Saturday, 7/11/09 Grays Peak Attempt

After 2 months of discomfort and minor pain in my foot, I really did myself in yesterday on an easy hike of all things.

It all started at the very end of April, where a new pair of shoes were feeling a bit unsupportive and made the outside edge of my feet feel a bit sore and fatigued. I ran in them for two weeks, hoping I would “break them in”, but the writing was on the wall and I decided to give up on them to be on the safe side.

Within days, my right foot felt completely normal, but I had some lingering discomfort in my left foot, though only when I stepped on a pointy rock running downhill, otherwise I never even remembered that it was there. For insurance though, I took it pretty easy on the downhill runs and wore the most supportive, cushy comfortable shoes I had. The issue remained the same all of May and the first half of June, never getting better, never getting worse, until I ran the Brook Loop TT.

The downhill section of the loop is fairly rocky and technical. Normally, this descent would be no big deal, but for some reason, my left foot really started flare up, not just the occasional step, but every step. At the finish, it was clear that I had a problem and I decided to take some time off from running and heal. Over the next two weeks, I hiked some (easy) and biked a lot, but each time I tested my foot out with an easy run, it was clear that I had made no progress.

Feeling a bit anxious about the Pikes countdown timer, I decided to not mess around and go see sports injury guru Jeremy Rodgers who helped me with my knee two years ago. He took an x-ray and found nothing, determined that whatever it is that is bugging me was minor, prescribed some exercises, an night boot etc…. and I was beginning to make progress. I ran Green Mountain almost daily and though not cleared up, I felt better and better each day, so much better that I decided to run Quandary on Thursday.

Minutes into the Quandary run, I felt the pain in my left foot, more than I had in the past running uphill which slowed me a good bit, not wanting to really push off hard on the left side. The descent was somewhat painful, some steps especially painful, yet I still ran trying to catch my friend Nate. Although I was running to catch him, I was really favoring my injured foot and thought I was going a somewhat conservative speed.

I was pretty discouraged by the end of the run, having regressed to an all time low (regarding this injury). I could see my Pikes aspirations going down the drain, assuming that my foot would be giving me enough discomfort that I would not be able to train properly. I was still planning on running it, but had lowered my expectations to just getting the finishing shirt/jacket or whatever it is they will give away at the top this year.

Coincidentally, I had my final “follow up” appt. with Jeremy the next day. I woke up with my foot feeling sore, but slightly better than the previous day. When I went in, he gave me the carbon fiber insole for my shoe that I had been eagerly awaiting that was on order. I put that in my shoe and in an instant, I was feeling almost no discomfort when I put pressure on my foot. Amazing! (or so I thought).

I debated what to do on Saturday and strongly considered riding my bike, preferably up Mt. Evans, which in my gut I knew would be the best thing to do. Sierra’s extra playful demeanor indicated that she had energy to burn and I felt bad that she had not been for any hikes in a while. Taking pity on her, I decided to join my friends Nate and Dan for a trip up Grays and Torreys.

Though probably not the best idea, I felt confident that I could at least hike easy and just enjoy the day, get in some altitude and enjoy the company of good friends. I felt great for the first hour, truly amazed at how that plate was protecting my foot. At an altitude of a little over 13k, just prior to the Grays/Torreys junction, I stepped on a rock about the size of a tennis ball. Had I stepped on it with my good foot, it would have passed without notice, but I inadvertently stepped on it with my suspect foot, where it rolled (I think it only rolled like it did because it was already somewhat weakened) in such a way that something in my foot really let go.

The pain was unbearable and it about put me to the ground. I sat on a rock and encouraged Nate and Dan to continue and I would head back and wait. I started down the rocky trail and it was immediately evident that this was going to be the toughest ~3 miles of my life. I grabbed the boulders on the side of the trail for support, but progress was agonizingly slow. I could see that soon the trail would level a bit and there would be no boulders to assist me and I was stressing about what I would do. I tried walking backwards, but it was still very painful and very awkward. A few backward steps and I would certainly fall.

