hung a left and started climbing an old mining road. Before long, the singletrack began and the real climbing started as the rocky trail switchbacked steeply upwards. After five minutes or so, I came across a pair of hikers who politely informed me that I was climbing Buffalo Mountain, not cruising over to the Gore Range Trail. Glad I stumbled across those astute map readers or I would have added far more than just a couple hundred extra feet of elevation gain to my day. I realized that while I looked at my map at the last trail junction, I didn't actuallyread the darn thing.

Back down I went, headed to the last trail junction where I hung a left onto the Willow Creek Trail, which was very rocky and dropped very steeply down to Willow Creek. Soon, I was at the Gore Range Trail junction, where I started climbing up along Willow Creek.

First stop: Willow Creek Falls (just 50 yards off the trail - worth a quick stop!).

Willow Creek Falls

From the falls, the trail climbs steeply for a bit, then eases some and winds its way in and out of forest before things finally start to open up. As the meadows begin to get bigger, one can see a ridge looming above that promises something special. But wait, there's much to distract the runner before the ridge...the wildflowers! The place was a palette of color, with yellows, purples and reds everywhere.

The wildflowers were exploding with color.

Beautious.

After one final stretch of climbing, I crested a small ridge and was treated to the perfect alpine basin...bursting, yet again, with wildflowers, ringed by rugged peaks and embracing a number of small tarns. Spectacular.

Heading west toward Eccles Pass.

The first unnamed (at least on my map) lake I came to. Red Mountain (?) in the background.

Same lake from above. Buffalo Pass is that low spot in the center left of the pic.

A second unnamed lake just below Eccles Pass - the low spot in the pic's center.

Looking east to Buffalo Mountain.

Buffalo Mountain and Willow Creek Valley, the route I came up.

The final stretch up to Eccles Pass.

Once at the top of Eccles Pass, the views to the west were just as dramatic, with the rugged Gore Range to the north and west, Copper Mountain Resort to the west and range after range visible in the distance. Here's a video panorama from the top of the pass:

Looking west from Eccles Pass

Looking back up toward Eccles Pass from the west side after descending.

Trail sign down in the west side meadows.

As I came around a bend approaching a copse of trees, I was surprised to run into this guy. Turns out, today was the first day of bow hunting season and he'd already dropped a bull elk. I ran into him just as he was returning to camp with a trophy "for the barn." He'd butchered the elk up in the trees, hung about 300 pounds of meat and was headed back to camp to get his horse to haul it out.

The fruits of a day's hunt.

I spent about 15 minutes chatting with the guy and learning a bit about elk bow hunting. Turns out he had a couple of look-out spots where he'd caught glimpses of several moose, some mountain goats, a herd of deer and a small group of bull elk, including the unlucky one that met his fate today. The guy was fascinating to talk to, very friendly and a font of outdoors wisdom.

Butchering an elk is bloody business.

After the surprise conversation, I continued on downhill, winding my way through trees, over small streams and, finally, down a long old mining road back toward Frisco and the trail's end. For some reason, I couldn't get the movie Jeremiah Johnson - one of my all time favorite flicks - out of my head.

There was one more surprise, though, left. This time in the form of a basketball-sized hornets nest, literally, right next to the trail. I stopped for a couple of pics before running (fast) on down the trail.

These things just give me the chills.

A solid day in the hills. This is a great loop. The early slogs through the dense lodgepole forests are a bit uninspiring, but knowing that the gorgeous alpine meadows up high await is more than enough to propel one forward. Also, there are several options to add some mileage, if one desires, such as cruising up and checking the views from Buffalo Pass before heading onto to Eccles Pass.

4,049 feet o' elevation gain.

Building Back

2011-08-24T17:46:00.000-06:00

I've definitely been feeling better of late as the effects of the out-of-nowhere brachial plexus neuropathy continues receding and the body does its repair work. My muscle strength is slowly returning (such that it was) and my endurance is showing signs of revival.

The best runs of the last few weeks definitely were a pair of runs done in the Big Ivy area of Western North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest. There is a Forest Service road, located about four miles from my father-in-law's place (Pop-pop's Farm), that climbs from the valley bottom up through a dense forest to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The road is the perfect grade...steep enough to guarantee a very solid workout, but very runnable. The two times I set foot on the road, I felt the best I've felt since late June.

Of the two runs there, the best was an early morning 12-mile jaunt with Rick M., who calls Asheville home. It was great meeting Rick and spending a few hours together, telling stories, getting to know one-another and enjoying the shaded uphill climb we shared. All told we were out for just under 2 hours, ran 12.32 miles and climbed 2,280 feet by my watch. Many thanks, Rick, for coming out!

Just inside the national forest boundary. Let the uphill running begin!

While in Carolina, I got in another run just outside of Asheville on the Mountains to Sea Trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway. This gem of a trail was located just a couple of blocks from where JP was getting some bodywork done. Worked out perfectly...she get's adjusted and I get in ten miles and 1,100 feet of elevation gain. (Thanks, Rick, for the recommendation and directions!)

Every farm needs a swing.

The view from the front porch toward the Big Ivy area where Rick and I ran. Note the rainbow.

Once back home, the greatest challenge to running has been the late-summer schedule. Between work, school starting and out-of-town guests, it's been hard to find the time to get out. Well, there's one other thing that's been messing with my (our) schedule. This guy:

Even Cisco was digging North Carolina

One dog just wasn't enough. Enter Cisco, an Australian shepherd. He joined our clan just before the trip to North Carolina (and went along with us, sleeping soundly in a carrying case beneath the middle seat on our Southwest Airlines flight). This is the first puppy I've had since college. I forgot how much work they are. Seems like a new baby was easier. Can't wait until the potty training is complete. It's only been a couple of weeks, but it feels like months. Must be the regular 6 a.m. wake up whines. Thankfully, he and Maya are getting along swell.

Maya and Cisco ride again!

On another front, I put together a "Beers of Colorado" barrel as my contribution to a silent auction at a recent Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT) event here in Evergreen. It was a lot of fun gathering a solid collection of bombers, six packs and more from breweries around the state. The collection netted something like $160 to support open space conservation in Jefferson, Clear Creek and Park Counties. It was a little hard to let all that great beer go, but it was for a great cause. Check out MALT...it's a great organization doing great work here in the foothills and beyond.

The Beers of Colorado barrel.

I'm now focused on getting back into some consistency on the running front. Had a terrible run at Matthew Winters/Red Rocks/Hogback on Monday. Running in 85-degree heat at 10 a.m., with no water and not having eaten was a poor decision. I bonked like I haven't bonked in years. I was walking some short, steep climbs on the Hogback that I haven't had to walk before. On Tuesday, I got out for 8.3 miles in JeffCo's Apex Open Space. It was hot again (90+ degrees), but I was fueled and had a bottle of water with me. Huge difference.

On another note, I sent in my formal notice to the Bear 100 folks that I was to be a DNS this year. Fortunately, they have a pretty generous refund policy - all but $25 to be returned, according to the Web site. I hope to have that race on my calendar again next year.

In the meantime, I am really feeling the need to get something on the calendar...something to motivate me to get out there on a MUCH more consistent basis. Time to start looking at the options...

Thanks for reading.

Continued...

2011-08-06T08:49:00.004-06:00

The nerve damage healing continues...bit-by-bit, cell-by-cell, myelin bit-by-myelin bit. Too bad the body doesn't piece things together as quickly as they can be broken. Still, I'm getting out for pretty regular runs, missing a few days here and there due to intense scheduling challenges of late.

I formally gave my notice to the Pikes Peak Marathon folks that I was out for the year and would etch my first DNS down there. My running streak for those races ends at four years. Got a nice note back from Matt Carpenter. I replied asking what his race plans were. Not surprisingly, the e-mail exchange ended there. Guess we'll have to wait 'til race day to see if he toes the line yet again. I hope so. Matt's been sighted running hard up the Barr Trail...so, we'll see.

Most of the runs of late have been local, but had a couple highlights in the last week, including a beautiful circuit in the Mt. Evans State Wildlife Management Area and adjacent Mt. Evans Wilderness Area. This run was just a bit over eight miles with 1,577 feet o' elevation gain on a very hot day. Fortunately, all the creeks and springs kept Maya sated and ready to roll.

Making our way through a meadow on the Indian Creek Trail

These trails don't get much traffic

A bit of shade in a park-like meadow in the Mt. Evans State Wildlife Management Area

Take your pick.

Sublime

Sublime II

Bear Creek ain't just for bears

Thanks to another challenging day schedule-wise yesterday, I ran my first double in many moons...three here (Mt. Vernon/Beaver Brook) and there (North Table Mountain). Each run was just over three miles with a combined total of about 1,300 feet o' elevation gain. And, man, it was hot!

Hard to believe this is so close to Golden/Arvada.

Looking east with downtown Denver in the distance.

Brand-spanking new single track on the mesa top. Still has the tracks on it from trail-building equipment.

The flowers are digging all the afternoon rain showers.

Heading out for a week of travel. Hoping to get in some miles in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

You Gotta Crawl Before You Can Run

2011-07-28T21:26:00.003-06:00

Let the healing begin.

Things have been gradually improving of late as the body does its best to repair whatever nerve damage was done a bit over a month ago when I woke up in the wee hours with intense and unexplained pain radiating down both arms (and eventually settling mostly on the right side).

Aches/discomfort in the right arm continues to diminish...a little bit more everyday. Feels like some of the diminished fine motor skills are slowly returning, also in a bit-by-bit fashion. Not sure if my right arm strength is improving or not, but it continues to be noticeably less than that of my left.

I took a week off of running last week, due in part to out-of-town visitors, work and family schedules and a weekend trip with jP and friends to camp in Rocky Mountain National Park. I also decided that some time off might kick start the body's repair work. Hard to tell if the time off made a difference or not, but since things are improving, I'll take that as a sign that it was a wise decision.

I'm currently in Arlington, VA on a biz trip. Got in a 8.78 mile jog last night running from a friend's place on Capitol Hill, down the National Mall, over Memorial Bridge, past the Iwo Jima Memorial and up the Custis Trail to my hotel, finishing up at 11:30 p.m. I felt pretty sluggish, but it was hot and I was toting a belly full of Indian food and a couple of Dogfish Imperial IPAs. Excuses.

Still, I was happy to be moving for that 1.5 hours, and it felt good to sweat.

Got out this evening for a not-so-fun four-mile jog on some of the local paved bike paths. Felt creaky.

Home tomorrow.

Interesting piece in Velonews about what cyclists (and runners, no doubt) should do when they break their collar bones.

Radio Silence

2011-07-21T21:30:00.001-06:00

125 and 85. Those numbers say it all.

125 is the measurement in pounds of how much force I can apply with my left hand's grip.

85 is what I can pull with my right hand.

I'm right-handed.

Before July 1st, I never gave much thought to those kinds of measurements.

Let's back up a bit.

On June 18th, I ran the San Juan Solstice 50. I finished a respectable 14th overall in 10:15:10. The post-race recovery went well...Sunday - Tuesday off, easy runs on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Sunday, I began feeling achy and fatigued. Monday morning, I was on a plane to D.C. I spent all day Tuesday and half the day Wednesday (until housekeeping kicked me out) in my hotel room bed crushed by the body aches and fatigue of what I assume was the flu.

I got back home Wednesday night and was on the mend. Better Thursday. Then, things got interesting.

I woke up around 3 a.m. Friday (July 1) morning with awful pain running down both shoulders into my arms. I've likened the feeling to hot lead being poured over my shoulders and dripping down to my forearms. By 7 a.m. the pain on the left had eased, but continued to be agonizing on the right side.

After a brief work-over by a local PT/chiropractor I cold-called, the pain eased enough to carry on with a long-planned Fourth of July trip to Crested Butte. As the pain eased to a general discomfort, I noticed that my fine motor skills and dexterity in both hands had deteriorated and strength in my right arm had diminished, hence the numbers noted above.

Over the last couple of weeks, the constant discomfort has mostly disappeared, replaced by what feels like muscle soreness in the upper arm and shoulder and a tearing sensation in my forearm when I attempt quick movements. Beyond that, the body generally feel physically disconnected, out of tune and dulled. Running is doable, but I have no power on the climbs and no braking strength on the descents. And, interestingly, I can no longer yell.

Doc thinks I might have a brachial plexus neuropathy, which in a nutshell means the network of nerves that exit the spine and branch out into the upper arm got messed up. In about 30 percent of cases, this neuropathy (disease of the nerve) is preceded by a bacterial or viral (flu!) infection. Typically, these cases resolve themselves over the course of about three months, in rare cases longer.

I'm now in the fun..."come-back-in-two-weeks-and-let's-see-if-you've-improved" dance with the doc. Easy for him to say... Acupuncture with Allison at Alternative Care of Colorado, massage and daily icing are also in the mix.

For now, I'm trying to preserve some fitness with near-daily jogs in the 4-7 mile range. The pace feels plodding and mellow (and a little dull) and has me longing for the quad-busting, full-focus cruises down Green Mountain.

The good news is that I have the sense that things are improving bit by bit, but the rate of improvement is far too slow for my liking, especially with all the high country snow finally melting out. As a result, I've dropped the Pikes Peak Marathon from the race calendar, and in all likelihood will drop the September Bear 100 as well.

Hence, the radio silence and lack of posts on this blog.

