Battle Mountain, Hot Springs, SD

I only had one time to run when I went to SD for the weekend to attend a family reunion. I had hoped to be able to run a part of the Mickelson trail, but I was pretty much in a car for the whole weekend being tour guide and so ended up doing the next best (and convenient) run up Battle Mountain which was just across the street from the old Hot Springs cabin we were staying in. This is somewhat nostalgic for me because I remember driving up there with my grandma and at that time it was quite impressive with the fire lookout tower at the top and a nice view of Hot Springs. Nothing else too eventful... a short 3.4 miles, 976' elevation gain, in a slow 40 minutes. Google map.

I wanted to test out this video upload, so here I am up in the look-out tower:

Just short of Chasm Lake up Longs Peak

I wanted to run up Longs before it started to get too cold but only had 2.5 hours of running time before I had to pick up one of my clients from school. So I set my goal to Chasm Lake or as far as I could in 1.5 hours. As expected, I tried to keep a decent pace but I felt sluggish after a while. My RT speed this time was 3.6 mph whereas the first time (though a longer run) was 3.2 mph. This being my third run up, it seemed as if I was getting slower! Though it was more of me being hard of myself. At about 1.30 I made it to just after the Chasm Lake sign where one has to climb up the rocks to see the lake. (photo is from a previous trip showing the general direction towards the lake) I didn't have enough time to make it up and down so I was a good boy and resisted temptation and turned around right there and made it down in 1 hour...exactly how I planned it out. Totaling 8.9 miles, 3849 elevation gain in 2:29. GPS map.

Tour around San Francisco

Went on a longer than planned run around a quarter of San Francisco (see map). The run up Divisadero was annoying because there were traffic lights on every single intersection...and it was a LONG street! But it was great to be able to run at sea level and not have any oxygen issues one would have at 12,000 feet higher in the air. While mountain running has its benefits and never-ending fantastic views, it was a nice treat to run along the cliffs of the Bay and Pacific Ocean. It was also great to be able to run along a dirt path (except for the expected street runs) almost most of the way. SFers are pretty darn lucky! I made it back after 16.7 miles with a surprising elevation gain of 2876 feet (aside from Divisidero, I didn't feel like I went up a hill) in a total time of 3:10 (including buying a gatorade at a store and snapping pictures). Google Map of route

Lyons to Longmont and back

This is a route I drive quite often and often wonder aloud why on earth all bikers choose to bike this boring, asphalt car/SUV highway? Well, despite all my previous wonderment, I wanted a nice and easy 14 mile run so I thought I would give it a go: Longmont or bust! It was a pretty flat and easy run for the most part (was nice wearing my Newtons instead of trail shoes) so by the time I got to the 7 mile mark, which is approx Hover St., I decided I would continue to Main St, just so I could say I made it to something a bit more concrete than the outer limits of Longmont. My knees were getting pretty sore the last 5 miles but it was workable. My speed was considerably lower, something I blame my lazy pace. While I had a very long run which made me think a marathon is quite possible, I now want to change my focus to increasing my pace a bit so I can make a 4 hour marathon. When I finished, I had a voracious appetite after burning through a flat (1033 ft gain) 17.6 miles in 3:17 run. Map

Running around the neighborhood

For some reason I have a huge resistance to running by my house. It might have something to do with the fact I have to drive up and down the 4 mile gravel road a lot, or the chance of running into a mountain lion are pretty high. But when push comes to shove and I can't get away to go somewhere else, it is really a decent hilly run. Entire loop 10.1 miles with 2033 elevation gain (highest 6582) in 2:05. GPS map

Lyons St. Vrain Road Hall Ranch Apple Vally Loop

As much as I said I didn't like Hall Ranch, after my first run there in the hot baking sun, it warmed up to me this time (thanks to the shade along the Old St. Vrain roads. I left the parking lot at the Lyons access to the St Vrain River and made my way along the old South river road, had great shade and scenery of the river and bluffs. When I got off the road and onto Hwy 7, I took a wrong turn thinking Hall Ranch was to my left so I eventually turned around and got back on track. Hall Ranch was much easier, probably just because I knew what I was getting into. I then  went down the antelope trail which hooked up to Apple Valley Road. It was a pretty  run, a nice combination of easy flat roads and rocky hilly trails and a great way to run around my neighboring town of Lyons. Total distance 9.3 miles, gaining 1703 in elevation in 1:49. GPS map