I was contemplating just sitting there to wait for Nate and Dan to return and have them help me, or crawl. Just as I was contemplating this, a woman caught up to me, having turned around due to the altitude (she is from sea level) and offered to let me use her hiking pole. I told her that I would be really slow, but she insisted that it was no big deal, as her friends were up the mountain as well and she was in no hurry.

The pole helped keep me upright and balanced, but did little to alleviate the pain in my foot. Sierra was getting a bit impatient and a bit confused over my situation and was getting too far ahead and distracted, so my new friend offered to walk her on leash, which helped me to focus on my task at hand.

The peak was incredibly crowded, even more so than last July when I deemed it the most crowded I had ever seen it. Almost everyone on the way up asked if I was OK, if I needed help, needed asprin, needed to borrow their poles etc…... I was not OK, but did not really know how to answer. It was quite sobering and embarrassing to be hobbling along, so feeble and immobile when normally I bound up and down these peaks with speed and confidence, feeling as though I can conquer the world.

It took me 2.5 hours to get back to the summer trailhead, where Nate and Dan returned 10 minutes after. Luckily Nate drove us up in his Jeep and we did not have to walk all the way to Bakerville. Even the jostling ride down hurt and I continued to have shooting pains through my foot and continue to do so as I write this.

Walking around the house is very difficult, driving my car is very painful because of the clutch. I am going to pick up some crutches soon, Kevin is loaning me a boot that I can wear to keep my foot from flexing and I hope to see a podiatrist tomorrow. Right now my foot is swollen and painful. Any thoughts of running Pikes Peak are completely down the tubes. Though I am very bummed out about it, I am strangely relieved about it at the same time (not to be guessing/stressing over not training well). It is amazing how quickly priorities shift from wanting to run up a mountain, to just wanting to walk around the house, work, supermarket, walk the dog etc….

I can’t recall ever hurting this bad, maybe breaking my leg when I was 6, but that was a long time ago. This one will certainly take some time to recover from, whatever the podiatrist diagnoses it as. Once the swelling goes down, I hope to be able to at least ride my bike within the next week if it does not hurt.

7/09/09 Quandary Peak

Quandary Peak
East Ridge from Monte Christo TH
7/09/09
5.4 miles/3,370 vertical
Jeff Valliere, Nate Bahrenburg

After nursing a minor foot injury the last few weeks and being crazy busy with all kinds of random things, it was high time to go run a 14er. My foot was feeling better and since Allison, her friend Stef and Nate’s wife Gina wanted to go to Breckenridge for the day, Nate and I decided to make a quick trip up Quandary.

This was Nate’s second fourteener (he joined me for Princeton as his first back in 1997), so after a long hiatus, I was not sure what to expect. Nate runs some to stay fit, so I knew he would be strong.

I started up the trail with Nate as a bit of a warm up, as my plan was to give him a head start and catch him along the way. I went back to the car, ate/drank a bit and got ready. I took my time, sure that I would catch Nate before the top.

I started my watch at exactly 9:11am, 30 minutes after Nate began. I felt OK, but my foot was acting up, where the pain increased little by little as I went along. I was also feeling a little run down and dopey, from only getting 3.5 hours of sleep the previous night. I typically get 8+ hours, but for some unknown reason have been sleeping like crap lately.

I was hoping to break an hour, but was really not sure how close I would come, as I was really starting to favor my left foot. Aside from the foot and the lack of sleep, my fitness generally felt good. I was surprised at where the trail was routed after tree-line, as I have not been up here in the summer since 1995.

The trail was in great shape, but as it got rockier higher up, I was being really careful as to where and how I placed my left foot. I was starting to pass people and goats, but still no Nate…. Did he hide behind a bush and is now watching me chase a ghost?

