Christmas full of family and running

Before meeting Michele, my holiday season usually consisted of myself and whatever family-less friends not heading home for the holidays hanging out at some local pub. Since, I've been slammed with family for 4 straight years now and so grateful for it.

The past 5 days offered up a nice long weekend to spend with lots of family in town. It also allowed me to get in some good running in these ideal weather conditions.

23rd - 8 Miles around Harvard Gulch & Wash Park at 5am.
24th - 12ish Miles around Mt. Falcon. Longest trail run in a month.
25th - 4 Miles around Wash Park at an easy pace.
26th - 7 Miles around Dakota Ridge/Red Rocks at tempo pace.
27th - 7 Miles around Green Mt, Boulder.

The 27th also marked my 10th straight day of running. Not a huge number but coming off an injured calf late last month, I was extremely excited about the progress I've made. Even more important to me was getting in some 6,500 feet of climbing on them trails and the calf running strong.

Yesterdays run up and down Green was amazing. Not for my time (a slow 44 plus minutes from Gregory on pretty tired legs) but for the amazing conditions. I started my run out of Chautauqua around 9am to some intense winds. Temps were reading in the low 40's and I just assumed it would get more windy and colder as I climbed. Couldn't be further from the truth. The second I hit Gregory Canyon the winds stopped. Temps only seemed to get warmer as I climbed. The trail conditions were dry, dusty and clear of snow except for a few spots just below the 4 way at the top. To my delight, I was the only person on the summit of Green. Soaking in the views on such a calm warm morning always feels good.

Knowing I would be taking today off, I decided to hammer down the descent for as long as my legs would allow me to. It was pretty obvious that I was a bit rusty on my technical downhill skills but still mustered 23 minutes down. By then my legs were cashed

With only a few days left in 2010, I'm starting to wonder how I want to end the year. With very cold temps expected, some possible snow accumulations and a day off on Friday, I'm thinking one last climb of Green Mt that morning is in order.



Plus I gotta put this foolish beard to use at least once before shaving it off and heading back to the office next week.

Recovering to race

9. The number of days I took off after running last months Turkey Trot in Loveland. Normally when I'm taking days off due to an injury, I go crazy. Crazy with anger and frustration.

This time around the injury occurred right before the dark cold days of winter set in. So there was no anger or frustration. I actually embraced the time off. Looked at it as a great reason to rest the body and mind from the almost daily grind of running.

Icing, stretching and the foam roller were my best friends during these days. Before I knew it, 9 days had gone by and I was getting ready for a run.

9 days off
2 days of running
1 day off
3 days of running
1 day off
5 days of running

The miles have been short and easy. Nothing to really write about other then the calf coming around very nicely and the warm days allowing me to run shirtless on a December evening. Continuing the conservative pace for another week with goals of upping the effort the last 10 days of the month are the immediate plans.

As the year comes to an end, I've been reflecting a lot on what has transpired over the past year and what to look forward to in 2011. Without getting in any detail, I have signed up for my first 2011 race. The 25 mile variety at the Collegiate Peaks Trail Run in Buena Vista, CO.

I've run this race (and distance) before. Back in 2007. I was in great shape at the time. More specifically, I was in great skiing shape at the time having a good 40 days at locations like Purg, Telluride and Wolf Creek while I learned the art of skiing without a locked in heel.

While my memories of the race are vague, I do recall the drive from Durango to Buena being long. The morning start early, cold, calm with overcast skies. Feeling good to the top of last big climb of the day only to peter out big time and getting passed by 5 or so folks to the finish. 13th place with a 3hr 41min time. Apparently some guy by the name of GZ won the race by a lot of minutes.

Lastly, I gotta thank the lovely wife for allowing me to run this race. Though I'm sure she's thanking me for not dragging her along. So can I consider this a win-win situation?

November Summary

Runs - 15
Work Outs - 7
Injured - 8

The Bad: The frustration of dealing with an injury. Specifically the right calf. Pulled, strained but thankfully nothing major. And it's all on me for not giving it enough time to heal when I first had issues with it. Then again patience has never been my strongest point.

The darkness has arrived. All of my runs Monday thru Friday happen during the hours of 5am and/or 6pm. Those hours this time of year, and for the next 3+ months, represent full on darkness. Now I'm not afraid of the dark but what I can't see does scare me on occasion. Random animals in bushes, old people driving down the street, hobo's hanging out in Wash Park. Thankfully I still have the weekends of daylight to assist me in my runs.

The Good: While the number of runs I had this month were my lowest since February, the quality of the runs were solid. Numerous strong efforts on the trails along with an increase in speed work around Wash Park. While I no doubt lost some long distance stamina, my leg turnover has noticeably improved. Just a shame I couldn't prove it during last weeks Turkey Trot.

I'm very proud of the weight I've been pushing at the gym. My work out sessions have increased in both reps and weight pushed. I'm much more sore the days following and even my wife has noticed a difference in my body. Or she's just saying that to shut me up which I believe to be more true.

Oh and I celebrated my one year anniversary with Michele. Now that's something I'm most excited about. And too think in a few months we'll have a little one dominating our life!

Looking Forward: With a few more rest days on tap, I'll be looking to start a pattern of increased weekly mileage till baby is born. Right now the mind and body (most of it anyways) are both extremely healthy and that alone is all the motivation I need to get back after. And before long, the days will start to get longer, the snow will melt and the high country will once again reveal it's true sassiness of vibrant colors and glorious single track.

(Still missing the San Juans)

Loveland Turkey Trot

This post comes a few days late as I've been bitch slapped by a stomach flu.

Two weeks prior to the Turkey Trot, I tweaked my right calf. Had it not been for the upcoming Turkey Trot, I would have taken some time off. Instead I continued to play havoc on that same calf and messing it up even more during runs around Wash Park and up and down Green Mt in Boulder. Two weeks were summed up with low mileage and little intensity.

I woke up Thursday morning to some very cold temps. 6 degrees is what read at the house just 1/3 of a mile away from the start/finish line. I had yet to pick up my race packet so an hour plus before the start, I went for a really easy 3 mile warm up run, picked up my bib and headed back to the house for one last bathroom break.

15 minutes before the race I headed back to the start. Still bitterly cold, the calm morning and sun rays made the conditions much easier to stomach.

Mile 1.0: 5min 48secs
Mile 2.0: 6min 03secs
Mile 3.0: 6min 25secs (Garmin had 1.05miles)
Mile 0.1: 0min 35secs (5:21 pace)
5K of 18mins 53 secs (officially 18:51 at maybe a bit longer course?)

As with any 5K, this race started out hectic with numerous kids no taller then my waist blazing off only to come to a complete stop 50 yards later. Weaving around early wasn't a big deal and found a stride and effort I thought I could hold. As I neared Mile 1, I could feel the calf tighten up.

By mile 1, all those who were going to pass me had already done so. I was able to pick off a few young folks thru the finish. However none of that mattered as my calf continued to tighten up and on occasion lock up on me. Mile 2 was completely impacted by the calf. I held back a bit just in hopes to not derail and walk it in.

