Author Archives: Ed Mahoney

Boulder Marathon

21 Sunday Oct 2012

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beerIt doesn’t get any better than this.  I ran the Boulder Marathon this morning in unbelievably beautiful weather.  I can’t say yet how I did but will likely have the results before I publish this.  I would guess close to 4 hours.  Definitely a little slower than the Denver Marathon 4 weeks ago.  But probably not too far off.  I ran fairly aggressive the first half, but feel like I slowed down in the second half more so than at Denver.  We’ll see soon enough.

It was still dark as I parked around 6:15am.  I walked around the place and took a wiz in one of the zero-wait port-a-potties.  The gear bag truck wasn’t setup yet so I walked back to the car and waited inside until 6:45.  I walked back out ready to go.  I didn’t need gloves and discovered that before leaving so wore a pair of shorts without pockets.  Actually, it has a rear pocket which I used for my car key.  I usually insist on pockets for all my running shorts but I didn’t really need them.  I didn’t need gloves and I could keep my wallet in the car since it was so close to everything.  I clipped a shuffle to my waist band and listened to my playlist for much of the middle 20 kilometers.

I started off a bit slow but felt like I picked it up to have run a decent 10K.  I’m not seeing any splits at this RaceRite results site.  I didn’t wear a watch and there were absolutely no splits displayed throughout the run.  I couldn’t even find the clock at the end.  I don’t need to know my time, if it were critical to me I’d wear a watch.  But I did expect splits to be timed for me.  The results site seems hosed.  I don’t trust it.  They show split 1 without saying where it is.  You’d guess 10K but it seems like maybe 7 miles.  And this shows I took 2nd in my age group but I’m fairly certain I didn’t.  So far I’m not very happy with Boulder-based RaceRite for timing.  I do trust my final chip time – 3:58.  Feels like what I ran.

The first 10K is uphill.  No heartbreak hills but consistently a slope up to Nelson Road by the Antennae towers.  It follows Nelson for about 2 miles – from 8 to 10.  I found my stride here and feel like I ran that second 10K at an 8 minute per mile pace.  That’s stupid of course because it’s too fast for me.  My legs began to feel heavy right after 13 miles for the second half.  I had it in my mind that I would qualify for Boston if I could hold an 8 minute pace.  I can’t.  Not at altitude.  I did however give it a shot.

The race info made a big deal out of this course being fast and relatively flat.  I would say that’s true for the half marathon course, but I discovered runners walking the hill at 10 miles.  Seems to me you have to make note of any hills that make a number of runners walk.  There were other significant hills in the second half – all the way to the end.  I found myself walking part of a couple of them in the last 10K.  This run has hills.

I did enjoy running too fast for myself the second 10K.  My core felt strong but my legs ultimately fatigued.  I didn’t really feel my core begin to give until around 20 miles.  My stomach might have felt strong until 22 miles, but my upper legs were hurting.  The pain made me think I stressed them with weights and leg raises this week. More likely the pain was from running too fast, too early.  After the turn-around at 17 miles on Oxford Road, I went from trying to maintain my speed to trying to maintain forward momentum.  I walked a couple of times to let my heart rest going up some hills.  And also because I noticed my running pace wasn’t catching runners ahead of me whom were walking.  Something to always consider when running up a hill.

I can tell you that Oxford Road is hands down one of the prettiest dirt-packed roads ever.  I kept expecting to see a covered wooden bridge around every corner.  Every road north of the Boulder Res was glorious in its display of vivid colors from the fall foliage.  And the little farms and ranches tucked away north of Boulder are idyllic.  I had to weed my way through some goats on the road at one point on Oxford.  While hillier than I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed this course.

My legs really slowed down the last 3 miles, but seeing the water at the Boulder Res was great inspiration for continuing my forward motion.  The hill at 26 miles, while long, is not as tough as I expected.  Possibly because I was running so slow.  The little hill right in front of the finish line felt tougher.  I didn’t run today quite like I had imagined I would but I’m happy with my overall time.  I did a great job of drinking electrolytes at the aid stations.  This event has outstanding aid stations stocked with both water and Gatorade.  And many served GU gels and fruit.  Still perplexed as to why they didn’t have pace clocks.

Linda and KathyI gorged on oranges and bananas immediately after crossing the finish line.  Not the smartest thing as I vomited a couple minutes later.  But that actually made my stomach feel much better so I proceeded to the beer line.  I sat with a couple of nice women who ran the 5 mile event – Linda and Kathy.  I took their pic and then Kathy took some pics of me.  I only had the energy for one beer so I went home soon after that beverage.

I scheduled myself a massage earlier in the week for 2:30pm.  Brilliant call.  Shannon Dunlap at Massage Envy took care of me by working out the lactic acid.  I could actually walk almost normal upon leaving.  No injuries from this run.  Apparently my right nipple chaffed a bit from the blood I see in the pic, but it didn’t hurt in the shower.  Feet and knees feel good.  This marks the end of my running season.  I finished big with the IPR, Denver Marathon, and now this.  My focus will turn to winter maintenance.

Beer Run

20 Saturday Oct 2012

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The Boulder Marathon is just a 26.2 mile beer run.  Not only do they serve free beer afterward, they give you this beer pint glass along with the swag bag they gift you with your race packet.  Nice.  This adds to my collection of two other pint glasses from having run their spring half marathons the last two years.

If I understand correctly, you should be able to follow my pace at this site to get real time results at the half marathon point and 20 mile mark.  I really like how the Denver and Austin Marathons allow you to sign up for a messaging service that will text splits to your friends, but then that cost $5 and this is free.  The run kicks off at 7am Sunday so I expect to hit the half way point sometime around 8:45am and to cross the 20 mile mark sometime between 9:45am and Monday.

My daily run on the LoBo Trail takes me nearby this race course.  The trees are gorgeous with their fall colors.  Should make for some really good photos.  I’m a bit concerned in that I intend to wear knee-high compression socks and they might make me look like a school girl.  I’ll just have to crop out my legs from the pictures before posting them online.  I picked up a pair using the $10 coupon from my swag bag and wore them yesterday.  They really did make my legs feel better.  This was my first decent run since catching a cold.  My hope is that the compression socks will help keep my calves from cramping.  I’ll followup in my post run blog on how they work out.

Anxious

15 Monday Oct 2012

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Twenty meters past the 26 mile marker, the camera caught me with both feet off the pavement.  You can tell by looking at the shoe shadows.  I don’t bother with much of a kick in these long runs.  What’s the point?  But it’s good to see I have at least a little hop in my step.  About 5 minutes later I was laying flat on the pavement with cramps in both legs.  It was a great run up until I stopped.

Hoping the Boulder Marathon is as good a run as the Denver Marathon.  I’m a tad bit nervous because I didn’t train as hard as I wanted.  I won’t decide upfront how hard I intend to push myself.  I’ll make that call after I’ve warmed up a couple of miles.  As an amateur, I get to make those decisions.  If you’ve ever run a marathon, or multiple marathons, then you know how dicey they can be.  Almost regardless of conditioning, anything can happen with such a long distance.

I would love to feel strong throughout the run, but I am mostly interested in how my core will feel after 18 – 20 miles.  I did increase my core conditioning exercises.  Not sure if I’ve been at it long enough to show results, but this will certainly be a test.  Not saying I’ll pick up my pace if I’m strong at 20, but I might to celebrate that my stomach isn’t melting at this point.  This isn’t the wall per se, even though it’s at about when runners hit the wall.  But it’s similar.  My experience is that my overall body feels fine but my stride begins to shorten considerably as I lose strength in my lower abdomen and upper legs between 18 and 20 miles.  I can continue running feeling comfortable, but noticeably slower.  Makes the final 10K progress like a dolly zoom.

This Sunday will be my last marathon of the year, my end of season trifecta.  I survive this, then I can wind down.  I’ll move my runs to the middle of the day once daylight savings time ends.  As part of that, I’ll reduce the distance to 3 or 4 miles – something I can run during a lunch hour.  If I’m dedicated, I’ll work out on weights this winter.  I probably need that more than running.  Lastly, I expect to continue the mountain hiking – or snowshoeing – throughout the winter.  But I need to get through this marathon first.

