Pikes Peak - Up & Down

Got up way early to make the 95 mile drive from home down to Manitou Springs for a run up and down Pikes Peak. I had perfect weather and a decent, but not perfect, run.


Time:  5:07
Distance: 25 miles
Effort: Hard
Body: Average
Weather: Sunny & Warm


On the road by 4:15 a.m. and running by 6:10 a.m. I parked about .06 miles up Ruxton Avenue from the official Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon starting line. No interest in running any more of the roads than I had to. By the time I got to the area, the Barr Trail lot was full and Ruxton was filling quickly.


After a quick pit stop at the Barr Trail trailhead, I jumped onto Barr at its official starting spot, rather than heading back down to Ruxton and running the official race course. I'd never been on the first half-mile or so of Barr before. This section was just a continuation of the Ws above. The plan today was to run steady and take a few pictures along the way. There was a good amount of foot traffic coming down the Ws, presumably originating at the top of the Incline.

Looking east back down toward Manitou Springs from somewhere above No Name Creek

Pikes Peak from somewhere above No Name Creek

I made respectable, if not speedy, time through the Ws, over to No Name Creek and up to Barr Camp. One highlight was seeing a guy on a unicycle a bit below Barr Camp. The thing was equipped with a beefy mountain bike-type tire. I didn't see him riding, since he was paused to let me and some hikers go by. Still, it was quite a sight.


I was a bit worried that my wheels were coming off post-Barr Camp, but I pulled it together at the three-mile sign and ran pretty well up to the 16 Golden Stairs. Along the way, I was stopping to take pictures of all the key landmarks (Barr Camp, A-Frame, Three- Two- and One-to-go signs, etc...).  Somehow I ran right past the one-mile sign without seeing it. I kept thinking that it was taking forever to run from three- to two-to-go. Before I knew It, there was the sign for the 16 Golden Stairs - the last stretch before the summit.

After making my way through the Stairs, I cruised to the finish area and clicked the watch - 3:02. No idea what to make of the time given where I started, early course deviation and stopping to take pictures. Still, it felt like a solid effort.

Sign at the summit next to the Cog Railway tracks

After chatting with a few Cog Railway riders interested in how long it took me to run up, I headed into the visitors' center to refill the hydration pack. The place was packed with gift-buying masses. I couldn't wait to get out of there.


Just as I started heading down, the Garmin beeped - low battery warning. I only got 3:36 out of a fully-charged battery. Not good. I may need to send it in for a new battery. Frustrating.


I've never run down Pikes before, having only run the Ascent. I figured I'd be in for some hurtin', and I was. 


I took it relatively easy down from the summit, just focusing on not tripping (I never fell) and taking lines that would protect my quads as much as possible. Right around the Cirque sign, I passed Matt Carpenter heading up. He had a steely look of determination on his face as he flew by me. The look immediately reminded me of the look Lance Armstrong had on his face during a few of the mountain stage breakaways when he was in his prime. There will be some fast guys challenging Matt next month. I wonder if he's been thinking about 'em...

The rest of the descent was pretty uneventful. Just a lot of cruising, 3-4 stops along the way to dunk my hat in cold creeks and a whole bunch of "thank yous" to people stepping out of the way to let me by.


By the time I hit the Ws, my quads were hurting and I was eager to be done. This time I followed the course down Ruxton back to the car. The descent took me 2:05. 


Once back home, I spent the day pretty much laying around watching the Tour de France. Just didn't feel like doing much else. The run wore my ass out.  Made me wonder why in the hell I signed up for both the Ascent and the Marathon. Seemed like a good at the time...and it probably will seem like a good idea tomorrow. Today, though...no so much.


Elevation gain: 7,639.

Elk Meadow - Meadow View Loop - Easy

With a big day on Pikes Peak planned for Sunday, I opted to take it very easy today with a leisurely jog on the Meadow View Loop at JeffCo's Elk Meadow Open Space.


Time:  1:06
Distance: 5.86 miles
Effort: Way Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Cloudy and cool


Took the camera on this run with the intent of pausing regularly to capture the Meadow View loop for posterity (and future blog posts). As a bonus, the regular photography stops forced me to take it very easy, which I often have a hard time doing on my home turf trails.

Stopped to chat for a while at one point with a guy jogging in Five Fingers. The "shoes" haven't cured all his running aches, he said, but he did feel like they had helped him improve his running form. Interesting discussion and perspective.

Misc:

• Amazing run these past two days by Diana Finkel at the Hardrock 100. Nearly won the whole thing. Looks like Jared Campbell caught her in the last five miles or so. I wonder what Campbell and Finkel were thinking when the pass was made. Results here.  Post-race interview with Finkel. Her hands look pretty swollen.
• Kilian Jounet going for the record on...Boulder's Mt. Sanitas!!?  This from Salomon's Facebook page:

Salomon running This kid is good at everything! Kilian just slacklined in Boulder with Scott Jurek and Tony Krupicka and did really well as a slacker virgin. Tomorrow he's taking Rickey Gates' dare and going for the record on Mt. Sanitas, which is Rickey's at 14:26. Go Kilian! --Proton

UPDATE:  Word, courtesy of Tony K. via Brandon F., is that Kilian lowered the FKT for Sanitas to 14:12. I wonder if Tony can lure Kilian to tackle Green too.  Hell, Kilian could leave a string of new FKTs in the Boulder area as a parting gift to the local running scene.