About a minute after mile 2, the calf full on hurt. Pushing off hurt. Striding thru a slight incline hurt. Anything I did hurt and my time suffered. Mile 3 of this route is easily the slowest mile on course with a few very sharp turns as you approach the finish line but this thankfully gave my calf relief with less effort exerted. The last stretch is flat and straight and I some how got thru it without getting caught by the small group of local high school cross county kids.

(High School bullies chasing me down)

Races like this are usually a blur for me as they start and end so quickly. However, Thanksgiving's journey was painfully memorable. As soon as I crossed the finish line, my calf was just throbbing, my walk was a pathetic limp. All the stretching and icing afterwards did nothing and the pain got worse as the day went on.

By Friday morning the calf muscle had swollen up a bit and hurt just as much. It was finally time to admit to myself that I had a pulled muscle down there. No stranger to pulled or strained muscles, I thankfully know what to do next. Rest and recover SLOWLY over the next few weeks. At least I placed in my age group. Not a big deal but my father in law volunteers at the Banner Health McKee Med Center. Monies raised from this event go towards the Adult Day Care at the center. So giving him my award as a gift is only fitting.

Green Mt, Boulder - w/ Animal Viewing

My last 800 Thursday was my 6th and fastest of the night. It also left me with a strained right calf muscle.

The wife was up most of Friday night sick to the stomach so my Saturday morning run started later then normal. My initial goal was a Green/Bear/SoBo/Mesa Trail loop from Chautauqua Park. As I made my way to Ranger, the calf wasn't going to allow me to do much. As I started up Ranger, the snow and occasional ice thankfully restricted me to not doing much.

The effort up was honest. Twice my feet just slipped out from underneath me on some of the steeper sections. Thankfully the snow offered up a good cushion. I was surprised that snow dominated most of the trail from bottom to top. No biggie though.

As I got to the top, I reevaluated thoughts of heading up Bear & SoBo. After 5 minutes of enjoying the views, 2 other runners came cruising up. Come to find out that I was chatting with Homie and JV. Now I don't know much about either other then both of them straight getting after it on trails. Something I find extremely cool. And to think I asked JV prior to introduction if he climbs Green much. HA! Both were really cool folks. However someone must have forgot to tell them there was snow and ice on the decent cause those two were gone QUICK!

So my decent was slow as I have a fear of busting my ass while running downhill on snow and ice. Before long I was at the junction of Bear Canyon and the West Ridge. Not wanting to deal with more snow and ice, I headed down Bear Canyon.

(Bear and SoBo from Bear Canyon)

About 10 yards into this section, it dawned on me that I had never run the Bear Canyon trail. Wow, what a great section of trail. Amazing views, beautiful single track almost all covered in snow. Before long I was merging onto the Mesa Trail and that's when I saw....wait for it....another beaver. Seriously, what is up with that.

I might be 50 yards from the Mesa Trail, just focusing on the rocky trail in front of me. I look up as I make myself around a bend and I see this lady bent over, with pants around her ankles and getting reading to squat. I just froze and then blurted out "Yo, you got company. Please don't grow a tail!" I know, classy. The lady, in full stream just responds with an "oops" while her 3 friends to feet from her are cracking up. As I pass them one of them asks "did you really think she was going taking a dump?" I just responded with something like "I honestly don't know what to think right now." as I headed off.

I proceeded onto Mesa and just roamed the trail here and there and finished up my run. Forget the details but something like 11 on the day in 2hrs 15mins. Felt fine the whole time and it was nice to get a big climb into the training equation.

Lastly, a pic of my most recent purchases.

The book I'm halfway thru. The shoes have been worn once Friday at the office. I'll comment on both some time soon.

San Francisco

One 4-day packed trip that included catching up with old friends, showing mom a 25 week pregnant Michele and celebrating our one year anniversary. Had we arrived one day earlier, we would have witnessed mayhem in the streets of San Francisco.

(Brian Wilson at his best - Rocking the crowd)

It's been well over 11 years since I moved out the 415, yet I always feel at home when visiting. While moving to Colorado is one of the best things I've ever done in my life, San Francisco will always have a special place in my heart. So yeah, it's always great going back home even if the visits are short and infrequent.

A mid day Thursday arrival allowed for a low key evening of catching up with my mother and hitting up Noe Valley for one of my favorite places to get a burrito. A city with so many awesome burrito joints thankfully has it's own website. Sad to think that outside of Illegal Pete's (which is way overrated), no burrito place in the Denver area would compete with even the worst places listed in the website.

Friday morning greeted me with a chance to get a run in from the mothers house. Living on a hill side offered up 7 miles of running with little flat terrain. In fact the hills are so steep at times that my shins were sore for days to come. Clear days offer up fantastic views of the financial district and the Golden Gate Bridge. Today they offered up heaps of fog.

With most of the day to ourselves, I decided to take Michele to the Upper Sunset for some lunch followed by a visit to the California Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park. I hadn't been to anything like this since I was a kid but the exhibits and layout of the place was great.





Dinner was spent with our dear friend Lisa as we ate some mighty tasty Cajun food in San Mateo.

Sunday morning was spent in Marin County as we visited the best man at my wedding. It still blows my mind that San Francisco can be in the mid 50's, foggy and cold. Drive 15 minutes across the Golden Gate Bridge and you likely experience a calm sunny mid 70's day. Guess it explains why it's so damn expensive to live up there.

Back in the city by lunch with a nice detour to AT&T park.

(The wife and I in front of McCovy Cove)

Then Michele and I were off to celebrate our one year anniversary together. Nothing special planned. Just a low key dinner in North Beach and a very plush night at the Argonaut Hotel near the Wharf. Michele enjoyed the location more for the Hot Fudge Ice Scream Sunday at Ghiradelli Sq then the stunning views of the bay.

Sunday we awoke to the only crappy weather of the weekend. Wind and heavy rain that fell sideways. The options to either run or lounging around with the wife was an extremely easy call for me to make. Hell, it could have been calm and sunny and I still would have opted for the laid back approach with the wife. She was the reason I was here this weekend and there's no other person I'd rather spend the day with.

By lunch time the rain had stopped and the sun rays were breaking through the sky. A few hours later we were heading back home to a much colder Denver with one little side trip.

Years ago an old friend found out he was having a child with his girlfriend. So thrilled he ran out and bought an outfit for her. More specifically he bought her a tiny t-shirt with the Beastie Boys "License To Ill" album cover on it. I've always thought about that thru the years. Getting my child something to wear that I truly love. Something that helped define who I am now as an adult. Do I choose the music route? Tribe Called Quest, The Doors, Bob Marley. Do I choose a city I've lived in or visited? Galway, Ireland, Bisbee, AZ or Melbourne, Australia. So many options.

Then it dawned on me. The San Francisco Giants just won their first World Series in San Francisco. I've been going to Giants game since the late 70's. I've been playing baseball from Little League thru College. Baseball is a sport I truly love that helped define who I am today. So it was a no brainer on what to get my daughter. I can't wait for the day to see her wear this proudly.

October Summary

Runs - 20
Work Outs - 8
Injured - 0

The Bad: Being sick for well over two weeks. What started out as a cold led to a hearty sinus congestion for 4 days. While I ran thru most of this sickness, rarely were any of my runs strong. Miles were short, quality left a lot to be desired. Most of my runs were simply one foot in front of the other till I was done.