Gore Range Trail

14 Sunday Oct 2012

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Fall in the mountains means snow.  I drove through some freezing rain and snow on my way up to meet Rob in Silverthorne Friday evening.  I think the place we met – the Dam Brewery – is actually in Dillon, but what’s the difference.  It’s the massive Summit County Sprawl.  This area offers everything to the outdoorsman and it’s making the transition to ski season.  We hiked through this area, mostly Breckenridge-Frisco-Copper, last summer doing the Colorado Trail.  We returned to hike part of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).  We mistakenly thought a section of the Gore Range Trail makes up the CDT.  It doesn’t, at least not anymore.  But what the hell.  It was on some CDT map at some point in time so we’re including it in our mutli-year quest to hike the entire CDT.

We stealth camped at a CT trail head in Copper, same place we camped before hiking through Copper Mountain as part of the CT last summer.  As you turn off I70 onto Hwy 91 at Wheeler Junction, you drive past the traffic light that would take you into Copper Mountain and turn left a few yards down the road into an overflow parking lot.  Toward the back of this lot is a CT trailhead that would take you up over the Ten Mile Range into Breckenridge.  After the brew pub dinner we dropped off Rob’s car at the Mesa Cortina Trailhead in Silverthorne, then we setup camp here and relaxed in our camping chairs star gazing through gaps in the low cloud cover.

I slept great, despite regular sweeps by the Copper Mountain snow plow patrol with colored lights that looked like lasers streaming through my tent.  We woke around 5:30am to snow covering our tents and maybe a half inch on the ground, but seemingly warm.  There was no wind.  We broke down camp and sipped coffee while discussing whether to start from here or drive a little closer.  We ended up parking near the intersection at the gas station.  It opens at 7am and has a surprisingly cozy coffee shop and bakery attached to its east side.  We enjoyed a civilized breakfast and hit the trail at 7:30.

The trail begins on the northwest corner of the Interstate and Hwy 91 intersection.  This is my first outing this season where I needed to wear winter gear.  I mostly wore what I would refer to as transitional gear – spring and fall types of garments.  My pants are thin quick-dry material.  I had knee-high gaiters to protect my legs and feet from the snow but honestly it didn’t occur to me to wear snow pants.  I will next time but these thin hiking pants worked out perfectly combined with the gaiters.  I also wore a ski jacket but carried that more often than not and was comfortable with 3 layers of shirts and a wind breaker.  We found ourselves removing layers within minutes and only needed the heavy coats when crossing some of the passes.  Eventually I removed all but one shirt and my shell.

Hiking this direction, the trail heads up first to Uneva Pass.  Visibility was poor and the wind at the pass made the light snowfall feel blizzard-like.  The snow fell steadily most of the day but we could still make out the trail for this first hump.  The pass was just above treeline and the wind was only an issue when either above treeline or crossing open meadows.  Much of the hike was through trees.

Half way to Eccles Pass, the second big hump, we had the opportunity to bail out by taking the North Ten Mile Trail down to Frisco.  We considered this as an option if the weather became dangerous.  The trail was becoming deeper in snow as we progressed but Rob’s trail reading skills are expert.  Still, coming down from the third hump at Red Buffalo Pass we lost the trail.  We continued high on the ridge for a bit and then headed straight down into the creek drainage.  The Mesa Cortina Trail is supposed to lead us out along the South Willow Creek.  Sure enough, we ran back into the trail within a few minutes of bushwhacking.

The snow began to thin out fairly quickly now that we were headed down.  The visibility never cleared but it did stop snowing at some point.  There were a number of small lakes – none of them frozen over yet.  We met our only other hiker on this final segment.  He appeared to be a Chinese national based on his accent.  Nevertheless, he was sporting a rifle and hunting for Elk.  Not sure how he intended to carry any game out by himself.

The final segment was scared from a Bark Beetle infestation.  Massive amounts of downed trees.  The ones left standing looked pretty sad.  You can see some of the dead brown in this picture, especially if you click on it to enlarge the photo.  As we neared the trail head in Silverthorne, we began to see views of Dillon Lake and the Summit sprawl.  This would be a great area to own a little condo.  Incredible access.

Rob and I returned to the Dam Brewery to recover from our ten hour, twenty mile hike.  The place is good enough for a return, and we knew they had the beer and menu our bodies were looking for.  We ordered a pitcher of the velvety McLuhr’s Irish Stout.  Ten hours was a longer day than we anticipated, but the snow slowed down our progress.  I suspect trekking poles saved this from being a twelve hour hike.  Haven’t used those in some time and they were a huge help today.  We intend to continue hiking segments of the CDT, but expect to need snow shoes next time around.  Certainly snow pants.

Feed a Cold

08 Monday Oct 2012

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Starve a fever and feed a cold.  Okay, but can you run with a cold?  With only two weeks remaining before my next marathon I sort of want to know.  Several top search results speak to a rule of thumb termed the “neck rule”.  You can run with symptoms above the neck line like sinuses and a sore throat, but not with symptoms below the neck like a chest cold, fever, aches and pains or hacking cough.  I’m in the coughing stage.  I’m not sure if my cough counts as a proper hack and this advice was from the Internet, so I ran a few miles this afternoon to test the waters.  I might have had a small fever over the weekend but that’s gone now along with the achiness.  I don’t think I overdid it; I was simply looking to break a sweat.

I didn’t expect to sweat as much as in this picture of me running the final mile of the Denver Marathon, it’s so cool out with this fall weather that three miles wasn’t enough to work up much of anything.  It was enough though to make me regret not running for the last 4 days.  The color from the leaves and feel of the crisp air – it makes me want to play some football.  I’m getting up to the Continental Divide Saturday for that 20 mile hike I missed due to this cold.  I don’t care that I got a second letter from the HOA about staining my front porch.  Screw ’em.  The weekend is mine.  I pay enough in HOA dues that they should be staining the porch for me.

Of course the real reason I got out there is I saw Keith finish up his run.  He had a nice one.  So I got in a few myself and it was glorious.  Autumn in Colorado.  Nothing beats this.  I’ll take it easy again tomorrow and then increase my distance Wednesday if I’m feeling recovered.  Thursday is a night game on ESPN for the Buffs.  I’ll be going with my buddy Jed. Might be tight but I’ll squeeze in another short run if I have time.  Not sure what I’ll have time for on Friday because I’ll be driving up to camp out with Rob in Silverthorne for that 20 mile hike on Saturday.

Weekend Warrior

06 Saturday Oct 2012

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No big run or massive hike this weekend.  I had planned a 20 mile hike on the Continental Divide Trail.  Instead I’m sitting on the couch multi-tasking between college football, facebook, and re-installing apps on my iPhone because my Apple ID changed earlier this year.  Never change your Apple ID.  I’m not even sure how I did that.  Having a cold sucks but I did just watch Stanford play Arizona and I’m now watching Texas play West Virginia.  Got my MacBook Pro on my lap, iPhone in one hand and remote in the other.  Also eating a bowl of Texas chili Karen just made using my tomatoes and Serrano peppers from the garden.  Good thing since it’s snowed the last two mornings in a row.  It’s fall in Colorado.

Since I can’t run, I’ve been reviewing my race results from all the marathons and half marathons I’ve run over the last couple of years.  The Denver Marathon in 2010 and 2012.  The Austin Marathon in 2011.  The Austin Half Marathon in 2012.  The Moab Half in 2011 and 2012.  And the Boulder Half in 2011 and 2012.  That might seem egocentric, but there are few things more narcissistic than sports.  Except maybe blogging.  But sports is also all about statistics, so I don’t think it’s out of line to review my race results.  I did find something strange.

I ran the half in both Denver Marathons in 1:45.  13.1 miles in two marathons within 9 seconds of each other.  But wait, there’s more.  I’ve never run that fast in a half marathon.  Out of 5 half marathons, I’ve never run faster than 1:48.  What’s with that?  Thinking about it, I don’t think I ever tried racing those half marathons.  I might have treated them more like every day runs.  Either that, or I ran a screamin’ fast pace on those two marathons.  I’m sort of impressed with myself right now in a vain, self-absorbed, couch-potato sort of way.  And what’s with this Austin guy from W. Virginia?  He’s tearing Texas up!

Under the Weather

05 Friday Oct 2012

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Training for the Boulder Marathon isn’t going to plan.  I caught my first cold of the season.  Actually, for me, my first cold in 3 years.  Working from home, isolated in my basement office, sometimes has benefits.  I suspect I caught this from my daughter.

But Ellie is there for me – blessing me every time I sneeze.  And she asked me where the term “under the weather” came from.  According to the Internet, the full phrase is “under the weather bow” and refers to an ill sailor going below deck.  And the weather bow itself refers to the side of the ship that the bad weather is blowing against.  Seems reasonably true to me.