Chautauqua - Bear Canyon - Green Mtn - Gregory

Great, moderate-paced late morning run from Chautauqua, topping out at the summit of Green Mountain.


Time:  1:30-ish
Distance: ? miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Good
Weather: Sunny and warm


Escaped from the desk at mid-morning, lured out by the perfect weather - mild temps, a bit of humidity in the air and blue skies. 


From the Chautauqua trailhead, I headed up Bluebell to Mesa, took Mesa over to Bear Canyon and climbed the canyon to the intersection with West Ridge, pausing to dunk the hat in the blissfully cool creek. From here, I climbed Green Bear up to the four-way and then on to the summit of Green Mountain. I clicked a spit here - 1:07.


Retraced my steps back to the four-way and cruised down Green's backside to the Gregory trailhead. After a short jaunt through the Chautauqua meadow, I back at the car feeling refreshed and wishing I could do it all over again.


Solid and steady climbing day. Very little fatigue. I forgot the Garmin watch today...and didn't miss it.  Just a very enjoyable day on the trails...as it should be.

Elk Meadow - Meadow View Loop - Easy

Time:  45 minutes
Distance: 5.12 miles
Effort: Easy
Body: Good
Weather: Cloudy and Cool


Easy lunchtime run around Elk Meadow's Meadow View loop with SF. Got it done just a bit before the rainstorm started. Lots of rumbling thunder as we ran.


Kilian Journet is in Colorado. This from the Salomon Running Facebook page:

Salomon running Kilian ran up and down Mt Elbert, CO, today. 4403 mts! -- The Squirrel

Maybe he'll be out soaking up the fun at the Hardrock 100 this weekend. Speaking of Hardrock...good luck to Evergreen's Jason Poole, who finished 9th at last month's San Juan Solstice 50.

Grays & Torreys Peaks - Altitude

Time:  2:15
Distance: 8.04 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Good
Weather: Sunny and Clear


With the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon just six weeks or so away, I figured it was about time to start trying to work some altitude training into my weekly routine. So, the plan was to get up early and hit Grays and Torreys before work.


The alarm went off at 4:50 a.m. and I was greeted by a damp, misty morning, as I looked out our living room window. Should I bag it for today?  How bad will it be at 11,000-14,000 feet? Too wet? Too cold? Ultimately, I decided that since I already was up and had my gear laid out, I'd suck it up and head to the high country. 


Smart decision.

The Northwest-type weather we experienced today along the Front Range was confined to the Front Range. Up above Georgetown, it was beautiful.


From the house to Grays Peak trailhead is just 45 minutes, so I was parked and ready to run by  6 a.m. The sun was just beginning to hit the tops of the peaks on the north and west sides of the valley that leads up to the cirque below Grays and Torreys. It was a bit chilly as I started the watch and set off running across the bridge at the trail's beginning.  

The bridge at the begging of the Grays Peak National Recreation Trail

Looking back up the valley, post-run, at Grays (center) and Torreys (right) Peaks.

When I Ieft the parking lot, there were three or four cars in the lot. I caught all the people from those cars in the first 1.5 miles. After that, I had the peaks to myself. I ran most of the way up to the first big hill after you cross the creek at the base of the peaks, powerhiking now and then on the steeper sections.

I kept a steady powerhiking pace up through the talus to the saddle between the peaks - just under an hour to this spot. The only snow on the trail was a short section just before the saddle. It was frozen solid and I had not problem navigating the well-worn path through it.

A short section of snow greets hikers just below the saddle between the peaks.

After a very brief pause at the saddle to take in the views to the east and west, I headed up Grays and made the 14,270-foot summit 11 minutes later. I spent about five minutes gazing down at the cloud-shrouded Front Range far below and to the east and the clear, blue-sky views to the west. 

The obligatory summit pic. Note the dense cloud cover blanketing the Eastern Plains.

Looking north over to Torreys Peak

After my short break atop Grays, I returned to the the saddle and made the 13 minute climb to the 14,267-foot summit of Torreys. 

Looking back over at Grays from the summit of Torreys - three feet below the height of Grays

From there, it was back down to the saddle, then a very fun descent as I retraced my steps back to the car. The best part was the looks of surprise from the 20+ hikers I cruised by as they were headed up. I got a lot of encouraging words and a few "you're my hero"-type comments. I appreciate those sorts of comments, but can't help but think about the runners I know that would simply crush my middling pace up and down these big mountains. Still, it's satisfying to know one can do things so many people, including most of those hikers, can't even imagine doing.

