I'm Now A Pikes Peak Ascent Veteran!

Today was the day! I ran and finished the Pikes Peak Ascent for the 1st time! Whew!

This is a long post because this is what I've been working for and want to remember as much of the experience as I can.
I started the day waking up at 5:35am, got my race clothes on and made myself an egg sandwhich for breakfast. Julie took a picture of me right before I left for the race and as you can see, I'm don't exactly look like I'm beaming with energy...look at how tired my eyes are! Oh well. I grabbed my stuff, said goodbye to Julie and headed out the door at 5:55am to go pick up my friend Tom who also ran the race with me today. I get out to my car and turn the key and.........nothing! I try again it makes a funny sound like ot wants to start and.........nothing! Now I'm thinking, "Crap!" Literally, that was going through my head. I started to get worried and tried a few more times and finally the car started. Our starter is going bad, so once it is started it's okay but it did scare me.

I picked up Tom at 6:05am and off we went towards Manitou Springs and PIKES PEAK! We were both discussing how nervous we were. I slept well until about 5:10am this morning where I woke up and my heart was racing with enthusiasm as I lay trying to get a little more sleep. Tom didn't sleep much at all the whole night for the same reason. I had a nightmare that I was running the race and for some weird reason there was a house with pancakes and a movie playing on Barr Trail (where we run the Ascent) so I stopped for the food and show. I then took a nap and woke up with only minutes to spare before they would cut me off from finishing the race because of not making the time cut-off! May not sound bad to you but it was  HORRIBLE nightmare for me!

We pulled into Manitou about 6:25am and easily found a good parking spot. As we got ready we both had a discussion about taking a long sleeve shirt with us in case of bad weather. Tom didn't want to carry his, but I did. I do not want to be in trouble at the top of the mountain again! I also realized that I had forgotten my watch to see my pace. I called Julie hoping that she hadn't left yet but was only able to leave a message. We then checked in out Sweat Check bag, a bag of our own clothing they take to the top for us in case of really bad weather at the summit., and got in the looooooooong bathroom line. Man, this was the fastest and most efficient portable bathroom line I have ever been in! There was a volunteer at the front directing bathroom traffic and man was she good. I've seen traffic cops, but never traffic poop cops! Someone get her a job! We then watched the first wave of runners take off and it was amazing to see how fast the front guys really are.

As my start time approached my nerves had calmed down a lot and I was just focused and ready. I knew that a lot was ahead of me. Literally 4 mintues to go time I got a phone call from Julie saying that she had barely made it. I searched around and Tom pointed her and Lily out. I made it through the crowd and happily grabbed my watch from Julie and gave both her and Lily hugs and a kiss. Lily was really happy to see me ready to go. I got back in my place next to Tom in the crowd of 1000 people and re-focused on Pikes Peak in front of us...just 13.32 miles by foot away.
Before I knew it the guy at the starting line was saying, "Ready, set, go!" (For some reason we didn't get the gun start like the first wave). I took my first step and then re-tracted it because no one in front of me was moving. It took a few seconds but we finally got moving. Tom took off a little faster than me and after a couple of minutes I no longer saw him. I kept it really slow going up Manitou Avenue knowing that the steepness of the race was going to hit soon, a lot of people were doing the same thing. We turned up Ruxton Avenue and I said good bye to the flat ground for the next four hours. I kept up the same slow and steady pace and already began to see people start walking. Half way up Ruxton I saw my friend Carl (who ran the marathon on Sunday and not the Ascent) and yelled his name and waved. He seemed pretty excited to see me and cheered me on. Lots of people were lining the streets and cheering us on. One of the last homes on Ruxton before we got into the forest there was an old hippy man sitting on the sidewalk with Guns 'N Roses blaring from his house cheering us on. It made me smile as I passed.

At 15 minutes into the race I hit Hydro Street and the steepest section of the whole run. Not wanting to waste energy trying to run up it this early on I started to walk as did the majority of the people around me, but not all. I couldn't believe how many people were still trying to run up something this steep because I was going just as fast and even faster than them and I was walking...wasted energy. We continued up into the "W's".

The "W's" are a couple miles of narrow switch backs at the base of Barr Trail. It instantly became a traffic jam of all the slow people who ran too fast at the beginning and were now clogging up the trail for everyone else. ended up walking a lot and passing a lot of believe it or not people that were running. I passed a couple dozen people, walking, before we got to the top of the "W's" and the trail opened up a little bit. Here the switch backs are done, but the trail still climbs. I picked up the pace from here passing a couple more dozen people and hung out behind a guy and girl that were going about my pace for about 10 minutes and then pushed on past them. I maintained this pretty steady pace making up a lot of time from the slow part of the first few miles of the race.

I was feeling really good at this point being grateful that I didn't waste much energy at the start. As I got to one of the aid stations in this section I was shocked as the volunteers cheered, "Great Job Jeff! Keep it up Jeff! Way to go Jeff!" It was awesome to get a personalized cheer but I had questions. Do I know these people? How do they know my name? Then I got a chuckle realizing that my name was printed in big bold capitol letters on the front of my bib. I am glad that they print your name on the bib, it was a good extra push to have that personalization versus people cheering, "Go runner in BYU-I shorts!" I filled up with gatorade there and was disappointed because it was the most watered down Gatorade I have ever tasted, mostly water. I carry 40oz of fluids on me and made sure both my bottles were full whether it was watered down or not, it is still fluid, fuel.