I’m more concerned about how long I’ll be below deck.  The Boulder Marathon is October 21st – just two weeks away.  I know it’s unlikely I’ll fall out of shape, but I was hoping to improve over the Denver Marathon.  The dreamer in me was fantasizing about qualifying for Boston.  Might need to run something at sea-level for that – maybe the Houston Marathon in January.  Nah, Houston sucks.  I could run the Austin Marathon again.  It kicked my ass last time and I’d like another shot at it.  That’s in February.  I’ll think it over while I’m bed-ridden this weekend.

Analog Presence

30 Sunday Sep 2012

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Maintaining my digital presence is one of the reasons I blog.  There are other reasons.  None very meaningful but when you add  them up I chronicle stuff online.  Karen and I were watching some TV show about facebook that got us talking about social networking, the future of communication, and related topics.  We eventually reached the conclusion that regardless of how we might differ in our online comfort levels, we both believe social media cheapens relationships.

I could go into detail on that but it’s not my point other than to relate that as context for my appreciation of real, face-to-face experiences.  We had a great weekend in Breckenridge with friends.  I went on a 6 mile trail run across the Ten Mile Range with Keith (see pic), was a quick loser in a card game, drinks, food…

I was asked on that getaway how I’ve enjoyed turning 50.  I might have been slow to respond but recalled some of my real life experiences.  Mexico in the spring.  Mount Princeton Hot Springs this summer.  And the other times that crossed my mind were running events, family events, hiking with friends.  Spending time with people.

I like facebook.  I enjoy the efficiency of email.  Texting this and that.  I think of the Panasonic Toot-a-loop AM transistor radio I listened to at 10 when I see Ellie facetiming her friends on her iPad.  It’s all so cool and I’m comfortable with it.  But there’s something to be said about real world face time.  In person conversations.  A real chat.  Maybe it’s simply my fleeting lifespan making me sappy but more and more I place a premium on personal time.  Analog presence.

Salt

27 Thursday Sep 2012

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During the pre-season, two-a-day workouts I did in high school during the 100° plus days of August as part of trying to make the football team, players were given salt pills on the sideline.  And I typically ate a few during each workout.  I didn’t even know why, I just did what the coaches told me to do.

I know why now.  About 5 minutes after this picture was taken, both my legs began cramping non-stop, leaving me completely incapacitated on the pavement.  The medical volunteers didn’t know what to do but a bystander who just happened to be a collegiate sports trainer instructed them to pour some salt into a bottle of Gatorade and have me drink that.  This worked well, although it tasted as bad as it sounds.

Unlike the Denver Marathon, the Boulder Marathon next month will be stocked at every aid station with Gatorade Endurance Formula.  Gatorade’s website has this chart showing how much sodium to expect to lose during the run.  Apparently a marathon burns the entire recommended daily intake of sodium in the 3.5 or so hours it takes to run.  I suppose that varies based on heat, etc.  The lesson here is that if all you drink during a marathon is water, you’re in trouble.  My in-laws were visiting last weekend and related the recent story of an Austin athlete who died after an endurance rowing event because he drank too much water afterward – a condition termed hyponatremia.  This is certainly more serious than cramps but the point is that you have to understand and maintain certain nutritional balances when participating in endurance events.  It could affect your performance or it could affect your life.

Gatorade’s Endurance Formula has 200mg of sodium per 8 ounces.  I don’t know but would guess the aid station cups at the Boulder Marathon will be about 4 ounces.  There will be 12 aid stations along the course.  Math suggests I should drink 2 cups per aid station.  That will give me close to 2000 milli grams of sodium.  I’m assuming I will have started my day out with some salt already in my body and I don’t see myself being able to swallow more than two cups per aid station.  I will look into the volume per cup though on race day and redo my estimates accordingly.  Cramps hurt.

Kinky

24 Monday Sep 2012

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I got a recovery run in this afternoon – first run after Saturday’s 26.2 miles.  My initial steps left me questioning whether I’d make it out of the neighborhood.  The pain was focused in my groin and my stride wasn’t much better than the short shuffle I ended with in Saturday’s marathon.  I made it out of my neighborhood and reset my 3 mile goal to 1 mile.  All I wanted to do was work out the kinks.  I was feeling kinky.

After a mile my muscles relaxed and I wound up doing a 4 mile recovery run.  I don’t think I’ve ever been this well recovered after a marathon.  Maybe after my young age marathons but certainly not after my other 2 old age marathons.  I don’t even have any blisters.

This picture is of Keith and me after the run on Saturday.  I was able to talk to him more about the run today via email.  Keith mentioned two big factors.  One was the pavement.  That didn’t occur to me but both of us mostly run on trails and are not used to asphalt.  Keith noticed and it might be why my knees are still sore.  There’s no asphalt for old men.  I don’t intend to try adapting to roads though.  The Boulder Marathon will be on some gravel roads and I’m hoping it’ll be lower impact.

Keith was also affected by his foot injury.  That was predictable and really his only option to address that would have been not to run at all.  Had he seen a doctor he would have needed an MRI for a diagnosis and that would have taken at least a week to schedule.  Plus any diagnosed injury would take 6 weeks to heal and that would put him at risk of not completing his first marathon while 50 years old.  I know if I’d put as much effort into preparing for this run as Keith, I would have taken the risk to run it too.  Of course he risked further injury but mostly he just had to run with pain.  What a bad-ass.

I’ve ordered my digital pics and expect to use those for my next few blogs.  They didn’t look that good but still, it’s not like I have tons of marathon pictures.  Looking over my stats, I think I’m most pleased by my pace.  Not the overall 8:42 pace but the consistency I held between my first and second ten miles.  I only ran 5 minutes slower from mile 10 to 20 as I did the first 10 miles.  And I suspect those 5 minutes were all lost after mile 18 when I know I began to slow down.  I’ll work on that with some core exercises before the Boulder Marathon.  Just a few more kinks to work out.

Denver Marathon 2012

22 Saturday Sep 2012

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Running a marathon is no different than my favorite fall game – watching CU in a great game right now with Washington State. It’s played in 4 quarters. 10K meters per quarter. Technically 40K meters lands on the 25th mile, but I think of the final mile as a game’s worth of bad calls that have gone against me. I measure my progress at 10K, 20K, 30K and 40K – with the real battle in the fourth quarter.

I ran my second Denver Marathon this morning. I ran the first in 2010. I was a bit gun shy to run another marathon after getting beat up by the Austin Marathon in 2011, but signed up this year for a couple of reasons. I told my buddy Keith I’d sign up for whatever he did when he was considering running his first marathon this year as part of celebrating his 50th. And because I knew running the IPR would have me in shape for a marathon.

When I saw the weather last night on my weather channel app, I made the call to pin my bib to a short sleeve shirt. I went with the hi tech T that came from registration. Sort of a wimpy baby blue to be honest, but my eyes are blue so it couldn’t help but look good. I need more blue shirts. I paired this with black North Face running shorts that have good pockets and a nice overall feel. No gloves. No hat. Just sunscreen, my ID, $20, candy and an iPod in my pockets. I listened to a playlist from mile 6 to mile 13 but grew weary of it. I did wear some fleece warmups waiting for the start but stored those in my gear bag with my iPhone. The weather was awesome. Starting at 7 in Downtown Denver means the sun is too low to clear the buildings and most trees in the parks until half way through the run. And even then, the air kept some coolness in it.

I looked for Keith but couldn’t find him. I didn’t have too much time. My starting corral was 2 and his was 10. It’s a fairly big run with I think 16K runners. No doubt most run the half marathon. I started out slow the first mile and many runners were passing me, but I loosened up and picked up my pace. Toward the second half of the first 10K, I felt like I was running too fast but I kept it up because I was feeling pretty good. I found myself pacing with a few others who would occasionally pass me and I’d pass them back. Some of them didn’t look like they could run a marathon, at least not at that pace. But then that made them seem even more impressive to run a half marathon so fast. There are some guys that just look too big to run long distance so fast. Maybe it’s supplements – I don’t know.

I completed the first 10K at a nice clip, under 50 minutes, which made me happy I was under an hour but concerned I was running too fast. I didn’t know I would be able to keep this pace but my next goal was to try to keep my half marathon (20K meters) time under two hours. This meant that technically I could run the second 10K in 70 minutes. My projected time today was between 4:00 and 4:15. My #2 corral was for a 3:50.