The run down from the saddle took about 32 minutes, putting me back at my car at around 8:15 a.m. And, after a quick drive back (and back into the dreary Front Range weather), I was at my desk at work -- ready to save the world -- by 9 a.m. 

One hell of a great way to start the day!  Only in Colorado...

Green Mountain - PR

Time:  1:05
Distance: 5.05 miles
Effort: Hard
Body: Good-ish
Weather: Cloudy and warm


Late afternoon run up Boulder's Green Mountain. I saw this morning that Brandon had made a couple of good showings on the mountain last week, including one up the backside of the mountain, so I figured it was time to give it a go myself.


Hit the watch at the Gregory Canyon trailhead sign and started the climb. Didn't feel very peppy, just chugging along, but felt like I had enough to put in a solid effort. I hit the ranger cabin in 16:33 and kept it up.  I managed to cruise steady up Ranger and through the switchbacks up to the four-way. Hit the split at the four-way - 35:20. 


I ran hard from the four-way through the flat-ish section and then started the hands-on-knees step-ups to the summit. Panting like a dog, I climbed the summit rock, tagged the marker and hit the split - 38:47 - a personal PR.


I should note that with all due respect to JV, I definitely didn't stop to do trail maintenance or wait on my dog on the way up. Going sub-40 required my full attention.


With that effort, I knocked 2:15 off my PR for this route.


Came down the frontside via the usual route. Saw Paul silently and seemingly effortlessly gliding up Ampi, well shod in Five Fingers as usual.


2,308 feet of elevation gain.

Steamboat - Yampa River Bike Path

Time: 25 minutes
Distance: 3.5 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Fair
Weather: Sunny and warm


The four of us tubed down the Yampa River, lazing in the sun and floating through a few class II waves and drops. Put in just above Mt. Werner Road and floated down to the Werner Library at the north end of downtown. Ran back to get the car. Wore a new pair of Injinji socks I got for Father's Day. I liked them. Even wet and with wet shoes the socks felt great. Need to try them on a long run.

Steamboat - Yoo Hoo to Christie's Lift - Ups

Time: 49 minutes
Distance: 5.05 miles
Effort: Hard
Body: Good-ish
Weather: Sunny and warm


Quick mid-after noon run from the Steamboat condo up into the ski resort. This time I took the Yoo Hoo Trail, which was a fair bit steeper than the Zig Zag Trail I ran the day before. Climbed on the trail to the top of Christie's Lift and then descended quickly via a series of other trails whose names I've forgotten (if it went down in the direction I needed to go...I took it).  


Really enjoyed running in Steamboat. The forests here, even though they are being hammered by bark beetle, are beautiful, with a solid mix of aspen, spruce, lodgepole and a few ponderosa and a dense. lush understory.  


Thinking about running the Run Rabbit Run 50 in September. The only problem is that it's a week before the Golden Leaf Half Marathon, which runs from Snowmass to Aspen - one of my favorite races.  Ahhh...decisions....


1,223 feet of elevation gain.

Steamboat - Zig Zag to Gondola - Ups

Time: 1:26
Distance: 9.2 miles
Effort: Moderate
Body: Good
Weather: Warm and clear


The family and I headed up to Steamboat for the long Fourth o' July weekend. We rented a cheap(ish) condo down below the base area of the ski resort (third night free!). After a fun day of watching ski jumping (the big Nordic ramps are covered in green plastic and wet down - they let spectators stand right next to the landing area alongside the ramp...the skiers actually made a fluttering sound as they flew by), riding the alpine slide, hiking up to Fish Creek Falls (237 amazing feet of falling water) and exploring the town, I squeezed in a run before dinner and a trip to the rodeo.


From the condo, I ran up to the ski resort and jumped on the Zig Zag trail, which curved around the north side of the resort and climbed moderately, but steadily, through a combination of lush forest, cat trails and open meadows. It actually was quite beautiful, much more so than most ski resorts seems to be in the summer. The trail was built for mountain bikers, with banked turns here and there. Fortunately, I only came across a couple of bikers and both were stopped to rest.


I was pressed for time, so I worked it pretty hard up the last of few climbs before topping out at the gondola terminus. I ran right by a wedding gathering set up immediately adjacent to the trail. Guests, dressed in their wedding best, were filing in and being seated as I ran by shirtless and sweaty. I had to smile to myself at the incongruence of it.


From the gondola, I jumped on the Thunderhead Trail, which is a hiker-only trail, and descended through an endless series of switchbacks back to the base area, pausing a couple of times to take in the the views and to give a nod to the sea of wildflowers covering the ski runs the trail cut across.


I pushed the descent pretty hard (again...working on my descending stamina). Felt great to really work this run.


I had not been in Steamboat for something like 12 years. The place has changed quite a bit. Nonetheless (and most importantly), it was great to run on new trails!


2,289 feet of elevation gain.