This is the only section of the course where there are actually a few downhill spurts. I took advantage of them and it felt good as my legs got a break from the uphill grind. Shortly into this section I caught up to a guy celebrating his 50th birthday by running the Ascent. He was talkative and I am pretty social myself and we spent the next 30 minutes running together and talking it up. That was the fastest 30 minutes of the race. I finally pulled away from him and kept going feeling very strong. Not long after this I noticed my friend Tom right in front of me. I cheerfully said, "Hey Tom!" as I passed and continued on. He smiled and nodded as I passed.

I reached Barr Camp, roughly 7.6 miles into the race, at 1 hour 55 minutes which paces out to an estimated finish time of about 3 hours 45 minutes. I briefly stopped to grab a large handful of grapes and continue on. Wow! I can't tell you how good cool grapes taste when you are running. They were very refreshing and gave me a good burst. I was excited that I was not worn out and had energy left for the battle up the last 5 miles over 10,000' elevation. I knew that I was going to get a sub 4 hour time!

Only about 1/2 mile past Barr Camp I felt a small muscle spasm starting in my right inside quad by the knee. I immediately started downing my Gatorade, albeit the VERY watered down stuff, trying to get more electrolytes in my body. About 30 seconds later the right inner quad went into a full blown cramp. I winced in pain and hobbled along trying to work it out but it was not going away. I never get cramps and started to get really worried knowing that I was still 5 miles from the summit and finish line. I could handle one cramp in my quad, but going for 5 more miles I knew that it was only going to get worse. I slowed down a little trying to prevent further cramping for as long as I could.

Every proceeding minute the cramping in my right quad spread further up my inner thigh and kept getting tighter. Tom actually caught up to and passed me urging me to keep drinking. I stopped after that and tried stretching my quad and it did nothing. I kept going and felt my left inner quad start to cramp the same way. I really started to get worried at that point and still had approximately 4.5 miles to go. At this point with both quads cramping I tried to stop and give my legs a break and they completely tightened up on me turning both quads into solid rock. I shrieked out in agony nearly collapsing to the ground. A couple runners expressed concern. I told them to keep going and that I was just cramping really bad. I started moving again and my quads loosened a little but were still in spasm. I tried one more time to stop with the same excruciating experience.

It was at this point that I hit an extreme low mentally. I knew that my sub 4 hour time was no longer going to happen and I was very upset. All the time I had put into training for the race, all the sweat and pain, all the late night runs, everything felt as if it had been for nothing. Now I could possibly get stuck on the mountain and not even finish. The worst part was I couldn't even rest without horrific pain. I plodded along for a few minutes wanting to cry from both the pain and the disappointment. It is hard to describe the inner battle I had with myself at this point. I don't think many can understand unless they have gone through it themselves.

After working through a lot of these feelings I came to the point where I accepted that I was not going to get a sub 4 hour time and was okay with it. I did this race for myself! I wanted to accomplish something for myself! I was not doing it to impress anyone. I was not doing it to win the prize money! I was doing it as a personal goal and accomplishment. My ultimate goal was to finish the race and be victorious as a finisher! I regrouped in my head and became very satisfied with the thought of just finishing. I no longer cared about the sub 4 hour time. The next obstacle to overcome though was the agonizing pain in my legs.

I came to grips with the pain realizing that when I tried to stop or slow down I was in pain, but when I went fast I was in the same pain, so why go slower!?! Even though the pace was slower than before I cramped I decided to just push it and still go as fast as I could. Why prolong the pain? So my goal was to suck it up, deal with the pain, and get done as soon as I could so I could end the pain. Of course, in the back of my head I was also fearing the end because I knew my legs would seize up on me at the top.

I continued on with both quads completely cramped up and hard to the touch. But now that I was comitted to continue on, my calves also decided to join in the fun and both calves cramped up on me also. If is hasn't crossed your mind yet, this is an uphill mountain race and you use both your quads and calves a lot, especially going up some of the large rocks on the trail. So now I look like a complete gimp, hobbling along trying not to use my calves much going uphill but also not able to use my quads. Each step intense sharp and burning pain searing throughout my quads and quivering calves threatening a retaliation to still be used.

I reached the aid station at A-frame, 3 miles summit, and saw more grapes. I was elated! I stopped, there was my problem, to grab some of the grapes and again yelped in pain as now both my quads and calves completely seized up on me causing me to collapse into the kind lady just trying to hand me grapes. She looked panicked as she asked me if I was alright. Obviously I was not, but I replied, "I'll be fine, I'm cramping, just give me those grapes." The look on her face as I said, "I'll be fine" was priceless. She was telling me with her eyes, "No, you're not going to be fine. You are stupid." I can't necessarily argue with that, but I was going to go on no matter what. I was able to get myself straightened back up and waddled for a minute or two trying to get some of the movement back that I had before the collapse.

As I pushed on past A-frame I was re-energized knowing that just under 3 miles and 2,000' elevation climb were left between me and the summit. The pain in my legs would not relent. It had now spread to the outside of my quads and was traveling back and forth from the inside to the outside and then both sides staying cramped the whole time. I was not going to stop until the end. Surprisingly, I was actually still [passing people in this physical state. Realizing that the pain levels did not change with my pacing (other than feeling like someone was cutting out my quads with an axe one square inch at a time when I completely stopped) really helped me keep a decent pace even though it was slower than if I hadn't been spasmed.

At 2 miles to summit I looked at my watch and saw that I had been going for 3 hours and 20 minutes. A shot of adrenaline pumped through my veins when I realized that I could still get under the 4 hr 15 min time cut-off to get into the first wave next year. I pushed on with renewed vigor which was good, but also not. A few mintues later I was driving forward with that renewed vigor and jumped forward off a rock as I was passing someone, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!" I screamed as my right calf seized up on me and I struggled to not fall to the ground. My right calf was visibly squirming with spasm. The guy I had just passed worriedly asked, "Are you okay?" I replied, "Yes, I just have very nasty spasms going on right now." He then asked me if I wanted some Shot Blocks.

