Elk Meadow - Meadow View Loop - Easy

Around and around he goes...yet another loop on the familiar terrain of Elk Meadow Open Space.


Time: 46 minutes
Distance: 5.19 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Warm & Mostly Cloudy


Continuing the taper week theme, this was yet another easy run around the Meadow View Trail loop in JeffCo's Elk Meadow Open Space. I threw in a few stretches in the low 6s to try and remember what it feels like to run fast.  Felt good.

South Boulder Creek, West Trailhead - Easy

An easy taper week run through the grasslands below SoBo and Bear Peaks.


Time: 33 minutes
Distance: 4.38 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Warm & Sunny


Post-work jog from the South Boulder Creek West Trailhead, making a loop out of the South Boulder Creek and Big Bluestem Trails. The grasses along the trail were waist high and still mostly green. I'm really enjoying this bit of late summer warmth. 


Great Wasatch 100 race report from Nick C. is up.


Tim L. and Tim W. are teaming up again at the Bear 100...this time with Tim W. doing the pacing.  Should be a fun one to follow!


Ryan Burch, the defending champ at the Run Rabbit Run 50, is picking Roes for in the win this Saturday in 6:57. Burch currently has the CR with a 7:26 run last year.

Meadow View Plus - Steady

Time: 45 minutes
Distance: 5.76 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Good
Weather: Cool & Sunny



Morning run around the home trails, yet again. Squeezed this one in early before taking jP out for a final camping trip of the summer. 


The run was typical. Felt solid running the loop at an average pace of 7:57. By no means tempo, but steady.


The countdown to the Run Rabbit Run 50 officially has begun. Just realized they have a mandatory pre-race briefing at 5 p.m. I guess that means we're headed to Ski Town USA a bit earlier than planned. Probably a good thing...  I haven't yet begun thinking at all about splits, drop bags or finish time. Just looking forward to a long run in the woods. I've not spent much time in that part of the state, let alone on the trails above the ski resort. 


Should be a fun one.

Soda Creek Loop

Easy a.m. trail/road loop starting from a local bagel joint, where I had an early meeting.


Time: 37 minutes
Distance: 5.02 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Good
Weather: Cool & Sunny


After dropping jP and CP at school, I parked at The Bagelry and did a quick five-mile loop before a breakfast meeting. Ended up running most of it at tempo effort in order to ensure I closed the loop by the meeting time. 


The run is basically a down-up loop with 640 feet of elevation loss and gain. Average pace was 7:24.


Felt good to crank out a quick, hard run. I ended up taking three days off due to a combination of wanting to ensure the lingering fatigue issue I had these past 10 days was resolved and being over-scheduled between family, work and volunteer stuff.


Back into it just in time for the weekend.

Pikes Peak Ascent & Marathon - Reflections

I never got around to writing race reports for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Pikes Peak Marathon, and with so much time having passed, it seems anti-climatic and dated to do so at this point.

Even though I haven't written race reports, it doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about the races and the lessons and learning gained by running them.  So, in no particular order, here are some post-Pikes Peakalooza thoughts.

The weekend's haul.

The Ascent:  I was very happy to break three hours on the Ascent. This was my #1 goal for the weekend.  I crossed the finish line in 2:56:30.  Frankly, though, I had hoped to break three hours more convincingly than I did. Still, I'm pleased with the result. This year was my fourth time running this race. My previous times looked like this:

• 2007 - 3:23 (just started mountain running)
• 2008 - 3:27 (injured...strained chest muscle, couldn't take deep breaths)
• 2009 - 3:06 (poorly executed run)
• 2010 - 2:56 

Like last year, I received a small trophy for getting fourth place in my age group.

Cramps:  I've never experience cramping on a run, let alone in a race, before. I started getting cramps in my right calf just before Barr Camp (Barr Cramp?). The first time was when I stepped up on a rock and my calf muscle seized for a second, then released. I remember thinking, "Uh-oh!" Things were OK, but tight, up through the two-to-go sign. After that, both calves started cramping, slowing me down and making my footfalls much more tentative. Several times, I had to stop to massage the calves to get them to release.