Recent runs over the last week and a half, at the aforementioned plodding pace, include five miles at Maxwell Falls in Evergreen, six miles around Elk Meadow Open Space, six miles at Betasso Preserve in Boulder and five miles on the Gudy Gaskill and Beaver Brook Trails in Golden with the kids (they rode their mountain bikes). None of the runs feel anything close to effortless, but they are helping keep some of the rust off.

One thing's for sure...I much prefer the self-inflicted running injuries to crap like this! More to come...

San Juan Solstice 50 Race Report

2011-06-24T12:51:00.005-06:00

As I marched in the early morning darkness down Highway 149 from our rental house to the start line of the 2011 San Juan Solstice 50, I had no bounce in my step. It was 4:15 a.m. I wasn't injured or tired, just uninspired. I had a race to run and just wanted to get it over with.

Running has been like that for me over the last month or so. Training has been a chore, something squeezed in (or not) between way too many other commitments. I ran twice the two weeks before this race, once for 3.5 miles in San Diego and once for about the same in Washington, D.C.

My running mojo was nowhere in sight and I was standing at the start of arguably the hardest 50-mile trail race in the country.

This year's race, as most know by now, would not be run on the standard course. There still was too much snow up on the Continental Divide and the run-off from the rapidly melting remnants of this year's epic snowpack was creating unsafe river and creek crossings. Thus, the RD and his race committee came up with a challenging alternative course that kept runners off the snow and out of the water.

2011 San Juan Solstice 50 course profile - 12,799 feet of elevation gain

Start to Vickers Ranch

As the clocked ticked down to 5 a.m., a long line of runners took up position on Silver Street, across from Lake City's town park. In no time, we were off, wheedling our way through town, past darkened houses on empty streets headed toward the Water Dog Trail for the climb to the top of Vickers' Ranch.

A lead group was off the front as we hit the singletrack and I fell in with a conga line of runners alternating between running and speed hiking. Despite my angst, my legs were feeling good and the modest pace up Water Dog proved frustrating. Finally out of the initial rocky switchbacks, the trail opened up a bit and I was able to motor past a few slower runners.

Sunrise from Vickers Ranch. Photo: Woody A.

Vickers Ranch to Silver Coin

The Vickers' Aid Station at about mile four seemed to appear quickly. I ran through it without stopping, picking up the pace through the undulating terrain of meadows, aspen groves and spruce/lodgepole forests. Finally, we hit the highpoint on Vickers and ran along a ridgeline with a vast meadow spread out below us, the meadow I remembered hiking up at about mile 42 last year.

About 100 yards past the place last year's climb joined the trail I now was on, I noticed a good-sized group of runners running toward me. Turned out, this was the lead group of runners. They had gone off-course and had backtracked to get back to the proper trail.

Heading down Vickers Ranch - me in the black gloves on left. Photo: Shane T.

Soon, everyone had reformed and were cruising down through the meadow back toward the marked course. Once through the meadow, the now serpentine trail wound its way in and out of aspen trees, then back into a coniferous forest before dumping us out on Highway 149, a mile or so below the Slumgullion Aid station, which we would see 30+ miles later.

Once on the highway, the new course took us uphill about 50 meters to some pink flagging on the right. Here, Chris D. from Gunnison and I quickly found ourselves off-course. Next to the flagging was an obvious two-track, which we followed. Mistake. We were supposed to drop down about 10 meters before the two-track. We spent about five minutes poking around trying to find the trail before I finally located it.

Now back on track, we were cruising down some cushion-y ATV roads headed toward the Silver Coin Aid Station. At least we were until we went off course again. Somewhere we just missed a turn (my bad...I was leading). There were four of us running together now...lost. Three of us decided to head cross-country, generally downhill in hopes of picking up the course again. After a good five minutes of wondering if we were digging ourselves into too big of a hole, we spotted the trail ahead.

Sliver Coin to Silver Coin

Soon, we were entering into the Silver Coin Aid Station. After a quick re-fill, I grabbed my Ziploc bag o' gels from my drop bag and began the climb up Roundtop Mountain. This was the second climb of the day, and it was hard. This was one of those roads that makes you wonder what its builders were thinking...."hey guys, do you dare me to try and build a road up this mountain!?" It was ridiculously steep in places and rocky the whole way.

A section of the climb up Roundtop Mountain. Photo: Shane T.

I pulled out my iPod, inserted the ear buds and disappeared into my head.

As I marched up the road, I was still feeling apathetic. "Let's just get this done," was running through my head. I didn't care where I was in the standings. No matter that someone had just out-hiked me.

After a particularly steep pitch, where it almost made sense to climb it with all four limbs touching the ground, the top of Roundtop Mountain was in sight. Downhill running awaited. But first, I went yet again off-course for a bit. After a quick fix, I was back on course and running down a decent-quality road.

The view from the top of Roundtop Mountain. Uncompahgre Peak in the center. Photo: Woody A.

Just then, something changed in my head. I wanted to run...and run hard. "F*** the quads, let's see what happens," I told myself as I started running hard downhill. I was flying, easily at a sub-6 pace, just feeling great. No pain. No discomfort. Running free...with abandon.

In no time, I was back at the Silver Coin Aid Station, grabbing another Ziploc of gels and refilling my hydration pack (and knocking over a toddler on my way out...sorry!).

Silver Coin to Camp Trailhead

Next up were several hot miles on a dirt road along the banks of Lake San Cristobal. I ran steady, but not too fast along this stretch. About two miles out of the Camp Trailhead water stop, JP, jP and CP pulled alongside in the truck. Seeing them put some bounce in my step.

Just past the Williams Creek Campground, the course went left up the Camp Trail and back onto singletrack...at last! JP let me know I was in 16th place...oops 15th, as I passed a runner just before the trailhead. After dumping a couple cups of water on my head, I waved goodbye and jogged up the trail into the woods.

The jogging didn't last long as the trail turned up and the slog up to the Divide began. I had some real rough patches through here. The runner I passed just before the water stop was right on my heels, and another was about 100 feet ahead. A few miles in, I pulled over and let my shadow pass me. I was hurting.

Near the top, I started hearing whoops from above. I wondered if the Divide Aid Station was close. Turned out, it was Scott Jurek, running with Dakota Jones, letting out his trademark hollers. As they bounded past, I realized we were close to the top.

Divide to Slumgullion

At last, the Divide Yurt appeared, right around mile 31. Now we were back on the original course. With sublime views of vast meadows and distant peaks around, I continued marching up the trail to a high point on the Divide, still not feeling very good. Downhill ahead, however.

After crossing the highpoint, I began running again down a long doubletrack that seemed to go on forever, as I looked at the route ahead. After rounding a bend a few miles down, I saw the awnings that had to be the Divide Aid Station, which had been moved several miles down at the edge of Rambouillet Park due to muddy conditions.

After a quick refill, I was off running through Rambouillet Park toward the big descent down to the Slumgullion Aid Station at mile 40. I picked off a couple runners through this section. Soon, I was picking my way through the very rocky beginning of the descent down to Slum. Once through that section, I let things fly again. My quads were hurting, to be sure, but I still had the "f*** the quads" mindset, so I kept up a solid pace.

About a mile outside of Slum, a hiker told me and the runner just ahead that we were in the top 10. That didn't feel right, but it added some additional motivation to run hard. A little bit later, RD Jerry Gray appeared in a truck asking if I'd seen the mountain lion. I hadn't, but I sure wanted to.

The Slumgullion Aid Station appeared much quicker this year than last. JP, jP and CP were there to greet me. I cruised into the aid station and was hustled quickly out of there by Jurek and Jones...one couldn't ask for a better pair of aid station crew members. Both of them had such great energy and had me out of there with an efficiency that would make any NASCAR pit crew proud.

Slumgullion Aid Station with CP. Photo: Tanya A.

Crew support from CP and Dakota Jones (accepting a lovely collection of sticky, empty gel packets). Photo: Tanya A.

Slumgullion to Vickers Ranch

Jurek escorted me across Highway 149 and I sped down to the mining slag heap one must cross. I was feeling great...good energy...solid speed. I started getting some calf cramps right about here, though. At one point, I had to stop as my left calf severely locked up. I looked down at it and it seemed to be permanently flexed...locked. Finally, it let go and I started running again, afraid that if I stopped, the cramping would start up again.

Next up was the climb back up Vickers Ranch. This 1,600 foot climb really was no problem, just steady hiking. There were several runners in sight behind and in front of me, just close enough behind me to keep me from slacking and just close enough in front to pull me along at a steady clip.

Once at the top of Vickers it was back to running. Everything definitely was hurting now. The legs were tired and on the verge of cramping, but I was quickly learning that one can still run fast when sore and tired. So, on I went running pretty much everything from the top of Vickers to the Vickers Ranch Aid Station.

Vickers Ranch to Finish

Once again, I refilled and resumed running. I had to stop a few times on some of the steepest stretches to give the quads a brief break. On one particularly steep stretch, I pulled over to rest and pee and was passed by Chris D. I quickly finished up and gave chase.

He was moving very, very well and it was all I could do to keep him in sight.

At last, we hit the final switchbacks on the Water Dog Trail. With views of Lake City below, I knew the descent was almost over, so I gave it all I had. Chris now had over a hundred meters on me.

Right at the end of the singletrack, I passed a runner and kept motoring, wondering if I had any hope of catching Chris. As we ran down a long stretch of straight, mostly flat dirt road I focused on running steady and catching Chris. I was slowly reeling him in. The 100 meters were now 50 meters as we hit the path along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, then crossed the river on a pedestrian bridge.

Soon, we were running down Silver Street. He was now 25 meters or so ahead, but I wasn't gaining any more. I did a quick check of all the body systems and realized I didn't have enough strength or real estate left to run him down. I did my best to keep it close as the finish line drew closer and closer.

He beat me by 10 seconds.

Approaching the finish line with CP and jP. (Click for a better view.)

Ouch.

I ended up finishing 14th overall in 10:15:10, running across the finish line with CP and jP who were waiting for me as I ran up Silver Street (such an awesome feeling!). Ended up as the third masters, behind Karl Metzler and Chris D (and third in the 40-44 age group).

Full results here.

Post-race

After a quick round of hugs from the family, I laid down on the ground...er, collapsed...and didn't move for 15 minutes. I was wasted. My calves, hamstrings and lower back all were cramping.

After pounding water and Heed for a good while, I managed to crawl over to a massage table where a woman from Creede was offering free work. Before I knew it, the shivering started and she ordered me off the table and into the most comfortable lawn chair on the planet. She gave me a bottle of water filled with electrolyte powder and ordered me to drink. CP brought me soup from the finish area food table.

Thirty minutes later, I was vastly improved and back on the table seeking some relief.

Any relief is good relief.

The body work was great, but didn't do much to ease the intense discomfort I was experiencing in the lower half of my body. I had, indeed, managed to f*** my quads! I could hardly walk.

We hung out for a while, cheering on runners as they finished and catching up with old friends and new, including Woody A. and Brendan T.

I think I found my running mojo at the top of Roundtop Mountain. Here's to hoping I can hold onto it for a while. I have a date with a mountain down south in another few weeks.

Weekly Roundup - May 29 - June 4th

2011-06-06T11:40:00.001-06:00

Frustratingly complex work/family schedule combined with available "beginning-a-taper" excuse led to a pretty damn lame week o' running. Still searching for my running mojo. If you've seen it anywhere, let me know.

Wait...is that my running mojo standing on an Evergreen street corner?

Sunday - Off

Monday - Alderfer-Three Sisters: 6 miles; 1:01; 1,000 feet o' elevation gain. Nice dog jog from the park's upper parking lot. Ran down through Alderfer, around the rocks on the Secret Trail, then down into Blair Ranch. Took a detour to explore a well-trod social trail that headed off to the west. Beautiful terrain over there.

Tuesday - Elk Meadow: 4.51 miles; 36:27, 626 feet o' elevation gain. Squeezed in a brief birthday jog between kids and work.

Wednesday - Errands: 3.58 miles; 29 minutes, 344 feet o' elevation gain. Dropped off the car at a local shop for some repairs. Chased jP on his mountain bike all the way home. The kid can cruise on the downhills.

Thursday - Bergen Peak Trail Out-and-Back: AM - 7.03 miles; 1:17; 1,533 feet o' elevation gain. Pressed for time (again), ran from the house up the Bergen Peak Trail at Elk Meadow Open Space. Cruised up to the intersection with the Summit Trail. Finally...some heat, and a whole lot of wind howling in from the west. Maya was dragging in the heat.

PM - 4 miles, 45 minutes: Drove out to Nathrop, Colorado (between Buena Vista and Poncha Springs in the Arkansas Valley) to meet up with some friends to celebrate Stevie's 50th b-day. Got out with the crew for a four-mile run up a dirt road near the rental house. Everyone else, including jP and CP, were on mountain bikes. Ran a bunch of the ups with hands on jP's and CP's backs, pushing 120+ pounds up the steeper stuff. ~~Good~~ Hard workout. Not sure how JV and TW do it!

The driveway leading to the Nathrop rental house with the Collegiate Peaks in the distance.