At about 10 miles, a little boy barely taller than my waist passed me at a strong pace. A few of us adults gave each other incredulous looks. He was maybe 9 years old, had straggly blonde hair down past his shoulders and was clearly raised by wolves. I looked over my shoulder for the rest of his pack but didn’t see any. He was a lone wolf. I would find myself passing him back several times over the next mile or so. Hopefully, he was the one with the inconsistent pace. He split off for the half marathon around 11.5 miles, along with what seemed like 80% of the other runners. I was now running alongside pure marathoners. My peeps.

I crossed the the half marathon point about 15 minutes under 2 hours – so I only lost about 5 minutes on this second quarter. Again, I was super happy with my time but even more certain I was headed for a crash and burn. I haven’t run this well in about 2 years – since my last Denver Marathon. I did begin to feel my core weaken somewhat after 13 miles. I shortened my stride a little but didn’t slow down too much. Next goal would be to keep my 3rd quarter under 3 hours.

I kept a good pace for the next 5K meters but I could feel my core melting after 16 miles. By 18 miles, I had slowed down considerably, although I think I still had good form. I wasn’t winded and never hit the wall. I’d been drinking at nearly every aid station and felt extremely confident of finishing. But my core – from my lower stomach to my upper legs – was shutting down and shortening my stride with it. 20 miles also marked the 30K meter point and the start of the 4th quarter and I was still nearly 15 minutes under par. This meant, baring catastrophic meltdown, I could slow down considerably and come in under 4 hours. This was now my goal – to run the low end of my pre-run estimate.

And I was clearly running slower now, but content until 22 miles when my right hamstring cramped. This was a true momentum killer and I went down to the curb. It took me about 3 minutes to recover. I didn’t know if I’d be able to finish now but eventually my stride returned, albeit noticeably slower. I still didn’t care though because as long as I didn’t start walking, I was going to make 4 hours. At 24 miles, the 3:45 pace sign passed me with a large cohort. I asked them if they were on pace and they responded in the affirmative. I tried to stay up with them and did for a couple of minutes. Then the cramp in my hamstring reminded me of why I had slowed down. This was my new governor. Between this cramped muscle and my depleted core, my pace was beginning to approach a shuffle.

While nervous that my hamstring could take me out at any moment, I was still quite confident of both finishing and doing so under 4 hours. This confidence was reinforced when I hit 25 miles – the end of the 4th quarter at 40K meters – and I was still running with no signs of needing to walk. The 26th mile began uphill for the first half and then coming back down through the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Stronger runners were passing me now but I didn’t care. I was locked into a single gear. Try to speed up and I knew my hamstring would cramp up. I wanted to be able to speed up a bit for the finish because last time they took video, and I was able to marginally. But as I rounded the final corner I ran into an idiot spectator crossing the street without paying attention. I avoided hitting her too hard and held her to keep her from falling. This nearly cramped my leg again but I was able to recover without stopping. Momentum killer for sure though. Then, just yards away from the finish line a woman I was passing began to lean forward. Just as I passed her, she did a face plant after passing out. It was super gruesome and I stopped for a fraction of a second but continued as I saw the medics on her immediately. After all this distraction, crossing the finish line was almost anti-climatic. The clock read 3:49 though which left me stunned. Not dramatically faster than my expectations, but I just didn’t think I could run quite this fast. My official chip time was 3:48 even.

Keith came in a little over 4 hours, pretty impressive for a 50 year old running his first marathon. From talking to him after, I think he found it a struggle. Honestly, had he not felt enough pain, I might have been a bit upset. I know he was in shape for this based on his training regimen, but still – the 4th quarter is supposed to hurt. Even without hitting the wall, running over 20 miles is hard. My experience is my core melts down. I’m going to try harder to strengthen that before the Boulder Marathon next month. Although Keith had a tough go at it, he wasn’t exactly incapacitated afterward. I didn’t talk to him too much but I don’t think he suffered any injuries. He did in fact injure his foot earlier in the week – possibly a fatigue-induced injury from his massive training. He could barely walk the next day. That he followed through by running this today demonstrates his toughness.

As I walked through the finish shoot, my body began shutting down. It’s a long gauntlet though photographers and marketers handing out food and drinks. I posed for some pics and then began collecting a few things – water, Gatorade, a fruit cup, banana and a smoothie. Then, as I neared the exit, my legs struggled to maintain forward motion. I wasn’t dizzy but was simply losing all semblance of forward momentum. I looked around and it occurred to me that sitting inside the security area was ideal as this place has all the freebies. I lowered myself to the curb and began eating and drinking my load of supplies.

Ten minutes later I tried standing and found I couldn’t. My calves began cramping whenever I tried to stand. Then they began cramping just sitting there. Soon, both lower legs were cramping non-stop. I don’t know what the thin muscle is called that runs along the top of the shin, but it would cramp as soon my calf would recover. These two muscles alternated cramping non-stop. And this was occurring in both legs at the same time. Not sure I’ve experienced this level of pain in decades. And I was hardly quiet about it. A couple of medics soon came over with a wheel chair. They were simply volunteers and didn’t really know how to help me, let alone get me in a chair. Then a paramedic arrived who was also a collegiate sports trainer. He massaged my legs hard – quite literally crushing my muscles. This worked. He was also able to help me to my feet. I had to go to the medical tent where they made me drink a 20 ounce Gatorade spiked with salt. This was like drinking from the Gulf of Mexico but I drank it down. I walked out before they formally released me because you can’t drink beer in the medical tent and from where I was standing I could see the beer tent. This was a slow, awkward shuffle, but I was able to manage.

Downhill Finish

18 Tuesday Sep 2012

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This isn’t some Dutch angle.  Trust me, Sue’s not that good a photographer.  This is the slope of the final stretch toward the finish line down N. Oak Street in Telluride for the Imogene Pass Run.  Better down than up.

I can tell you this too.  By running conservatively on the top half of the hill, we were able to seriously unwind the final couple of miles into town.  I rarely put on a kick in 10Ks let alone half marathons and marathons, so this was special.  The slope-aided speed reminded me of sprinting when I was young.  What a kick.

The Denver Marathon this Saturday has a sensible finish as I recall.  There’s a sizable downhill somewhere in the final mile.  Maybe, they’ve changed the course along the last 10K.  But I don’t recall there being any vomit-inducing uphill near the finish line like in so many Colorado events.  And that includes Moab where the final 3 miles are uphill.  Don’t even get me started on the Bolder Boulder hill up into Folsom Stadium.  That’s insane.  Fairly certain Denver has a flat finish.  So the rare downhill finishes are fine from time to time.

Fatigue

16 Sunday Sep 2012

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These big runs are catching up to me.  Tried running 13 miles Saturday morning but I wasn’t nearly recovered from Friday afternoon’s 8 miler.  I crawled up the final hills on that puppy.  And my knees are feeling a little sore.  No doubt from the steep 7 mile downhill segment of the Imogene Pass Run.  With two marathons coming up, I need to work on my recovery tactics.

I must be doing some things right considering I’m not injured.  My left knee is starting to feel a little weak but I wouldn’t call it injured.  The 90 minute massage after the IPR in Telluride was brilliant.  And I began the week with a shorter run before returning to 8 miles – I’m certain I haven’t tweaked anything.  But I’m slowing down big time.  Even my arms feel heavy.

I wonder if I should start looking into supplements.  I actually have something in the kitchen that I used two years ago for a short spell.  I sort of recall it helping.  It’s a protein mix that is designed to be consumed after a workout.  That’s the spiel on most of those protein drinks – apparently muscles absorb the elixir best within an hour of working out.  Or something like that.  I’d like to hear from a qualified nutritionist on those claims.  Another thought is steroids.  I talked to a buddy recently who is taking testosterone replacement therapy.  I’m not sure on the details of the shots but they help your body produce more of your natural testosterone.  Or maybe the shots are testosterone.  I don’t know if I have all the symptoms – but man I’m feeling beat.  Exercise is supposed to give you more energy.  My father-in-law is a retired endocrinologist.  He’s visiting next weekend and I’m gonna ask him his thoughts on the testosterone treatments.  I need a boost.

IPR 2012

13 Thursday Sep 2012

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This picture captures the first steps of our 7 mile tumble into Telluride.  The weather was as gorgeous as it appears.  Given this event’s history of life-threatening weather – this beautiful September day almost made me feel like I was cheating.  But to be fair, I had to carry gloves, a hat and a jacket per race guidelines that I didn’t need.  I did start out wearing the gloves and shell.  I switched my fleece skull cap for my running cap at the starting line, but after I’d already loaded my gear bag on the bus so I had to carry both hats.  Hilarious how bundled up we are in the picture below standing next to the hotel lobby fireplace at 5am before catching the bus to Ouray.

