Saturday, 08/09/08 Mt. Audubon

7.8 miles/2,730 vertical

Jeff, Allison and Sierra Valliere, Jason Halladay

Jason and Bill were visiting for the weekend as Bill was participatiing in the 5430 triathlon, so Jason and I decided to get in a little high altitude training close to home and Allison decided to join with Sierra. We arrived at the TH early enough to get a good parking spot in front of the outhouse. It was cold and breezy and the summits were capped in clouds over the divide. I normally bring a bunch of clothing to the TH and never use it for these runs, but this time I brought little and wished I had more.

After a brief warmup, Jason and I started up the trail at a fast, yet reasonable pace. My vague time checks were good and I was ahead of PR pace without really pushing too hard. A short ways after the Coney Lake trail junction, I stopped to put on my windbreaker, as I was really starting to cool off. Once I stopped, I just decided that I was not really into it. I could easily have pushed through to the summit and probably set a PR, but I felt it best to not push and just read what my body/mind was telling me.

I waited for a bit and Allison came cruising along with Sierra (they got a 10 minute head start), so I hiked with them for a while until Jason caught up. Once Jason caught up, we fast hiked/lightly jogged most of the way to the saddle, then powhiked the remainder of the way to the summit. We arrived there after 1:10 and waited another 10 for Allison. It was cold and windy, but we were able to stay pretty well sheltered behind a small rock wind break. The clouds were whipping from the West toward the summit, hit the rocks and then completely dissipate, really amazing. We took it easy heading down and it quickly warmed. We were the first/only ones on the summit, but passed quite a few people on the descent. Parking is a real issue at Brainard with the sinkhole closure.

Friday, 08/08/08 Biked around Louisville

15 miles

Did not feel like driving to Boulder and running, so instead, Allison and I took advantage of a cool morning and biked around town exploring bike paths and running some errands. It was actually pretty chilly this morning, but it felt great.

Thursday, 8/07/08 Green Mountain

7 miles
2,500 vertical

Got out with Allison and Sierra today for a casual trip up Green. It was surprisingly cool and we had a great time. Toward the top, Allison really cranked it up and I let her go as I was adhering to my promise of taking an easy day, so I hung back with Sierra. I swear she could do a 3:35 or 3:40 on Pikes tomorrow, she just does not believe me. If she actually trained, I would bet money she could get under 3:20. Perhaps I can convince her next year??

Legs felt expectedly heavy, but not terrible, just how I would expect from two hard efforts this week at 14k. Tomorrow I will take an easy run, or maybe even ride the bike. Saturday I am hoping to get in 45-60 minutes of intensity up high with Jason, then it is all taper time with a few short runs and hopefully a few quick laps around the track on Monday or Tues.

Wednesday, 8/06/08 Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak
8/06/08
~8 miles/~4,300 vertical
Jeff Valliere, Lisa Goldsmith, Matt Carpenter (for a short while)

Got an invite from Lisa to join her and Scott Elliott for a trip to Pikes Peak. How could I pass it up? The plan was to catch a ride on the cog railway to Mountain View (only $10 if you can catch a standby seat), run to the top and meet Scott who would be up there waiting to give us a ride down and shout some encouragement. Awesome plan.

Waiting in line for the railway, Lisa introduces me to Yvonne and the name rings a bell, then I turn and remember why, when I see Matt Carpenter, oh yeah, Matt’s wife. We pay our $10 and all get seats on the train and sit next to one another and chit chat on the 33+ minute ride to our stop. We learn that Yvonne and their daughter are going to camp at Barr Camp, while Matt is going there to pick up some filters to transport back to town and meet them up there later. Dang it, I was hoping to chase Matt and see him strut his stuff on Pikes. As a consolation prize though, he jogged with Lisa and I over the ~1.5 miles. It was cool to run with him for a short time at least, very nice guy and certainly a legend of Pikes Peak.

Once at Barr Camp, Lisa and I discussed plans. Her plan was to run casually to the A-Frame and then nail the last 3 miles. Mine was to just to ease into it and see how I felt after hammering Grays/Torreys on Monday. I started off at a reasonable pace and my legs felt surprisingly good. I wanted to get a good workout, but not really get into the red and set myself back at all.