During the last few weeks, I've had a crew in the house remodeling our master bedroom and what will be the babies room right next to us. Knocking down walls, putting in new windows, refinishing hardwood floors and painting more then I really ever care too. The past few weeks I've been inhaling all this crap while living in the basement in a complete mess. The wife was a few blocks away in a much calmer environment at her sisters. All this probably didn't help me get over my cold. But I'm fine with it. The wife and I now have a bigger bedroom and we now have a babies room in the making.

The Good: While my mileage for the month was relatively low compared to prior months, I did experience some solid fall running. Apex, 3 Sisters, Bergin Pk and Mt Falcon to name a few of the trails I ran on over the weekends. Even got my first taste of Green Mt in Lakewood thanks to an invite by a pretty sold dude in Patrick. I don't have any one favorite season but running in the fall when the leaves are falling does not suck one single bit.

The early part of the month yeilded some solid speedwork. Something I was hoping to build upon throughout the month but will refocus on once the lungs decide not to yak out snot.

The gym finally became part of my routine. Eight solid workouts this month which could easily have been more had I not been sick. Loved getting back in the gym and pushing weights and look forward to doing this a lot in the upcoming months.

Lastly, and I realize this technically falls on the first day of November, but my beloved San Francisco Giants just pulled off something I waited patiently for my whole life. I was at all the 1987 NLCS games against the St. Louis Cards. I was at every single home game of the 1989 World Series run. Yup I gave Jose Canseco the bird as the earthquake hit. My last playoff game I attended was the Giants getting swept by the Florida Marlins. All these games at Candlestick Park and then I was off to Colorado and missed the past 4 playoff runs with two of them leading to the World Series. Heartbreak in 1992. World Fucking Champions in 2010!!!!

I Hate Being Sick!

Last Thursday afternoon I received my first Flu shot ever. Apparently it's required since I'm a future parent. Last Friday I started to feel off my game. Last Saturday my body was just tired and sore and my 10 mile trail run extremely sluggish. By Saturday night I had a full on cold. Monday and Tuesday I left work early. Wednesday I didn't even bother going in.

Yet through all this I tried to run. The miles were slow and painful. On Monday for example, I made it 5 blocks away from the house when I made every effort to cough up my lungs. Instead of going back home, I finished my sloppy lap around Wash Park. Wednesdays climb of Green Mt in Boulder consisted of breathing thru a plugged nose and constant clearing of the throat. Yet I painfully forged on.

You see, when I get sick, I know the best thing for me to do is simply lay down to relax and catch up on some sleep. But my attention span is short. I sit around for an hour and I get bored. I get this build up of energy (mind you very little energy) and feel the need to release it right away. A walk around the block with the dog would be suffice but in my mind, that's not good enough. So on goes the running gear, the wife shaking her head in disagreement with my plan, yet I proceed on.

Every run during this span has ended with me wondering "what the hell was I thinking!" as I hit stop on my Garmin. In all my years of running while sick, rarely have I felt better afterwards. Yet I continue with this foolish pattern.

Part of me is writing this in hopes that one day I'll be smart enough to not run while I'm sick. Maybe I'll read this the next time I'm sick as a reminder that running while under the weather can be pretty unproductive.

But seriously, who am I kidding. I've proven my stubbornness for years now and I won't be change my mindset. As far as I'm concerned, if I'm sick, I should run. Not because it's going to heal me quicker, but because it's the only way I know how to deal with my hatred of being sick.

Fans on the Field 10K

Literally hours after not finishing Steamboat, I wanted sign up for something. The Bear Chase 50K in Lakewood and the Denver Marathon quickly crossed my mind. Thankfully I listened to the much more rational sounding wife and gave it a week before pulling the trigger on either. That week was enough time to realize that I was both physically and mentally tired to put myself thru another 3 to 4 plus hour race.

With the short term goal of trying to get fast again, I decided to sign up for the Fans on the Field 10K.

Going into this race, I knew I had little speed in my body. Based on my training runs over the past few months, I was figuring I had run my in-town 6 mile distances around 45 minutes on average. While the average time didn't bother as it hasn't been my focus, not knowing what my body could handle at a fast pace did. It had been well over a year since I tried running fast on pavement for anything greater then 3 miles.

I picked up my race packed Saturday afternoon just to get a feel of the parking situation as some 3K plus were expected to partake in the races. On Sunday morning, Michele and I arrived to a very packed parking lot some 30 minutes before start time. This gave me enough time water a few plants, get in a solid warm up and place myself near the front of the pack.

(Pre-race crowds)

The race start was delayed some 10 minutes due to long lines at packet pick up. As I waited near the start, it dawned on me that I've only run this distance once before. The 05 or 06 Bolder Boulder. I had an "A" wave start and I also had a long weekend of booze in me. I recall my first mile coming in at 6 flat followed by a decent vomit in my mouth. Yes I vomited in my mouth. I think I finished that race in like 37/38 minutes.

The race got underway and was pretty congested on the tight Platte River Trail. I just settled into a pace I felt was very controlled for the next 3 miles. Coors Field came and went and there I saw the 3 mile marker at something like 19:30/45. Not much effort exerted to reach this time. At this point I had the intentions to pick it up for the second half of the race but for some reason held back till I reached mile 4. Mile 4 and I kicked into another gear.

Kicking it into another gear was short lived as it was at this point that we merged with the untimed 5K race that started 15 minutes after the 10K race. The next 1/3 of a mile consisted of merging thru strollers, kids and Bronco jersey wearing folks. Then to further slow things down we entered the Pepsi Center. The amount of running spent on the court was short lived and most of the journey thru The Can consisted of running up and down hallways and opened doors.

Finally we exited and an open spaced road led us to and thru Invesco and to the finish line.

40 minutes and 15 seconds. The course per my Garmin, along with a few other peeps Garmins indicated the route a bit longer then 6.2. I saw everything from 6.35 to 6.55.

(My gosh I dislike the Broncos so much!)

I found Michele quickly after crossing the finish line. Instead of getting some food into my system, I headed straight for the Avery tent and threw down an IPA before 10am. It wasn't a Dale's but I wasn't picky. We waited around an hour so I could pick up this gem.

The race itself was interesting I guess but not a race I'd run again. I hardly noticed Coors or Mile High as I was just focused on running. I did notice The Can due to all the sharp right and left turns. The merger with the 5K runners could have been set up better to avoid all the criss-crossing that occurred.

As for my time, I was very content with it. Initially, I wasn't sure if a 40 minute time was possible. In hindsight, I could have easily ran the first 3 miles 30 seconds quicker without it impacting my next 3 miles. I could have also red lined it more over the last 1.2 miles. Biggest plus was how good I felt right after the race. As dumb and obvious as this may sound, it was shocking to see how quickly the mile markers come and go compared to all these longer races I've been running. It's like I had this mind set that I was at either 10,000 feet in elevation or that I had 800 feet of climbing to do over the next mile.

These shorter races really do nothing for me, but I do love training for them. So I'll continue to focus more on speed and try to knock out a few more shorter before a Thanksgiving race.

September Summary

Runs - 15
W/O's - 1
Injured - 0

The Bad: DNFing at Run Rabbit Run. Enough said on this matter.