Friday - Off (Drive home from Arkansas Valley)

Saturday - Bergen Peak Summit: 11.01 miles; 1:54, 2,211 feet o' elevation gain. Ran again from the house and took the Bergen Peak and Summit Trails up to the summit. Felt great on this run...just cruising with no leg fatigue. Lots of people on the trail, which kept the run interesting. Even saw a handful of runners on the Summit Trail leg...not a usual experience. Chatted at the summit with a Denver guy wearing a Sageburner 50 shirt. Maya had a blast on this run...just trotting along. Two springs were still running on northeast side of the peak along the Too Long Trail, so between the water I brought and the springs, she was well sated. Once down from the peak, we ran over to the mechanic's place and picked up the car I dropped off on Wednesday.

Spent the evening in Boulder with good friends. Great meal at Salt and a groovy ethereal vibe at the Boulder Theater watching Iron and Wine.

Reflections: Pretty lame week with a whopping 36.1 miles in 6:05 with 7,323 feet o' elevation gain. A couple of decent days, but mostly low-mileage junk. I had planned an easy week with the San Juan Solstice 50 coming up on June 18th. Probably took it too easy, though. Had a hard time getting out as much as I wanted to since this is a week between the end of school for the kids and the start of camp. So, I could only get out in very limited windows.

Weekly Roundup - May 22 - 29, 2011

2011-05-30T11:01:00.004-06:00

Sunday - Off: JP was out of town, so the kids and I hung close to the house.

Monday - Green - Bear Canyon - Mesa Loop: 9 miles; 1:44; 2,701 feet o' elevation gain. One of my favorite runs in Boulder. Ran it counter clockwise from Chautauqua. Put in a solid effort up Green from Gregory Canyon, but couldn't muster anything better than 40:46 to the summit. Didn't work hard enough on the stretch to the ranger cottage.

Tuesday - Man...I can't remember what I did on Tuesday. Is that bad?

Wednesday - Bergen Peak Upper Loop: 8.41 miles; 1:11; 1,724 feet o' elevation gain. Ran up Too Long and down Bergen Peak. Ran the downs hard again. Felt good.

Thursday - Matthew Winters - Red Rocks - Hogback Loop: 6.62 miles; 1:06; 1,242 feet o' elevation gain. Squeezed this one in between the end of the workday and picking up the kids. Had planned on an easy pace, but quickly got in too deep time-wise and had to run the Hogback portion harder than planned. Was thinking about rattlesnakes on the run through M-W. I've read twice recently posts on what do to if you're bitten by a rattler. Both had the usual recommendations...keep your heart rate down, don't try to suck the venom out, don't elevate the bitten appendage, seek help. Great advice. Funny thing was, both posts were written by ultrarunners, but neither said what to do if you're bitten when you're out in the middle of nowhere alone (anyone ever run deep into the woods solo?) with little prospect of someone wandering by soon. Reckon I ought to do a little research. Which reminds me, I watched the movie 127 Hours this week. Fair.

Friday - Elk Meadow/Dog Park Loop: 8.11 miles; 1:17; 1,017 feet o' elevation gain. Met up with Steve F. for this easy jog around the lower trails of Elk Meadow, including a run down Quarterhorse Road and back through the dog park part of Elk Meadow. Brought Maya along on this one. I hate running with a leash in hand. Wish Jefferson County Open Space would allow some off-leash use in their parks (a la Boulder).

Saturday - Manitou Follow Your Nose Loop: 25.01 miles; 5:13; 5,981 feet o' elevation gain. Up early for the drive down to Manitou Springs to meet up with Woody, Joe Z., Scott and Troy for a to-be-determined run.

We started just a few blocks from the start of the Pikes Peak Marathon/Ascent and headed south to pick up the Inteman Trail. We ran Inteman over to Ruxton and then up to the Barr Trail. We ran a steady pace up the Barr Trail to a sign about a mile and a half below Barr Camp where Woody and I hung a right and the other three guys continued on up the Barr Trail. Woody and I had designs on running a big part of the Ponderous Postier Pikes Peak 50K route, only in reverse. However, anyone that ran it would tell you we already were off course, only we didn't realize it...yet.

The trail down from Barr started as a rutted, washed-out gully, but soon turned into a reasonable, but unmaintained primitive trail as it wound in and out of small drainages, over creeks and through woods and meadows. There was one spot, on a grass-covered hillside, where the views of Pikes Peak were absolutely sublime.

Unknown trail dropping down from the Barr Trail. Pikes Peak in the background. Photo: WA

We eventually ended up at a marked trail junction. One of the options was the Heizer Trail, so we took that as it appeared to head in the direction of Highway 24 where we planned to pick up the trail up Waldo Canyon. Heizer climbed steadily to the apex of a mountain then plunged steeply 2.5 miles down to the town of Cascade on Highway 24. We quickly figured out we were well above where we needed to be, so after a water refill at a wine bar (they loved us) we started running down Highway 24. The run down wasn't too bad, except for the sections where there were just five feet between a canyon wall and cars/trucks whizzing by at 55+ mph.

After a mile and a half, we hit Waldo Canyon and started climbing. Our plan now was to find a way over to Rampart Range Road, which we would run down back to town. So, up Waldo we went. At the canyon's loop intersection, we went left and cruised up...up and up. I really like this trail. The scenery is great, the grades are reasonable and the trail is well-maintained. From the upper reaches of the loop, we could see the water tank on Rampart Range Road where we wanted to be. Now...how to get over there?

We were constantly on the lookout for trails headed north, hoping we'd be able to follow our noses and get to our next destination. Finally, we found a solid, unmarked trail heading northeast, so we took it. Again, excellent trail. We were just cruising, soaking in the views and enjoying the spectacular weather.

As we descended, I started thinking we were heading into Williams Canyon. Soon enough, we hit a trail junction with a left-right option. Right was down canyon, left was up canyon, and likely the route up to RRR. We are 21 miles in at this point and opted to head down Williams. Good call as the canyon was gorgeous. Finished things up with a mile or two through town back to the cars.

Looking down Williams Canyon. Photo: WA

While we didn't take the route we had planned to follow, there's something to be said for simply following your nose and exploring.

Reflection: Definitely not a high-mileage week, with just 57.14 miles. But, some good time on feet - 10:34; and decent elevation gain - 12,666 feet. Definitely need to get the mileage up a bit, while continuing with the mountain runs. (And, I've got to figure out where my brain was on Tuesday!) I've been struggling a bit of late with the running mojo and not enjoying some of the runs as much as I typically do. Need to noodle on that a bit. Might be worth a more in-depth post soon.

Weekly Roundup - May 15-21, 2011

2011-05-23T15:54:00.000-06:00

An up and down week, to be sure. Had some high quality runs, but was hamstrung by the lingering effects of the bug I picked up last week.

Sunday - Bergen Peak Summit: 2:12; 10.47 miles; 2,109 feet o' elevation gain. Ran to the summit of Bergen Peak from the house...up Bergen Peak, down Too Long. A good 5-6 inches of snow up top.

Monday - South Mesa - Shanahan Loop: 1:20; 8 miles; 1,516 feet o' elevation gain. From South Mesa Trailhead ran up Homestead and Towhee to the mouth of Shadow Canyon, traversed over to the Mesa Trail to Shanahan North Fork and closed the loop via Lower Big Bluestem and Mesa. Lots of variety in this loop: steady climbs, downhill screamers and rolling goodness.

Tuesday - Bear Creek Trail: 1:12; 7.72 miles, 1,033 feet o' elevation gain. Started from O'Fallon Park, a Denver Mountain Park, in Bear Creek Canyon. Ran up to the BCT, hung a left and cruised down to Lair o' the Bear Open Space, then turned around and retraced my steps. Maya was out on this one with me. The last couple of miles were in a cold rain. Thank goodness the run started right next to Bear Creek. Maya, who is a mostly-white dog was now mostly dirt colored. I think she enjoyed the post-run creek bath.

Wednesday - Off: Just couldn't get myself out into the rain/snow.

Thursday - Treadmill: 50+ minutes, 7.25 miles. Heavy wet snow was falling most of the day. Totally unmotivated until around 5 p.m. Finally got myself out the door to the rec center. Wasn't sure what to do today on the 'mill, so I did a little of everything. The miles went like this: 8:00; 5:42; 8:00; 6:58; 8:00; 6:00; 8:00. A veritable smorgasbord of treadmill fun.

Friday - Centennial Cone Open Space: 2:30; 18 miles; 2,646 feet o' elevation gain. Took a good chunk of the day off work to get in a longer run since JP was going to be out of town over the weekend. Ran from the Mayhem Gulch Trailhead in Clear Creek Canyon. This is a great, fast loop with a few modest climbs, lots of rollers and some fabulous views of the foothills and down into Clear Creek Canyon. Had a smile on my face pretty much the whole run, except for the parts where the sky spit bits of ice and water at me, but that was short-lived.

Saturday - Bergen Peak Upper Loop: 1:18; 8.21 miles, 1,733 feet o' elevation gain. Was feeling a bit tired from the previous two days' efforts. Jogged via streets to the lower lot at Elk Meadow Open Space. As soon as I hit dirt, the wind started roaring. It was blowing so hard, I turned off my iPod because I could no longer hear the music. The roar of the wind was drowning it out. I just put my head down and slogged it out, know that as soon as I hit the trees, I'd find relief.

Soon enough, I was out of the wind and enjoying my slow recovery jog pace. Then, just as I was approach the Too Long Trail turn off, I noticed a runner coming up behind me. Damn it! I don't want to be caught from behind and passed! So, I picked it up a bit figuring I'd be alone again once I started up Too Long. Not many people run up that trail. Wrong. She turned up Too Long behind me.

I gave up my notion of a pure recovery jog and picked up the pace enough to avoid being overtaken. After about half a mile, I started feeling better. In fact, the higher I went, the better I felt. On a couple of the long switchbacks, I could see her below running strong. I continued on, past the Summit Trail turnoff and picked up the pace down the Bergen Peak Trail. I was feeling GREAT on the descent, just cruising through the rocks with confident foot placement and a solid pace - even passed a mountain biker who also was going down. I enjoyed that way too much.

All-in-all, a solid week. The long run was shorter than I would have liked and the day off was unnecessary - the result of a lack of will, I guess. Still, ended up with a hair under 60 miles, 9 hours and 22 minutes of fun and 6,391 feet of ups.

Blowing a Gasket

2011-05-12T08:25:00.000-06:00

The battle against time on Monday must have pushed the engine too hard. I think I blew a gasket.

Around mid-morning on Tuesday it was clear that an illness was building. Fatigue was setting in. The throat had a mild tickle. Damn.

By evening, the verdict was delivered. Sick. Sore throat. No energy. The crud. And, overnight we got six inches of heavy wet snow. Add it all up and you have the perfect time for a trip to the East Coast. Up at 5 a.m. for a flight to Washington, D.C.

Despite feeling awful, I got out last night here in Arlington, Virginia for a six-mile run. Ran from the hotel down to the Potomac River, did a loop around Roosevelt Island, then ran a couple miles up the bike path along the river and looped back past the Iwo Jima Memorial. 50 minutes; 6+ miles (no GPS watch).

I hoped the run would ease the grip of the crud, but it didn't help. Glad I got out...the weather here is perfect - mild temps, light breeze, no humidity. Hope to kick this crap quickly.

Bear Peak & A Mental Lapse

2011-05-09T23:27:00.000-06:00

Late afternoon run up to the summit of Bear Peak via the backside. A navigational error added a bit of urgency (...and time...and distance) to the run.

Time: 2 hours
Distance: 8.25 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and warm

Started from the Cragmoor trailhead, unsure about what I was going to run today. Thought about heading up Bear Peak via Fern Canyon, but wanted a bit more distance and running than that route offered. The catch was I had a time cut-off to meet in order to be where I needed to be to pick up jP and CP.

By the time I had climbed up to the Mesa Trail, I had a plan. I'd run up Bear Canyon to the West Ridge Trail junction, assess time and either return down the canyon or head over to Bear and down Fern Canyon.

The climb up Bear Canyon was a beautiful as ever. Still my favorite route up into the Boulder hills. I passed a ranger hiking near the mouth of the canyon - the first ranger I've seen out and about in a while. I hit the West Ridge junction and time was looking good. By my calculations, I had enough time to get up to Bear, down Fern, back to the car and back to the 'hood to pick up the kids.

So, up West Ridge I went. I realized here that this was the first time I'd been on this trail since running last June an abbreviated and moonlight version of the Boulder Skyline Traverse with GZ, Tim L., JP and a host of others. I made steady work of the ups and downs over to the backside base of Bear, then scrambled up the loose stuff to the north ridge, climbed the jagged rocks to the summit and tagged the summit marker.

As I made my way back down from the summit, I was back doing the time calculations. My head was filled with numbers, which obscured the mental map I was following. Before I knew it, I was jogging over to the saddle between Bear and South Boulder Peaks.

The minute I hit the saddle I realized I messed up. Fern Canyon is on the north side of Bear, and roughly a straight line down to the car. I was now standing at the mouth of Shadow Canyon, which angles decidedly to the south, away from where I was parked.

Well, I was committed (and now a bit stressed out) so I started down Shadow Canyon, pushing the pace and hopping from rock to rock, down the big drops, around the trees and past three to four groups of hikers. Time was ticking by faster than I was running.

Made it out of the canyon and traversed over to the Mesa Trail, winding my way, eventually, back to the gravel path that leads down to the Cragmoor cut-off. Made it back to the truck at exactly two hours.