The higher I went, the better I felt. Made the Bottomless Pit sign in 10:58, then the A-Frame in 31:53 (20:55 split). After the A-Frame I was still feeling great and was not really digging yet, so I figured I would up the effort a bit, but still be careful to not overdo it. Made the 2 to go sign in 47:37 (15:44 split), cruised the next “flatter” mile and made it to the 1 to go sign in 1:00:37 (13 even for this mile), then tried a bit to up my game for the final mile, as I knew Scott would be up there watching and I of course had to look good. Got to the base of the Golden Stairs and I could hear Scott yelling from high above. I snuck in a few walked steps while I knew I was out of his sight, as it is just not efficient to try and run those bigger ones.

After the steps, there are a few more reasonable switchbacks and even a short downhill and I was really encouraged by Scott’s cheering and on the fly coaching. I was really cranking hard through here, giving it all I had, everything was clicking surprisingly well. The last few hundred feet of trail REALLY hurt, but I just put my head down and gave it all I had, finishing in 1:16:25 from Barr Camp with a 15:48 split for the final mile.

This was by far the fastest I have ever run the upper part of Pikes and I was quite surprised after the workout I had on Monday. I felt as though I gave it a good effort, but did not really extend myself too much until the final mile, it all felt totally in control.

Once I gathered myself, I ran back down to join Scott as he cheered Lisa on. She then decided to do an extra final mile, but I politely declined. Scott and I found a good vantage where we watched/timed and I then ran with her the final ¼-1/3 mile to give encouragement and I regretted not doing the whole mile, as I still felt great. Lisa really motored her final mile, in something like 15:08 I think, amazing, she will have an awesome race!

At the top, we also met up with Kees Guijt who I am somewhat familiar with, another awesome runner who placed 3rd in 2004, so we offered him a ride down. It was way cool getting out there with the stars of Pikes. Great company, great conversation and great running.

Splits from Barr Camp:

Bottomless Pit 10:58

A Frame 31:53 (20:55)

2 to go 47:37 (15:44)

1 to go 1:00:37 (13:00)

Summit 1:16:25 (15:48)

Tuesday 8/05/08 Bike Ride

25 miles

Rode to Boulder, just goofing around taking it easy, great recovery ride.

Monday, 08/04/08 Grays/Torreys

Grays and Torreys
Monday, 8/04/08
From Stevens Gulch TH

Continuing my build up for the Pikes Peak Ascent, I wanted to get in a fast high altitude test to see how my form is coming along. Grays and Torreys fit the bill perfectly as they are 60 miles from home and have a nice runable trail all the way to the summit(s).

I actually decided to do this at 5:45am this morning as I knew the weather today was supposed to be better than Tuesday and I knew as soon as I got out of bed that my legs were fresh and ready for a hard test.

I parked at the Bakerville exit and geared up, keeping an eye for any SUV’s passing by with an empty seat. One vehicle passed, but I was not ready, so I started jogging up the trail at a much easier pace than last week. After a literal minute, up comes a big Tahoe with 2 empty seats in the back piloted by Nicki, with her husband Eric in the passenger seat. They gladly make room for me and off we go. It is his first 14er and her second and we make small talk all the way to the TH. It took 25 minutes, only 5 off of our running time, but I was happy to have the ride and be able to start the upper section with fresh legs.

I spend 10+ minutes warming up, taking 2 last pees and stashing the drinks I was not taking with me up the peaks. My goal today is to break my PR of 55:52 and perhaps if I were lucky, beat the fastest known time of 55:30.

I started my watch at the far side of the bridge (closest to Grays/Torreys) and forced myself to not start off too hard (echoes of George's warnings about my bad habit of fast starts going through my head). My legs felt maybe the best they ever had and I eased up the trail with little effort. The trail levels out for a bit and I was really able to up the turnover and move quite fast, always looking for the perfect line through the rocks and cutting the gradual apexes as efficiently as possible. I reach the sign (my first and only checkpoint) and despite the conservative start, I am ~22 seconds ahead of PR pace. I am buoyed by this, but try to not let it go to my head and keep maintaining/upping the effort.

The segments of trail are flying past in stark contrast to a week ago (when I was tired from hammering the approach road). I am just feeling AWESOME now and my legs feel extremely strong and my steps are light, accurate and efficient. I walk a few of the biggest steps, or very short steep sections, but am able to keep a running momentum most of the way.