I’m glad I decided against wearing my running vest.  Not that it’s heavy but I just didn’t need it.  My jacket had sufficient pockets to store the additional clothing.  I bought a North Face Torpedo running shell for $85, specifically for this run.  It’s fairly wind and water repellant and weighs only a few ounces.  Although I tied it around my waist after a few miles, I was still able to easily access the pockets.  And I never once had to retie it, my initial fastening held.  North Face has some newer model shells for twice the price, but I highly recommend this one.

I also purchased some new trail racing flats for this event.  Karen will tell you our house is literally littered with running shoes, but all my trail shoes are too short for my toes.  I planned to run in my road shoes but was concerned about proper traction for the descent and then discovered a pair of Salomon Speedcross3 trail racers on sale for $59.  These shoes are so cool.  They have a waterproof model for $135 that I wanted, partly because I liked the color more, but I went with the bargain price.  The shoe has an integrated tongue so ankle gaiters aren’t necessary to keep out rocks.  And the speed laces don’t require tying as they have a cinch that stores out of the way under a flap.  And weighing less than 1.5 pounds, they are very light.  They performed great although I did get a minor blister on the heel of my cursed left foot, but I blame my too-small socks for that.

So great weather and cool gear.  I also enjoyed staying in Telluride this time around.  Ouray is a cool town but Telluride has a lot to offer.  I left home at 5am and reached Telluride by noon.  Sort of expected an 8 hour drive but only needed 7.  This allowed me to pick up my race packet before the deadline so I didn’t need to drive into Ouray.  I certainly had time to visit Ouray.  I would have had drinks with Janet and Kris but instead walked around Telluride.  I lunched at Baked, a bakery that seems to serve everything.  It’s a quick-serve arrangement with shared picnic tables. I had a bowl of chili for lunch and returned for pasta that evening knowing it would not be too rich.  Didn’t need rich food before a 17 mile run.  And eating by myself, I didn’t need fancy atmosphere.  Baked was great.  We grabbed coffee and doughnuts there in the morning before loading the bus for Ouray at 5:15am.

The bus ride was under an hour leaving us about an hour before the start of the race.  We dropped off our gear bags and hung out a bit in a coffee shop.  Remembering the cold at the start of the 2010 run made this weather seem so surprising.  My Weather Channel app said to expect 45° but it felt more like 50°.  And there was zero wind.  Very pleasant.  And I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I was two years prior.  I knew I could do this even if I wasn’t in quite the same level of fitness as then.  Our plan was to take our time at the aid stations eating and replenishing liquids, and to make it to the top of the pass in about 3 hours.  We were now experienced at this run and were confident of our plan.  The gun fired for the race to start and we were committed to our 2nd IPR – four hours of running pleasure on one of Colorado’s most bad-ass trails – beginning at 7810 feet.

The first payoff from experience was our choice of skipping the alternate trails in the first mile.  They look appealing but you find out after you’ve committed to them that a roadblock forms as runners try squeezing back onto the main path.  Seriously, this probably is worth a full minute or two.  And it avoids frustration.  I felt great with our pace on this ten mile climb.  The amount of water on the trail – jeep road really for the first 7 miles – was different.  But to be expected I guess as Ouray received some rain earlier in the week.  You can see it in this pic – felt like running up a creek at times but my feet never got wet.

We began walking within 4 miles but whenever the grade allowed, we would run again.  Actually, we followed the crowd.  Whenever we saw the runners immediately in front of us begin to run or begin to walk, we fell into their pace.  Rob and I seemed to alternate taking off on each other which was interesting.  If he was in front of me, I would have to continue running uphill when the crowd began walking in order to catch him.  I assume he had to do the same to catch me.  I lost Rob once when I was certain he was behind me but then I nearly ran into him ahead of me.  I think this was near Lower Camp Bird which marked the end of the easy 7% gradient around 5 miles and the transition to the steeper 14% slope for the second half of the climb.  I stuffed my mouth full of M&Ms, oranges and bananas – easily eating more at this LCB aid station than I do in an entire half marathon.  I did the same at the Upper Camp Bird aid station a little over 7 miles up.  Here, the gradient increases to 15% and eventually leaves the jeep road for single track – at which point the gradient becomes 16.5%.  Rob and I were finished passing each other with energetic bursts.  The rest of the way – now above tree line –  would be pure walking.

I carried my iPhone in my hand most of the way in order to film and take photos.  This was easy enough, except for when I was stuffing my face with munchies at the aid stations.  I’ve already posted some 5 minutes of video to my YouTube channel to give you the feel of being there with us.  Rob and I crested the 13,100 foot pass in 2:55 (328 and 329 out of over 1500 runners) just under our target plan of 3 hours.  That’s nailing it in my book.  We made the pass in 2:35 two years earlier but our strategy this time was to run slower in order to conserve strength for the descent.  We enjoyed the view along with some chicken consommé that tasted incredible after having just burned God-only-knows how many thousands of calories.

The weather up top was impossibly perfect.  As cold as it was at the start of our first IPR, it got hot on the descent.  But this time enough clouds kept the sun off our backs.  I suspect there might have been some danger of rain and lightening for the runners an hour or more behind us.  We began a controlled pace down toward Telluride.  I had planned to run faster, and had the initial strength, but changed my mind after realizing how much I enjoyed the uphill run under a strong but not crazy pace.  It feels good to run strong and not be exhausted.  Knowing this was going to be a 4 hour affair, I wanted to enjoy it.  And so that’s how we tumbled into Telluride – not too fast, not too slow.  As the slope evened out a bit the final 3 miles, we began to increase our pace.  The final two miles were even quicker and we easily ran the last mile under 7 minutes.  We crossed the finish line looking good after four and a half hours.  3 hours up, 1.5 hours down.

Afterward, we soaked in the Hotel Telluride hot tub to work out the lactic acid.  Nice hotel by the way.  Staff were awesome.  We then lunched at the Floradora Saloon where everything tasted wonderful to my starved body.  Especially the bacon-wrapped Jalapeño Poppers and Ska True Blonde Ale.  I finished the afternoon with a spa massage back at the Hotel Telluride – brilliant call – and dined later that night at 221 South Oak.  Very nice.  This completes the first leg of my end of year trifecta.  Next up – the Denver Marathon Sept 22nd followed by the Boulder Marathon Oct 21st.

Final Prep for Imogene Pass

02 Sunday Sep 2012

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I posted this pic to facebook after digging it out of my basement Saturday.  I like the symmetry it represents to my running story.  I consider the Dallas White Rock Marathon to be one of my most brutal running experiences of all time.  But not the one in this picture.  I’m 18 here running with Johnny – a good friend from high school and college.  However, this is my second marathon.  I ran my first marathon two years prior at 16, although it was the same fall weather event in Dallas.  It’s the first marathon that I ran with my buddy Mike where I hit “the wall” at 18 miles and died.  I’m not sure what seemingly sentient being looking like me crossed the finish line at 26.2 miles, as I said – I was already dead.  So it wasn’t me.

Being dead, I recall thinking at the time how unlikely it would be for me to ever enjoy running future marathons.  Yet somehow, two years later, I found myself running the same Dallas White Rock Marathon during my first semester at college.  I suspect natural endorphins must somehow repress previous painful runs.  This second run around the White Rock Lake in Dallas wasn’t painful at all.  Granted, I started off with a belly-full of beer from the previous night, but this was a pleasant run.  While beer is hardly on par with recombinant EPO, I appreciate the bravery it provides at the starting line to a 26 mile run.  Also, I’d gained some nutritional knowledge on how to avoid the wall by maintaining a strong glycemic index.  Basically, consume glucose throughout the event – for me any event over an hour or over a 10K.  It’s also wise to eat a healthy portion of fruits and vegetables (low in their GI value) throughout the week leading up to the marathon.  And beer is good anytime.

These two marathons mirror my IPR experience.  Thirty years would expire between my second marathon and the 17 mile IPR without running anything nearly as challenging in between.  I’m running two IPRs separate by two years just as I did with the Dallas White Rock.  And the first IPR goes down in my record book as one of the most challenging runs of all time – just like my first experience in hitting the wall.  I suppose if I continue running events at this pace, the symmetry will soon be lost, but I like thinking about it after finding this picture.