Hot and sunny Hall Ranch, Lyons, CO

This is pretty much my first real trail run. And I say real because it was rocky and hilly. Top that off with hardly having any shade on a hot summer day making it even more not pleasant. There were hundreds of thousands of grasshoppers on the trail as well, but for the most part don't think I squished too many because they all flee as I approach. A scorching 6.5 miles climbing 1459 feet in a very slow 1:28. GPS map

First high elevation run

I really don't know how I chose this as my first high elevation run, but it was a pretty good one: Milner Pass up to Fall River Pass. The run started out very challenging because I was mostly running up steps. I thought I was actually not going to make it the first half mile from getting used to the elevation as well as the strenuous use of leg muscles. Once I made it above the steps, the grade was a lot easier and I was able to get my breath back. There were a decent amount of people on the trail and I realized then that as a person running is going to get a lot of positive comments from people along the way. I consider myself fortunate to be able to do this and tend to keep that in my mind when doing this and to keep me humble. But it was a lot of fun briefly chatting with people along the trail when I went by. The run overall was surprisingly easy: 4 miles up and a much quicker 4 miles back starting at 10,758 feet going up to 11,800 feet.

My running Time-warp dance

After running the Chicago marathon I moved to France for 3 years (and of course, blogging about it) and that pretty much consumed my time aside from a short 3-4 mile run here and there. Fast forward to winter 2010 I moved to Colorado (first Boulder and now Lyons) and this summer have finally become acclimated and inspired to do some running. I decided to stop boring my facebook friends with my experiences and get back to posting on my blog (with new name/focus/etc) here. Hopefully this will keep me occupied and slightly creative while giving me an outlet to keep track of any progress!

Chicago Marathon

 

So this is it...I finished my first marathon. I have to say that it wasn't that bad for someone who has never ran more than a mile on a treadmill at the gym. The temperature was a high of 44 degrees and misty rain most of the morning. I think the last mile I felt like I was running on stumps, but for the most part, it was pretty gentle. I had a great pace group which kept us entertained along the way. I finished my time at 4:49...just shy of the number one person who finished at 2:07. There's always next year.

Three miles shy of a marathon!

This morning I woke up to the sound of rain outside; I have always dreaded the day I would have to run in the rain. So far I've been lucky to have had perfect weather all summer. But not today. Once I got moving out on my bike to go to the starting point with my hoodie on, it wasn't that bad but there was a definite damp chill in the air. In April, 60 degrees would have felt like a heat wave. The picture on the left was taken on my way up to Foster...note that there is NO ONE on the path. It was one of those Sunday morning that normal people just stayed in bed. For those locally, 23 miles is about the same distance as going from Foster to 31st Street Beach (on the Southside) and back.

There was a pretty strong wind, but it wasn't dehabilitating. The rain wasn't too hard that it felt like it was piercing the skin, but it was constant numbingness most of the 4 hr and 43 minutes that we were running. After a while, my hands were just beat cold and wrinkled like I've been soaking in a tub. Mind you, we are running in shorts and t-shirts, so there wasn't much protection, but the temperature elsewhere (like the body) was pretty comfortable. Half of the distance we run on are along gravel paths just for runners. The mixture of water and gravel equals a grey mucky and splashable obstacle course that was just begging for a twisted foot from dodging the deeper puddles. By the end, my feet were so squishy and wet, I really didn't care and my legs were covered in this grey caked on mud. Now that I finished, I can say that the run actually was pretty painless, but there were many times when I was wondering "what the hell am I doing here?"

So there you have it. Now I can truly believe that I am going to be able to do the marathon. The organizers said we could do it. And sure enough all we have left to look for is the fabled "wall" where the body supposedly breaks down after 23 miles. For the mean time, I think I will just concentrate on those short runs for a couple more weeks and be glad that I am not too sore or injured. Picture above and to the right was taken just before we started our run. You could hear the waves from blocks away.

The latest update

I have not been running for the past couple weeks because I had another minor foot injury (on the other foot) so I kept off it for a week. Then, I got strep so that kept me out of the loop for even more time. I am a bit worried the upcoming 23 miles, but talked to my coach and she said I shouldn't have any problems. So tonight, I ran my first maintenance run (4 miles) and felt fine except for my chest and lungs: was wheezing for the second half. I felt good to actually get out and run. It was one of those perfect evenings, a gigantic red moon was over the lake, the air was perfect, and I was relieved not to be sick anymore. Here's hoping that it is all out of my system by Sunday!