The final switchbacks come in quick succession and I am making frequent checks of the watch, which is now seeming to outpace me… it is going to be close! I am using my hands on my knees when practical to aid upward progress and am really giving my all, my entire body working in unison, doing everything to get me to the top. People on the trail are looking at me like I am nuts and I get frequent comments of awe and disbelief as I pass. I can smell the summit now and I am sprinting all out, knowing that I am going to PR. I hit the top and stop my watch at 54:38:93. Not sure why, but I get a bit choked up knowing that I have accomplished this test I have constructed for myself and I crouch down on the top and gasp for air.

I pull it together quick and take off for Torreys, hoping to PR on this stretch as well. Despite the effort, my legs still feel absolutely rock solid. I go quick, but careful down to the saddle (5 minutes), then give it all I have up the short ascent of Torreys, making it in 15:38 from Grays, a new PR for me by nearly 2 minutes. Sweet! I linger for a moment and accept a few compliments from summit spectators and am then challenged to do 50 jumping jacks. I politely decline and start my way back down at a quick, yet cautious pace. It takes me 35:59 to reach the summer TH where I gather my stash and poke around the lot in hopes of pilfering another ride. It being a weekday, I have no luck and resign myself to jogging my way out. This part sucks as it is getting warm and I am ready to be done, but the car appears in another 23, so no biggie.

I am very happy with the way my training is coming along and am very excited that my fitness is better than it was at this time in 2006, my best year to date. The race is less than 2 weeks away and I am hopeful that I can put together a solid performance come race day and put to rest my demons of 2007. Anything can happen of course come race day, so I try to not get my hopes up, I just have to play it smart from here on and give it my all when it counts most.

Splits:

Start from TH: 0:00

Sign: 16:38

Kelso turnoff: 21:02

Grays summit: 54:38

Torreys summit: 1:10:06

Back at TH: 1:46:05

Back at Bakerville: 2:09:05

Sunday 8/03/08 Mt. Tweto

Mt. Tweto (13,672)
8/03/08
~5 miles/2,300 vertical
Jeff, Allison and Sierra Valliere

We again parked after the crossing of Mosquito Creek where we parked for yesterday’s trip http://www.fourteenerworldforum.com/showthread.php?t=12847 and headed North up the valley toward Tweto. The hike could not have been simpler and we made the summit in about 90 minutes taking it quite casual. From the summit, we debated heading over to Mount Arkansas, but again clouds were building and it looked a bit further and more involved than we were willing to commit to. I considered running over there, but the lure of the sprawling valley of wildflowers was overpowering.

Again, I was in la la land and took countless photos of the vast array of flowers carpeting the valley. We had the entire place to ourselves and were amazed and thankful that the masses cruise past without a glance. Good stuff!!

Pictures:

http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/Tweto/

Saturday 8/02/08 "Repeater Peak", Mosquito Peak, Treasurevault Mountain

“Repeater Peak” (13548), Mosquito Peak (13,781), Treasurevault Mountain (13,701)8/02/08
~6 miles/~3,200 vertical
Jeff, Allison and Sierra Valliere

For a long time I have been meaning to get over to the Mosquito Pass area and stroll a few easy bicentennials. George has a cabin nearby and has been running up there for years and always raves about it, so Allison and I finally decided to have a look.

We parked a bit past the London Mine just below the first really steep/rough section of road after the crossing of Mosquito Creek. We got a later than hoped start at 9:15am, but we were not too worried as we knew it was to be a short hike and we were just into taking things leisurely.

Shortly into the hike, we ran across some amazing areas of wildflowers and I took a few pictures, but figured there would be more time for that later. We loosely followed the road to where it crosses the saddle between London Mountain and “Repeater Peak” and headed up the East Ridge.

The summit came in no time and we kept on moving toward Mosquito, as the building and antennas were not all that appealing. The walk over to Mosquito and then Treasurevault was quite simple and uneventful and we took a nice break on Mosquito. By the time we got to Treasurevault however, there was a big dark cloud building quickly above us.

I of course wanted to run over and nab Tweto and Arkansas, but was just as happy to bail off the ridge and save that for tomorrow given the threatening weather.We meandered our way down valley and took a long break at a very tranquil lake above Oliver Twist Lake. Of course the dark cloud had dissipated or moved on and it was again a perfect sunny day.

We took advantage of this opportunity to completely take our time and not be rushed.As we descended back down the valley, we came across the amazing wildflower patches that we noted on the ascent and even more that we had missed earlier.

I was in picture taking heaven and lingered for an unknown amount of time snapping picture after picture, completely lost in the moment.I think we finally left around 2 and headed back to George’s cabin where we read, napped and then headed to Alma for an excellent meal at the South Park Saloon. It was awesome to just take things easy today and relax.