And, as luck would have it, it was JP's turn to pick up the kids. Good thing, because I would have been late. Rest assured, I now have the location of Fern Canyon permanently tattooed on my brain.

Weekly Roundup - May 1 - 7, 2011

2011-05-09T11:10:00.002-06:00

Decent week, considering the long travel home from the south Pacific, a day off in Hawaii and a travel recovery day at home.

The week's stats looked like this:

Time: 11:50
Distance: 61.08 miles
Elevation gain: 7,454 feet

Sunday and Monday featured sea level runs on Palmyra Atoll.

Tuesday: Off. Spent the day working in Honolulu and taking a red-eye flight back to Colorado (cue unwanted memories of a toddler screaming for three straight hours directly behind me on flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles.

Forgot to mention the two tornados (people who live by the ocean call 'em water spouts) we saw Monday as our return charter flight from Palmyra was landing in Honolulu. Off the starboard side of the plane, two twisters dipped down from the clouds and churned up a big mass of water where their tips hit the ocean. Reminded me of a few childhood summer evenings in Kansas spent under the workbench in the basement as the tornado sirens wailed.

Wednesday: Off. Got home about 11 a.m. I was so wasted from lack of sleep, I spent the day zombie working and then passed out early for some seriously sound sleep.

Thursday - Bergen Peak Upper Loop: 1:27; 8.31 miles; 1,682 feet o' elevation gain. Easy run to get re-acclimated to running in the Colorado version of paradise. Took Maya along for the ride.

Friday - Elephant Butte/Alderfer-Three Sisters: 1:12; 6.55 miles; 1,597 feet o' elevation gain. Put in a moderate effort from the upper parking lot to the top of Elephant Butte. Hit the summit high point on the west side in 23:24 via the western social trail route. After descending to the upper ridge, I ran the outside loop of Blair Ranch, up and over the Three Sisters rock formation and then took Ponderosa (hello park ranger...see Maya on her leash!?) up to the Brother before cruising back to the truck at the upper lot.

Saturday - Pine Valley Ranch/Buffalo Creek: 5 hours; 30 miles; 3,800 feet o' elevation gain. Up early for a long one on the fine trails of PVR and Buffalo Creek area. Started, sans watch (oops), around 6:20 a.m. Ran Stawberry Jack - Homestead - Sandy Wash - Buffalo Creek Road - Shinglemill - Colorado Trail - Tramway - Buffalo Creek Road - Baldy - Miller Gulch - Homestead - Buck Gulch loop. This was a really good run. None of the niggles were acting up. Just ran a steady, if unimpressive, pace. Lots of mountain bikers out. Forgot the watch this morning. Didn't miss it. In fact, time seemingly went by more quickly without it. Was surprised when I looked at the clock when I got back to the truck. Five hours went by fast! Spent a few minutes post-run soaking the feet in the South Platte River and downing a new recovery drink I'm testing this week.

Elevation: Six Feet

2011-05-06T12:36:00.003-06:00

I have heard it said that more people have stood atop Mt. Everest (2,700 as of 2008) than have set foot on Palmyra Atoll (not counting WWII period).

I'm willing to bet, then, that the membership in the Palmyra Atoll trail running club (the No Incline Club?), if one existed, would have to be infinitesimal. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit this special place, let alone run the trails of Cooper and Strawn Islands.

Initial approach to Palmyra Atoll aboard charter flight. Photo courtesy of EW.

The last two days on Palmyra Atoll allowed for a couple more runs on now-familiar ground. Felt like I got to know some of the sights along the way:

the two spots where pairs of fairy terns would repeatedly flutter down from the trees and hover just out of reach before darting off into the tree canopy;
places on the beach and on the mile-long runway where one was assured of seeing groups of bristle-thighed curlews, a bird species of global concern (estimated that there are just 8,000 left worldwide);
the bushes where the Cooper Island trail dumps out on the runway where young red-footed boobies always seemed to be hanging out looking for twigs and plant material for nests;
the noisy frigatebirds chasing red-footed boobies above the runway trying to get the boobies to regurgitate their day's food in order to have an easy meal (kleptoparasitism).

Adult red-footed boobies

In addition to running, I had the chance to snorkel around some absolutely amazing coral gardens, do an hour-long dive down what felt like a manta ray highway, explore some WWII ruins and learn about the atoll's history as a refueling base during that war, do some hands-on conservation work and sea kayak the length of the east lagoon.

So, the runs:

Sunday, May 1st

AM: 3.10 miles - hike in the rain out to the end of Strawn Island and across the coral flats and back.

PM: 8.11 miles; 1:09 - three loops on the Cooper Island - trail/runway loop, plus a quick swing through the base camp.

The trail through the forest on Cooper Island

Monday, May 2nd

AM: 5.02 miles; 52 minutes - from base camp to the end of Strawn Island, then down the beach (past some really cool WWII concrete structures) to North Beach, then onto the Cooper Island trail/runway loop route. Took lots of pictures along the way.

Running down North Beach

The mile-long runway on Palmyra. During WWII, the runway was twice as wide.

Pillbox on the beach on the north side of Strawn Island

The trail headed toward the end of Strawn Island.

The population figure changes when someone arrives or leaves. In WWII there were upwards of 3,000 people on the atoll.

It's good to back home in the dry air and 7,300-foot elevation, but it's hard not to miss the beauty and rarity of the atoll and its 6-foot elevation.

Running in Paradise

2011-04-30T21:15:00.002-06:00

Easy six miles through the woods, down a WWII-era runway, past pill boxes, a wrecked airplane and the biggest darn crab I've ever seen.

Time: 54 minutes
Distance: 6.1 miles
Pace: Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Overcast and humid

Palmyra Atoll is located approximately 1,000 miles south of Hawaii. That's 1,000 of nothing, save for Kingman Reef, between the Honolulu Airport and the crushed coral landing strip on Palmyra. That's a long way to go for a run.

View from base camp on Cooper Island northwest toward Strawn Island

The running route starts at research base camp on Cooper Island and heads east on an old WWII two-track, past North Beach and connects with the east end of the runway. From there, the route takes one down the runway to the two-track that leads back to base camp. The loop is 2.5 miles, almost on the nose.

The running surface -- well, the islands' surface is crushed coral. Instead of having to watch out for rocks and roots, the chief trail obstacle here are crabs. There are three types of crabs to watch out for -- hermit crabs (everywhere), big fiddler crab-looking crabs and the Big Daddy of 'em all, the coconut crab (these crabs actually eat coconuts and can get to be the size of basketballs).

A coconut crab refuses to let a certain trail runner pass

The coral reefs here are among the best on the planet. Because there is so little direct human impact (save for climate change), the reefs are very healthy and resilient. Bleaching events and disease do happen here, but because the reefs are so healthy and the human impacts relatively minimal, they recover quickly. There are places with 100 percent coral cover. Went for a dive today in an old channel dredged by the Navy during WWII. Saw about 20 manta rays...big ones, too, with 10-foot wing spans.

There are several scientists here doing all sorts of research project, from seeking to spot the extraordinarily elusive beaked whale, to shark tagging, climate research and more. Because the ecosystem here is so intact, it's a great place to study how things work.

Thou Shall Ensure This Place Remains for Future Generations!

Check the Garmin map of this run, here. Click on aerial view to see the atoll. Incredible.

Remote Running

2011-04-29T02:53:00.000-06:00

Two days off due to cramming for a last minute trip here. Atoll ultrarunning, my new hobby.

Palmyra Atoll. Note the unnaturally straight line in the center left of the pic. The runway.

Flatiron Vista - Tempo

2011-04-26T20:22:00.002-06:00

Post-work, squeeze-it-in-on-the-way-home-from-work, between-rain-hail-and-brimstone from the sky tempo run around Flatiron Vista.

Time: 45 minutes
Distance: 6.2 miles
Effort: Hard
Body: Good
Weather: Cloudy and cool

Every minute counted today, so I ran pretty hard from the get-go, setting off on the early winding climb from the Flatiron Vista parking lot off Highway 93 up into the woods. Maya was setting pace, although the check-everything-out route she ran must have added an extra mile to her day.

Settled into a steady pace in the low 7s on the climb, then picked it up through the rocky flatish stuff on the west side. Paused at the gate to double check the leash rules, dashed past a pride of mountain bikers and cruised down and up the Dowdy Draw Trail and ran a quarter mile up the Springbrook South Trail.

At the place where the Springbrook Loop begins, there were signs saying leashes were required. I wasn't in the mood to hold Maya back, so we turned around and headed back up Dowdy Draw. Rounded out the loop back to the truck via the Flatiron Vista North Trail. Ran the last couple miles in the 5:30-5:45 range.

Average pace for the run was 7:16, but it seemed harder with the rocks and modest ups and downs.

A whopping 523 feet o' elevation gain.

Apex Loop

2011-04-25T23:49:00.001-06:00

Nice late afternoon loop through Apex Open Space en route home from the Boulder office. As a special treat, the sun made an unscheduled appearance.

Time: 47 minutes
Distance: 5.29 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Good
Weather: Mostly cloudy and warm(ish)

Squeezed this run in between the end of an early-starting workday and picking up the kids. Apex Open Space is incredibly convenient for these rushed runs. The parking lot is just a couple hundred yards off my regular commuting route.

Glad to see the sun poke through the clouds just as I was setting off. Made it warm enough to run in just shirt sleeves, a far cry from the sleet/snow runs of the past two days.

Ran a nice loop through the park using the Apex, Sluicebox, Grubstake, Pick-n-Sledge and Argos Trails. Got some nice turn-over going through the rollers on Grubstake and on the Argos descent. Good stuff.

1,210 feet o' elevation gain.

Beaver Brook - Gudy Gaskill Trail

2011-04-24T23:59:00.000-06:00

This has got to have been the LAST snow storm run of the first half of 2011! Conditions were lousy, but the vibe was great.

Time: 1:23
Distance: 8.01 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Blizzard and chilly

Late afternoon run on Beaver Brook trail from trailhead on Mt. Vernon Country Club land near Ralston Elementary School in Genessee. Started and ended with heavy, wet snow falling (these are the kind of conditions people who were glasses HATE).

Run starts with some double-track which leads to an access point for the Beaver Brook Trail. This section has some great views down into Clear Creek Canyon. Ran the Gudy Gaskill loop, which takes one around a small mountain (more big views down into the canyon). Once back on the Beaver Brook Trail, I headed east to add on a couple miles before looping back to the trailhead via some old service roads and a couple of unmarked, but well-trod social trails.

There are some impressive forests and meadows hidden away on this little used parcel of open space and conservation easement lands (thanks Mt. Vernon!).

Ran this one with Maya. Perfect running companion today...hung close, waiting when she got out of sight on twisty sections. Fun!

Weekly Round-up - April 17 - 23rd

2011-04-24T23:45:00.000-06:00

Feeling like I'm getting back to some consistency, despite a couple unscheduled days off this week. Nice mix of miles and quality.

Sunday: Beaver Brook Parcel; 14.3 miles; 2:28 - Mid-day slog in chilly, windy conditions. Ran from Old Squaw Pass Road parking area down to reservoir and then explored the northwest part of this Forest Service/Clear Creek Open Space/State Land Board-owned collection of public lands. Eventually dumped off on Beaver Brook Canyon Road and ran this steep, narrow road up and over a ridge, then strung together a series of old mining roads to drop down into a new subdivision high above I-70 right around the intersection with Highway 6 at Clear Creek Canyon. 2,563 feet o' elevation gain.

Beaver Brook Reservoir. Run started at the cleft on the center horizon.

Looking down on I-70

Nice pair of ponderosas on Clear Creek County Open Space Land

Not exactly OSMP-quality signage, but it works.

For a stretch of the run, I was tracking the elusive Colorado Yeti. That's my print on the right.

Upper meadow on a plateau above the reservoir

Monday: Washington, D.C.; 11 miles; 1:25 - Another trip to D.C. An early afternoon arrival meant I had the evening for a nice long run. Ran from hotel in Rosslyn area of Arlington along the Potomac, over Memorial Bridge then down the National Mall, through Capitol Hill and back. The river was over its banks in one spot covering the bike path that runs along it. 206 feet o' elevation gain.

Tuesday: Arlington, VA; 10.51 miles; 1:22 - Ran three miles from hotel up the Custiss Trail bike path to Washington & Lee High School. Ran a 200-400-800-1600-800-400-200 ladder. Felt very solid for the whole thing. Never had to dig deep. The middle part went pace-wise like this 800 (5:35), 1600 (5:34), 800 (5:30). Couldn't believe how easy it all felt (albeit, I only did one ladder). 3 miles c/d en route back to hotel in the dark. Sea level running...how sweet it can be. 295 feet o' elevation gain.

Wednesday: Off - travel day.

Thursday: Off - (insert excuse here).

Friday: Alderfer-Three Sisters; 5.24 miles; 51 minutes - Squeezed in a brief dog run during an otherwise busy work day. Ran the outer loop from the lower parking lot. 846 feet o' elevation gain.

Saturday: Alderfer-Three Sisters; 18.25 miles; 3:12 - Woke up at 5:40 a.m. to a few inches of new snow with more still falling. Bagged plan to drive to Buffalo Creek. After going back to bed, remembered that Steve F. and Steve G. were running at Alderfer this morning. Pried the covers off and was soon parked near the start of the Dedisse Trail on the south side of Upper Bear Creek Road. There were a herd's-worth of footprints, including a couple sets of Newton prints, in the fresh snow, so I knew a group was up ahead. Started the climb at a steady pace, planning to follow the prints until I caught up.

