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.

Pikes Peak

This past Saturday morning, I got the opportunity to join a few old friends and run Pikes Peak. I haven't been on this beast since last years PPM and I'm still bitter about missing the 5 hour mark by 4 plus minutes.

J'ne(too many times to count winner of the PPA), Karen(fresh off her 2nd place female showing at the North Fork 50K) and Maureen(who I had only met once) arrived rather early to Manitou Springs. Apparently 6:15am wasn't early enough as we were forced to park near the finish line of the PPM. Which was fine to me as I was more then happy to tack on another mile to my run.

I had no game plan going into the run. Turn back at Barr? Turn back at A-Frame? Or just ascend with the gals and get a ride back down since J'ne's husband who would be waiting for us? Just figured I'd let the day play out and figure it out later.

The climb up Ruxton was slow as we all conversed. Once we hit the Barr Trail, I was off. Never was I pushing hard thru the W's but I was working it as evident from the shower of sweat pouring out of my body. Hit the No Name Creek area (recalled that it housed an aid station) and pulled back a bit. Then as the terrain flattens out and descends, I picked it up again. Actually pushed it thru this section. With about a mile to Barr Camp I slowed my pace down, fumbled around my GU and water some and hit Barr at 1:28.

Not sure what to make of that time but I'll take it. Felt like a strong effort. After sitting around for a few minutes. I opted to head back down till I ran into the group of gals and run back up with them. Added just under 2 miles of extra miles here and off we went to A-Frame.

Last year this stretch got me good and it got me again this year. About 1 plus mile up the climb I just ran out of running energy. The rest of the climb was spent power hiking and running whenever possible. Wasn't sure of my split to A-Frame, but once there I ran back to catch up with the group maybe 0.5 miles back.

Back at A-Frame I seriously contemplated just running back into town and waiting for the gals. Figured it would be a much better workout as I prepare for the Steamboat 50. But the peak was just calling and with the blue bird skies, we were off after a few minute break.

I ran about half of the next mile but was feeling it, then with the 2 mile sign, I just bonked hard. Sapped of energy I let the girls go and took a few minutes to rest up. Looked at my handheld and noticed I had only drank 10 ounces which came at Barr Camp. My hydration pack (which I had put in 30 ounces) hadn't been touched. How I forgot to stay on top of this is beyond me. One thing to not hydrate while running around Wash Park, but at 12,000 feet, there really isn't any excuse.

The last 2 miles were spent at a pace between hiking and power hiking with one one-minute break at the 1 Mile sign. So frustrating as these last few miles have many runnable portions.

Topped out and was thankful to be done. Quickly polished off my hydration pack and into the packed visitor center for some water, soda, donut and a snickers which ran me about $7.

In hindsight, I should have 1) hydrated and fueled better and 2) opted for the return trip from A-Frame. I love those last 3 miles to the top but if I'm not able to run them, then it's worthless. Plus the drive back into town sucks it big time!

Forgot to hit the start/stop button here and there, but guessing I got in some 15/16 miles with something like 8,300 feet of climbing in 4 hours.

Run Rabbit Run

So it's official. The other day I signed up for the Run Rabbit Run 50 Mile Ultra starting and finishing in the heart of the Steamboat Springs ski area. The race starts promptly at 6am on September 18th and is an out-and-back course reaching the base of Rabbit Ear Peak just outside of Rabbit Ears Pass along US 40.

I can only hope that the fall colors (aspens, shrubs, anything) will be near their peak during race day. I can also only hope that mother nature smiles upon us that day with clear, cool and calm weather conditions. Having run Imogene 5 times, I know anything is possible in Colorado's high country this time of year.

I am 4 weeks removed from the Lake City 50 and I'm feeling pretty good though I can tell my running isn't as sharp as I would like for it to be. I was actually on track to having a pretty high mileage month prior to heading to Iowa last Thursday which lead to some down time running wise. Rest is a good thing I guess.

With 8 plus weeks till race day, my running plans will be simple. Log in some healthy long runs in the high country on Saturday's. Get in some more front range vert on Sunday's. Monday thru Friday, get in whatever possible. More boring laps around Wash Park from the house, sneaking out to Mt. Falcon after work whenever possible and anything else to keep the legs moving.

I won't set any goals for the race till that day comes closer. I want to see how my body reacts to a straight 6 week training cycle along with 2 weeks of taper. I'm pretty sure my body will respond nicely to this but one never knows. Now if I can find a way to not work so much because it really messes with my training.

Quick Update on the race. It appears that this race is part of the Montrail Ultra Cup series with the top 2 men and women getting automatic entries into the Western States 100. Great publicity for the race but makes you wonder why the announcement so late in the registration process (guessing it was announced this morning as there was no mention of it yesterday). When I signed up, I think there 25 slots left and now there's only 6.

Iowa Love

My last trip to Iowa was in December 08. Snow, fog and temps in the minus 20's greeted my arrival. This time around sun, warm temps and a shit load of humidity were ready to shower me with their love and Michele and I were looking forward to visiting her family and friends over a long weekend.