Thanks again to George for "letting" us crash his cabin ;).

Pictures:http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/Mosquito/

Biked Lee Hill

35.7 miles
2 hours

Ahhhh..... the relief of not having to go to work! Had a leisurely morning around the house, eating breakfast, catching up on the internet and doing a few house chores. Got out the door by 9:15 and headed out Baseline to 75th to Jay to 36 to Lee Hill. The climb was hot and I had my 11-23 instead of my 12-25, so I was dogging it a bit. Went fairly hard going out/up, then casual on the way home as I went through town and home on the creek path/Baseline. It was getting mighty hot toward the end and I was glad to roll in to the driveway and seek shade.

S. Boulder Peak

8 miles
3,000 vertical

Got out for a great run up S. Boulder Peak for something a little different. Went warm-up pace to the signed jct. just beyond the creek at the base of Shadow. Got there in a leisurely 21:15 and then upped the pace through the canyon. I was feeling good on the warm-up, but that was no surprise, since it was just a warm-up afterall. As I increased my effort, I knew my legs were not fully recovered and never fully ramped it up. I went hardish for 3 or 4 minutes and knew that pushing would set me back more than help at this point, so I just resigned myself to fast walking and jogged the easier sections. Once things leveled a bit before the switchbacks prior to the saddle, I started feeling fairly good and upped the pace again. Made the saddle in 43:22, then the summit in 49:03. Did a quick turn and got back to the saddle in 3:40, then another 13:50 to the junction and 14:28 back to the TH for a total of 31:58 descent and 1:21:01 RT. I felt like I got a quality workout even though I did not push too hard. My feet felt quick and accurate on the descent and I never felt like I was pushing at all, just rolling with it really.

A few laps on the track and a trip to Mallory Cave

Got on the track at 6:30am. Warmed up for two laps, ran a 1:21, took a cooldown lap, ran another 1:21 and called it quits. I was just not feeling it mentally or physically. Probably could have pushed through it, but my gut was telling me that I was not doing myself any good. I quickly shifted gears and drove up to NCAR and ran up to Mallory Cave in a super easy 19 minutes. The cave is closed April 1st - Oct. 1st, so I found a sunny rock overlooking town and sat up there for 5 minutes or so and jogged back easy.

Green Mountain

5 miles
2,400 vertical

Started off this morning intending to go moderate. I was going solo on Green for the first time in a few weeks, so I brought along my Mp3 player. As I started walking through the West edge of Chautauqua, my legs were feeling pretty tight and tired, so I figured even going moderate was going to be an effort. Having gone on a recent road trip, my Mp3 player was set up with a variety of music that Allison and I could both agree on, instead of my usual line up of sports podcasts. I spent my warmup and the first 6-7 minutes scrolling through songs and trying to find my Endurance Planet podcasts, but with all the auto tagging fancy smarty stuff going on, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, so I got pi$$ed and turned it off and yanked out the headphones.

By now, the first junction had passed and I decided to bump up my pace a bit. I was never giving it too much, just rolling along at a good clip and I started to notice some decent splits. As I went up, my legs felt better and better with each step. I started thinking about 33-34 range and really started gassing it good at 27-28 minutes into the run. I knew it would be desperately close and I could taste the pain of the effort over the final few switchbacks, but my legs felt AWESOME. I made it in 33:49:92. I figured that was my 2nd fastest, but after a quick search of my logs when I got back, I realized it is a PR by a second or less! This buoyed my confidence a bit after my somewhat disappointing ascent of Grays on Saturday. I think as long as I don't mess up in the next 2 weeks, I am in a good position.

Monday 7/28/08

Biked to work
16 miles

Sunday 7/27/08 Beartrack Lakes, Mt. Evans Wilderness

~12 miles
~2,400 vertical

Feeling a little trashed from running Grays/Torreys the previous day, it was a nice change of pace to do some casual hiking with Allison, Sierra, Kevin and Joe. We got up in the morning without a plan and called Kevin and he proposed "something on the East side of Evans". I just went along and the remainder of the day was improv, which I normally am opposed to as it rarely seems to work out when there is no plan. "Working out" usually means me getting to the top of some peak, and I planned on nabbing Epaulet, the little bump between Rosalie and Evans. It took us quite some time to get to the lake, so by the time we got there, the skies looked a bit threatening and I was content chilling out. Great day with great company, followed by a burger, fries and shake in Morrison to top it off.