At the top of the Dedisse climb, ran into Andrew A. He let me know the group was putting along not far ahead. After a brief chat to catch up, I was off. Caught the group of six or seven just past the lower Alderfer parking lot. I ran with the group for a while, but ran off the front as we climbed Evergreen Mountain. Did an extra circuit of the summit loop as the rest of the group made their way up. The rest of the run played out much the same. I was eager for the incentive to do the out-and-backs required to get 18 miles on this trail system, so I hung with the group, but usually ran ahead at a bit quicker pace and paused at trail junctions. We ran pretty much all the trails in the park, save for the Sisters Trail. Good amount of time on feet. Conditions were lousy. Probably wouldn't have stuck it out without the accountability implicit in a group run. 2,880 feet o' elevation gain.

Week Total - 59.13 miles; 9 hours and 19 minutes. Mileage was relatively low thanks to the two days off. Still, happy with the week. All the niggles of late are under control. Energy was good. The track workout was a big mental boost given all the injury crap of late. Need to get the long run mileage back up. Better weather will help with that.

Bergen Peak - Upper Loop

2011-04-15T14:30:00.001-06:00

Running on tired legs today, but still made it up and around the snowy upper loop on Bergen Peak.

Time: 1:22
Distance: 8.14
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Sunny and cold

As I looked yesterday at my Friday work calendar, I had exactly one spot - 10 a.m. - when I could squeeze in a run, so I booked it. Fast forward a day, and exactly at 10 a.m. I was greeting Jason P. at the wind-swept lower lot at Elk Meadow Open Space.

Jason is an accomplished local Evergreen adventure racer/ultrarunner - 7th at Hardrock last year, 24-hour orienteering champion...the list goes on. It's amazing the quality of athletes lurking seemingly around every corner in our fair state.

We set off, running counter-clockwise up through the meadow trails up to the Meadow View/Too Long intersection. I was feeling sluggish, no doubt the effects of two days on Green Mountain in Boulder (combined w/ far too much time off of late). Still, we held a respectable, if uninspiring, pace up to the junction with the Summit Trail (44 minutes). Jason had extra time, so he set off for more ups and a trip to the summit of Bergen Peak. Maya and I continued down the Bergen Peak Trail.

There was a good five inches of snow on the upper portions of the loop. It will melt fast, no doubt.

Finished off the run with a jaunt south on Meadow View to Sleepy S and back to the car. My back was feeling a bit tight on the descent. Might be time for a day off, or a very easy day. Don't want to give back the progress I've made this week.

1,757 feet o' elevation gain.

And, if you haven't seen this story by Charlie Engle on the Barkley Marathons in the current issue of Runner's World, check it out. Jason is mentioned in the piece several times. The accompanying videos are pretty cool, too.

Timing is Everything

2011-04-14T23:46:00.003-06:00

Easy jog/slog in the snow/slush on the backside route up Boulder's Green Mountain.

Time: 1:18
Distance: 5.43 miles
Effort: Easy
Weather: Sunny and cool

An hour or so post-lunch, I started thinking about running. Maya was with me at the office this morning, so I had to find a place where dogs could run off-leash and wouldn't be too muddy. The location also had to be in town, since JP and I commuted together this morning so she could attend a symposium at CU.

I dropped JV a note, since I knew he regularly runs the peaks with his dog, Sierra. Was the backside route on Green Mountain a designated off-leash area? He quickly wrote back confirming that it, indeed, was and he and Scott Jurek were planning on running that route at exactly the same time I was hoping to get out. A plan was quickly hatched. Timing is everything.

Forty minutes later, JV, Maya and I were waiting at the mouth of Gregory Canyon for Scott to show up, which he did within minutes of my arrival.

After introductions, the leash came off and we headed up. Maya didn't know what to make of the group run vibe. She's never run with more than one person. Should I run up front? Should I run in front of Jim? How about brining up the rear? She decided on all three, plus a lot of exuberant dashing up snowy hills. Her favorite spot, though, appeared to be right on Scott's heels.

There was a lot of heavy, slushy snow left on the trail as we splashed our way up at an easy pace, which was more than fine with me as I was still feeling yesterday evening's Mesa-Bear Canyon-Green run. We hit the summit at around 44 minutes and spent five or six minutes chatting atop the summit rock.

Soon, we were splashing our way back down, with globs of slush splattering left and right with every step. Good times.

2,388 feet o' elevation gain

Mesa - Bear Canyon - Green Mountain

2011-04-13T18:26:00.000-06:00

Late afternoon run from Chautauqua to the top o' Green Mountain via Bear Canyon.

Time: 1:41
Distance: 9 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Cloudy and Cool

Solid run...decent distance and elevation gain. Body held up well and felt best when moving (which is sorta the whole idea behind running, so things worked out pretty well).

Felt relatively good on the ups. From the Chautauqua parking lot, headed up McClintock to Mesa, Mesa to Bear Canyon and Green Bear to the four-way, then up to the summit of Green. Tagged the summit marker in 1:07, 39 minutes and change from the sign at the start of the Bear Canyon trail. Just focused on running a sustainable pace. Never red-lined it.

Came down the backside of Green. Cruised pretty hard down to just past the ranger cabin, then slowed it down after the flatish stretch. My quads definitely were letting me know I haven't run hard downhill in a number of weeks.

Wrapped it up with a nice jaunt through the Chautauqua meadow back to the truck.

The hardest part of the run was the first 100 yards, which is about how long it takes until all the muscles are warmed up, the joints are oiled and the engine stops knocking. Once the back loosens up...good to go. More progress.

2,686 feet o' elevation gain.

Over a Bear and Up the Elephant's Back

2011-04-12T23:43:00.000-06:00

Very nice evening out-and-back run from Bear Creek to the summit of Elephant Butte, which included a newly discovered stretch of (shhhhhhhhhh) secret trail.

Time: 1:30
Distance: 7.76 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Cloudy & warm

Busy day at the grindstone but managed to finally get out for a few miles in the early evening. I was keen to hit some dirt somewhere other than Elk Meadow, so I drove a few miles over to Upper Bear Creek Road and parked in a dirt lot by the Evergreen Golf Course (owned by the City of Denver).

With Maya running beside me, I ran over the bridge over Bear Creek (Maya opted for the more direct, through-the-creek route) and started the climb up the Dedisee Trail to Alderfer-Three Sisters. After a couple miles, the Dedisee Trail intersects with the Hidden Fawn Trail. As I approached that intersection, I started wondering if there was a way to skate around the north side of the Sisters rock formations.

Near the intersection I saw a faint trail heading northwest and decided to check it out. With Maya leading the way, the faint track turned into a fully-evident trail. And, sure enough, it led around the rock formation and intersected with an old fire/logging road just southeast of the intersection with the Bearberry Trail in the old Blair Ranch parcel. Perfect.

From there, I ran the Mountain Muhly horseshoe to its apex on the west side of the park. Here, I picked up a cairned social trail that I knew would lead to the well-maintained, but unofficial, trail up Elephant Butte on Denver Mountain Parks land.

Hit the highpoint on the Butte's summit in 49:05. Paused for a few minutes to soak in the views of Mt. Evans and let Maya catch her breath. We soon were headed back down, retracing our steps back to the truck (with dog pauses at Buffalo Creek and Bear Creek for water breaks).

1,503 feet o' elevation gain from creek to summit, 1,723 feet on the day.

Solid run. Felt pretty good the whole way. Body cooperated, with only mild discomfort. Progress.

Yesterday was an easy Meadow View Loop dog jog at Elk Meadow from the house. 5.63 miles in 52 minutes with 730 feet o' elevation gain.

Weekend Running and Not Running

2011-04-10T23:32:00.016-06:00

Great Saturday morning run at Pine Valley Ranch/Buffalo Creek. Tough day mentally on Sunday.

Time: 2:25
Distance: 15.25 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Sunny and warm

With a 5:30 a.m. Saturday meet-up time, Steve, Lori, Maura and I were running up the Buck Gulch Trail at JeffCo's Pine Valley Ranch just a bit after 6 a.m. Once we started climbing up out of the Platte Valley, the temps started climbing into perfect running temp territory.

Unfortunately, Steve was not feeling well, so he turned around to catch a cat nap back at the car to see if he could pull things together and still get in some decent miles (he did). The three of us quickly made time/distance plans and I set off solo running ahead at a bit quicker pace.

The plan was to run about 2:20 and meet back at the cars and decide then what to do next.

I headed up Buck Gulch to Skipper, then hopped on Homestead to Miller Gulch, a two track. I ran Miller Gulch over to the second Gashouse Gulch connector and made a small 1.5 mile loop, popping back on Miller Gulch at the first Gashouse turn-off. I continued cruising down Miller Gulch, a really nice, rolling, soft-surfaced old logging road, to the junction with the Homestead Trail. I hung a left and ran Homestead back to the Strawberry Jack Trail and ran that back to Pine Valley Ranch.

The Miller Gulch/Homestead Trails junction.

The Homestead Trail passes right through a couple really cool rock formations.

I ended up back at the Pine Valley Ranch parking area about 10 seconds after Lori and Maura, who had run a 2-mile shorter version of the route I did. I opted not to tempt fate too much and called it a day. My back was pretty tight from the descent down Strawberry Jack...nothing serious, but enough warning signals to make the call pretty easy.

So, Maura and I headed back to Evergreen and Steve and Lori headed out to catch a few more miles.

I really like running in the Buffalo Creek Area. It's easy to string together runs of 15 - 50 miles. And, the trails are all runnable, soft-surfaced and scenic. Tough to go wrong.

1,981 feet o' elevation gain.

On Sunday, I was flummoxed by the ferocious wind that was blowing all day. It started about 3 a.m. and never relented. I managed a one-mile walk with the dog in the morning and another in the late afternoon, but was so chastened by the conditions, I bagged running for the day. Thought about a quick trip to the rec center for a treadmill run, but I was mentally shut down. All the injury crap of late was getting to me. Just tired of aching. I really have no acute, can't-run-on-it pain. Just a bunch of background discomfort...just enough to zap energy and mental fortitude and make me wonder when in the hell will I feel like running hard again.

Good thing there's IPA, or IBA - India Black Ale.

The latest find:

This gem of an IBA is from Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Good to know there's good beer coming out of Milwaukee. Perfect combo of hoppy bite and the smoothness of a mild porter. Good stuff.

Short Jog and a Close-by Fire

2011-04-08T15:40:00.000-06:00

Extremely windy conditions and a tight schedule led to a short job at Elk Meadow. Shortly after I got home, a neighbor pointed out a fire just north of Elk Meadow.

Time: 33 minutes
Distance: 4 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Warm & Very Windy

Easy jog in the southern part of Elk Meadow to test out the back. Interestingly (at least to me), the discomfort yesterday switched sides. Weird.

Anyway, felt it the whole jog. Legs felt spry, though.

Got home and took the kids up to the buried hill-top water tank up behind our house to look at a growing fire on a south-facing ridge immediately north of Elk Meadow Open Space. Judging from what we could see, it appears the fire started along Highway 103 (Squaw Pass Road). We saw a couple of trees burst into flames. Scary sight. Lots of smoke now, all local fire crews have been called in to help. This could be very bad.

Seems unlikely the fire would jump the road and affect Elk Meadow and the forests of Bergen Peak, but with the extreme winds we have up here today, one never knows. We'll be closely watching this one.

Elk Meadow in the foreground. The Promontory subdivision is directly to the right of the fire.
Evacuation notices have been issued.

jP and CP looking down on Elk Meadow from buried 2 million gallon water tank west of our house.

Thanks to all the firefighters working this, and all the other fires this season.

Treadmill...in April?

2011-04-06T19:46:00.000-06:00

Realized today that there's no rocks to trip on while running on a treadmill, so I figured a trip to the rec center would be a safe bet.

Time: 54 minutes
Distance: 6.5 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Indoors

The local rec center has happy hour on Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m. ($3 entry, no beer) and it was snowing out. So, to the treadmill.

This actually was an easy call. After the run in the sun yesterday, I couldn't bear a cold, snow run today.

Started very, very slow and worked my way up to 7:30 pace over the first half-mile. Ran 3.5 miles at 7:30, then one at 7:00, another at 7:30 and a half mile cool-down of jogging, butt kicks and knee lifts (I felt really cool doing those on a treadmill in a crowded gym).

Hip/glute/illiac crest/whatever was achy at the start, but eased up as the run progressed. Still feeling it, but it was better today than yesterday, due, I'm sure, in part to the chiro/ART/massage session this morning.

No new pain/aches and the old ones are easing. I'll chalk that up to some continued progress. Fingers and toes remain crossed and I'm knocking continuously while I type this one-handed.

North Table Mountain - Windy

2011-04-05T22:19:00.001-06:00

Stopped off on the way home from work at the new(ish) west trailhead off Highway 93 at JeffCo's North Table Mountain Open Space to take the body for a test drive.

Time: 1:02
Distance: 6 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Sunny and warm (!!)

The hip/back/gluteus medius thing was a bit better today, so I packed the running gear before heading off to the Boulder office early this morning. Squeezed in a quick hour-long jaunt on North Table Mountain in Golden.