The Good: My taper which started about two weeks before Steamboat went about as well as I could have hoped for. Enough focused runs, mixed in with rest days went great and had me feeling sharp race day. My diet during this same time frame was on point.

The first 32+ miles of Steamboat were ran pretty damn solidly. I could feel the crash coming as I approached the last few miles but I'm taking whatever positives I can out of this race.

My initial goal was to take the rest of the month of after Steamboat. However record high temps and beautiful sunsets made that impossible. So the rest period consisted of a handful of 4 to 5 mile easy runs around Wash Park.

Going Forward: Get back to the gym and hit it hard. I love pushing weights while logging in miles. What better time to refocus on this as the days get colder and shorter. Plus the wife likes me more with a bit more bulk.

Plyometrics. It's been a while since my body was able to do quick strong explosive movements. The kind of movements needed as you approach a steep and deep face sprinkled with aspens and cliff bands. These type of workouts focus on other muscle groups within my legs and pay huge dividends when I start up a new training cycle.

Shorter distances. Specifically a Turkey Trot in either Loveland or Ft. Collins. I do enjoy running these races but the last few years have seen my times bounce around the 18 minute range. A far cry from that one time I almost broke 17 minutes. It would be nice to break 18 in a few months. Plus it's a good reason to try out that new track at South High only blocks away from the house.

Continue enjoying the trails during this amazing time of year. Just not for 6 hour at a time like I have over the past few months.

(Oh how Bisbee misses SW Colorado)

Steamboat 50: Watermelon, DNF and IVs

The short of it all. I got pulled at the Mt. Werner aid station due to some pretty bad hydration.

Before getting into any race details, I have to say that this race is a must do. Beautiful course. Tough but runnable course. Great volunteers and organized by a group of folks whole truly love the sport of ultra running.

Michele and I arrived into Steamboat Springs around 3pm Friday afternoon. The blue skies, blazing fall colors and extremely warm temps accompanied our whole drive from Denver.

(Condo's view of the ski hill)

I awoke Saturday morning to very comfortable temps. Gear for the day was thankfully going to be minimal. Lots of nervous energy as I got ready race day morning and I just had a feeling that I was going to have a strong day. Times below are when I left an aid station (w/splits).

Start - 0:00 (0hr 00min):
Mt Werner A.S. - 1:20 (1hr 20min):
Long Lake A.S. - 2:30 (1hr 10min):
Base Camp A.S. - 3:31 (1hr 01min):

From the get go, my pace was easy and comfortable. Rarely during the 3 plus hours did I truly pick up the pace. On occasion I'd catch myself running faster while with others but these stretches were short lived. For a majority of this stretch I ran all alone just soaking in the ridiculously beautiful views.

I honestly forgot I was in a race early on. During the early climb, the morning glow and wakening colors along the ski face kept me distracted. And on occasion I'd catch a glimpse of the sun rising over the western horizon. The drop into some fantastic single track after Mt Wener A.S. would have been epic on its own. Mix in the morning sun rays which fired up the landscape made the next few miles memorable. The sparkling sun off Long Lake simply added yet another flavor to the fall colors.

These first 13 plus miles had me smiling the whole stretch and it's no shock I ran all but a few steps of them. The running continued on thru Rabbit Ears A.S.. I did get the pleasure to slow down and chat with Jim P for a short stretch. His blog is one of the few I regularly read and he's just been crushing it. No surprise he broke the 9hour mark that day.

To note, my hydration and fuel were spot on during this stretch with the following intake:
:15 min = 4/5 Ounces of Gatoraide
:30 min = Gel/Block and 4/5 Ounces of Water
:45 min = 4/5 Ounces of Gatoraide
:60 min = Gel/Block, S-Cap and 4/5 Ounces of Water.

Old Rabbit Ears A.S. - 4:10 (0hr 39min):
Rabbit Ears Peak - 4:56 (0hr 46min):
Old Rabbit Ears A.S. - 5:28 (0hr 32min):
Base Camp A.S. - 6:22 (0hr 54min):

Michele was hoping to meet me here but arrived 5 minutes later. Not a concern as I had all I needed. Why I even stopped at the aid station was beyond me and in hindsight was probably the dumbest thing I could have done.

I walked into the aid station and looked around not needing a damn thing. Nothing. However I grabbed 3 pieces of watermelon. The temps by now were starting to warm up and some real food looked appealing. As noted, my fuel and hydration were great and ZERO signs of stomach distress.

So I take in some watermelon and began my ascent of Rabbit Ears Peak. Minutes after leaving the aid station I was forced to stop as I proceeded to heave all the watermelon I just ingested. 3 solid vomits got out every piece of watermelon that was in my system. Fucking watermelon. It was watermelon I ate at mile 40 at Lake City that led to my vomiting. Here it just happened 17 miles earlier. It literally just came out of no where and I was pissed!

Spent a good few minutes hunched over and proceeded on with my run. The grunt up to the peaks were insanely steep but short enough that it never sucked. I was actually able to run a good chunk of the climb except for the steepest parts.

Under 5 hours and I was at the half way point. All was going perfect but I knew the vomiting from the watermelon intake had to be taken seriously. I started my decent and tried taking in water but it wasn't feeling right. But I kept at it soaking in what I could and stomaching a few blocks. By now I had sub-10 hours in my mind and made quick work of the decent to Rabbit Ears.

I ran the whole section without much issue. Pulled into the Rabbit Ears A.S. and found Michele rather quickly. Along side was her mother, sister, brother in law and there 1 year old twin monsters. It was awesome to see such support from my new extended family. I spent a few minutes here with the goal of trying to get some liquids in me. I got in a few cups of water which I was excited about. Got in a few pretzels too. The I grabbed a cup of their energy drinking think it was something like Gatoride. One sip and how I didn't vomit in front of everyone was beyond me. Again, out of no where this feeling to gag just came out of the woods. Michele had a few tums for me and off I went hoping for the best. I was able to run a good chunk of the next section but I had no desire to drink or eat anything.

Long Lake A.S. - 8:21 (1hr 59min):
Mt Werner A.S. - 10:41 (2hr 20min):

I wasn't able to stomach an ounce since leaving Old Rabbit Ears. I had tried and just spit out whatever I took in. At Base, I grabbed a quick coke with the hopes of it calming down my stomach and off I went. Right off the bat my motor skills were leaving me. I tripped like 3 times within seconds of running downhill. So I just accepted that walking a mile would be in my best interest if I wanted any hopes of sub 10 hours. Right when I though I was getting better I would start to run and quickly get thirsty and quickly vomit out the liquids I just consumed. Repeat this numerous times. I pretty much walked all but 1 mile to Long Lake. Good bye sub 10.

As much as my legs and mind wanted to run, my body wouldn't allow it. Legs felt great still. I was beyond extremely frustrated. Upon arrival to Long Lake, I decided to take a seat with the hopes of getting my stomach back. I'd wait 5 minutes, drink some soda and throw up. I'd wait another 5 minutes, eat some chips and throw up. Finally I just waited without taking in anything. 20 more minutes to be exact. Then out of frustration I just got up and left. The volunteers were extremely geeked and did a shot of something in my honor. The next 7 or so miles were just slow and stupid. Couldn't run much less walk. Somehow I just shuffled along getting passed by way to many folks.