You may ask, "What is a Shot Block?" Before this experience I would've not had an answer for you. And at this moment when he offered me one I did not know either, nor did I care. All I knew was that he was offering me something that I did not have and he thought it would help. I was game. I had no idea what he was about to pull out of his bag but I was in so much pain that if it would've been a syringe, which did cross my mind, I would have used it. He pulled out this small packed and handed it to me saying, "Here you go. I hope it helps" and he pulled ahead of me. I went, still in pain, examining the package wondering what the heck it was and how to use it. I finally saw "From the Makers of Cliff Bar" on the package and realized it was food. I spent another minute trying to see how much to take. I finally read the directions and took some. They are 1 inch square gummy cubes with lots of sugar and sodium in them. They actually took the edge off of my quad and calf pain for about 10 minutes. The spasms promptly came back in full force after that 10 minutes though. I am still grateful for that man.

I came up to the final aid station which I believe was a few tenths of a mile before the 1 mile to summit point and I was happy to get one more fill in my bottles of fluid. By the way, I downed a ton of fluid trying to fight the muscle spasms. I drank around 80 ounces between Barr Camp and 1 mile to summit. This was on the side of the mountains boulder field. They had run a garden hose down from the summit and were filling a large trash can up with water for the runners. As I got up to it the can looked like Gatorade was in it because of its color and I asked if it was Gatorade. The lady replied that it was water and then I watched as she completely dunked some other runners nasty, dirty, sweaty, bacteria covered bottle in the water and grabbed for mine. At this point I didn't care and let her do the same thing to my bottle. At a time like this, you really don't care about the dirt in the water, you just need fluids to get to the top.

I was amazed as I reached the 1 mile to go sign and saw that I had done the lat mile in 20 minutes! That is what I do when I'm fresh. That meant that my watch read 3 hours 40 minutes. The thought then crossed my mind of, "Maybe you can reach the summit in under 4 hours?" Ha! That didn't last long. I started pushing really hard for it and that didn't last long. "Okay Jeff, just stick with the under 4 hrs 15 min. goal" Nice try, but not realistic at this point.

The last two miles there were a lot more search and rescue guys along the trail. I'm sure this is where people probably have the most issues. It was comforting to know that if I died on the trail someone was there. I could hear the loudspeaker fron the finish line up above me and people cheering each runner as they crossed. It was exhilerating and motivating to me. My legs still killed me and the pain was not receeding, but I was going to finish the race. The last two miles I passed dozens and dozens of people sitting on the rocks on the side of the trail trying to catch their breath. NO REST FOR ME! I kept moving and passing people still.

We hit the 16 golden stairs and I knew that it was almost over. These natural boulder 'stairs' are a great reminder that you're racing up a mountain. If the last 12.92 miles are a stair stepper from hell, the 16 golden stairs are a stair stepper with Satan himself at the helm. I was with a group of about 8 guys going a little slower than I wanted, but didn't have the energy to pass them, so I stuck with them. Finally, about 0.2 miles from the summit one of the 8 guys said, "Let's do it! Push! We're almost at the top. Let's finish strong!" And he took off. I watched him for a few seconds and decided to go for it also thinking I was close enough to the finish to do my kick. I passed the other 7 guys and pushed for about 30 seconds and then laughed at myself as my body said, "NO!" About 0.1 miles from the top I was surprised to see someone handing out beer to the runners....yes, beer! Some were taking him up on it, but most did not.

I ruonded the last major switch back and saw the finish line there beckoning and I knew I could make it with a kick then. I pushed and it was a tremendous feeling hearing the announcer say, "And here comes Jeff Turner from Colorado Springs!" and then have the spectators erupt into cheers for me and cheering me on by name. As I crossed the finish line I stopped my watch, 4 hours 6 minutes 48 seconds, I made it under the 4:15:00 mark! Yeah! They placed my medal over my neck and tore my bib thingy at the bottom off. And I felt great inside, but my body was dead. I was happy to feel that my legs were not seizing up on me as I thought they would, maybe it was from the Shot Blocks? I don't know, but was grateful.

The finish line does not finish quite at the summit. So I still had to climb another 30 feet or so of elevation to get to the top and to the recovery drinks and snacks. 30 feet doesn't sound like much after climbing 7815', but it took me awhile. When I got to the snack I saw Tom there, looking as bad as I felt. I was surpised to hear him say that he finished in 3 hours 39 minutes, which I later found out is not what he said, it was 3 hours and 58 minutes. But I am happy for him. Great run Tom! I asked him if he wanted to do it again next year and he wasn't sure, neither was I!

We finished our snacks and meandered over to the 15 passenger vans waiting to take us down to Manitou Springs. As I got in I spilled all my snack that I had horded for the ride down and spent 2 minutes in a weird position trying to clean them up. We rode the van down to Glen's Cove where we then loaded up onto a school bus (whoever designed these busses did not intend for adults to ride them, there is no leg room!) and rode that all the wasy back to Manitou. During the ride back I realized that I did want to do it again next year.


As I got off the bus I was welcomed by what I love most, the smiling faces of the most precious two women in my life, my wife Julie and my daughter Lily. Lily ran up to me and gave me a huge hug. She was really excited for the medal around my neck. Julie also gave me a hug and kiss. We took some pictures, grabbed my finisher shirt, some free pizza and chips, and then headed home. What a day!