Through the 16 Golden Stairs, the cramping became more regular. If the calves weren't cramping, they were feeling on the verge of cramping. The worst of it was around the Fred Barr memorial sign. I had to stop (with JM, GZ, Homie and others yelling at me to get my ass moving!) to pound the right calf. Fortunately, I knocked it enough to get it to release and was able to sprint to the finish, passing a final runner in the last 50 meters. (Turned out that guy was in my age group.)

Those calf cramps hurt! - Photo J. Mock

I figure the cramping was the result of not enough race-specific training. I ran pretty much everything on the way up, which meant I was running longer uphill on my toes and forefoot than I typically do in training. I fueled well on the way up, so I don't think I was low on electrolytes. So, I just must have out-run my training a bit. Aside from the Barr Trail, it's tough to find a place where one can run three straight hours up 8,000 feet.

The Marathon:  As I was hanging out at the race starting line Sunday morning, I had no idea what the day would hold. My legs felt reasonably solid. I was in a good frame of mind. I was enjoying the relatively mellow vibe at the race start (compared to the more hectic and crowded Ascent start).  My plan was to just let the race unfold. I hadn't studied splits. I didn't know what a fast descent time was. I was just going to see how things felt and react accordingly. My only plan was to work hard and see what happens.

The climb was hard. I hit Barr Camp about six minutes slower than the previous day. My legs were tapped out. No pep. I pretty much walked it in from Barr, summiting 22 (!) minutes slower than the day before. Terrible.

I felt decent on the descent down to the A-Frame. I was chasing a solid descender in front of me and holding off anyone behind me. After A-Frame, the rock-laden trail and a brief pit stop above Barr Camp set me back a bit. I ran into Barr Camp feeling fair.

I quickly refilled my bottle, grabbed a handful of grapes and dashed out of there, leaving three runners grazing at the table. Suddenly it felt like a switch was flipped. I started feeling good...really good. I decided the race was starting over. No one was going to pass me. Over the remaining miles, I picked off about eight other runners, including two in the last 1.5 miles. Since I leapfrogged over the runners at Barr Camp, no one passed me (whom I didn't pass back) on the descent.  I finished strong. If I had run the ascent even 10-12 minutes faster, I would have picked up a bunch of spots in the overall finisher ranks, more, perhaps, if I'd had run the descent just a bit faster as well.

Chillin' out in Fountain Creek post-Marathon.

Makes me think I will run the Marathon next year (only).

The Double:  Running both the Ascent and the Marathon in the same weekend was a bucket list thing for me...just something I wanted to do for the hell of it. During the weeks leading up to the races, I had lost some enthusiasm for running both races. I was clear in my head that the Ascent was the priority. I would give that race my all and do the Marathon for kicks.

After the Ascent, it would have been wise to have gone back to our B&B and kicked back to aid recovery for the next day's 26,2 miles. Instead, the family and I spent a good two hours walking around Manitou Springs, seeking out food, visiting the race pavilion and goofing at the playgrounds. We had a great time, time I wouldn't trade for anything, but in terms of racing, it wasn't the best decision. I definitely learned about the importance of getting off one's feet, refueling and letting the body do it's thing in preparation for the next day's physical stress.

For the weekend, I had the sixth fastest double, or combined, time, behind the likes of Tim Parr, Keri Nelson, Megan Kimmel and Jim Mallory.

I doubt I'd do the double thing again.

The Training:  I've had the most consistent, highest-volume training year I've ever had. Still, I fell short in a number of key areas related to this race. I did a lot of uphill running, but I didn't do enough fast uphill running, nor did I run uphill as long as I should/could have. I ran at higher elevations a number of times, but far less than I should have. In the late spring, I mentally committed to getting up high at least two mornings a week. I don't think I ever made it more than once a week, and even once a week was rare. I also slacked off tempo and interval work after the San Juan Solstice (for which I was following a loosely prescribed plan courtesy of AJW). Still, I did enough of all of the above to meet my goal, but not enough to convincingly exceed the goal.

The Fun:  For my money, the Pikes Peak races are among the best-run, most enjoyable races around. The course is stunningly beautiful. The volunteers are first rate. The race is brilliantly executed. The course is challenging (to be sure!). The competition is fierce. It's a great race for meeting up with friends, acquaintances and other folks one may only know from their blogs. And, Manitou Springs is only 70 miles from the house! Everyone should run one of the races...at least once.