Thursday: I look back at it now and no longer shocked on why I was exhausted for portions of the trip. By noon on Thursday, I had put in 5+ hours of work along with an early 8 mile run to start out the day. Our flight to Omaha departed on time around 2:30pm and we were on the road heading out Nebraska and up I-29 to our first destination of Inwood, Iowa.

I had a special request of stopping in Sioux City to visit the Sergeant Floyd Monument. Michele was reluctant at first but I can tell she enjoyed the brief 10 minute stop of some cool US history.



We pulled into Michele's brother Tony's home just before 9pm. His kids Riley, Avery and Trey all greeted us with open arms and right behind them was his wife Lisa welcoming us in with some cold beers. The rest of the night was spent sitting outdoors drinking beer and catching up. Don't think we got to bed till well past midnight.

Friday: I think I finally got out of bed around 9am and I still think I could have slept a few more hours. Played around with the kids abit as I laced up my shoes and out the door I went for an easy 7 miler.

A lot of firsts occurred for me on this run. Never had I run in farmland. Never had I run in the Midwest. And never had I run in humidity. Holy Crap! Running in humidity sucks ass. Factor in 90 degree temps and I was hurting. I made it a nice 3 miles before all this heat and humidity set in. The next 4 miles weren't so much a struggle as I pulled back on the pace, but more just draining. The views and surrounding area were stunning though. Had I planned it better, I could see myself enjoying a nice 20 miler on these farm roads as they were far from flat being we were so near the Sioux River along the Iowa/South Dakota boarder.



Finished up my run and the rest of the day was spent playing with 3 kids under the age of 10. Chasing them around the house, the farm, the swimming pool. This stuff was more difficult then my morning run.

As the 6pm hour rolled around, Tony offered to take me on ride around the Sioux River bluffs in his old Jeep Wrangler. Loaded up a few road beers and off we went. Spent the next few hours driving some amazing land that part of the country has to offer. Tony being an Agronomist, offered up some very inter sting stuff in regards to farming.



I grew up as a city boy in San Francisco and I'm truly intrigued by stuff so foreign to me. 12 years ago, I probably couldn't tell you what a corn or soybean farm looked like. Now I can tell you how they're harvested and what they're used for.

Highlight of the night for me personally came around 9ish. Alone, with a beer in tote, I headed off Tony's property line to a huge plot of land growing soybeans. The sun had just set with splashes of red lighting up the sky all around. Far to the east was an intense electrical storm. Surrounding me were thousands of lightening bugs bouncing around all over the place. I took a seat on the nicely mowed grass and just sat around for the next 20 minutes appreciating how good life is.

Saturday: After a few days of hanging out with the family we were on the road to visit first Michele's grandmother and then her close friend LeAnn. Today was going to consist of a lot of traveling in what was turning into an extremely hot and muggy day.

The nice thing about being way up in the far north west part of Iowa is we were near the highest point in Iowa. Hawkeye Point! 1,670 feet in elevation. It crossed my mine to run to the high point but by the time Garmin would pick up a signal, I could have made it to the high point and back to the car. So I opted for the 20 yard walk with Michele instead.





Michele wasn't down for a side trip to pick off another high point in Minnesota, so we headed to Manson, IA and had lunch with grandma. Grandma is getting up there in age. 94 1/2, in a retirement home, not really able to walk and hearing almost gone. But bless her for still have a good sense of humor.

After an hour or so, we were off to Newton, IA to spend the night with LeAnn and family, Michele's friend since their freshman year in high school. The next 3 hours of driving were boring. Iowa is beautiful in certain parts of the state, but not along the stretch near Aimes and Des Moines. Just brutally flat.

Newton, IA is best known for it's ties with Maytag. Maytag for years had their headquarters, plants, distribution centers, etc...in Newton. Well about 3 years ago Whirlpool came in, bought them out and taking away some 3,000 jobs in the process.

Arrived around 5pm and spent the rest of the muggy evening drinking, eating and just chatting it up. Woke up some what early the next day in hopes of beating the heat but even at 8am, the temps and humidity floored me. All I had planned was an easy 5 miler along rolling terrain of this small town and that's all I got. The time spent in Newton was short but a lot of fun. LeAnn, her husband Kelly and their adorable daughter Landry are a solid group of peoples and I really enjoyed spending time with them.

Back on the road to Omaha and our flight left on time shortly after 7:30pm. Stepping into the hot not humid temps of Denver never felt so good.

So what was my favorite part of the trip? Easy. Hawkeye Point! Kidding aside, it was easily Michele's amazing family and friends. I knew I was a lucky guy when I met Michele, but little did I know that she came with a finish line as well.

Grays & Torrey's

Running these peaks had been on my radar during last years training for PPM but for some reason never got around to it. This past Monday and for no specific reason, I decided to run them. It's been 8 or so years since I was last up there and vaguely remembered any specifics other then great weather, crazy looking mountain goats and my buddy Matt cursing me for giving Torrey's a go.