Last Run Before the Ascent

So I have had the unfortunate event of burning out two weeks ago and trying to get my legs back. I thought I'd hit 300 miles trained, but alas am a little short of that, but healthy. Tonight was the last run I will do before my race this Saturday. I went 4 miles at a steady 8min 50sec per mile pace. My goal for tonight was to just get something in, get my legs moving again, and to not get sore. This was a very safe run to do; I got moving and didn't push very hard. That's it, I can't do any more, the next run is my race.

I have had very mixed thoughts and feelings that last two weeks. I have gone from thinking that I have completely blown my opportunity to run the race to thinking that I'm going to smoke it, back to wondering if I will have any legs on race day, and then to now thinking that my legs feel good and fresh. Can I make the distance? OF COURSE! Can I do it smart enough to not burn out early on in the race during the steepest section? I can, but do I have enough whereabouts to recognize when to turn it on and when to hold it back? That is to be determined. I know that I have the lung capacity to push it at high altitude, but can my legs hold out? If I run the race smart. My projected time from my half marathon is 4 hrs 30 min, but that was a few hundred miles and over 8 months ago. I could definitely run a half marathon faster now. So knowing that I am in better shape AND I have been training on the mountain I personally have set the goal of wanting to get under 4 hours, with 4 hrs 15 min being the longest time I'd like.

Overall, I am just really happy to be able to participate in such a grueling and unique race. I am pumped up, but a little anxious. I am excited to go out and do it!

Start Line          Finish Line
This is all I'm thinking about now...

All is Not Lost Yet, But Not Recovered Either

12 days out from my race and I finally felt like I should try and run again tonight. My legs have been an utter nightmare since two Saturdays ago on the mountain. I  went for a nice light jog on the treadmill here. I didn't want to get stuck somewhere away from home with tightened up legs. So I kept the pace light at 9 min 33 sec miles and did not push at all. My goal was to get 4 miles in tonight but to stop immediately if my legs started to tighten up again. I am happy to announce that my legs did not tighten up! Unfortunately, they felt really sluggish and tired still. Crazy what happens when you literally burn your muscles out! So my plan is to only do light paced jogs this week and try and get my legs more recovered while also trying to not lose any more of the training I have worked so hard for. I believe I can be ready for the race, but man do I need to be really careful the next 12 days. Total for the night: 4 miles in 38 minutes 12 seconds, a 9 min 33 sec pace.

I'm Still Sore...What the Heck!?!

It's been a crazy week and today I finally got a small run in since Saturday. I was not able to walk normal until about Tuesday evening after my run on Saturday. The hard run then combined with severe dehydration completely wiped my recovery out and messed up my muscles quite a bit. I was going to do a small 4-5 miles run on the treadmill tonight. About 1/2 mile into the run my calves were already burning, not from running, but from being really tight and sore. I pushed it to three miles and then just stopped because my calves were so sore. Crappy residual damage from Saturday! Grrrrrrrr! And now, they are way tight and unforgiving. I really hope I can get them recovered soon to keep what I have for the race and be ready to give the race all I have.
Total tonight: 3 miles in 27 minutes.

On Top of Pikes Peak Again

Today was another grueling training run on top of Pikes Peak. It was my original plan to run another 3-2-1 at the summit. On the way down though my friend Carl suggested that instead of turning around at 3 miles out I should continue on to Barr Camp, another 2.75 miles. He said this because it is the only part of Barr Trail that I have not been on. So about 3 miles down I decided that I should go for it. As everyone else turned around to go back up I continued on another 2.75 miles to Barr Camp. It took 1 hour 4 minutes to get there and I felt great. I took a quick restroom break and took off back up Barr Trail, 5.75 miles back to the top. I ran for about 5-6 minutes and then started my power stride toward the top.

About 1 miles into my ascent I realized that I was short on water and was going to run out well before I finished at the top. Before I changed my mind to go to Barr Camp I had planned on refilling my homemade Gatorade at my car on the summit after every round on the mountain, thus my predicament now of not having enough fluids. The ascent up was pretty tough, I'm glad Carl mentioned running this extra section. It is very rocky and steep and gave me a great idea of what to expect for the race. I ran out of fluids about 3.5 miles from the summit....NOT GOOD! I pressed on because there is no easy out on the mountain other than by your own efforts. About a half mile later I was completely dry in my mouth and my skin had already started to get really dry. At this same time I "bonked"; I ran out of energy and didn't have much left to keep going, but I did.

I slowed way down and felt horrible, really wanting fluid. I didn't have the desire to eat any of the food I had for energy which I know is a mistake, but it is still what happened. So I had nothing replenishing me. Just past 2 miles to summit I ran in to Carl and Tom who were coming down. We talked a few minutes and kept going. A few minutes later I ran in to Lindsey who was also with us and when she found out that I had "bonked" she offered food and water but I denied it. It was a couple minutes later from this that I realized that I was no longer thinking straight or very fast. I wasn't feeding myself and I denied help from people I know who had offered. I also had slowed down even more and was not unaware of my surroundings, but I definitely was not in tune very well with my surroundings. I just kept going knowing that there was a lot more help for me if I needed it at the summit and not on the side of the mountain.

I finally slinked to the top of the summit really out of it and hardly able to even move my legs forward. I got to my car and immediately started replacing my fluids and eating. There was an instant change in my body and I could feel it acepting my appologies with fluid and food. I sat down at the top of the trail looking for Carl or Tom or Lindsey and continued to fuel my body. I slowly noticed that I was more and more aware of things and started to feel much better. I also got a donut from the shop on top...couldn't help it! It is amazing how intense dehydration and high altitude was really grasping on to me and dragging me down. I'm glad I got out of it before anything serious happened. It was a major oversight on route planning not having the fluids I needed. Another lesson learned.