There's more to do in Manitou Springs than just run up large mountains.

Mt. Evans Wilderness - Long(ish)

Note to self:  When you're in a hole, stop digging.


Time: 4:16
Distance: 16.63 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Cool & Windy


I've been wrestling this past week with low-grade fatigue...just feeling off. I ran through it all week, but finally gave in and put off the long run 'til today. Thus, Sunday was a relaxing, mellow day at home, filled with errands, long-ignored punch-list stuff and hanging with JP and the kids. Great stuff.


With a bit of trepidation, I set the alarm last night for 6 a.m., with plans for getting out early for a long jaunt in the Mt. Evans Wilderness. Would a single day off be the anodyne for what was ailing me?


By 7 a.m., I was parked at entrance to the Mt. Evans Road, suited up and ready to run. The plan was to do a relatively big loop through the eastern part of the wilderness area, starting up the Chicago Lakes Trail, climbing up to Summit Lake and then descending down through an eastern drainage, picking up the Resthouse Trail and completing the loop back to the truck.


I stepped out of the truck and was immediately hit by the realization that summer is, indeed, waning. It was darn-right chilly and ferociously windy at the start. I quickly darted into the relative calm provided by the dense forest on the south side of Echo Lake. I cruised along the flattish first .6 mile of the Chicago Lakes Trail and soon was descending down a series of switchbacks on the northern slope of the Chicago Creek drainage.

After crossing the creek, I started the day's climb on a dirt road that wound its way up past the Idaho Springs Reservoir and two small cabins, located right on the edge of the wilderness. Here, the road dead-ends and the singletrack begins.

These signs always make my heart swoon.

Let the climbing begin.

Looking up the Chicago Lakes drainage to the large headwall at the end of the valley.

After a short, relatively steep climb, the rocky trail levels out and undulates a bit as it rolls through an old burn, meadows and dense coniferous forests. At about 4.3 miles the trail passes above the first of the two Chicago Lakes. Here I saw the day's first people. There were two tents on the southwest end of the lake.  

The first of two Chicago Lakes (left in picture).

View of lower Chicago Lakes from the trail above.

After passing the lake, the trail winds its way around and in-between several enormous boulders that eons ago must have tumbled down from the lofty cliffs above. Soon, the trail begins a very steep climb up and over a shelf that hides the second of the two Chicago Lakes.

The view into the basin holding the upper Chicago Lakes just past the lip of the shelf.

Upper Chicago Lake. The low spot in the cliffs above is where the trail heads next.

About the time I got the first look at lake #2, I was blasted by the gale-force winds that would be my nemesis for the next 30 minutes as I began the steep climb up the eastern flank of Mt. Warren (13,307 feet) bound for the opening in the cirque that provides one with access to Summit Lake from the Chicago Lakes drainage. 


The whole climb was one of those character-building experiences. The blow-you-off-the-mountain winds, combined with the unseasonable chill, was enough to make me want to scream at the Weather Gods to ease up. Finally, with painfully cold hands and a hat pulled unnaturally tight on my head to keep it from blowing back down to the Chicago Lakes, I crested the final rock outcropping and was treated to a view of whitecaps on Summit Lake, dust devils spinning off the newly-gavelled parking lot and a number of people bundled up as if it were January on a ski slope.


I ran quickly down the newly-rebuilt trail around the eastern edge of Summit Lake and locked myself in one of the bathrooms long enough to get the feeling back in my hands. I contemplated hanging it up and hitchhiking back to the car, but with summer obviously on its way out, I just couldn't give up on a sunny day in the high country...wind or no wind.

Summit Lake. Note the whitecaps kicked up by the wind.

So, across the Mt. Evans Road I went. I picked up the Summit Lake Trail, er, at least I think I did. Turns out, this trail is lightly used and only evident by the intermittent cairns that appeared haphazardly across the grassy tundra that unfurled before me. The uneven, hard-to-follow terrain only exacerbated my frustration. Alas, I sucked it up and mentally committed to making the best of it. After all, the views were incredible, the rich reds, browns and golds of the tundra grass were inspiring and, surely, the wind would die down sometime.

The Summit Lake "Trail."