As I neared what I thought to be the top, I was sure I was going to break an hour, but I naively had forgotten that last spot where you realize you have another 100+ vertical, that today was covered in snow. It was here I spotted Nate on his descent, where he informed me that he made it up in 1:25!!

He asked how I was doing and I huffed out “crappy!”. I tagged the top in 1:02:56, and sucked down one of my two 7oz bottles of Heed. Everyone on top was well dressed and looked at me like I was nuts in running shorts, t-shirt and not much else, though it was a very pleasant day.

My sub goal was to run the round trip in 1:45 or better, but as soon as I started down, I was sure this would be unlikely. My main goal was to quickly catch Nate and hike down with him, but he was making surprisingly quick work of the descent. The rocks and talus were just killing my foot with each awkward step and several steps were just sending severe bolts of pain, nearly causing me to fall down. I gingerly hobbled down the rocks, always trying to strategically place the gimpy foot.

I was so bummed by this, as I have been seeing my PT for two weeks and felt I was making good progress, now it was worse than it had ever been. I hopped along for what seemed like forever and never did catch Nate, just the occasional glimpse of him ahead.

I finally reached the trailhead in a total time of 1:42:01 and was a bit surprised by this. I should have been stoked, but was more upset over the fact that although I had been running Green Mountain almost daily with minimal pain, I was now seeing Pikes Peak ambitions slip away.

I soaked my throbbing foot in the ice cold creek for a short while, talking to Nate about his hike/run. Not that I am that surprised, but I was very impressed that he did the round trip in 2:10, after not getting up a 14er in 12 years, wearing hiking shoes and carrying a clunky fanny pack. I am suspicious that he might be doing some stealth training and not telling me.

Not sure what I am going to do about this foot thing, besides continue with my treatment regimen and ride my bike to stay fit. Things do not seem all that hopeful at this point and am starting to think I have some sort of Pikes Peak curse.

Splits:

Treeline: 14:50
False summit: 41ish
Summit: 1:02:56
Finish: 1:42:01

7/06/09 Green Mountain

A few whacky happenings.... A drunk couple swearing at each other at the Gregory TH, topped off by her puking after he spun her around. Class. Then a dufus coming down Amphitheater with hiking poles started through a 10 foot long narrow section I was already in, I yielded (though I was running up), as he proceded to edge me out with his offensive poles. He then proceeded to inform me that I have to yield to downhill traffic. I politely let him know he was wrong, unless it was a race, where downhill has the right of way. The remainder of the people I saw the rest of the trip seemed as though they were a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Had me wondering if it was a full moon or something. Sure enough, tomorrow is the full moon, so I am sure there is a correlation. Almost landed on a large bull snake on the descent. I pulled some fancy aerial maneuvers to no land on it as I thought it was a rattler at first glance. I screamed like a girl, stopped, then watched it for a while.

Oh yeah, the run. Super easy on the up, casual on the down. The foot is starting to feel a bit better in general, but a misplaced landing can send me hopping.

38 UP
1:03 RT

Sunday, 7/5/09 Green Mountain

Jogged up Gregory/Ranger at a moderate pace , saw my first Columbines ever in the Boulder area, just past the Greenman/Ranger jct. on the right. It has been a wet spring/summer indeed!

Descended the usual front side for efficiency, going super easy as to not aggravate my foot. Did not see another person the entire run, except for one frumpy lady back at the Gregory TH who looked at me like I just escaped from prison after I offered up a cheerful "good morning" (got no response). 39:44 up, 1:07 RT, made it to work just a few minutes past 7am.

As an aside, I noticed that Baseline road was lined with signs and orange fencing from below Chautauqua to at least the Gregory TH. The signs read "Special Event, No Parking July 4th from 3pm to 11pm, violators will be towed at owners expense" or something to that effect. All I can think of is fireworks, but aren't those usually at Folsom Field? Perhaps a race I did not hear about? Or just the powers that be, putting limits on 4th of July fun???