The Labor Day 3-day weekend is a nice way to prep myself for Imogene Pass.  I assumed over a month ago I could not only get in shape for Imogene Pass, but for two marathons that follow closely on its heels.  Past experience tells me that if I am in shape for Imogene Pass, then I’ll most certainly be in shape to run any relatively flat marathon at 5ooo feet.  But one massive run at a time.  Next weekend is the Imogene Pass Run and I need to work some hills into my routine.

I’ve been running regular 8 milers on the LoBo Trail, convenient out my front door but pretty flat.  Combined with situps I feel pretty good about my progress.  And I’ve been fortunate enough to squeeze in some steep climbs at altitude the last 2 weekends.  This weekend I finally tried out the south end trail head of the Heil Valley Ranch.  I’ve always run the Picture Rock Trail after learning of it two years ago from my buddy Dave.  I credit its 5 to 5.5 mile climb with conditioning me for my first IPR in 2010, but I wish it wasn’t quite so rocky.  My wishing days are over.

The Wapiti Trail is located near the Greenbriar Inn off Left Hand Canyon.  It’s a bit shorter drive from my house too – only 13 miles.  The trail head itself is super nice with picnic tables, grills and ample parking.  It’s funny that the intersection of Hwy 36 and Left Hand Canyon is always packed with cars every weekend from the masses of bikers who like to climb the road to either Ward or Jamestown.  But this short drive to the trail head – I think it’s on Geer Canyon Road – is only partially paved leaving over a half mile of gravel.  Otherwise I would expect bikers to park here.  Surprises me also that the Greenbriar doesn’t cater to bikers with a lunch on Saturdays.

Wapiti Trail begins with a quarter mile of unpaved road and rises for 2.5 miles before joining the Ponderosa Loop.  It’s less rocky than Picture Rock Trail with some really nice dirt segments.  Like Picture Rock, it’s not overly steep, but it hits the top of the hill in half the distance.  And it’s much more shaded in the trees.  The top of the hill actually offers two loops, Ponderosa and Wild Turkey.  I have seen wild turkey up here by the way.  The two loops lie side-by-side, sharing a mile long trail between them.  Ponderosa is the western loop, to the left, and Wild Turkey is to the right on the east side of the hill.  Because Wapiti joins Pondersoa Trail, you have to run to the right for a quarter mile, maybe less, to pick up the Wild Turkey Trail.  Wild Turkey also intersects with Picture Rock after about a mile.

I ran figure eights out of both loops Saturday and Sunday.  I plan to do the same tomorrow but if my legs don’t recover well enough it will be simple to shorten the run by only including a single loop.  The section in the middle is a bit rocky and the west flank of Ponderosa is even more rocky – similar to a creek bed.  But Wild Turkey has some awesome sections of dirt that are ideal for cruising.  These loops offer some slopes but nothing too steep to slow you down.  Ponderosa is 2.6 miles and Wild Turkey 2.9, so combined with the 2.5 mile length of Wapiti I got in 10.5 miles by running the figure eight.  I wanted some longer runs to prep for Imogene Pass but I’ll take the 2.5 mile climb and trail experience over distance.  And 31.5 miles in three days isn’t too shabby.

Tumble into Telluride

30 Thursday Aug 2012

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Imogene Pass

This pic of Imogene Pass gives me chills.  It’s the backside of the run next weekend (Sept 8th) that drops 7 miles down into Telluride.  If it looks steep, trust me, that’s because it is.  I remember my feet starting to burn as soon as the descent began as part of my 2010 exploit over this hump.   The fire didn’t recede until my shoes were charred cinders and feet molten flesh.  At least I didn’t fall down.  Those runners that did fall looked worse for wear.  But this time I plan to stop and retie my laces – tight – before the tumble into Telluride.

Interestingly, at least to me, this will be the first time I’ve ever driven into Telluride.  In 2010, I ran into town.  I spent the night – two nights actually – before in Ouray.  I did spend the night of the run in Telluride recovering.  This time I intend to stay the entire time in Telluride.  Ouray isn’t known for their fine dining.  Hoping for a better selection of eateries in on this side of the pass.  I have a similar experience with Durango.  I’ve yet to drive into that town too.  Last summer I hiked into that mountain town off the Colorado Trail.  Durango by the way has great eateries.

I’m not planning to run any faster than the last time.  I’m in similar shape, a few pounds heavier, but this is one of those events you just want to finish.  I’ll run how I feel.  I would like to run a faster time down this hill.  It took me over an hour to complete the final 7 miles with my first attempt.  I’d be pleased if I could run it under an hour.  I’m willing to give up some time running uphill for a quicker dash downhill.  But I’ll take whatever the mountain gives me.  At over 13,000 feet, this is a real hill.

Handcart

26 Sunday Aug 2012

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The best shower is the one you take after two nights of camping.  I’m finally clean enough to touch my keyboard.  Ellie and I camped out this weekend with friends in the Pike National Forest along Hwy 285.  I went for my first high altitude mountain trail run in forever.  This was somewhere between 6 and 8 miles along FR 120, keeping on the FR 121C branch that follows the North Fork of the South Platte River to its headwaters below Handcart and Gibson Peaks.

The trail was essentially a rough 4×4 wheel drive road – really rough.  There were numerous sections under water from a recent heavy rain causing me to bushwhack through the trees which was easy enough.  The steepness wasn’t easy though; about 2000 feet of elevation gain in a little over 3 miles.  I ran the first mile, maybe further, then mostly walked.  The view of the Continental Divide grew more clear around each bend and pulled me up the road until it ended above treeline at the Missouri Mine – long abandoned and apparently radioactive if one is to believe the warning signs.

I was able to trot back down slowly, the footing was too treacherous to wind it out on my return.  The wind was cold and prompted me to finish up before getting caught in a downpour.  I was able to toss some river water on my face and towel off, but had to rely upon hand wipes for my shower.  This was the start of the weekend camp-out.  Most of us went on a hike the next morning along the Colorado Trail from the Kenosha Pass Trailhead.  This is a really pretty hike through heavy Aspen groves.  The leaves were just starting to turn.  I can only imagine the color two or three weeks from now.  Scott invited the gang up to his home in Breckenridge in late September which is just over the Divide from this hike, so I’ll find out soon enough.

We had perfect weather this weekend along with incredible eats.  The bacon-wrapped Jalapeno Poppers – harvested from Scott’s garden – were my favorite.  The Cincinnati Chili was as satisfying as it sounds.  The kids played Warriors and Hunger Games in the woods along the river with a little Star Wars light saber dueling to complete their trilogy of adventure.  Awesome weekend.

Imaginary Trail Race

22 Wednesday Aug 2012

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The day after climbing Mount Audubon, I ran my usual 8 miles on the East Boulder Trail.  I start with the half mile hill climb to the water tower and turn around just past Valmont Road.  I cross the road and run to the first gate which is where I figure the 4 mile point is.  A few feet beyond the Teller Farm – North parking lot.  I then turn around for another mile of flat running before climbing back up the rolling hills that lead back to the water tower.

On Sunday’s return I passed up a young woman runner who was waiting for traffic at the Valmont Road cross walk.  I didn’t wait.  I darted across forcing the traffic to friggin stop.  It’s a cross walk.  It appeared this girl had just started her run from the parking lot.  A mile later I hit the first hill.  It’s brutally long.  It starts steep for about 200 yards and then stretches out with a continuous ascent for another quarter mile.  It turns 90° right (east) at the summit and holds essentially flat for nearly a quarter mile, before turning north again through yet more hills.

About three quarters through this flat section the girl (I can say girl because she’s at least half my age) passes by me.  It’s not unusual for other runners to pass me regardless of sex although they are typically younger.  This was odd in that I had passed her a mile and a half earlier as she was apparently warming up.  That might have been what woke me up from my recovery pace.  Whatever, the point is what I did next.  I determined I wasn’t as tired as my speed indicated.  I picked up my pace and passed her back within the next 200 yards.

I didn’t pass her so fast that she couldn’t have fended me off.  But I did begin to unwind and put some distance between us.  Turning to look over my shoulder at a bend a half mile later I noted that I had the same 50 yards on her that she had on me initially.  This means she let me gain a little ground but then picked up her pace to match mine.  With a mile and a half to go, and a monster hill, the question was would she try to retake me.  We had ourselves a little trail race.  How fun is that?

I was feeling and running strong.  I couldn’t stop her from catching me but I wasn’t going to let her pass.  I was confident I could hold her off.  That is until we reached the big final hill.  All bets were off then.  I couldn’t race that hill.  Most days I’m lucky to make it up without walking.  So I resigned myself to let her pass me on the hill if she was set on making her move then.  I know my limits.