You can almost make out a hint of singletrack here.

I soon was descending down into upper reaches of the Bear Creek drainage. Right at treeline, as I dropped down below a ridge line, the wind ceased. Finally!  Now I could cruise...except for one problem. The trail disappeared (either that or in my glee, I stopped paying attention to the cairns).


Confident in my trail-wise sense of direction, I just went with it. Surely the trail was just over this way...no that way...up here...no, down there. Damn. Lost the trail. Really lost the trail. Down and to the left I could see an old burn. I new the Resthouse Trail, my next destination, descended down through that burn. The trick was to get over there.


Suffice to say, it was rough going. Downed trees. Several creeks. Dense willows. Thick forests. Off-camber footing. Steep hillsides. The works.

No way to get lost in that forest! The meadow is Beaver Meadow.

After an hour's slog, I finally entered the burned area and I started making my way up through the tangle of old trees, deep grasses and bogs. Finally, I crested a last hill and stepped onto a very, very sweet ribbon of singletrack - the Resthouse Trail.


I took one last look down toward Bear Creek and Beaver Meadows and began climbing up through the widow-maker trees from the old burn that lined the trail. From here, it was a relatively easy (compared to what I had just endured) 3-4 miles of up-and-down back to the Echo Lake Campground and the parking lot where my truck awaited.

The most-welcome Resthouse Trail through an old burn.

That had to have been the longest 16 miles I've ever run.


I'm disappointed that I lost track of the Summit Lake Trail on my descent. I've been wanting to check out the trail for quite sometime. Given the cross-country nature of the first couple of miles, I'm not inclined to return anytime soon. I wonder what the section through the upper part of the Bear Creek drainage is like. I'm also disappointed that I didn't turn around sooner after losing the trail. Had I done that, I would have had, maybe, 10 minutes of climbing to get back to the last cairn. Assuming I could have found the trail corridor, it certainly would have made the rest of the run much more pleasurable. That said, I explored some part of the Mt. Evans Wilderness that I'd never been in. And, despite the wind, the cold and the bushwhacking, it still was a great morning in the high country.  And, while the mileage was a bit low, the time-on-feet was solid. A good thing since this is my last long(ish) run before the Run Rabbit Run 50 in Steamboat in a couple o' weeks.


A couple of bonus pics - first of the terrible fire above Boulder:

The fire near Gold Hill above Boulder from Highway 103

Now, a very fine-looking bull elk I came across while driving home from a run last weekend. This big guy was hanging out in a meadow just off Stagecoach Road, about half-mile west of the upper parking lot at Elk Meadow Open Space.  He is, no doubt, saving up his energy for the coming rut.

Bergen Peak - Easy

Mid-day run from the house to the summit of Bergen Peak. The whole outing should have been "easy," but the body was having none of it.


Time: 1:54
Distance: 10.42 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Poor
Weather: Hot 


Today the Bergen Peak Trail Race was run on the local mountain. I, however, was nowhere near it. Instead, I was snoozing away, catching up on sleep after the week's trip to the East Coast. Knowing that several dozen runners were toiling away on the peak this morning led me to take an afternoon jaunt up to the summit.


I did the climb at an easy, conversational pace, passing a number of hikers and bikers on the way up. The course was still marked from the morning's race, with orange ribbons here and there on trees and white chalk on the trail pointing runners down the appropriate trail.


I hit the summit sign in just over 57 minutes, turned immediately around and headed back via Too Long and Meadow View. About midway down Too Long, the fatigue set in. My already pedestrian pace turned downright slow as I made my way back home. I reckon it was just another bonk.


2,068 feet of elevation gain.


Hoping for better tomorrow...

Beaver Brook - Gudy Gaskill Trails - Easy

Time: 59 minutes
Distance: 5.63 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Average
Weather: Hot 


On the way home from the airport this morning, I jumped off I-70 at the Genessee exit and parked near Ralston Elementary and made my way over to the Beaver Brook trail via some unnamed trails that, I think, run through some land owned by the Mt. Vernon Country Club. 


After a few rollers, the trail descended down to a plateau overlooking Clear Creek Canyon. Here, the Gudy Gaskill Trail loops 2.48l miles around a small mountain and reconnects with the Beaver Brook, just three-quarters of a mile further down.  (Gaskill was one of the driving forces in creating the Colorado Trail.)