Saturday, July 4th, 2009 Peak to Peak/Brainard Lake

The weather was looking a little iffy in the morning, so we threw the bikes in the car and drove to Ward to expedite our trip to the Peak to Peak highway. On the way there, we passed literally hundreds of riders and I was itching to be on the bike passing as many as possible. Once we parked and readied for our ride, we headed North toward Allenspark, but turned around just prior due to ever darkening skies. We got sprinkled on a bit, but things seemed good enough when we returned to Ward, so we rode up to Brainard, did a lap, then sat in a nice window of sunshine enjoying the views, fresh piney smell and mountain air. Things soon clouded up and became a bit cold, so we sped back down the hill to the car. It is awesome to be cold on the 4th of July, or at least have the option. Allison just loves her new bike, huge improvement. We topped off the day with a nice lunch in Ned..

Bikebox.


Only one day per year I can wear this stupid windbreaker (and matching socks out of view).


Luckily, Allison looks good, so I don't have to.

Friday, 7/03/09 S. Boulder and Bear

For lack of any "real" mountain plans, we found ourselves at the Cragmoor TH at 11:20am after a large breakfast at "The Original Pancake House". What we anticipated to be a cool, cloudy morning hike, turned into a hot hike/run with no sunscreen (had it in my backpack/man-purse, but managed to forget that at home). I hiked with Allison and Sierra up to the junction of Fern and decided to run to the top. Was overdressed a bit and wearing clunker shoes (for my foot issue), but managed to get to the saddle in 9:42 and to the summit post in 22:51. Just as I was topping out, I heard somebody call my name, but I still had 5 seconds to go and just muttered a "hold on a sec". It was my good friend Mike Oberg, so we hiked down a few hundred feet to meet Allison and Sierra. I accompanied them back up to the top, then we went over to SBP. Things were slow for the remainder of the hike, as Allison is dealing with a hip issue. We were long out of water, no sunscreen, sunburnt and long bonked after the pancake high, so I was very relieved to get back to the car and head home.

After we ate some lunch, we shifted gears and headed out for a short road ride, so Allison could get her kick a$$ new Specialized Ruby Expert carbon fiber road bike dialed in. Awesome bike, she looks like a pro now, a huge upgrade over her old Schwinn clunker. Riding Peak to Peak to Estes Saturday, hopefully before the weather rolls in.

Tuesday, 6/30/09 Bear Peak

After having Jeremy Rodgers take a look at my foot and getting the good news that A). my injury is minor B). I can still train C). he can heal me in a short time, I decided to get out for a run. Though it was scorching hot, I was buoyed by the good news and decided to take a trip up Bear Peak.

Mainly because of the music I was listening on my MP3 player, I went on the high side of moderate/easy side of hard, but I was not feeling up to running really hard, as the foot is still sensitive (despite the tape job and sturdy shoes I was wearing) and I am a bit off kilter from taking nearly 2 weeks mostly off of running. Not to mention it was certainly the hottest day of the year so far (at least it seemed like it).

Got to the summit post just as my watch turned 43. Scampered up to the true summit, then took the descent somewhat easy, favoring my foot a bit and trying not to make it any worse. Going easy seemed to help, as I was no worse off afterwards. 1:10:09 for the RT.

Saturday, 6/27/09 Bike Ride to Ward

Left the house on bikes this morning with Kevin and Allison, Baseline, 75th, Jay, 36, Lee Hill/Old Stage, Left Hand. Great morning, cool, clear and everyone was out on their bikes. Turned on the gas a bit the last few miles up to Peak to Peak, but otherwise was a good husband and paced Allison the remainder of the day. She did great considering she only rides once every week or 3, has little/no biking background and rides a heavy tank of a bike. We were going to head up to the Brainard gate, but Allison was a bit tanked by the time she arrived in Ward, so we will save that one for another day.