Stats for the day: 11.5 miles above 10,000' elevation in 3 hours 32 seconds. So it took 1 hour 55 minutes to climb the 5.75 miles and 4,000' feet to the top.

I Wish I Could Get Some Other Run In...

Life is busy, so treadmill again. I didn't want to push it tonight because I'm running on top of Pikes Peak on Saturday and want to be somewhat fresh. I just wanted to get a few miles in. So ran 4 miles in 36 minutes, 9 min per mile pace. No problems with my body, just a little bored because nothing good was on TV tonight at the gym. So from running tonight I am overall smiles.

Treadmill, treadmill, DREADMILL!



This is a photo of some other persons ankle,
but the raw red area on the bottom of the photo
is what my ankle looks like!

So I say "Dreadmill", but I'm both getting used to the treadmill and very grateful for the treadmill. Without it, I'm not sure how much running I'd get it...I'm bad off enough as it is right now. Getting ready for my run tonight I put my regular running shoes on (versus my trail shoes) and OUCH!!!!! the outside of my ankle that got all torn up on Saturday night was screaming because the same part of my shoe that ate into the ankle was now prodding into it again. I tried an extra sock and then extra padding, but that ankle was not going to let me run in those shoes tonight. So after a minute of thinking, I resigned to using my trail shoes on the treadmill tonight; this was a much better idea and I was able to run.

I was going to make it an easy run but I got slightly competitive with myself and pushed just a little. I went the 5 miles in 39 minutes and 25 seconds which is an average of 7min 53 sec miles. It was tiring but felt good to be running at a faster pace than I normally run at. There is no way I can run at that pace on the mountain, but training like this can only help my average mountain pace...right?!?

Had BU, Lost a A Sock, Gained a Massive Blister

WARNING!!! IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO OR OFFENDED BY STORIES ABOUT POOP, DON'T READ THIS POST!

Today I had planned on running 15 miles. I had it all planned out and was excited to try a new route. The first 2.6 miles were fine through neighborhoods and I felt good. But the next 2 mile stretch was not good at all. I had thought that the road I chose to run along had a sidewalk...well, I thought, that was the problem. There was no sidewalk and it is a fast road, 55MPH speed limit. Unfortunately, the only alternatives were not very convenient to get to, so I stuck it out. I ended up running on the shoulder of the road against traffic only 4-5 feet away. I made sure to move over an inch or two as cars came by. Eventually though, I made it to a sidewalk and was safe again. Ironically, only seconds after I made it to a sidewalk I passed a business named Pure Safety, ha! I'm definitely not their poster boy. About a mile later the story goes to the toilet...literally.

So I'd been feeling some gas build up in my belly for a little while and about 5.5 miles out I decide to let a little 'gas' out. Oooooops! It wasn't all gas! Just a tad little bit of something else came out. Not enough to soil my pants, but enough to know I wasn't going to make it 9 more miles with it there. I knew that there were a few restaurants about a mile up ahead so I stuck it out fully intending to take care of business there. When I get there, it was 10:04pm and guess what? Yeah, they all closed at 10:00pm, go figure. So now I'm thinking "BUSH, there has to be a bush I can use with soft grass!" I go one more mile only to find myself surrounded by upper class homes and very landscaped open yards...not a good place to drop my pants.

I head back towards my house again, writhing in gaseous pain, feeling the little bit o' something still there, hanging on. I zealously searched every building and yard I passed for a spot with some privacy and soft grass. How would I ever find something in upscale suburbia?!? Just then I see off in the distance a beacon of light, seriously, there was a big building with a beacon on top! It was a self storage unit on a large plot on land with many bushes. I swung to the side and despairingly admitted that all the places I could find, were exposed to the cars driving by. DARN IT!!! I started off again but only a few seconds later noticed an angelic looking line of trees going down the side of the property...PERFECT! I hustled over, found a spot behind two trees close together with lots of soft luscious grass on the ground, pulled my pants down, and wooooosh! It was as if someone had let a firehose off but aaaaaaaaaah, relief!

I picked small bunches of grass and cleaned up the best I could (I really appreciate toilet paper now), but instantly realized that I was still about 5-6  miles out. That is a long time to run with not a perfectly clean bottom! So I resigned to taking my right sock off and using it for the final touches, it worked well. I flipped the sock inside out and put it in an empty Cliff Bar wrapper for safe storage and off I went. It didn't occur to me that running without a sock has some problems until about a mile in to the sockless run. I slowly started to feel the outside of my right ankle starting to wear away from the shoe rubbing on it. I tried re-tying my shoe different ways to reduce the friction to no use. I just tried to get home. It really started to feel very painful about 3.5 miles out but I kept going, trying to make it home, but realizing that I was probably creating a blister on my ankle. About 1.7 miles from home I couldn't take the pain anymore and had to stop. I ended up calling Julie and she came and picked me up. Bum deal man! I still made it 13.3 miles in 2 hours 5 minutes, not bad, but a little slower because of the ankle thing.

New Incline Record

So I decided to do the Incline today and then run up Barr Trail...lightning changed my plan a bit and I ended up running back down Barr Trail from the top of the Incline so as to not be charred meat. BUT... I was able to get a new personal record on the Incline. The old record from a few weeks ago was 35 minutes flat. Today, I told myself that I could not allow longer than 34 minutes! It was a great day to do so. It'd been blistering hot, but as I got close to Manitou Springs it became overcast and lightly began to rain. I started out with another steady pace and it hurt, my legs burned, and my breathing sounded like a jet plane flying over, but I kept it up. I did not stop this time at all. As I got towards the top I noticed that my cap of 34 minutes was coming closer than I wanted. I ended up pushing hard at the end to barely make it and I did! I finished in 33 minutes 53 seconds. I was so close to going over that 34 minute mark. Oh how I wanted to die afterwards.