At Mt Werner, I sat down next to an EMT. He asked when was the last time I drank anything. Over 4 hours ago. Then he went on to say he wouldn't let me proceed unless I could eat a few slices of orange and drink some Ginger Ale.

I placed my head down between my legs and thought what next. Could I make it to the bottom within the cut off? Probably. Would I be in a world of hurt? No doubt. 3 plus years ago, as a single guy, I would have proceeded. Now, with a wife who I love dearly, the decision to move on is much tougher to make. With our first little one ready to enter our lives in a few months, well the decision was easy. My first DNF ever.

The race director the night before said we all would be tired and that it would hurt but these aren't reasons to drop out. Regardless of distance I couldn't agree more with his rational. On the verge of severe dehydration I hope is a reason to quit. A ride to the gondola followed by a ride to the ER from the wife led to a 3 plus hour visit hooked up to two separate IVs and numerous blood tests. All the tests came back normal but the nurse indicated a few more hours out there in my condition may have left my kidneys in bad shape.

I type this a few days after the race and I still can't figure out what exactly went wrong. What I do know is dropping out really, really sucked. Stings actually. Even more so that I feel really good today. So now what? Well I might have to sign up for something soon with the goal of completing something I started. Not that it's going to ease the pain of this failed race. Only thing that will fix that pain is coming back next year.

No Sleep till Steamboat

At least that is how I'm feeling as of late. Work has been nothing less then a swift kick in the ass over the past week and will continue to be so thru this weekend and all of next week.

Normally, a week or so from race day, I'm all about going to sleep a bit earlier, waking up a bit later and getting in some lazy runs. Right now, work days of 12 hours dominate my life. I guess that is the down side of my profession. As a Sr. Financial Analyst, when things are busy, they are freakin busy. And this forecast cycle is no different.

I'm still taking Friday off, regardless of where work stands. It's race day in the beautiful mountains surrounding Steamboat Springs and there's no way I'm missing out on that.

I'm feeling pretty good going into this race. Far from how I felt during my past two races. So what does this mean? Who the hell knows. If it were a marathon I was running, then I can throw out some thoughts. But this is a 50 miler I'm about to tackle. All I can hope for is that I've better figured out my hydration and fuel intake. The past months of training would indicate I have...for the most part at least.

So with that said, I'm staying hush on my various goals for the race. However, as always, the main goal is to get out there, run as strong a race as I possibly can that day and enjoy every second of it. And drink IPAs afterwards of course!

August Summary

Runs - 25
Workouts - 0
Injured - 0

The Bad: That big ZERO that follows the word workouts. I pride myself on pushing weights in the gym and for the second straight month I slacked on that. I got a feeling that this will bite me during Steamboat. From one stand point, I only have so much time to focus on my exercise routine and lately it's been on running. At the same time though, is it really that difficult to wake up an extra hour or so earlier to hit the gym before heading to the office. Lately it has been for the following reason.

The heat over the past month has wiped me out. Specifically within the house. We don't have A/C so our house gets hot. And it stays hot. Normally I'm asleep early but over the past month my sleep time has been later and later which means I'm waking up later then my normal 5am time. I sleep in to catch up on the z's, but that means I miss out on going to the gym.

The Good: Twenty five runs this month is about as good as it gets for me. I've never been a huge monthly/weekly mileage guy so I was very excited with hitting this number for the month. The number of runs this month would have been higher had I not taken a mini taper before Leadville. I was also excited about exceeding the 100 mile mark over the last 12 days of the month.

Evening walks. Michele and I have gotten in the habit of walking the dog anywhere between 0.5 to 4 miles a night. Evening times during the summer up here in Denver are wonderful and we felt this was the best way to take advantage of it. Much healthier and cheaper then hanging out patio style at a local pub. Wonder if I should count these as really slow miles towards my monthly tally?

Bottom Line: Overall it's been a really good month. Yeah I wish I did somethings better or differently, but it was a solid training month. More importantly I've spent a lot of quality evening time with Michele.

With some 18 or so days before Steamboat 50, I'm going to take on my first true taper since last year prior to PPM. I'm almost not sure how to taper since it's been so long. Part of me is extremely tempted to log in one more long weekend of many miles. But the reality is I won't be able to as I'll be working as we're in the middle of another forecasting cycle. So instead I'll get in some shorter mile runs and refocus on the stretching, foam roller and massages.

North Loop - Indian Peaks Wilderness Area

It's 4 hours, 55 minutes as the Garmin strikes 20 miles. Based on what I recall of the route, I have between 6 and 7 miles to get back to the car. I start thinking how I'm on track to log in a solid time for this bear of a loop. All that remains is getting my ass up and over Pawnee Pass.

(Pawnee Pass tucked behind the pointy pinnicle)

The Indian Peaks Wilderness Area is a spot I've logged in many miles over the years. My National Geographic Topo is marked up with notes and highlights of all the trails I've covered during my training runs. Till this morning, the only pass I have yet to cross within the area was Buchanan Pass.

I arrived to the Long Lakes parking lot before 6am Saturday morning. A few bathroom brakes, some last minute food/liquid and I was off heading towards the Mitchell Lake parking lot at about the time the sun was lighting up the eastern peaks of the divide. I hit start as I left my car but walked the first 0.6 miles of paved road. Once on the trail, my slow trot began.

My pace is slow as I'm carrying 70 ounces in my Nathan pack along with 22 ounces in my handheld. Today's run was all about being on my feet, not logging in a fast time. A quick climb up the Mt. Audubon trail and before long I merge with Beaver Creek Trail and start my decent to Coney Flats. The weather early on consists of cool wind and solid cloud cover. A nice decent leads me thru the Coney Flats parking lot and I begin the tame ascent up to Buchanan Pass. The scenes up to this point are a bit lacking. Yeah the wind swept landscape along the eastern divide is very cool, but honestly nothing to write home about. But this is the Indian Peaks and it's all about the passes, numerous creek crossings and surrounding rugged peaks.

I'm power hiking the last mile up to Buchanan Pass. From the east side, the pass is pretty tame visually. As you head west, the real views come into play as far as I was concerned. The next hour leads down the beautiful valley as it mergers with Cascade Creek.

(Buchanan from the East side)

(Buchanan looking West. Note Fall in the high country)

The running is feeling easier but still slow and I'm staying on top of hydration and calories. At just under 9,000 feet I meet the Cascade Creek trail and from here I have 6 plus miles and a 3,600 feet of climbing ahead of me to reach the top of Pawnee Pass. The Cascade Trail is easily my favorite trail in all of the Indian Peaks. It was 9 years ago that I first hiked this trail. A few friends and I made it all the way to Crater Lake beneath Lone Eagle Peak for an overnight camping trip. It was my first overnight outing and laid the foundation for my love affair with the mountains.

A few miles later I merged onto the Pawnee Pass trail feeling good. I ran when I wanted to, power hiked when I wanted to. Rarely did the terrain dictate my pace. I just went with however I was feeling at the moment in time.

As mile 20 hit on the Garmin, I was honestly feeling pretty good. I had 1.5 miles to go to the top and was feeling pretty damn good about completing the route in 6 hours and 15 minutes.

