Flatiron Vista - Spring Brook Loop - Steady

Time: 1:06
Distance: 8.53 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Average
Weather: Clear and Warm


Post-work run beginning at the Flatiron Vista Trailhead off Highway 93. Great steady run across the plateau, down Dowdy Draw and then did the Spring Brook Loop counterclockwise.  Love the views of the Flatirons from the grassy vista points along the north part of the Spring Brook loop. 


I had several negative interactions with mountain bikers over the course of the hour-plus run (also had some great interactions). At one point, near the bottom of Doudy Draw, I had to literally leap off the trail to avoid getting smacked by a biker whipping around a corner. As a mountain biker that loves whipping around corners and bombing downhill, I raise these problems with trepidation. It's funny, in all my running in JeffCo, I've had maybe two bad experiences with mountain bikers. In Boulder, virtually every time I run on trails where bikes are allowed (Heil Ranch, Doudy Draw), I run into jerks. Has all the exclusions from city/county trails made bikers surly and unwilling to play nice? Something in the water?  (Or, maybe I'm the jerk!) Whatever it is, it makes me mad, not so much because of issues with my personal space or safety, but mostly because I know that poor behavior by a few bikers with the wrong set of hikers is going to set back mountain bike access efforts that good groups like the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance have been working on for years. Same goes for riding in muddy conditions, especially on the wide-open parts of this trail system. These trails do not drain well. Tons of rutting on some sections of this trail from riding in muddy conditions.  Then, people and bikes go around the rutty, muddy sections and make trails twice as wide as they were a month before, which is what's happened on parts of this trail system.  Some singletrack is now doubletrack. 


Anyway...off the soapbox.  


This was a great run. Everything clicked. After the Spring Brook loop, I returned up Doudy Draw to the Flatiron Vista loop, hung a right and ran to the southern edge of the property and picked up the Prairie View trail for the return to main road/trail out of the parking lot. Great day.


761 feet of elevation gain; average pace 7:46.

Flatiron Vista Open Space - Steady Run

Time: 58 minutes
Distance:  7.34 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Good
Weather: Mostly sunny, early wind


Post-work run starting at the Flatiron Vista trailhead off Highway 93, en route home from work in Boulder. Started off with gale-force winds howling straight into my face.  The wind was relentless, with gusts that seemingly stopped you in your tracks. I put up with these character-building conditions until I entered the ponderosas on the plateau above the parking area. Once in here, the trees provided some shelter before, miracuously, the wind eased and nearly disappeared. It was that abrupt.  One minute the wind was constant and screaming, the next it was gone. 


With the wind having given up for the day, the fun began on the flat trail in the woods.  After a couple of miles, I dropped west down the ridge on the Dowdy Draw trail and cruised over to the Spring Brook South trail. As I was climbing up Spring Brook, I saw my favorite sight...a mountain biker cranking up the hill about a quarter mile ahead. Ahhhh...something to chase.  I was pressed for time and promised myself I would turn around exactly at 4:35 p.m., no matter what. I caught the rider at one point and asked to pass.  He mumbled something up upping his pace and pushed ahead, staying just out of reach.  I wasn't going all out by any means, just a steady, great-feeling uphill pace. With 30 seconds to go before my hard-stop turn-around time, he surrendered and pulled over.  He gave me a confused look when I appeared 30 seconds later running downhill toward him.  I was smiling...inside.


Retraced my steps back toward the Dowdy Draw/Flatirons Vista trailhead. As I cranked up Dowdy Draw, I caught a runner who turned out to be a Nebraska guy on a recovery run from the Lincoln Half Marathon, where he'd run a 1:12.  We chatted as we ran down the Flatirons Vista North Trail. I bid him farewell as he headed over toward Marshall Mesa and I ran straight to the truck, hopped in and sped home to pick up jP and CP.


Fantastic run. Legs felt great. More importantly, I was totally there mentally...in tune with the trail, feeling the fitness groove and craving more time and more miles.  Amazing what a little sun and shirt-sleeve-only temps can do for a guy.

Average pace: 7:51.  660 feet of elevation gain.

Friday, October 2 - Doudy Draw, Boulder

Run: Friday, October 2nd - Doudy Draw and Spring Brook Loop

Time: 56:39

Distance: 7.14 miles

Effort: Tempo on the ups, easy on the rest

Body: Very Good

Weather: Sunny and warm

Hit the Doudy Draw trailhead after work today on an absolutely gorgeous fall day. I'd never run on this bit of City of Boulder open space. Was hoping to catch GZ returning from a planned mid-afternoon run (missed him).

There's some nice variety on these trails, with sections that meander along a now-dry creek bed, some steady climbs, a bit of flat through a ponderosa forest and a few rollers.

Was feeling good today, so I ran tempo on the ups and took it easy on the descents. I started on the Doudy Draw trail and ran it up to the gate that marks the boundary of the Flatirons Vista Open Space parcel.

I returned back down the Doudy Draw trail and picked up the Spring Brook Loop, starting on the south trail and ending on the north trail. Ran a real strong pace up the north Spring Brook trail in pursuit of a mountain biker I saw about a quarter mile ahead. Caught him about 100 yards from the top. It always feels good passing bikers on climbs. Reminds me of the freedom of running...so little gear (and weight) required.

A fabulous 7+ miles in a little less than an hour. A truly great day to be out on the trails. The lighting was perfect.