After taking a 5 minute break up top watching lightning and hearing a lot of thunder, I headed off down Barr Trail. My legs were a bit sluggish at first, but as I got into a rythym it went very well. Another new thing happened about a mile out from the parking lot, I actually threw up a bit in my mouth...eeeeeeewwww! That doesn't happen to me, but it felt good because I had been pushing it and I will just consider it an experience only the mountain can provide for me.

More Treadmill Work...For 2 Hours...Boooooo!

All I can say about life this week is...wow...I am really tired. There has been no real chance to get out and do a good run away from home. So instead of doing nothing, at least I have the treadmill. Today I just went out at the same steady pace for two straight hours. I watched a lot of Pickers and that pawn shop show on the History channel at the time.

Overall I got in 13.28 miles over 120 minutes. I don't really feel tired at all afterwards. The only thing is my right foot, knee, and calf are just a little sore. I think I could do a 1/2 marathon much faster now than my December 2010 time.

Straight Up Treadmill...8o(

Yes, a treadmill run. I'm just too busy to do anything else right now during the week! Right calf a little sore afterward.

Stats for the night:
7.25 miles in 60 minutes averages an 8 min 17 sec per mile pace.

I did a little stats work tonight to see the overall progression of my workouts the last few months by both time ran and miles ran and here are the results. As you can see there is a nice upward trend in both time and miles ran. I'm trying to keep it a steady increase to avoid those darn injuries!

10 Miles Above 12,000 Feet elevation

Today was my first run that we call a "3-2-1". The way this run is done is you drive to the top of Pikes Peak and start the run there. You then run 3 miles down the mountain which takes you to about treeline, then you run back up the 3 miles you just came down. You then go back down 2 miles, then up 2 miles, then down 1 mile and up 1 mile. All of this is done above 12,000' elevation! I went with my friend Carl who is Pikes Peak running veteran and he showed me some of the simple things to know about the trail.

On a side note, the drive up Pikes Peak Highway is a little scarier than I originally thought...no guard rails next to 1000+ foot drops can be a bit intimidating!

It was 36 degrees on top of Pikes Peak when we got there...in July! The first run down 3 miles was about getting used to the terribly rocky and uneven terrain and getting to know the layout of the trail. As we turned around at A-frame on Barr Trail I told Carl that I wanted to push past my limits to find out where my limit is. I only ran about a tenth of a mile before I was ready to die. I then proceeded to go forward with a strong swift pace:
3 miles to go mile time : 19 min
2 miles to go mile time : 16.5 min
1 mile to go mile time  : 19.5 min
Total Time    : 55 min from A-frame to the top
I surprised myself by steadily pulling away from Carl and feeling pretty good. I soon lost him on my
way up. About 1 mile left into this first ascent my left knee felt really wobbly and loose. Every step felt like my lower leg wanted to jar itself away from the femur. Then I hit the '16 Golden Stairs' section which is the last bit of 16 steep switchbacks right before the top. There is nothing 'golden' about them. They sucked!

I rested at the top for 3 minutes looking for Carl to pop his head up anytime, but didn't see him. So I then did 2 miles down and then 2 back up. By the time I hit the 16 Golden Stairs the second time I was pretty pooped and my knee felt like it was all over the place, but still went on. I was a bit slower these two miles this second time:
2 miles to go mile time: 18 min
1 mile to go mile time :  25min (I knew I was done and slowed down a little)
When I finished this last mile to the top I was done, out, it was all over. My knee was really bothering me and my legs were shot. I didn't do the last two miles of 1 mile down then back. Maybe another time. I am extremely glad that I did this training for a few reasons: 1) I have really needed high altitude training, 2) It gave me a whole new perspective of what the race will be like, 3) I was able to find my limits today, and 4) I found out I am in better shape than I thought!

Daily Totals: 10 miles in 2 hours and 47 minutes

What More Can I Say...Another Treadmill Day

Not a very exciting run tonight. I have really had no motivation to run outside at night lately, or even at night at all. I've been pretty tired from life and have just wanted to sleep. Thus, my training has lacked a but. BUT NOT TONIGHT! I really just wanted to lie down, close my eyes, and dream of eating chocolate covered Swedish Fish and sipping my favorite soda Moxie. Nevertheless, I got my butt up and went to the gym to run on the treadmill. I got 61 minutes in for 6.75 miles total. This is an average of 9min 2sec miles. I didn't really want to push very hard because I'm planning on an extreme workout on Saturday and don't want to be burnt out for it. What is this extreme workout you may ask? Well, I better not say until I actually do it. I don't want to make promises that I don't keep. Lets just say it involves 12 miles of running over 12,000' elevation! My right calf did bother me a little tonight. It didn't feel tight but was a bit achy. Hope it is just from the 14ers on Monday.

New Heights on the 4th of July

On a side note, I ran a quick 2.8 miles on Sat. 7/1 in 23 minutes; 1.4 miles downhill and 1.4 miles uphill...a very steep hill!

I hit both 200 miles trained and 2000 minutes trained on the same day, the 4th of July!

So for the 4th I started my day out at 3:30am getting up to do some high altitude training. I left my house at 3:45am with my friend Carl, picked up another friend Matt, and we headed off towards Grays and Torreys Peaks just outside of Keystone, CO. Carl is also running on Pikes Peak in August. Matt is just up for a challenge. This was my first training for The Ascent above 10,000' elevation. It was a beautiful day, nice cool temperature, sunny, and not a cloud in the sky!