Ran from the relatively new west trailhead off Highway 93. The run begins with a steep climb up a service road to the mesa top. From there, I headed southeast, with the wind howling out of the west, following an old two-track which led me to a break in a cliff band. It didn't feel right, but I descended anyway, thinking a trail might continue east along the grassy flank of the mountain. Bad choice. The trail switchbacked down to a parking lot on land owned by the Access Fund Foundation, a land trust set up by the Access Fund to protect key climbing areas.

This 29-acre parcel on the south side of North Table Mountain is known as the Golden Cliffs Preserve. Here's a bit of beta on this nice little chunk of private (but open to the public) land surrounded by open space on three sides (from here):

1995 Golden Cliffs Preserve, Colorado Working with a major donor, the AFLF was able to acquire and subsequently protect 29 acres of important open space on the south slopes of the North Table Mountain mesa, just north of the City of Golden, Colorado. The landowner had become concerned with liability at this highly popular area. This complex, long term protection project involved three separate parcel donations, subsequent annexation of a portion of the property, extensive public planning and approvals including rezoning of the property, and eventual trailhead infrastructure construction. The result was the creation of the Golden Cliffs Preserve, a crucial open space preservation project. The Preserve abuts City of Golden Open Space to the west and Jefferson County Open Space to the north, which collectively provides a network of trails interconnecting the broad open lands of North Table Mountain. Perhaps best know as on one of most popular rock climbing destinations along the Front Range, the Preserve is visited by more than 30,000 climbing enthusiasts, hikers and nature viewers annually. The Access Fund invests a substantial amount of money into parking, kiosk and signs, trail improvements, and has a vault toilet installed. The AFLF maintains long term ownership and stewardship of the Golden Cliffs and provides open public access.

I was up for some more vertical, so I went down to the lot, glanced at the trailhead sign and headed back up to the mesa top and retraced my steps back to the service road I ran up initially. From there, I headed east and north on a couple other trails, eventually dropping down the north side and picked up the North Table Mountain Loop trail that cuts through the meadow on the mountain's west side.

That trail led me back to the parking lot, right at six miles.

My back felt solid, but the gluteus muscles were still barking at me, as is my left iliac crest area, but things definitely were much improved from Saturday's sufferfest. Five hours post-run, things feel better than they did pre-run. Reason for optimism? We'll see.

Headed tomorrow a.m. for a repeat visit to Sara (chiro/ART/massage) over at Nick's Pro Fitness.

1,143 feet o' elevation gain.

One Step Forward...One Step Back

2011-04-04T18:02:00.001-06:00

A couple runs, some treatment, a fall and a couple more days off. In other words, more of the same.

Eager to get back to regular, pain-free running, I made an appointment Thursday with a local chiropractor/massage therapist that a woman at a local health club highly recommended (and who had her office inside the club).

Just prior to the Friday appointment, I dashed out for a quick run around the Meadow View Loop at Elk Meadow Open Space. With Maya on a leash, we ran the 5.63 mile loop in 47 minutes (658 feet o' elevation gain).

A few minutes later, I was showered and sitting on a massage table explaining the bedeviling collection of aches that had enveloped pretty much the entirety of my left mid-section.

Over the next 45 minutes, she poked, prodded and pressed her way into discovering which of my muscles were the offenders causing my 2+ weeks of crappy running. During this time, she used a combination of Active Release Therapy, massage, cold laser treatments (supposed to reduce inflammation) and adjustments (hips) to try to realign my then-misaligned pelvis and sooth my inflamed muscles (muscles with names like gluteus medius, periformis and others I can't begin to remember).

When I stood up at the end of the session, I was still sore, but felt better for the work. I finished the day with a long course of stretching and ice.

Next up was an early Saturday morning rendez-vous with Woody and Joe Z. at Mt. Falcon for a go at the v1 (version one) route, which is essentially running every trail in the park starting from the lower lot.

Just past the prescribed hour of 5:30 a.m., with headlamps illuminating the trail in front of us, Joe, Woody and I set out up the Turkey Trot trail. The first steps felt good, a definite improvement. I remember thinking I was on the mend and pain-free running was just around the corner. All good…until it wasn’t.

After about a minute of running, I decided to take the headlamp off my head and carry it instead. In the 10 seconds it took to move the light, I managed to catch my left toe on a nice, big rock, which sent me lunging forward into the darkness.

Before I knew it, I was flat on my back, head facing downhill, taking stock of the damage. Naturally, all the torque from the fall was centered on my left side. And, of course, I fell on my left hip. Yep, in a split second, I undid all the good the chiro had done in 45 minutes the day before…and made things worse.

Un-fu*&#ing-believable!

Well, no point in wallowing in self pity when a beautiful sunrise and 14 miles of excellent trail lay ahead. The only catch was I had to get my ass up off the ground before I could start running.

With a couple of grunts, a couple dozen yards of walking to shake off the effects of the impact, we were off, chugging up the early steeps on Turkey Trot.

After a lot of early lingering hurt from the fall, I settled into a manageable level of discomfort and stumbled up to the picnic shelter in 36:18 (including time spent laying on the ground).

After re-grouping, we ran the rest of the v1 route, pausing at major junctions to stretch and take stock. Pain-wise, things were manageable, but stopping was not a good thing. Stiffness would set in almost immediately. Over the course of the run, descending became the hardest part.

By the time we returned to the picnic shelter for the final descent back to the parking lot, I was resigned to watch Woody and Joe disappear before we even got to the second bend in the trail. I brought up the rear, running down the steady downhill at a sorry 8:50 pace.

Shortly after turning left to finish up the descent down the Turkey Trot Trail, I passed Tim L. and Jeff, who were headed up. We all paused to exchange greetings. Tim asked if I was running with the two guys ahead, I sheepishly admitted I was, fighting hard not to offer unnecessary explanations about why I wasn’t actually running with them. (Jeff – good to meet you at long last!) After a couple of minutes, I continued on and found Woody and Joe soaking up the view of Denver and beyond from a grassy vantage point.

We wrapped up the run together after disdainfully pointing out the rock that grabbed my toe two hours and 35 minutes and 14.23 miles prior. (2,897 feet o' elevation gain).

The rest of the day was a rough one. If I owned crutches, I would have used them. Man, was I sore. I walked a couple of miles after I got home and later that evening to keep the circulation moving and spent the intervening time laying around reading and playing games with the kids.

Woke up Sunday morning still hurtin’ somethin’ fierce. Day off.

Got out of bed this morning in a bit better shape. Went back to the same chiro/massage therapist late morning for a repeat session. The knots from Friday were mostly still gone, but new inflammation from the fall was obvious. So, more prodding, cold laser treatments and a hip adjustment were on tap. Taking the day off and focusing on ice and stretching to see how things go. Plan to visit the chiro again on Wednesday.

Same as Last Time, Only Shorter

2011-03-30T23:39:00.014-06:00

Worked and goofed all day and ended up running in the dark. Returned to Alderfer-Three Sisters for another varied loop o' fun.

Time: 6.1 miles
Distance: 57 minutes
Effort: Easy
Body: Poor
Weather: Cloudy & cool

Following a highly competitive bowling session down in Lakewood with my nine-year-old son, I dashed out around 6:30 p.m. to get in a few more miles with the dog at Alderfer-Three Sisters. Given my current state of creakiness, the modest grades and mostly forgiving terrain at this open space park is much to my liking.

Started with Maya from the upper lot and ran the mountainside loop on Evergreen Mountain counterclockwise, crossed Buffalo Park Road and ran the Sisters Trail to Bearberry and cruised that back to the parking lot. Finished the run in the dark.

Still no improvement on the back/hip thing. Working on stretching more and icing is a regular evening ritual (the hard part is deciding what to ice first...).

996 feet o' elevation gain.

Check out these new ways to view blogs that use the Blogger platform. Just type the usual name of the blog and add /view/flipcard (or one of the other ones below) to the end of the current URL. Pretty cool.

http://www.anodynerunning.blogspot.com/view/flipcard
http://www.anodynerunning.blogspot.com/view/mosaic
http://www.anodynerunning.blogspot.com/view/sidebar
http://www.anodynerunning.blogspot.com/view/snapshot
http://www.anodynerunning.blogspot.com/view/timeslide

Definitely Not a Tempo Run

2011-03-29T23:39:00.028-06:00

A modest-paced loop around Alderfer-Three Sisters and Evergreen Mountain during the twilight hours.

Time: 1:18

Distance: 8.01 miles

Effort: Easy

Body: Poor

Weather: Mostly cloudy and cool

Didn't get out until after 5 p.m., but that turned out to be just fine as I pretty much had the entirety of Alderfer-Three Sisters Open Space park to myself (well, myself and Maya the dog).

From the upper lot, I ran north to the Mountain Muhly Trail and followed it around to the park's northwest and northeast corners before ascending to Bearberry and over to the Sisters Trail which heads up over a ridge next to the park's three namesake rock formations (the Three Sisters).

We then descended down to the lower lot, crossed Buffalo Park Road and ran up the Evergreen Mountain East Trail (past the Brother, another rock formation) and back down to the upper lot via the Evergreen Mountain West trail.

The whole time out on the trails, we passed one mountain biker and saw two other people off in the distance. The upper lot was empty when we got back to the truck. Sorta cool to be the King of the Park for an evening.

My back/left hip is slowly improving. Still have a fair bit of steady discomfort, and there's no way I'm leaping for a frisbee right now, but moderate-effort running is doable. Running, at least, doesn't appear to make things worse. Will make a return trip to the PT after the kids' spring break week is over.

Maya, on the other hand, is running solid. Endurance is building. She had no trouble with the eight miles and the evening's elevation gain. That said, she zonked out post-run while I made a quick trip into the local library.

1,341 feet o' elevation gain.

Bergen Peak - Summit

2011-03-27T22:28:00.006-06:00

After a day off to again rest the back, twas time to test things out again and see where things stood.

Time: 2 hours (AM) 2:06 (PM)
Distance: 4.06 miles (AM) 11.44 miles (PM)
Effort: Easy
Body: Poor
Weather: Mostly cloudy and cool

The AM time/miles was a hike up Elephant Butte with CP. We had a great time in the morning sun hiking to the top of this rocky, bulbous geographic protuberance that rises from the banks of Bear Creek and looms above the meadows at JeffCo's Alderfer-Three Sisters Open Space.

1,444 feet o' elevation gain.

Elephant Butte from the parking lot at Alderfer-Three Sisters

CP signs the register at the top of Elephant Butte

Looking west towards Mt. Evans from the summit. A weather front was building on the divide.

Looking southeast back down to the Alderfer meadow.

Maya. Must have more hiking!

Late afternoon (after a nap and much lounging), I snuck out for a run up Bergen Peak. My back/whatever was still aching, but was feeling better than Friday (Saturday was a day off). So, time to test things out again.

Was never able to run without some amount of discomfort...no sharp pain, just a lot of background aching. Ran through the lower meadow in a counter-clockwise direction up to the junction with the Too Long Trail. Once again, the legs felt solid and aerobically all was well. Flew by a mountain biker about 100 yards up the trail and continued motoring on trying to ignore the discomfort.

After much deliberation during the climb, I opted to go all the way to the summit and hung a right at the Summit Trail junction for the one-mile ascent to the mountain's apex. There was still a good amount of ice in the trees on the mountain's east side. I tagged the summit sign and turned around for the descent.

About a quarter of the way down, I had slowed to a jog. Just not feeling good. Then, the mountain biker I passed about 45 minutes prior passed me (he must have been crawling up Too Long since he didn't do the Summit Trail). Being passed put a bit of life in my legs as I picked up the pace to keep the biker in sight. After about 3/4 mile, though, he was gone. I slowed back down and realized how tired my glutes and lower back muscles had become. I felt like I had just run 35 miles.

I shuffled my way back down to the Meadow View Trail and back home marveling at the amount of fatigue I felt after just 11 miles.

2,270 feet o' elevation gain.

The good news is that nothing hurts worse than before I started. The bad news, obviously, is that things are no better. Damn frustrating.

Mt. Sanitas - Loopin'

2011-03-25T22:27:00.001-06:00

Testing out the body after a couple days off and a trip to see a Dr. Richey for a bit of physical therapy.

Time: 1:04
Distance: 5.02 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Poor
Weather: Sunny and cool

Got back from Washington, D.C. late Thursday morning and headed straight to Boulder for a session with Dr. Richey at High Altitude Spine and Sport. Somewhere, sometime last week I tweaked something connecting my lower back and left hip, which has left me pretty much aching all the time and grunting with just about any movement.

The PT session was good, with Richey working all sorts of tendons, muscles, capsules and who-knows-what-else buried deep in the netherworld of my insides. We wrapped up the session with the application of some k-tape above my left pelvic bone.

By Friday, though, I was more sore than ever...no doubt due to the prodding and miscellaneous adjustments. Out I went, though.

With Maya (the dog) in tow, or maybe it was the other way around, we set off from the parking lot across the road from Mt. Sanitas and ran up the Dakota Ridge Trail to the top of the valley then continued on up to the Sanitas summit via the East Ridge Trail. Legs felt OK and the breathing was easy, but there was just too much tension in the mid-section. I presume everything is tight as assorted muscles contract to protect whatever is out of place.

From the summit, we descended down toward the northwest to Sunshine Canyon via a series of social trails, then jogged down the road a bit before picked up the nice singletrack trail that parallels the road on the south side. Cruised back to the truck from there.