For those who have never seen Pawnee Pass with their own eyes, any pics I contemplated posted would not do it justice. Specifically the western side of the pass. Some 20 or so technical switchbacks along the face of a 1,600 foot cliff is what one encounters on this bitch of a pass. The pass itself is easily my favorite in the state.

As my climbing starts, something decided not to click. My power hike became a drunk shuffle. I some how continued my climb without stopping but once at top I took a long 10 minute brake right at the divide itself. It had taken me almost 50 minutes to cover 1.5 miles. It was at this point I was pretty much done with my run. The remainder 4 plus miles to the car can get extremely technical with loose scree and I didn't want to risk a rolled ankle or anything worse with 3 weeks till Steamboat. But a quick look at the surround weather forced me to get going quickly.

(At 12, 541', darks clouds like this scar me)

So reluctantly, I started my run back to the car. Before long I was at treeline, then Lake Isabelle (why does that lake look so beat up now???) and then finally merging onto the west side of Long Lake. From here I mixed in some running with walking. 6 hours and 42 minutes later, I was back at my car. Rain was now falling and the thunder rumbling high above.

Exhausted mentally and physically, the first thing I thought about upon completing the run was what if I ran the route the other way. Knocking out Pawnee Pass first. Where would I be at mile 20? Would running the route this way be easier? A minute or so of contemplating this topic led to no quick answer. And it didn't matter. As the minutes ticked by after completing my run, my breathing started to come under control. My muscles started to relax and a nice stroll around the parking lot to stretch out relaxed me a bit.

It was at this time that I realized that it didn't matter what direction I went. I just spent damn near 7 wonderful hours running around the high country. During this time frame, I experienced sun and wind, wild flowers and wild mushrooms. I saw fall conditions up high and summer down low. Crossed paths with numerous hikers and a few runners. I had just completed the freaking North Loop in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. And right then and there it occurred to me. How fucking cool was that!!!!

Leadville 100 - Pacing Duties

Let me begin by congratulating Scott Kuhn of Durango with his 26 hour, 44 minute and 47 second finish time at this years Leadville 100 Trail Run. Simply awesome!

As I've noted in previous posts, I had the honor to crew and pace Scott during this years Leadville 100 race. This was Scott's first attempt at the 100 mile distance.

It was just before 9am as I pulled into the Twin Lakes. The temps were slowly warming up to a day that turned out just perfect weather wise. 20 minutes past 9 Anton flew thru. 30 or so minutes later Duncan followed.

(2010 Winner Duncan Callahan Leaving TL Aidstation)

Over the next few hours many more folks cruised on thru the 38 mile marker of the race. Some looked great. Others looked horrible. Sharron, Scott's wife, and I waited patiently.

Shortly before noon Scott came rolling thru. A bit behind his goal time, he looked great and showed no signs of falling apart. Got Scott what he needed and off he went to Winfield. The drive to Winfield sucks and it was a fucking zoo. Dusty, hot, crowded, washboarded roads is what greets the runners as they approach mile 47. Amazingly, things only got worse as they approached the turn around. Sharron and I waited over an hour for Scott. During that time, I just made sure I was 100% ready to pace Scott over to Fish.

(Winfield hot and busy)

3:30pm was about the time Scott rolled into Winfield. Still a bit behind his goals but knowing he's always been a strong second half runner, there was still hope that he'd get that 25 hour goal of his.

Scott and I were out of Winfield as quickly as he got in. There just wasn't any need or desire to stick around any longer. He had weighted in, gotten the food and liquid he needed and was out. Our pace to the base of Hope Pass was purely aided by gravity as the road is pretty much downhill over the 2+ mile stretch. Scott was in awesome spirits but obviously starting to get a bit tired and the heat for the first time was starting to be felt by many folks out.

Hope Pass from Winfield is a bitch. On fresh legs, completely runnable. On 50 mile legs, I'm guessing it humbled most folks that day. And how were we greeted as we made the turn onto the ascent of Hope you ask? With some female runner giving us a full beaver shot as she prepared to go number 1 maybe 12 inches away from the trail itself. Absolutely unavoidable to view this as she was right there!

The ascent started out great with conversation light and many runners descending giving out positive vibes. Fellow runners and pacers on the ascent were even more supportive. As the elevation of 12,526 (Hope Pass) approached, the mood and pace of many slowed drastically. Right at treeline, I saw Brandon and his pacer JP. Never had meet either one before but have followed both their blogs for some time now. I introduced myself to the both of them, offered up some encourage as it was obvious Brandon was bonking, and refocused on getting Scott up and over this beast of a climb. Scott to his credit never stopped till there was one switchback left before the pass. Scott, the man with an iron stomach, was about to yak. He spent a good minute hunched over but nothing happened. He just looked at me confused and all I could do was offer up a Tums and told him the quicker we get off the pass, the better he'll feel.

(Big Ass Llamas)

We quickly rolled into Hopeless where Scott took his first real sit down break of the race. I got him some crackers with PB and got him going as quickly as possible. What started out as a walk down hill turned into a shuffle then a run that lead us to passing many folks. Whatever stomach issues Scott was having were pretty much gone and he was feeling it. We cruised the flats west of Twin Lakes and enjoyed the numerous refreshing creek crossings of Lake Creek.

Entering Twin Lakes was awesome. Crowds compared to early were huge. Everyone just cheering all the runners along. I ran ahead to alert Sharron we had arrived, reloaded Scott's hydration pack and got him some food. A change of shoes and socks and we were quickly on our way. About 1/4 of a mile away from Twin Lakes, it dawned on me to ask Scott if he had his headlamp. SHIT!!!! Sharron forgot to put it into his bag. What resulted was a mad dash back to TL and to Hwy 82 where I luckily found Sharron walking back to her car. Now back to retracing my steps were I caught up to Scott a good 10+ minutes later. Guess pacers are good to have around.

The stretch between TL to Half Moon has some moderate climbs and stunning single track. We ran when Scott could and walked when he couldn't. The speed of sunset was exaggerated with the already dark forest of pines we were in.

(Just before sunset looking over
Twin Lakes)

As darkness set in, the headlamps came on for all. Never had I run in the dark like this before. Yeah there were midnight runs around Wash Park but that doesn't count. This was full on darkness in the wilderness. The pace slows down but a sense of ones surroundings shoots thru the roof. I loved every second of this. Conversation between Scott and I was fantastic. He was moving at such a solid pace. Before we knew it we were heading into HM. I got way amped for this as I knew it was one aid station closer to Scott's finish. I made sure Scott sat here for a few minutes as I reloaded his water and got him more food to take in.

We spent 5 minutes here at most and were off to Fish. Looking at the clock and knowing how many miles were left, I honestly thought Scott still had a great shot at finishing under 25. What I failed to consider was ones pace at night slows down. Ones pace after 70 miles of running slows down. Ones pace after not taking in enough calories slows down. I made every effort to alert him of the 15 minutes had gone by since his last water intake. His hydration intake for the most part was stealer. His calorie intake since Winfield wasn't. I made sure he ate something at the aid stations. I didn't make sure he ate something as were were running. Big mistake on my part.