It took us just under 2 hours to get to the top of Grays Peak first. We didn't push too hard, but we also didn't go slow by any means. It was a fast but not grueling pace. I was very happy that I was not too winded. The view at the top was of course amazing! We took a small break at the top and then headed down the very rocky trail to the saddle between Grays and Torreys Peaks. About 2/3 of the way up Torreys Peak I kicked it into the next gear from what we'd been at for Grays and plodded to the top...FELT GREAT! We again took in the view for a little while at the top of Torreys Peak and felt blessed to live in such a beautiful area.

As we began our descent off the mountain, the guys that we had been talking to at the top of Torreys yelled down to us, "Goat!" So we ran back to the top of Torreys and found a mountain goat just feet from the top! He was obviously not affraid of us (sure seemed like someone had been feeding him...) and walked very close to us. I took a small film of him climbing around on the loose rock hanging on the edge. It was pretty neat to see such a nimble creature at the top of a 14,000'+ mountain! We hung out with him for a little bit then made our way back down, running off and on. This was a great training to get more used to the higher altitudes that I'll be racing at.

Running Club Night

Holy Cow! I ended up not running for one whole week! NO, I can't afford to do that! My excuse is the same as before...LIFE!

What I probably looked like by myself...

A few nights ago I saw that a newer running club had started in town that was much closer than any other here and thought I'd try it out tonight. It is the University Village Running club. I went thinking that there would be groups gathered together and that we'd all kind of take off together in our various skill leveled groups...completely opposite! Everyone was still very nice, but I got there and they had me sign up and then they showed me the various routes that they have marked off on the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail. After that they looked at me and said, "Have a nice run!" I looked around and no one else was really waiting there, I saw others already spread out not together on the trail. So I took off by myself.

It was an easy flat run with only a few tiny tiny hills. I said hello to everyone I passed by wondering how many of them were from the club or not since this is a public trial. Nevertheless, I was a happy runner. It was a total of six miles. I hadn't eaten anything in about 4 hours and was a bit dehydrated and I sure felt it, but I kept the pace up. Overall I went 6 miles in 51 minutes. That is 8min 30sec miles. Good enough!

It's A Record!

Today was a Manitou Incline training day, plus a little Barr Trail past the top of the incline. The Incline as we call it here is only 1 mile in length, but climbs 2000 feet in elevation over that mile. Until now I have never actually seen how fast I could do the Incline. Today was the first time I did it on my own and pushed a little. I did it in 35 minutes and 3 seconds! This is about 20 minutes faster than any other time I've tried...a new record! It absolutely hurt too!!! I decided on a slow and steady pace at the beginning and kept that pace the whole time. I didn't have a heart rate monitor, but I know my heart rate was through the roof. Every breath was uncontrollably loud. Each quad burned to no end with every step, having no real time to recover between steps. About 50 feet from the top I thought I'd do a last bit sprint to the top and start running...HA HA HA HA! That was an absurd idea. I made it only 20 feet before my whole body screamed STOP in my head, and I pounded out the last steps at my slow and steady pace.

After resting at the top for a few minutes and talking to another guy training for the Ascent, I took off in the direction I thought would take me to the 'UP' part of Barr Trail. There is one trail I know that takes you from the top of the Incline to Barr Trail that heads down, and there is another trail that goes the other way to head up Barr Trail. I asked a few people about which direction to take to go up the trail and no one knew. So I took off and in a minute was in the woods. I thought to myself, "Well, I know Barr Trail is somewhere here soon," and I kept on hiking. This 'hike' turned into trail blazing through thick trees on a steep slippery incline over boulders into small ravines over downed dead trees and no trail in site. Yes, this goes exactly against all that I have learned in wilderness survival...but I kept on going anyway. Of course Julie calls me in the middle of this as I am half hanging on the side of a small ravine to ask me a quick question about dinner. I politely answered her question without letting her know what I was doing (I wasn't in the mood for a "be careful" lecture). Eventually, (about 15 minutes later) I found my way to the trail (who says guys need maps? okay, I think maps are REALLY good!) and  continued on with my run. Wow! My quads were really tired after doing the incline. I ran to Rock Arch again, let nature's call out over the valley on the side of Rock Arch, and started my roughly 3 miles descent down to the parking lot.

OOOOOOPS!
So about half way back down Barr Trail I wasn't paying attention for a moment and my left foot hit a rock as I was bringing it forward. Yes, you can probably guess what happened next. As I was flying through the air I thought, "Well, here you go again. You better tuck that right shoulder and roll onto your back. You might want to get your hands out of the way too since those are what you make money with. Oh yeah, if you start to roll down that 100ft cliff on the side of the trail, try to grab a tree or something on your way down." And then THUD, RIP, SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID, WHACK. I hit the ground on my right shoulder, slightly ripped my shirt, slid about 10 feet, and came to a cushy stop as my body smacked into a tree on the side of the trail. A PERFECT 10! I was more upset with myself that I lost focus for a moment than anything else. I assessed the damage: two slightly scuffed up hands, a laceration in my right knee, road burn on my right shoulder, a bruised right elbow and left big toe, and a deflated ego. I layed there for a few moments really mad at myself, then as I felt the moisture soaking into my pants from sitting on the ground I decided that it was time to get up and go again. I finished my run without incident. I noticed at my car that I had blood on my pants at my right knee. I lifted them up and my cut had bled all over the place. I borrowed a wet towel from one of the Cog Rail workers and went home. 3.76 miles total, 70 minutes of running, 45 minutes up (35 up the Incline), and 25 minutes down.

Chalk another injury up in the book!

Right Knee                  AND               Right Shoulder

Oh, since Daddy was hurt Lily suddenly had an injury on her elbow and wanted to show it too!