I am really digging riding the bike and am very much looking forward to getting in a ride or two up Mt. Evans, Berthoud Pass, perhaps the Minturn Loop (Fremont/Tennessee/Vail Pass). Am also fantasizing about the Grand Loop, ~220 miles over Trail Ridge, to WP, over Berthoud, OMG road, Peak to Peak, Ned back to Boulder. Hampsten once told me it was the hardest ride he had ever done. Need to find A). Sag wagon and B). a strong partner or two

Thursday, June 25th, 2009 Green Mountain

What a crazy birthday (well not that crazy), but certainly memorable. I got an invite from Brandon to go out to lunch, so we met at Wahoos close to work (thanks again Brandon) and at the last minute I invited Tim, as I learned that morning that Tim was moving to California and had Dave's car packed, which was surprising news to say the least. I am happy for Tim that he found a job and is moving to a place he is excited about, but will certainly miss him as a running partner. I have only known Tim since January, but we hit it off immidiately and shared many good runs and an epic winter climb of Longs Peak. Keep in touch Tim!

I was not planning on getting out, but at the last minute I decided to run up Green. My legs felt good at work and in the car, but as soon as I hit the trail, they were like lead and I almost turned around, but kept going since I spent 30 minutes getting to the TH from Longmont. To add to it, it was probably the hottest day of the year thus far (at least the hottest temps I have run in) and my foot is still bugging me despite an easy week.

I just plugged along and although I never felt very good, I enjoyed my time on the trail regardless. I think I was also feeling the bike ride the previous day, noting that my quads were a touch tired.

Made the summit in 36:44, turned tail and headed back down the short way, getting back to the TH in 58:58.

Once in the car, I heard the news of Michael Jackson. As a kid, I was a huge fan, but grew out of it in high school for the most part, yet all the while appreciating his work and talent. He ultimately became one of the biggest celebrity train wrecks, but I will not forget what an amazing performer he was in the 80's and before. Kind of a downer on my 38th birthday.

Wednesday, 6/24/09 Bike to Work Day

Being reminded about Bike to Work Day a few weeks ago, I was certainly interested in participating and immidiately envisioned leisurely riding in, stopping for free food along the way at as many BTWD food stations as I could map out, but the work e-mail announcement mentioned a "friendly competition". Three categories were listed, longest one way commute, longest round trip and the final one that got my wheels spinning (literally and figuratively)...... most vertical. Hmmm..... did someone say competition and vertical in the same sentence?

I immidiately began plotting to sweep all 3 categories. I drove in Tuesday with extra clothes, food and anything I may need during the day, so I would not have to ride with a pack.

Wednesday morning arrived and I was up at 4:15am, anxious for a great ride. I was thinking of leaving at 5am, but it was just a touch too dark for my comfort level and did not feel like digging out bike lights. I slowly took my time getting ready and was out the door at 5:20am and headed West on Baseline to Flagstaff Road. I took the climb somewhat moderate, enjoying the scenery and basking in the quiet surroundings, fresh air and warming sunshine. I topped out in 33, did an immidiate U and was back down in 9 minutes.

From the base of Flag, I took 6th/4th/Broadway up to Lee Hill. I passed a BTWD station setting up a big griddle and was tempted to stop, but it was still before 7 and I had some riding to do. My legs were still feeling fresh since I went easy on Flag and I settled into a rythm up Lee Hill. At the top, I took a left and continued up the ever steepening Deer Trail. From Broadway, this took 45 minutes going a moderate pace. I took a short break to eat some Gu Chomps, glug some water and take in the morning and views. Looking at the divide, I was itching to ride up to Brainard/Peak to Peak/Estes, but alas I had to get to work.

Back down Deer Trail, back side of Lee Hill, Lefthand to 36 (obeying all laws of course ;)), 36 N. to Nelson Road and into Longmont. I was hoping to top 50 miles for the inbound commute, but arrived at work just before 8:30am with 48ish, and a flat tire! Dang it! I stood up, leaned forward (thus putting the bulk of my weight on my front tire) and put in the final two miles going back and forth in front of our building on the smooth road.