I returned to the car via series of trails and double track that wound their way up through the ponderosas.  


Not a bad way to reenter the world of Colorado after three days on the East Coast.

Arlington, VA - Easy

Easy run around the hills and dales of Arlington, Virginia from the hotel.


Time: 59 minutes
Distance: 6.16 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Fair
Weather: Hot & Humid


A post-work jaunt from the hotel down to the Potomac Heritage Trail. Ran up-river to the intersection with the Windy Run Trail. In the fading twilight, I navigated up the root-strewn, forested trail and into a local neighborhood and then over to the paved bike path along I-66. After a bit of exploring to pad the mileage a bit, I wrapped it up with a jog down Wilson Boulevard and over to the hotel. Home in the a.m.


Check out this washed-out road in the Canyonlands National Park area. This is the road down to Mineral Bottom, which is a key Green River access point below Labyrinth Canyon. We drove up this road after paddling 42 miles of the Green River earlier this summer. Must have been a hell of a rainstorm. Don't underestimate desert storms!

Mineral Bottom Road after August 19th flash flood. Note the people to the right of the wash-out.

More info here.

Catching Up

Have been slacking in posting of late.  Just haven't been too motivated post-Pikes Peakalooza. Following a couple of solid post-Double runs, I have been feeling flat and fatigued. Hoping to kick that feeling soon! 

Friday, August 27th - off.  Family in town. Feeling sluggish.

Saturday, August 28th - 7.13 miles; 1:08. Ran from the house and explored a few neighborhoods between the house and Dedisse Park looking for social trails. Found a good connector trail from Troutdale that runs behind the Evergreen Cemetery into parts of Dedisse I had not explored. Legs felt flat. 

Sunday, August 29th - 8 miles; 1:30; 1,537 feet of elevation gain. Headed over to the Mt. Evans State Wildlife Management Area. Felt terrible. Never got into a groove. Every hill was an effort. Not fun. Not sure what was going on. 

Monday, August 30th - 5.35 miles; 50 minutes. Ran from home and did 98 percent of the Meadow View Loop in Elk Meadow Open Space. Cut it a bit short by stopping at the kids' school and walking them home. A very nice way to end a run. Felt crappy again on the run. No pep. Fatigued.

Tuesday, August 31st - 11.46 miles; 1:34. Ran from hotel in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, VA over Key Bridge and up the "Exorcist stairs" near Georgetown University.

Stairs near Georgetown University featured in the movie The Exorcist.  Photo by Reznicek11.  

From there, I did a big loop by running up Wisconsin Avenue a couple miles past the National Cathedral, hung a right and eventually made my way to Connecticut Avenue and found the Soapstone Valley Trail which led me into the depths of Rock Creek Park. From here in the upper reaches of the park, I hopped ran on a series of bike paths and singletrack to the spot where the park ends at the mouth of the C&O Canal. I then hung a right and followed the old canal's towpath back to just below Key Bridge. After a quick sprint across the bridge, I was back at the hotel drenched and very, very ready for some food and drink.

Legs felt a bit better today, but still dragging a bit. The high heat and humidity sure didn't help.

Wednesday, September 1 - 10 miles; 1:19 - Another post-work running tour of the Washington, D.C. sites. From the hotel, I ran by the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln, Vietnam War, Korean War, WWII and Washington Monuments, the Smithsonian Museums, around the U.S. Capitol and back. Another hot, humid night. Tons of people out playing organized ultimate, kickball and softball on the Mall.  

Legs were comfortably fatigued tonight. Didn't feel mysteriously wasted, as I did late last week and through the weekend. Still not 100 percent, though. 

Hoping to put together a solid rest of the week, with a 10 miler and, perhaps, a 30-miler this weekend. The Steamboat 50 is looming and I haven't run more than 27 miles at a stretch since Lake City in June. That said, the 27 mile Pawnee-Buchanan Pass Loop was solid, as was the Pikes Peak double weekend. Still, I'm feeling the need to get in one more solid long run before the final race o' the season.

If anyone is up for something long, perhaps in the Mt. Evans Wilderness, drop me a line.