I forgot to do my run, then I did it

I was at an Active Release Techniques seminar all day and was thinking about my Saturday run all day long. I came home afterward and completely forgot to do my run! How could I! It was 11:30pm when I finally realized this. So I mustered up the, "I don't want to do this but I'm going to anyway" courage and went to the gym to run on the treadmill (I just can't run through the neighborhoods this late when I am so tired). It was a good run.

Something interesting that I found out today at my ART seminar is that my right midfoot was not moving into extension AT ALL at the cuneiforms and navicular, which is probably playing a huge roll into why I am barely staving off severe plantar fasciitis AND why I have had so many issues with my right kinetic chain! So Dr Leahy released a few of the midfoot joints and I felt an immediate increase in foot motion. I didn't think about this increased motion of the midfoot before running. Albeit good, my foot is not used to moving that way. 70 minutes into tonights run my foot started to feel a bit achy and sore. The further into the run I went the more sore it got. I finished the last minute of the run with somewhat higher levels of pain in the right foot than I am used to feeling while running. I think the few joints that were released were just aggravated a little after not moving for so long.

Overall, I ran 10 miles in 90 minutes of running. It is weird to think now that a 90 minute run is now an easier "Long Run" day. I have definitely made improvements in my running endurance. 10 miles in 90 minutes is the same pace I ran my December half marathon. Big difference now is that I am not really winded after running at that pace now. YES!!! Improvement!!!

Odd and Frustrating Running Day

So to summarize the type of inadvertantly shortened run I had today, I decided to put the story into pictures...enjoy!

BTW, Stanley Canyon is only accessed through the Air Froce Academy which since Bin Laden was killed cannot be accessed without a military ID...dang it!

Total for the day...albeit cut short

3.75 miles

33 minutes

8 minute 48 second miles

(that's in a nasty wind storm!)

Short Recovery Run

My legs were a tad fatigued this morning as I got up, but I wanted to get them moving again after Saturday nights late run. This is an easy week as far as my running goes, just shorter less intense runs. I chose a 3.9 mile loop around our neighborhood. The first couple of minutes I felt like a mannequin because my legs weren't bending the way they normally do...stiff as a board. But shortly into the run they loosened up. About 2 miles in I could tell that my legs were a little fatigued still from the previous run, but they had plenty in them to do this short run. I finished the run in 33 minutes even, averaging an 8 minute 27 second per mile pace. My legs actually feel a bit refreshed from this little run. On a side note, the smoke from the mountain fires that has been covering up Pikes Peak has mostly lifted today and I got to enjoy the view again that I have come to love.

My First 2 Hour Training Run

Another long Saturday run again. I hadn't noticed until I looked at my training plan this morning that today was the day I hit my first 2 hour run...I was shocked, then scared a little, then excited. I am almost completely recovered from the crazy Barr Trail run on Wednesday. I ended up running different short loops around Briargate this evening, up and down a few hills. With it being so late I didn't really feel like running terribly far from the house...and I couldn't remember if my normal long run routes had street lights or not.

About 90 minutes in my legs started to get a little stiff overall, not in any specific spot. I was done with the small loops I had planned with 13 minutes left to run to hit 120 minutes total. So I finished the last 13 minutes on the treadmill. My legs instantly got sore as I started to run on the treadmill. I had to slow it way down to find a painless pace to finish off the total time. Afterwards, my legs were actually already sore. Kind of weird. And for my long SLOW run today I did 12 miles which in 2 hours is 10 minute miles. Don't feel like typing anymore.

UPDATE: So on my long runs I always bring food with me in my pockets and eat it to keep my energy up, this run was no exception. But this run I had a piece of Trident Layers gum that I was chewing and it lasted forever! I usually get my first snack while running about 40 minutes into the run and my gum was still flavorful. I didn't want it in my mouth while eating my food so I just stuck it behind my ear until I was done eating and then started chewing again. This was all fine and dandy until I woke up in the middle of the night and felt something soft and sticky behind my ear...I FORGOT TO GET IT OUT FROM BEHIND MY EAR after the last snack and fell asleep with it still there. So there I am 3:45am, covered in gum all over the back side of my ear and in my hair. Lesson learned.

Another Small Taste of the Ultimate Race

Looking over first part of the trail at trailhead of Barr Trail

So after having such tired legs on Saturday of last week I decided that my hard hill run would be on Wednesday now. Just over 70 days out now from the race I also decided that I need to hit the Barr Trail more often and get more used to both the intensity and the altitude of the trail. Once again, while struggling up the trail the thought came to my mind, "This is really hard...am I really going to try and run all the way up to the top of the mountain?" My legs burned to no end step after step and my breathing sounded like a freight train coming closer the higher I went. It hurt a lot and I kept telling myself the quote from the Colorado Springs Incline Club: "Go out hard, when it hurts speed up," and then kept pushing on. Be it known though, that after much study on the Pike's Peak Ascent I have learned that it is smarter to learn when to walk instead of trying to run the whole time. In other words, if you are running up a steep section of trail at the same speed as you would be walking that section...WALK! It uses up much less energy than running and you go the same speed!

I was able to go about 6 minutes up the trail before I started a run/walk/run/walk/run  pattern. I would run one switchback, then walk the next. I did this pattern up the rest of the 'W's' at the bottom of Barr Trail. I continued on to the Rock Arch almost 3 miles out which took around 45 minutes to do. I then stood in the shadows of Rock Arch and enjoyed the cool breeze rushing through it for 2 minutes and then headed back down the mountain back to the start in 27 minutes. Total miles: 5.8, total time: 72 minutes, total rocks tripped over: a few dozen. This is what my workouts are all about!

You guessed it...Rock Arch