The next couple of miles to Treeline were slow and steady. Never getting passed but just not moving fast. Arriving to Treeline was weird. I felt like I had stumbled upon some college kegger party in the woods. No aid station here. Just a place for crew to meet up with the runners for the first time since TL. We had no plans of meeting Sharron here and Scott was fine with actually running as quick as possible thru this 1/3 of mile stretch as the loud music and huge crowds were completely unmotivating.

Shortly after Treeline we hit Halfmoon Rd. A hardpacked dusty road that slowly descends the Arkansas valley. This road was straight and long. Oh and boring. Scott was still moving good but the walking brakes were starting to increase. Running in the dark on single track is fun. On a wide open road is boring. And it seemed like everyone felt like this. It's like the road just sucked the energy out of everyone here.

A quick left hand turn took us onto a paved road. Another left hand turn led to another paved road shooting us straight to Fish. Next aid station was about 2 miles away and the whole stretch was uphill. Also in view were Mt. Elbert and Mt Massive just glowing in the moonlight. The views were honestly stunning and this got me amped. I did my best to relay this energy to Scott and started a cheesy running game to get him to pick up the pace to at least Fish. Running along the side of the road was a power line and every 400 meters or so was the powerline pole. I got Scott to run each section and then walk a section. Then I'd ask him to step it up and run two sections and walk one. This went on for the next two miles and I probably talked non-stop this whole time. Reminding him to drink, to soak in the views and to tell him how awesome he was doing.

Before we knew it we were heading up the steep road into Fish at 11:20pm. Sharron was waiting to take over pacing duties. Scott got inside the aid station and took a seat and right then and there I knew his chance at 25 hours was over with. 25 minutes later Scott and Sharron were off to Mayqueen.

I stuck around Fish for a good 15 minutes just to unwind from the 28 miles, 8 hours and 5,000 plus feet of running I just finished. I felt great the whole time and if needed, I could have easily completed the whole 50 miles. Thankfully there was no need to do that as Sharron was there and that is exactly what Scott needed to cross the finish line. Those two make an amazing couple.

I drank a few beers at Fish provided to me by some friendly folks and then it hit me. It was freaking cold. I had spent the past 8 hours running in shorts and a short sleeved shirt and the temps over the past few hours were around the 40 degrees. I quickly bundled up and headed over to Mayqueen.

2:30am and the two rolled in. Not much was needed by either. Just some soup and an extra layer and off they went some 20 minutes later. Just before 6:44am I could see Sharron and Scott walking up the last few blocks to the finish line. The sun rays still hadn't hit town yet but had been warming up Massive for a good hour. Stunning mountain morning. With maybe 20 yards to go, Scott and Sharron decided the only way to finish was to run it in ending his epic journey together. The smile on Sharron's face said it all for the both of them as Scott himself was to tired to show much emotion. We all embraced each other shortly after the finish line crossing, snapped a few pics and I was off to Denver shortly after.

Scott had asked that I stick around for the awards ceremony at noon. While tempting, I opted out and told him that I'd attend the ceremonies only after I completed the race myself. He fully understood and said he'd be more then happy to return the favor of pacing and crewing. Scott, there's a solid chance I'll be taking you up on that offer soon. Unless of course you decide to make another attempt at that 25 hour marker.

Leadville

August 21st and 22nd are big dates for many running folks here in Colorado. On the 21st, there will be some 700 plus runners lining up for the Leadville 100. A few hours later in Manitou Springs, there will be another 1,500 runners make the trip up Pikes. Over the next 24 hours, many runners will fail and succeed in crossing the finish line.

Before the cut off time of 30 hours hits many folks in Leadville on the 22nd, yet another race will have already started. The Pikes Peak Marathon.

Early in the year, I had desires of doing either PPM or Leadville. As the early months ticked away, my focus went directly towards Leadville. Shortly after Lake City, I just realized I wasn't physically ready for the challenge.

So with so many folks lining up this weekend, I will not be one of them. However, I get the opportunity of doing the next best thing. Pacing my friend at Leadville.

While at Lake City, I bumped into an old running friend from my days in Durango. Scott and his wife Sharron were both running the SJS50 for the second year straight. The day after the race, I got the chance to catch up with Scott a bit and quickly realized he was running Leadville this year. His first 100 mile race. Within minutes his invite to pace and crew was accepted. No way I was going to pass up this opportunity.

Fast forward to less then 2 days before Leadville. Numerous phone calls and emails have been exchanged between Scott and I with the following plan in place (assumption being all goes to plan with Scotts goals):

Saturday - 9:30am: I will be driving over to Twin Lakes (from Denver) to meet his wife Sharron. From here we'll get Scott whatever he needs and get a much better feel for how his race is going. This will be the first time Sharon has seen Scott since the 4am start.

Saturday - 2:00pm: Meeting Scott at Winfield with the goal of pacing him back to Fish Hatchery some 26/27 miles later. My goals are simple. Not to slow down Scott. To make sure he's eating and drinking on a consistent basis. To offer up as much encouragement as possible. To make sure he gets back to Fish within a 7 to 8 hour time frame.

Saturday - 9:00pm: Sharron will be pacing Scott to the finish line. From here I'll rest up a bit and make my way to Mayqueen.

Sunday - 12:00am: Take over crewing duties and make sure both Sharron and Scott have all they need. Food, liquids but most likely correctly clothing as I'm sure temps will start to dip by now.

Sunday - 2:00am: Finish line at Leadville.

Scott's goals for Leadville are like everyone else. 1) Finish. 2) Finish within 25 hours. 3) Finish within 22 hours. I feel Scott get that 22 hour goal time. He's finished under 5 hrs at PPM. He's paced numerous times at Hardrock. He's gone under 12 without killing himself at the SJS50. Most importantly, this guy loves to run trails.

Looking forward to exciting weekend and reading all the race reports that will for sure follow.

Gold Hill to Miners Creek to Wheeler to 7-11

Or at least that was the goal.

Over a month ago we received an invite to stay the weekend at our friends house up in Breckenridge. Spending a weekend in the mountains with some close friends made the decision of accepting the invite easy.

Going into the weekend I had the goal of running easy as I thought my pacing at Leadville was next weekend, not in 2 weekends. On Thursday I realized my error and scrambled to put together one more last long run before my mini taper.

After much research, I decided to start at the Gold Hill trail head, run up Miners Creek Trail along the 10 Mile range and before dropping into Copper Mountain merge onto Wheeler past Peak 9 and down the Breck Ski area. From there I would run along the Blue River to the 7-11 just north of downtown where my friends house was located just 1/3 of mile up the street.

I had Michele drop me off at the trail head just before 7am and off I went. Temps were cool, 38, and while the sun was lighting up the 10 mile ridge, it felt like it would be hours before it finally crest over the divide to the east. 2 miles into the run I was cruising over Gold Hill and already stripping off my sleeves and gloves. 3 miles in I came across my first intersection, the Peaks trail and was shortly ascending the steeps of Miners Creek which would take me to the ridge along the 10 Mile range.

Mentally and physically I simply wasn't into it. I honestly would have rather slept in and spent the morning hiking with Michele. I had also logged in a lot of miles over the past 3 weeks and was feeling it. But I unfortunately needed this run and gave it all I had. While last weekend I was running everything thrown at me, this weekend I spent a lot of time power hiking sections.