Overall, glad to be out...not glad to be hurtin' so bad, though.

1,394 feet o' elevation gain.

Back to It...Running in VA

2011-03-21T21:52:00.001-06:00

After a few days off and a flight to D.C., jumped back into things with a 15-mile jaunt on just about every surface available...asphalt, concrete, dirt, rocks, gravel....

Distance: 15 miles
Time: 2:11
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Cloudy and warm

Ran from the hotel about 3.5 miles down the ~~Curtis~~ Custis Trail, a paved bike path along I-66, to Rosslyn and hopped on the Potomac Heritage Trail for 4+ miles of dirt. The PHT runs along the Potomac River through this part of VA and is the closet part of an evolving 800-mile collection of trails in the Potomac River watershed.

This part of the PHT is a rock and root-strewn stretch of singletrack that runs between the river and the George Washington Memorial Parkway above. The trees are still leafless here, so the views down to the river were unobstructed and beautiful. I scared up about half-dozen great blue herons and saw my first belted kingfisher of the year. Spring is coming quick here. Today's temps were in the 60s, warm enough to run shirtless, particularly with the humidity.

Ran the PHT to Chain Bridge, hung a right and ran across the bridge and descended down to the C&O Towpath, a wide crushed gravel path that parallels an old canal. Picked up the pace a bit along this long, flat stretch and ticked off the four mile trek back to Key Bridge in Georgetown at just below a 7-minute pace.

At this point, the race was on to see if I could finish the run before my back, which has been bugging me for the last five or so days and was the reason I took off Thursday - Sunday, tightened up too much and forced me to lope home. Fortunately, things held up and I was able to run steady the last four miles back over Key Bridge and up the Curtis Trail back to the hotel.

After a quick shower, I immediately headed out the door for some food and walked for another two miles to keep the blood going to hopefully hasten a return to a more normal running schedule.

Post walk and post-refueling, I returned to the hotel and started icing. Not sure what happened to tweak the back so bad. The discomfort has centered around the an area just to the left of the spine with some modest pain radiating into the left glute and around the left side into the region around the top left front of my pelvis. Been a bit anxious that I did something to my hip, but there's no impact-related pain. So, for now, I figure its just some annoying (really annoying) muscle strain.

Eager to see how things feel tomorrow.

Bergen Peak - Upper Loop

2011-03-16T18:22:00.001-06:00

Modest jog up and around the upper loop on Bergen Peak. Was nice to get back to some elevation gain, but the body wasn't doing much more than going along for the ride.

Time: 1:34
Distance: 8.21
Effort: Easy
Body: Poor
Weather: Sunny and warm

Dashed out at the end of the day with dog in tow for a run around the upper loop at Bergen Peak, part of the Elk Meadow Open Space. I enjoyed being out in the spring-like temps, but the run was a tough one.

My lower back has been barking at me this week. Despite a two-hour session of Thai and traditional massage last night, things hadn't improved much this morning. I hoped a run would shake things out, or at least not make things worse.

Things were fine (but slow) on the ups, but on the downs, I caught a toe on a rock, which thrust me forward and tweaked my already tweaked back...right where the lower back meets the pelvis on the left side. I didn't go down, but whatever was tweaked was pushed further. Not good.

Still, it was good to be out. Maya certainly thought so. She made good use of the remaining snow banks.

A few pics from the run.

Heading up the Bergen Peak Trai

View of the Mt. Evans group from the Bergen Peak Trail

Another snow bank at the top of the upper ridge off the Bergen Peak Trail

Pikes Peak from the Too Long Trail

Yet another snow bank.

Looking down toward Elk Meadow from the Too Long Trail

A lot of elk were grazing in Elk Meadow this afternoon.

Ended the run at the kids' school. We all walked home together.

Also, I signed up today for August's Pikes Peak Marathon. Decided to skip the Ascent this year. I put my projected finish time as 4:50. I ran a 5:11 last year the day after running the Ascent. I had a poor ascent during the marathon, hitting the summit a good 22 minutes slower than the day before.

1,635 feet o' elevation gain.

A New Ultrarunning Relay on Wasatch 100 Course

2011-03-16T12:58:00.000-06:00

This new ultra relay on the Wasatch 100 course looks interesting. Multiple options for team composition. 142.5 miles. Six runners. Each runner runs two legs. Race is mid-July on the 14th and 15th.

The race is called the Heaven and Hell Ultra Relay. Race Web site here.

Anyone have any interest?

Also am looking at this new race, the Aspen Backcountry Marathon.

A Run With a Fast Female

2011-03-14T21:42:00.001-06:00

Hoofed it up Evergreen Mountain late this afternoon chasing after Maya who repeatedly mocked my pedestrian pace and literally ran circles around me.

Time: 1:45
Distance: 6 miles (Evergreen Mountain); 2 miles (Elk Meadow Off-leash Area)
Effort: Easy
Weather: Sunny and warm

Maya (the new addition to the P family) had been patiently waiting all day while I pounded away at the keyboard and talked on the phone. She gave me "are you ready yet" eye now and then, but otherwise bided her time, for she knew her time would come.

Round about 4 p.m., her time came. So, off we went to the lower lot at Alderfer-Three Sister Open Space for a run up Evergreen Mountain. Maya's previous long run had been just a hair over four miles, so I was interested to see how she'd do with six miles and some elevation gain.

The trail, just across Buffalo Park Road from the parking lot, was in fair shape...a bit of mud and lots of melting ice. Fortunately, the ice was well on its way to melting and the footing was pretty good. Maya spent a lot of time dashing ahead, stopping to check something out as I passed then sprinting ahead to the next interesting thing (which often included leisurely rolls in the softening snow). I never had to stop to call her or wait for her. She hung right with me.

We hit the summit, did the short loop at the top and returned down the Evergreen Mountain West Trail to the upper lot at Alderfer and ran the completely dry Silver Fox and Ponderosa Trails back to the truck. Great run with the budding trail dog.

Post-run, we picked up jP at school and headed over to the off-leash part of Elk Meadow Open Space where the three of us jogged a couple of miles around the park, then spent a good hour watching Maya horse around with other dogs in the fenced area. jP got a new pair of kicks yesterday and was eager to get in a run. He loves his new Nike Freedom Lites. Swears he can run faster and jump higher with 'em. I couldn't have agreed more.

Speaking of new kicks...I ran today in the new Saucony Peregrines I got yesterday. I really am liking them so far. I'll say a bit more about them after a couple more runs. So far...so good.

A Week (or weak) in March

2011-03-13T22:03:00.001-06:00

The plan for the week was to take it down a notch from last week's 94 miles, knowing that I'm not prepped (yet?) to handle many back-to-back 90+ mile weeks. Stuck to that plan. Good thing, because other than the Thursday run, I wasn't feeling very peppy.

Two days off...Sunday (planned: following the previous day's 28 miles) and Monday (unplanned: an overly busy day). Had a couple days of solid climbing (Flagstaff and Sanitas) and a very good Thursday tempo run (Upper Bear Creek Road). Saturday's long run was a bit of a slogfest, but got it done.

Miles for the week: 61.94
Time for the week: 9:53
Elevation gain: 8,872 feet

The early part of this week looks like fantastic weather, so I may try to up the mileage a bit and return to Upper Bear Creek Road for a Thursday tempo run.

Picked up a pair of Saucony Peregrines today. Eager to get in some easy miles in them this week. I'll definitely be easing into 'em. I think the heel drop is something like 4mm, a bit different than 10mm drop of my beloved La Sportiva Crosslites.

I also bought a new bladder for my Nathan pack - my third bladder. The first two went down due to the remarkably crappy bite valve. The new one has a redesigned bite valve. Hoping this one is easier to use and survives at least through the summer.

Really enjoyed this recollection from GZ.

One of Those Days...Green Mountain (Lakewood)

2011-03-12T16:26:00.001-07:00

Ever have one of those....scratch that. Everyone's HAS had one of those days. Today was my turn during a double loop around Lakewood's Green Mountain.

Time: 2:59
Distance: 19.01
Effort: Easy (but hard)
Body: Poor
Weather: Sunny, then cloudy, warm(ish)

Had grand plans to get up early and head over to Buffalo Creek, but a poor night's sleep and a dog looking at me that way conspired to convince me to lend the early morning to the NY Times over breakfast and an hour at the dog park.

So, Plan B was something local.

A couple week's back, I really enjoyed running around the trails of Lakewood's 2,400-acre Green Mountain, formally known as the William Frederick Hayden Park. Seemed like a good plan to head back there for a couple loops.

From the get-go, the legs weren't there. Everything felt hard. In response, I adjusted expectations, put my head down and slogged out three hours of up and down. I ran the first loop of about 8.5 miles around the mountain counter-clockwise and the second the other way, adding on some trail sections to the northeast that I'd never been on before.

By the time I was jogging along the final stretch of trail back to the car, I was cooked. I was moving OK, but the mind and body definitely wanted to be somewhere else (like on a massage table).

I can say that I'm glad to have gotten it done, but that's about the only good thing I can say.

2,726 feet o' elevation gain.

Twice Around Betasso

2011-03-11T21:43:00.004-07:00

A quiet evening, no plans and a pair of running shoes = two times around the Canyon Loop at Boulder County's Betasso Preserve.

Time: 1:25
Distance: 9 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Windy and warm(ish)

Set off around 5 p.m. from the small parking lot for the Betasso Connector Trail just before the tunnel up Boulder Canyon. Jogged easy up the early steeps, then just set the autopilot on "low heart rate run" and ran up to the main part of the Betasso Preserve to the start of the 3.3-mile Canyon Loop.

Ran this easy and fun loop twice in the counter clockwise direction and returned back to the truck via the Connector Trail. All the trails were in great shape. Just a few wet spots and a couple of very short, sections of rapidly melting ice. Most of the bikers were friendly. Glad I waited until the end of the day to run. The wind had died down quite a bit by the time I was out there, but there was still some steady blowing from the west when one hit the preserve's open areas. Nice and quiet down in the trees and canyons. That was a far cry from last night when the massive wind gusts buffeted our house and kept JP and I awake from about 2 - 4 a.m.

Legs were a bit heavy from yesterday's tempo run (and last night's poor sleep, no doubt). I really enjoyed the mellow pace, but had to remind myself several times not to get carried away and to keep things mellow.

Eager for the opening of the four-mile Benjamin Trail at Betasso, which is supposed to open up this spring. Will be nice to have some more dirt to run on here. Map of new trail here.

Good luck to everyone running the Salida Run Through Time Marathon tomorrow morning.

1,478 feet o' elevation gain.

Upper Bear Creek Road - Tempo

2011-03-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

Very nice tempo run on Evergreen's Upper Bear Creek Road on a near-perfect spring-like morning. Also got in a late-morning dog jog at Elk Meadow Open Space.

Time: 1:35 (run #1); 30 minutes (run #2)
Distance: 12.3 miles (run #1); 2.6 miles (run #2)
Effort: Hard and Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Sunny and warm

Hooked up with Steve F. and Mara in the a.m. at the Wulf Rec Center. We jogged the mile from the rec center to the Evergreen Lakehouse as a w/u, then set off up Upper Bear Creek Road at an easy 8-9 minute pace. The plan was to run to the five-mile post, then tempo back to the lake.

The jog up was easy, but my legs felt flat. I was not looking forward to the tempo run back. Mara turned around at about 4.5 miles and Steve and I continued to the post. After a quick bio break, Steve hit his watch and off we went.

As we got up to a 6:15 pace, I started thinking "Uh-oh." 6:15 felt fast...hard. After about half-mile, my breathing eased up and I settled into pace, as Steve and I strode down this scenic road side-by-side. Still, things felt harder than they should have as we passed the two-mile mark. Somewhere in here, though, things started clicking. My legs suddenly felt solid under me, the breathing was steady, but measured and the pace was holding.

We caught Mara at about the 3.5 mile mark and kept chugging along. I gapped Steve a bit in the last mile and just focused on maintaining pace back to the lake. The last little uphill next to the golf course hurt a bit, but I held on fine.

The miles looked like this: 6:10; 6:11; 6:14; 6:04; 6:00.

After re-grouping, we did a one-mile c/d back to the rec center.

I was pretty happy with this run. It's been a couple weeks since I've done such a high-quality, structured run. Most runs of late have been longish and steady mountain runs. I enjoy the latter much more, but know there's a lot of benefit to be gained by the former. Definitely need to add more quality in the weeks ahead.

Late morning, I grabbed the dog formally known as the Dog to be Named Later, now named Maya (My-Yuh), and did an easy 2.6 mile dog jog in the eastern part of Elk Meadow Open Space.

14.9 miles on the day. 850 feet o' elevation gain for both runs.

Sanitas - Ups

2011-03-09T17:22:00.001-07:00

Late afternoon run in the sun from the office to the summit of Mt. Sanitas and back.

Time: 1:28
Distance: 8.25 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and windy

Lesson learned today: Don't run after eating a big black bean burger and onion rings for lunch, even if the restaurant is solely powered by the wind (green marketing at its finest).

Never felt very good on this run. Legs were a bit heavy. Stomach was churning a bit. But, it was sunny and it was warm. Take away the wind, and it's one hell of a day. And, there's more on the way.