Turns out she turned back around before the bottom of the hill.  She was evidently running 6 miles and avoiding the monster hill.  Just as well.  I was still racing her in my mind as I climbed it because I didn’t turn around to look for her until I reached the top.  She might not have ever been trying to catch me period but I was having a blast imagining she was.  Racing is a kick.

Striking Distance

20 Monday Aug 2012

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We ended up in a mountain bar – the Millsite Inn – after last weekend’s hike, because climbing 13,000 foot mountain peaks makes me thirsty.  And nothing says mountain bar more than a painting of a naked lady on the beach.  This picture dominates the interior of the bar, contributing greatly to its cozy ambiance.

I didn’t run that Saturday but it was still an 8 mile day.  I felt really good about hiking uphill at altitude for 4 miles and reaching 13.2K feet.  Imogene Pass sits at 13.1K.  This hike climbed 3000 feet in 4 miles.  The IPR will climb 5000 feet in 10 miles – which is like 2500 feet per 5 miles.  That sort of simple math suggests the IPR will be marginally less steep than the hike.  So I didn’t need a run Saturday.  That hike was awesome prep.

I forget exactly when I started training for Imogene.  It was about 3 blog posts ago.  I think I’m starting my 3rd week.  Week 2 was a bit of a bummer because I picked up a stomach bug and missed 2 days.  But I picked up where I left off with my daily 8 milers and I’m feeling strong.  My weight is consistently under 180 pounds now.  Today I weighed in at 178.  I was under 175 two years ago when I ran the IPR for the first time but I seem to be losing a pound per week so I’m within striking distance of 175 this year.  I’ll take that.  I won’t carry water in my camelbak, that will save a few pounds.  The beauty of running organized events is they provide amenities at regular aid stations.

I can’t explain getting sick last week.  First time in nearly 3 years.  Maybe running so much has my resistance down, but I haven’t felt this strong in a long time.  I remember being a little scared before running the IPR my first time.  I hadn’t been at that level of fitness in decades and this 17 miler was an unknown.  Even though I might be a bit heavier than two years ago, I’m much more confident.  With 3 weeks to go, I’m on track.  I’m going camping this coming weekend and plan to fit in another peak climb or two.

Trail Dancer

18 Saturday Aug 2012

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Family friends Cass and Amil drove up from Texas to visit and I figured they’d enjoy a little hike.  So we headed out early this morning to the Brainard Lake Recreation Area to hike Mount Audubon.  This picture is of them at the saddle with about a quarter mile remaining to scale the peak.  You can’t see it very well but Longs Peak is behind their heads to the north.

We left the house at 7am and drove through Lyons to the Peak-to-Peak Hwy.  Counting time to stop for gas, it took us 70 minutes to reach the Mitchell Creek Trailhead which is a stone’s throw past Lake Brainard.  Our timing was good as we were able to snag a parking spot in the lot.  This is a popular hiking spot so close to Denver.  It’s a very well groomed area with paved roads and vault toilets.  The Mitchell Creek trail leads out of the south end of the lot but we took the Beaver Creek trail on the north end.  This leads to the Audubon trail around treeline two miles up.

The trail starts out fairly pedestrian with soft dirt in the trees, but it’s non-stop up-slope.  Both Cass and Amil were wearing Merrell Barefoot trail shoes.  Cass wore the ladies version.  These are awesome shoes but just happen to be what I was wearing when I stressed something in my left foot this past spring.  Despite the slope and having begun at 10,000 feet, Amil was bounding upward with enthusiasm.  And although the trail increased in steepness each mile on its way to 13.2K feet, he never really slowed down.  He danced from rock to rock like a Gazelle.  Youth!  Despite being twice his age however, I kept up.

It’s four miles from trailhead to peak and I think treeline splits it fairly evenly at two miles.  The top half takes longer of course because it’s steeper.  Above treeline offers great views and at about three miles it provided these Texans with some snow in August.  The weather couldn’t have been better.  The temperature was high 50s starting out at 8:10am but Amil was comfortable the entire trek up in a t-shirt and shorts.  I wore a long sleeve t-shirt of high-tek fabric with shorts.  Cass unzipped the legs from her pants at some point to create shorts.

It was warm enough on the peak that Amil showed a little flesh.  Really he was just letting his shirt dry out.  It was a bit cool up there but unusually void of strong winds.  The scramble to the peak is maybe just an eighth of a mile from the saddle, but by the time you zig and zag over the rocks it will feel like a quarter mile.  The trail largely disappears in the rocks and you have to follow the cairns.  It’s a large flat area with plenty of sheltered seating.  Fortunately it wasn’t crowded as there were just a few other couples enjoying snacks and the view.  We munched on our trail food for probably 20 minutes before heading back down.

The descent brought us into contact with quite a few more hikers.  I didn’t consider our start early but apparently the average day hiker is a late riser.  This picture captures our return to treeline where the trail rocks finally turned back to softer soil and pine needles.  As we returned to the parking lot and drove around Brainard Lake on our exit, we discovered hundreds of cars parked along the road.  Not sure where all these people went hiking.  This area has tons of options.  I’ve been up here before snowshoeing and I think I’ll be back.  We lunched down the road at the Millsite Inn listening to a little blues band named Doctor, Doctor.  Nice day.

Back in the Saddle

10 Friday Aug 2012

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I’m back in the saddle.  Which is to say I’m lifting weights again.  First time in two years, since the last time a I trained for Imogene.  Nothing impressive with weights actually but I’m doing situps.  Toughening up the core is arguably as beneficial as running.  Seven straight days of running.  Fifty-four miles.  This is a promising start to my new training regimen.

Sipping a Heineken Light now.  My first beer of the week.  That must put me about 20 under par, so I’ll likely have another.  If I can handle it.  Increasing my miles means I can’t sneak off 3 or 4 over lunch.  I have to run in the evening.  And a mix of longer runs and weights makes my stomach too weak to imbibe or eat much at night.  On Wednesday, which was the hottest day of the week, I was fairly nauseous.  And I was pretty fatigued that day but my Thursday and Friday runs felt strong.  I’m getting in shape.

I’m meeting Rob tomorrow for breakfast in Boulder.  He’ll be my running mate for the IPR.  He’s in town for a cultural diversion to Denver with his wife Sue.  We can discuss our running strategy.  I wouldn’t mind being able to run more impressively on the seven mile drop into Telluride than I did two years ago.  I recall sliding down the trail with the brakes on.  Rob walked much of it due to sore knees, so I bet he wouldn’t mind some redemption himself.  But it’ll depend on the current condition of his knees.  There’s no running for old men.

Training for Imogene

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

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I didn’t make the cut for the initial registration deadline to the Imogene Pass Run this year.  It sold out within a couple of hours.  But I received a transfer registration this week from a nice gal in Ignacio – Lilley Powell – so it’s time to get in shape.  However, I’m training for much more than just Imogene.  The 17 mile IPR is in 5 weeks, the Denver Marathon is 2 weeks later and the Boulder Marathon is 4 weeks after that.  I’m registered for all three events.  This is my way of celebrating my 50th year of life – by bleeding the cartilage out of my knees.

I ran the IPR two years ago with my fit buddy Rob Graham who lives in Grand Junction.  We’re pictured above at the start to that year’s run.  While only 17 miles, getting in shape for its verticality readied me for any marathon.  I followed it up with the Denver Marathon then, so I’m doing that again.  I’m throwing in the Boulder Marathon for good measure – mostly because I couldn’t decide between the two.  The Denver Marathon is such a nice event run through gorgeous Denver neighborhoods and parks while Boulder is sort of my backyard and I feel obligated.  Plus, running in the fall in Colorado is just so damned ideal.

I’m not currently in shape to run a marathon but know two things.  One, based on experience, assuming I get in shape for Imogene I’ll most certainly be in marathon condition.  Secondly, I am in position to get in shape with a month of increased distance training.  With Karen cooking dinner it’s a matter of focus and making time.  I need to become more consistent with daily runs and with longer distance.  There’s enough daylight that I can run after work.  My injuries, which are why I lost my conditioning, are mostly healed and I seem to be able to run 8 and 10 milers now without hurting myself.  Still, risk of injury is my biggest concern and I’ll monitor pain closely.  I could say injury is out of my control but I don’t believe that.  I just need to pay attention to it.  Wish me luck.