Up too early, out the door at a decent time and 50 minutes later I arrived at the Bakerville exit off I-70 before 6:30am. And this is where I was going to start my run. Figured the extra miles from the interstate might fun.



What? No love for Torrey's? Well it was far from fun. The road to the trailhead is about 3 miles with 1.4K feet of gain. Nothing dramatic. What was dramatic was the number of cars driving up to the true trailhead. Any time a car would come by, I'd make every effort to step out of the way to avoid the dust and exhaust therefore preventing me from getting into a running groove.

As I approached the trailhead, I could already see the madness begin. Madness of the amount of people getting ready to hike the same peaks I was aiming for. Crossed the bridge and it started. The constant battle of passing heaps of folks. Sometimes it was easy, other times I was forced to stop and work my way around them. And this was the theme all the way to the top of Grays. Honestly lost track counting after 100 hikers.

My fellow hikers, for the most part, were extremely kind and would offer up kind words of encouragement and shock at my summit attempt. Always nice to hear as I don't think I'm doing anything special with my runs.

The trail itself was dry and snow free all the way up Gray's. I was surprised by how runnable (when not crowded of course) the route was with only a handful of sections steep enough forcing me to power hike. The last 3 or so switch backs were my favorite. Folks were dying by this point and I was able to run the whole stretch.

The weather itself was so-so. 45 at the start. Windy and overcast most of the way up. Stiff wind at the top with I'm guessing temps in the low 30's. Thankfully the short sleeved top and gloves were more then enough.

The top of Gray's was straight packed so my stay was short lived. Off to Torrey's and things got interesting as the wind was ripping, my eyes were watering and the descent along the ridge technical. Before I knew it I was on top of Torrey's and quickly off. Made my way down to the saddle, across the only snow field on the route and took my first break of the day to enjoy some alone time to soak in the views.



Yeah the day was ridiculously crowded which never allowed me to get into a running groove but whatever, the views during this short little 5 minute stop more then made up for it. The decent down was fine. Ran, Stopped, ran, hopped, stopped, ran, stopped some more and finally crossed the bridge. The last 3 miles back to the car were all downhill and FINALLY allowed me to get in some uninterrupted running averaging just under 8's on the way back to the car.

Great day? No. But any day in the mountains that ends with me being tired and in one piece is always a solid day. 3 hours 15 minutes (never did hit stop on the watch) of running and I got in 14 miles with over 5,000 feet of climbing.

June Summary & Mid Year Thoughts

Runs - 17
Workouts - 1
Injured - 0

Normally I like to critique my running/training over the prior month but will not do so this go around. Let's face it, I've ran & raced distances like I've never done so before and I've enjoyed every moment of it. Lessons have been learned and I look forward to getting better from the past months experiences.

I'm now 2+ weeks removed from the SJS50 and my body feels surprisingly good. This stems from my solid back to back to back 9 to 10 mile trails runs over the long weekend. One of the runs that included meeting Scott Jurek at the base of Gregory Canyon. Couldn't have been a nicer individual during our brief encounter. Still intentionally holding back on any hard long runs till next weekend so I'm eager to see how that plays out.

Second Half Goals: At the start of the year, I had a 100 miler on the radar. This assuming all my training and racing went flawless. Well my training was interrupted a few times by some nagging injuries and my two races didn't result in what I know I'm capable of. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the way they played out but I know I can do better.

So the 100 miler is on hold for now. Bottom line is I know I'm capable of finishing one but that's not why I race. I race to compete and challenge myself. Not to just finish. Lake City was never about just finishing but competing and unfortunately I wasn't able to compete due to a tired body. So I feel it's best I challenge myself again at this distance. And at least a few more times before I step into the 100 mile world.

On September 18th, Steamboat Springs will host the 4th running of the Run Rabbit Run. A 50 mile out and back course that goes thru some beautiful country in Northern Colorado. I've only been in Steamboat once during the summer. A short day trip with some old friends. I've also had the pleasure of hammering the gladed thigh deep powder a few times. And no, I thankfully wasn't knuckle dragging or locked at the heels!

A few months back, Pikes Peak registration opened and closed in its almost too quick manner. I had contemplated running the marathon again with desires of breaking the 5 hour mark. However I refrained from signing up just in case Leadville called my name. Well it's calling my name but not to race it but rather to help out an old running mate from Durango. Along with his wife, I'll be pacing and crewing for Scott as he takes on his first 100 miler. Scott broke the 11 hour marker at the SJS50 just a few weeks back and his wife Sharron, an accomplished runner herself with a few age group records at the PPM, came in at 13 hours. I look forward to the opportunity of helping out Scott in any manner that weekend and know it will be great learning experience as to what really goes on during those last 50 miles of the race.

With 10 or so weeks till Steamboat, I'll have plenty of time to play in the high country as I prepare for the race. Thoughts of running Mt. Massive, knocking out the Northern Loop in the Indian Peak Wilderness Area or taking on the 4 Pass Loop around the Maroon Bells enter my head. So many trails, so little time.