Thankfully the beautiful day made being out there much easier. Especially as I got above treeline along the ridge where I decided to snap off a few pics and take in some carbs.

(Looking south towards Peaks 7, 8 and 9)

(Copper Mt where I was just 7 days earlier)

The trail all above treeline was pretty tame and while slow I was able to run a majority of it. Yet I was constantly getting distracted by the surrounding views. As the trail was descending, I thought it was only a matter of time before I met up with the Wheeler trail. But there were no signs of the trail. Then the trail took a sharp right and headed downhill towards Copper Mtn.


It was at this point that I freaked out and decided to head off trail, cross back over to the eastern flanks of the 10 Mile range and look for Wheeler. A stupid move for many reasons. 1) The next 1.5 miles took me an hour to cover as the terrain was steep, technical and straight tough. 2) The merger as it turned out was maybe 2 minutes further down the hill from where I hopped off the trail.


By the time I finally made it to the ski resort below the Imperial Lift, I was cashed. My cross country adventure just drained me. It didn't help that Peak 9 while only a mile away involved a huge drop and climb over vegetation with no trails.

(Type of terrain I traversed during my lost way)

At this pointed I opted to run up to Imperial and back down the 4 O'clock ski run, into town and over to 7-11. The run down was fun and I was able to keep up a decent clip considering the increasing temps and sometimes steep descent. Once in town, the paved route along the Blue was slow as my Crosslites do not enjoy this type of landing.

(View of the mornings journey from the finish line)

Hard to be mad with another day spent in the high country with such fantastic weather and views but I am disappointed on missing out on an additional 5 to 6 miles of running. Final stats for the day were just over 17 miles, 4,500 feet of climbing in 3 hours 45 minutes.

July Summary

Runs - 23
Workouts - 5
Injured - 0

The Bad: Work got busy because of last minute changes yet again resulting in lost training. Could I have planned better for this? To an extent, yes, but 13 hour work days take their toll after only a few days.

The number of times I visited the gym was much less then I wanted it to be. Some of this has to do with sleeping in on intended workout days from the long prior work day. My focus has also been on running and if I only have time for one work out a day, it's going to be spent on my feet, not pushing weights.

The heat! Makes running in the afternoon extremely difficult. Makes sleeping at night (with no central air) down right miserable and easily explains the lack of consistent sleep I've gotten. Should follow the dogs lead and sleep in the spare bedroom in the basement.

The Good: My recovery from the SJS50 has gone really good which has made shifting into my current training cycle extremely smooth. With that said, I'm even more glad in hindsight that I did not sign up for the PPM. While completing the distance wouldn't be an issue, I just don't think I would have been sharp enough, mentally and physically, for the demands of that race.

For the first time all year, I also like each of my runs has a purpose or goal. Early in the year, my runs were simply a long run and a bunch of shorter runs. Pretty much a lack luster base build up. Now there's the long run with a focus on distance and pace and Shorter runs with a focus on speed, tempo or recovery. Even though the number of miles or runs I'm getting in per week hasn't change, the focus on specific workouts has been extremely refreshing. This always seems to be the case for me and hopefully bolds well in Steamboat.

Bottom Line: With 6 weeks left till Steamboat, I have a 3 more weeks of hard running followed by 3 weeks of taper. Which fits in perfectly as those 3 weeks of taper fall right in the heart of our forecasting period. A brief 2+ week period that will no doubt burn me out mentally. So as August begins, my main concern is not staying healthy or running my needed miles, but rather staying mentally sharp going into my last race of the year.

Searle and Kokomo Passes

It doesn't take much for me to get sick of the front range anymore. Usually it's something like a horrible afternoon commute home that gets me missing the quiet life of Durango. Thankfully I've got my Saturday morning long runs in the high country.

This morning I revisited a trail that I ran last year May in preparation for PPM. Conditions then were cold, windy with lots of snow and I fell well short of reaching Kokomo Pass. However I saw the potential the trail had so I was looking forward to this mornings run.

Searle Pass and Kokomo Pass may not sound familiar but I'm sure the Colorado Trail Segment 8 does. Don't know the specific stats for this segment, but I think it's like 25 miles one way starting just east of Copper and finishing around Tennessee Pass. The highlight of this trail is the 4+ mile section above treeline. Absolutely sweet single track.

Started out the run just after 7am. Temps were in the upper 40s and felt oh so good considering the hot temps in Denver lately. Not sure where exactly the trailhead is located but I started my run just under the American Flyer lift. A quick switch back and 0.5 miles into the run I'm off the service road and running on the CO Trail.

The trail within the Copper Mountain boundary is beautiful. It's all single track, mainly hidden within the trees and just zig zags up, down, left and right for just under 3 miles before it enters the Gueller Creek Valley. From here the single track continues and doesn't waste its time with switchbacks. It just cruises up the valley along the river. At times it's steep, sometimes it's downhill, but it gets you up to treeline quickly. Finally the switchbacks appear, but are few and before you know it and 7.5 miles after you started, you're at the top of Searle Pass.

(Looking north of Searle Pass into the heart of the Gore Range)

(Looking directly south towards a hidden Kokomo Pass)

Conditions were perfect. Slight haze in the sky, no wind and extremely comfortable temps for being at just over 12,000 feet. Over the next 3+ miles the trail takes you on alpine single track I thought only existed in the San Juans. The terrain is rolling and never gets above 12.3K or lower then 11.7K. Steams were flowing and the wild flowers were in full bloom. I honestly should have eaten shit here as I was on a mission to find my favorite flower. Pink Elephants everywhere where water was flowing!

I continued on to Kokomo Pass soaking in the views and keeping a pretty good pace. Once there and 2 hours after I started, I took my only brake. Got a nice seat that offered up so many views.

(Looking south towards the end of the 10 Mile Range and I'm sure a few 14ers I can't point out)

(Mt Massive - I want that summit badly for some reason)

Not shown were the Whistle Pigs running circles around. Not sure what those fat little fockers were doing but they were highly amusing as it appeared one was trying to get it on with the other one. After 10 minutes of laying low, I was back after it heading back to Copper Mountain. I made quick work back to Searle and began the long decent back to where it all started.

On my way to Kokomo Pass, I saw one hiker. Didn't see anyone else till I started my decent of Searle. Even then I only counted 14 total folks I crossed paths with during my whole run. A far cry to the hundreds I had seen on Grays/Torreys. The decent down the valley was uneventful. It was starting to get hot and my legs were starting to feel it for the first time. Finally back in the Copper Mountain area, I was only miles away from being done. Temps were even hotter here even with all the pine trees covering the trails. Hitting that stop button in front of Jacks Bar & Grill felt good. What felt better was sitting in the middle of the creek just outside of the village for a good 20 minutes.

Goal for today was to go at a easy long run pace while focusing on hydration and fuel. Goals were met though I did get lazy with hydration and fuel during the last few miles. Figured I was close enough to being done that it didn't matter.

4 hours 2 minutes of run time and roughly powered hiked a quarter mile at most. A tribute to how runnable this route truly is. Just over 21 miles with some 3,600 feet of climbing. Far from fast but feeling really good right now.