No More Tears

04 Saturday Aug 2012

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I drove Ellie (#269) with the Sebesta girls to the Boulder Res last night to pick-up their race packets at the Expo for today’s Kid’s Triathlon.  A wasp stung Ellie while standing in line.  I suspected she wanted to cry but she didn’t.  Not sure why not, most grown-ups would at least cry out a few warranted expletives in such a situation.  Perhaps peer pressure is taking hold.  Maybe she just didn’t think it an appropriate way to start a race.  I have to believe a couple of years earlier she would have cried.  She captured another wasp in her bedroom later that night which for some reason gave me visions of those evil Chick-fil-A cows.  It seemed like nature was conspiring against Ellie.

As with most triathlons, she began with the swim.  Her best friend Kate was in the same starting wave.  I was filming and saw them both hit the water last but make good corrections to right themselves in the field.  A couple of girls were pulled from the water, not sure why really but probably it was too much.  The race had tons of volunteers in the water to ensure safety.  They took both of these girls to the dock.  I noted an earlier boys wave had one boy who opted for the rescue but then jumped back in after a short rest.  Which is cool that the safety volunteers judge the ability of the participant and let them continue when appropriate.  I initially thought one of the girls was Ellie because she had the same color swim suit and apparently I’m blind.  It didn’t make sense to me because I last saw her in the middle of the pack, but I walked out on the dock to discover it wasn’t her.

I then hauled myself over to the transition area to catch the bike event.  I saw Ellie walking back and forth by her station clearly not finding it.  She was too far away for me to yell but she finally found it.  A bit later Kate came riding out of the transition area.  It was quite a bit longer for Ellie.  I learned later that she had trouble putting on her shoes; unlike other aspects of a triathlon – something she had actually practiced.  This was Ellie’s first triathlon.

Ellie finally came out and launched down the bike course.  Kate came by for her second lap and I caught her on film.  I waited and waited for Ellie until it seemed unusually long.  I began to feel bad thinking I hadn’t properly prepped her bike and the chain came off.  Karen and Jessy (Ellie’s cousin) walked down the bike course to look for her.  Not much later my name was being called by the race announcer to report to the finish line.  Several thoughts raced through my mind as I walked over, struggling to find my way through the maze of fencing.

The announcer had me walk with a couple of volunteers to the medical tent.  Turned out Ellie was actually in the ambulance.  I climbed in not knowing what to expect other than the volunteers had told me she was okay during our walk.  Inside, Ellie looked sad but fine.  The medical technicians told me they gave her a thorough exam and she was totally fine.  They suspected she might have had an episode of exercise-induced asthma.  Who knows but it’s not unreasonable as Ellie had asthma-like symptoms as a toddler.  She’s mostly grown out of that though.  And I can’t rule out allergies.  I checked and the weed count is high this week.  I’ll schedule a doctor appointment before school starts.  The medical staff at this IronKids Triathlon was great.  This event is totally prepared and supported by a wonderful community of volunteers.

Ellie shared her story with me.  She related that she nearly puked after climbing out of the water.  An indication of pushing herself super hard.  Possibly too hard.  Getting lost in the transition area and struggling with her shoes for so long further indicate exhaustion.  If the doctor exam determines she did suffer exercise-induced asthma, that swim seems intensive enough to trigger such a thing.  It was before reaching the one mile point riding up a hill when Ellie started wheezing and had to stop.  She knows this type of wheezing is an asthma symptom and it would have been impossible for her to breathe sufficiently to continue.

She told me later that she cried a bit walking down the hill knowing her race was over.  But there was no crying later when she faced the medical technicians or the family as we consoled her.  She was visibly dejected but maintained her composure as sure as Missy Franklin collecting her medals while the Star Spangled Banner plays.

What I gained from this race, other than amazement at my daughter (inexperienced in triathlons) going balls out on the swim, was the knowledge that she’s learned to not cry over everything.  This is why parents put kids in sports and go watch their events.  Sports serve as a metaphor for life in exaggerated scenes that can be shared.  Events like this capture time in a bottle and I saw my little girl mature emotionally today.  “You can’t learn how to win if you don’t know how to lose.”

The Sebesta girls had great performances in an exceptionally deep field of talent.  A Boulder County event like this is probably on par with State-wide events elsewhere.  If that sounds arrogant, bring your ass up to Boulder and you’ll discover it’s not trash talk.  This place is unreal.  Ellie is still really sad but is talking about trying to sign up for more races before end of season and doing swim classes through the winter.  That’s my girl.

Mount Princeton

02 Thursday Aug 2012

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Summer vacation continues.  Only a few days after returning from Austin, Karen and I resumed the party by driving up into the mountains to celebrate our silver anniversary.  My niece Jessy flew in from Iowa over the weekend and watched Ellie for us.  The bonus for her was spending time with Brit.  They’re close cousins.

We headed out late Monday afternoon on Hwy 285.  Somewhere between Aspen Grove and Bailey – maybe Pine Junction – where the Denver radio signals begin to fade behind the mountains, I popped in a CD ripped entirely from 1987 hit songs.  It leads off with Walk Like an Egyptian, includes Crowded House, Madonna, Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, and had us reliving memories of the year we married like only music can.

The hills rolled away with the music and miles.  We ate Cheetos and shared a Coors Lite driving through South Park. After 3 hours, we arrived at the Mount Princeton Hot Springs in Nathrop, Colorado.  I discovered this romantic lodge last summer while hiking the Colorado Trail.  Karen saw it for the first time.  Compared to the glitzy resorts in Vail and Aspen, this place is undeniably rustic.  But there are colorful flower boxes in every window and private cabins secluded in the woods across a green meadow where they host weddings every weekend.  The staff don’t wear name badges listing some European country of birth because they are all local.  They’re genuine and as charming as the window flower boxes.

We ate the first dinner of our three nights in the lodge.  I feasted on lamb while Karen ordered Chicken Marsala.  One look at this menu and I think you’ll agree the place is fairly priced.  This holds true for the drinks as well.  We dined in Buena Vista too, at The Asian Palate and The Eddyline Brew Pub; both very nice but we returned to the Mount Princeton Lodge for our anniversary dinner because it’s easily the finest food anywhere in the Arkansas River Valley from Leadville to Salida.  After having dined at every notable eatery within range of the nearly thirty trailheads of the 500 mile Colorado Trail, I consider myself a master-level contributor to Yelp and Urbanspoon.

We rose early the first morning to hike the Colorado Trail at the Chalk Creek Trailhead two miles down the road.  Karen surprised me not only by leading a torrid pace up the initial 1000 foot, mile and a half climb, but by going strong for 9 miles in 4 hours.  That’s an awesome hike.  At altitude.  This picture is of Karen after topping the first hump with the Chalk Cliffs behind her that form the south base of Mount Princeton.  We recovered with a soak in the 106° hot springs and a couples massage.  This place is every bit on par with Vail and Aspen.

We hiked each day, Wednesday on the Alpine Tunnel Trail along the Continental Divide and Thursday doing the short Agnes Vaille Falls Trail.  We drove home via Copper Mountain and lunched at Tuckers at that resort.  Our summer activities might be over with but Ellie has her first triathlon Saturday followed by a week of music camp.  Back to the family routine but Karen and I truly enjoyed ourselves.  Looking forward to the next 25 years of marriage.

Lost Pines

23 Monday Jul 2012

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While in Texas on holiday, I’ve been running along the Colorado River.  This is not the same Colorado River that originates on top of La Poudre Pass in the Colorado Rockies but an alternate, shorter version that springs up south of Lubbock and empties into the Gulf near Bay City.  The river is part of numerous lakes in the hill country west of Austin and serves as a surprisingly serene setting for runners around Lady Bird Johnson Lake in the middle of downtown Austin.  Brittany and I are pictured here near Austin High School with Zilker Park across the other side.  There were several thousand other runners on the trail this Saturday morning – independent of any events being held.

The next day we arrived at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort near Bastrop.  These woods are termed “lost pines” because they are considered part of the Piney Woods of East Texas and Louisiana – over 100 miles to the northeast.  They were separated during the last glacial period – at least 12,500 years ago.  This hotel sits about 30 miles southeast of Austin and 30 yards south of the Colorado River.

I ran some trails this morning along the river and through the woods with other family members visiting as part of a contingent celebrating my father-in-law’s 80th birthday.  We ran at 6:30am to beat the heat, but there’s no out-running the Texas humidity.  I was fully drenched after the run.  I’ll make up those lost liquids later today poolside in the form of frozen ritas and Heineken Lites.