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.