Ran from the office in Boulder over to Mapleton Avenue and up to the base of Mt. Sanitas. Hit a split here and started the unforgiving ascent up the west side of the mountain. Ran steady, but without much pep. Focused on constant forward motion, limiting the speed walking to just the early steep steps. Hit the summit marker in an uninspired 20:14. Lots of runners on the hill today. Must have seen 10 people actually running up there.

Descended back down the west side trail and ran over to Sanitas Valley and ran up this wide gravel path to the trail sign at the top to pick up a bit more vertical. Came down the Dakota Ridge Trail and dropped down to North Street. Ran back to the office via a round-about series of city streets.

Not a lick of snow on any of the Mt. Sanitas trails I ran on. Bring on the spring!

Hoping to get some pep back for a morning tempo run tomorrow. Upper Bear Creek Road is beckoning.

1,671 feet o' elevation gain.

The Higher You Go, the Warmer it Gets

2011-03-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

An early start to the workday allowed for an extended lunch run today. An inversion was holding the cold, damp air down low, making the upper reaches of the local hills warmer than the bottom.

Time: 1:57
Distance: 10.71 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Cool and Cloudy

Ran from the office to Eben G. Fine and up to the summit of Flagstaff Mountain via Viewpoint and Flagstaff Trails. Pace was easy, but steady. Trees, shrubs and grass all were covered in a nice cloak of snow from the overnight dusting. Truly beautiful.

Interestingly, the higher I went, the warmer it got. Apparently there was an inversion holding the cold air down low. Almost stopped to shed a layer at the top of Flagstaff.

After running around the trail atop Flagstaff over to Flagstaff Road, I jogged down to the Green Mountain Lodge, curious about trail conditions. The trail was icy, but footing wasn't bad due to the bit of snow covering everything. I was in the mood for a bit more vert, so I jogged up Ranger to Greenman, hung a left and ran over to Saddle Rock. I paused here for a bit and contemplated heading up to tag the summit of Green, but I already was hurting for time, so down I went.

The descent down Saddle Rock took a lot of time and patience. Lots of ice and no traction devices conspired to slow my pace to a crawl in spots. I even had to sit down and inch my way down one particularly steep, rocky and icy drop. Managed to make it down to the mouth of Gregory Canyon without hitting the deck, although I had multiple close calls.

Jogged through town back to work with a quick stop at Illegal Pete's for a burrito to go.

2,154 feet o' elevation gain.

A Rare (and exciting!) Week in Review Post

2011-03-06T12:22:00.003-07:00

I don't obsess much over keeping track of my running (no spreadsheets...no notebooks chronicling volume), so I can't say with any degree of certainty what my highest mileage week has been. Thanks to the Garmin, which does all the math for me, I can say that this past week may well have been my highest mileage week ever.

The stats looked like this:

94.59 miles
Eight runs
14 hours and 39 minutes o' fun
12,697 feet of elevation gain

The reason for the uncommonly high mileage (for me) was that I did long runs on Sunday (the start of the week) and Saturday (the close). Still, it all felt good. And, I have to admit to having a hard-to-stifle pull last night to go out and jog 5.41 miles to get the mileage up to 100. After much mental wrestling, I decided that was stupid and training-wise totally pointless. Although the symmetry of 100 miles certainly had its allure.

I was pushing the mileage a bit this week to see how the body responded, particularly given the niggles of late. Happy to say things are holding up well.

The plan is to make this week an easy week (taking today off) in hopes of absorbing a bit of benefit from last week before giving it another go next week. With the trails melting out a bit, I hope to get in some more elevation gain.

Highlight of the week definitely was the long run yesterday at Buffalo Creek. Everything there is completely runnable, so one is pretty much guaranteed a long, steady effort.

Buffalo Creek - Long Run

2011-03-05T15:42:00.002-07:00

Solid 28-mile run around much of the North Fork 50/50K course in the Buffalo Creek area of the Pike National Forest.

Time: 4:26
Distance: 28.1 miles
Effort: Easy/Long
Body: Average
Weather: Partly sunny & cool

Met up with Patrick G. at JeffCo's Pine Valley Ranch at 6:30 a.m. Wasn't long at all before we were heading out along an old narrow gauge rail bed and taking a bridge over the North Fork of the South Platte River. We were bound for the day's first climb, the Strawberry Jack Trail, which is part of the North Fork 50/50K course. (This year's race is July 16th).

The plan for the day was to run much of the North Fork course, only backwards. Map here.

At the top of the Strawberry Jack Trail, we hung a left onto Homestead and ran it to its intersection with the Sandy Wash Trail. Rather than hang a right here to continue on the backwards 50K course, we continued onto Sandy Wash and ran it to Buffalo Creek Road (now closed post-1996 Buffalo Creek fire). This section is part of the 50-mile course. We opted to deviate from the 50K course in order to avoid the Gashouse Gulch Trail, which was expected to be icy and treacherous.

Most all the trails in this part of the forest were clear of snow and ice. With so little tree cover left after the Buffalo Creek fire, the area gets PLENTY of sun (just ask anyone that ran last year's race).

After cruising along the road for a couple miles, we hung a left up the Morrison Creek Trail, which is a long, steady climb to a dirt road and an intersection with the Colorado Trail. The CO Trail section had a lot of snow and ice on it. Thankfully, it was all runnable.

Partrick cruising along the upper reaches of the Morrison Creek Trail

Making my way along the Morrison Creek Trail toward the Colorado Trail

After a good bit of ups and downs, we hung a right on Tramway and descended back down to Buffalo Creek Road. Just a few minutes up the road was the day's last climb - Baldy Trail. Baldy is a fun climb. Its grades are gentle, but steady, and it tops out at a cool rock formation. From the top, it was a flatish run on a perfect, soft ribbon of singletrack to the Miller Gulch Trail.

Patrick running toward the Baldy Trail junction

A quick re-fueling break at the top of the climb on the Baldy Trail

Somewhere in here we missed a turn and ended up running a couple miles on a dirt road to the Skipper/Buck Gulch Trailhead. Twice near the end of this road, we both involuntarily ducked as gunshots rang out seemingly within range of the road we were on. Turns out there was a dad and his kid (both tricked out in full cammo) shooting at targets next to their truck.

Safely away from weapons, we hopped on the Buck Gulch Trail and began a speedy descent back toward Pine Valley Ranch (passing the only two other trail users we saw all day) through a nice mix of ponderosa and fire-opened lands. We picked up the pace as we hit the final descent back down to the North Fork of the South Platte River, getting in a couple miles of quality downhill to close out the day.

Felt like this was a very solid run. Body held up well. Still had some energy in the tank at the end. No major rough spots. This was my longest run by about five miles since last October. Feeling comfortably fatigued now.

All-in-all, a great close to a very solid week of running. Really good to get out and share some mileage with Patrick, who is putting up some big miles with the Way Too Cool 50K and Cheyenne Mountain 50K on the near-term race calendar. Thanks, Patrick, for putting out the call on this one. Good times.

3,836 feet of elevation gain.

Flagstaff Mountain Loop

2011-03-04T17:56:00.001-07:00

Late afternoon run up Boulder's Flagstaff Mountain, returned via Boulder Canyon...a loop I hadn't run before.

Time: 1:21
Distance: 8.75 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Good
Weather: Mostly sunny and cool

Set out from Eben G. Fine park in Boulder and headed up the Viewpoint Trail to the first pull-out on Flagstaff Road. From there, just kept heading up. Trails were in good condition all the way to the top of Flagstaff. There were a couple 20 meter sections of snow, but the footing was good. Just a tad bit of mud here and there.

Ran solid to the top, then as I ran the trail that encircles the unassuming summit of the mountain, I started doing the mental calculations of time and distance. How long to run up to Long Canyon, down to Gregory and back to the car? Should I just retrace mt steps? Then, I remembered the long-closed road that descends from the west side of Flagstaff to Boulder Canyon. I should be able to do that in the allotted time, I figured. So, off I went.

The early stretches of this road were covered in snow/ice, but once the road emerged from the heavily timbered area up top, it was pure dirt. I was surprised at what a solid road this was.

Made my way down to the canyon bottom, jumping off the road on a social trail near the bottom to stay away from a private residence. Once across Boulder Creek and on the road, I ran a half-mile or so to the terminus of the Boulder Creek Path and jumped on it for the steady cruise back to Eben G. Fine park in town.

Enjoyed the gentle downhill and quick turnover on the creek path. Felt good to run a 6 minute pace for a bit.

Yesterday was pretty much an off day. Just did a four-mile dog jog at Elk Meadow. The wind was howling, which caused my enthusiasm for a run later in the day to flag. Just as well, I reckon, as the week has been a solid one and a bit of rest was probably in order.

Now...what to do this weekend...

Exploring Some New Ground

2011-03-02T23:58:00.001-07:00

Got out on some new trails (for me) in Boulder yesterday for a 94-minute steady run.

Time: 1:34
Distance: 11.68 miles
Effort: Steady
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and cool

With the sun shining yet again and the prospect for cooler temps ahead, I was keen to get out for a solid 10+ miles while motivation was high. Connected with Tim L. and he proposed hitting Teller Farms, a City of Boulder Open Space park northeast of town.

I'd never been out that way and was eager for some exploration, so a plan was set.

We met up outside Tim's place, ran over to the open space and spent the next hour-plus running around old farm roads (now trails) through thigh-high grasses. The temps were perfect for running, with just a hint of wind now and then. The views of the Indian Peaks, Longs Peak and the Flatirons from this park's vantage points were spectacular. At one point, as we were running west, I remarked that it seemed like we were running toward a photograph.

Saw a couple northern harriers prowling the grasslands, winging just above the grasstops hunting for rodents, their distinctive white rump patch visible. Heard a meadowlark at one point. The sound immediately made me think of spring.

The trails here, save for one stretch of gravel road, were all soft-surfaced dirt. Perfect for running on. The trails undulate up and down hills, with no major climbs. My favorite spot was along Boulder Creek (I think), where there's an old farm homestead and a whole mess o' old, big cottonwood trees. Beautiful.

These trails are perfect for runs where steady turnover is the order of the day. I'll be back, for sure.

Double Day and a Weird Feeling

2011-03-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

Mild temps, a dog and a desire to get the base mileage back up all conspired to get me out the door twice today.

Time: 39 minutes (a.m.); 1:11 (p.m.) - Total: 1:50
Distance: 4.1 miles (a.m.); 8.45 miles (p.m.) - Total: 12.55 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny and cool

This was the third time in my nascent running career where I managed to get out twice in the same day for a run. The presence of the Dog to Be Named Later certainly has been the impetus for the last two doubles. Can't say I particularly enjoy the doubles, but appreciate that they can be valuable, certainly as I try and rebuild my mileage base after a sub-par late fall/winter.

The weird thing, though, after just two doubles, I suddenly am feeling the urge to complain about the lack of prize money in ultrarunning and about race directors that don't offer elite runners coveted entry slots ahead of all those slower guys. This is weird. I'm sure it will pass. Back to one-a-days tomorrow!

Dog was solid on the a.m. run. She set a nice pace on the leash, never really pulling, expect for a time or two when she really wanted to go meet a dog she could see ahead. I'm enjoying running with the dog. Eager for the Meadow View luge run to melt and dry out so we can do the regular loop at Elk Meadow Open Space.

Evening run was from the house into Elk Meadow, down Sleepy S, up Painters Pause, over to the Rec Center and then down Troublesome Gulch, through the Hiwan 'hood and home via Bergen Peak Drive.

1,373 feet o' elevation gain.

Flatiron Vista in the Sun

2011-02-28T23:58:00.003-07:00

Post-work dash from the Flatiron Vista trailhead to the Spring Brook Loop in the warm afternoon sun.

Time: 1:14
Distance: 8.41 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Sun and cool

Workload today was manageable and the sun was out, so I had time today for a fine jog from the Flatiron Vista trailhead, complete with the usual outstanding views of the Flatirons and Eldorado Canyon.

Heading up the Flatiron Vista South Trail.

I started at the trailhead off Highway 93 and headed up the Flatiron Vista South Trail and ran the southern route to the intersection with Dowdy Draw Trail. Dowdy Draw drops steadily down to the namesake creek before ascending to the start to the Spring Brook Loop.

Sign at beginning of Spring Brook Loop - note the Muddy Trails Meter

I opted to climb via the Spring Brook North Trail, eager to get quicker access to the dramatic views of the South Boulder and Bear Peaks and Eldorado Canyon. Per the Muddy Trails Meter on the Spring Brook sign, there were some muddy sections on this trail. Most spots were easily negotiable on foot via rocks and a bit of remaining snow/ice. In a few places, I had to simply step in the mud.

This is a tough time of year for trails. It's human nature to want to avoid mud/water. Unfortunately, the result is widening or braided trails.

The trail tread is still under snow here. See new trail being made on the left.

Despite the few muddy spots, the trail was in decent shape. The views were, of course, sublime.

Eldorado Canyon

South Boulder and Bear Peaks from the plateau off Spring Brook North

Looking south from the Spring Brook North Trail

After completing the Spring Brook Loop, I returned up the Dowdy Draw Trail and ran back to the truck via the Flatiron Vista North Trail.

I felt a bit of fatigue in the legs from yesterday's run, but nothing significant. Had to remind myself regularly to ease up and keep the easy day easy. Hard to do on this run given the moderate grades and great scenery.