After a full day of work and a tube change, I was out the door at 4:39pm and the skies were threatening. It was warm, but the skies were starting to produce, yet I was sure I could make it home in time if I pedaled fast. Heading South on 95th, I really cranked it up, motivated to not get myself involved with any of the lightning I could see striking not too far to the West. Aside from going up one roller, I was never going under 25, and had the speed up over 40 at one point when I sprinted to get in the draft of a hay truck. I eventually got sick of the blowing hay in my face and was a bit spun out in my top gear, since I put on some easier climbing gears for the morning climbing, backing off once we got to 45mph.

The weather held barely long enough for me to put in a few extra miles to get up over 70 for the day which was my goal. I hope to find out today if I won at least one of the categories (and a $50 Visa gift card).

Stats: 71.25 miles
Vertical: ~5,800
Time: 4:26

The time looks kind of slow for 71 miles, but with all the vertical, there was a lot of climbing at 7-9 mph to skew the average (16mph). In Florida, we used to regularly churn out 100 miles in less than 3:50, but that was pancake flat at sea level.

This ride was so fun, I can see adding in a few more climbs next time, maybe make a day of it and get SuperFlag, Magnolia, Sugarloaf, Sunshine, Lee Hill/Deer Trail, SuperJames.

Monday, 6/15/09 Sanitas

It has been a while since I have been on Sanitas, but it was cool and damp and I needed something short. I went really easy, but about half way up, I could hear some thunder kicking up and getting closer, so I picked up the tempo to moderate for the last 5 minutes or so. Hit the pole at 19:50 and turned back down the hill with out breaking stride. Down in 11.

Sunday, 6/14/09 N. Face of Torreys (Emperor Couloir) and Grays Peak

Torreys via the “Emperor” couloir, and Grays
6/14/09
Jeff Valliere, Dave Hale, Sierra and Shep (for Emperor), Emily Hale, Kiefer and Sophie (for the hike out from Torreys summit)

Dave and I have been trying to coordinate to get in a good snowclimb together for weeks, but for various reasons, we just have not been able to make it happen until today.

After a short and restless night of sleep, I was wide awake at 3:15am, so I just got up and took my time getting ready, as I was to meet Dave in Bakerville at 5:45am. I got there 20 minutes early, put the final touches on my pack and we were soon cruising up the road in his truck to the campsite in Grizzly Gulch where he and Em had camped. We started hiking from the campsite at 5:55am and was once again stymied by the web of roads and found ourselves on the wrong side of the raging creek. We poked and prodded our way along and finally found a slippery log to cross that barely did the job. Once on the road on the N. side of the creek, it was easy street again for a short while.

Some easy bushwhacking soon had us at the base of the mighty Emperor, just in time to catch up with Bob Dawson, Sharoni, Steve Cassin and their group training for their upcoming Rainier trip. We all geared up together and started up the couloir within minutes of one another, chit chatting as we went.

The lower section was compacted avy debris which made for easy cramponing. It was impressive to witness how this snow had piled up, must have been one heck of a wet slide and I was glad to be here on a cold morning.

There was a fairly steep initial pitch, where the snow was a bit hard, but this was no big deal and before long the gradient relented a bit and was nice comfortable cruising. As we got higher, Dave and I were a little ahead of our group of friends, just basking in the glow of a glorious, blue sky Colorado day, when I happened to look up and see two softball size rocks skipping down the gulley at high speed.



Dave and I both yelled and stepped out of the way. Fortunately, they were on a trajectory opposite of the Dawson group and they passed without incident. This got me a bit on guard, as I was now always looking up the slope. Aside from two more small and less threatening rocks that skipped across our path, we did not have any more rock issues.

As we approached the summit, there were several options on the left and right, of varying grade, but we ultimately decided to stay in the very center of the couloir and head for what looked to be the most direct (albeit steep) finish. The final few hundred feet got progressively steeper with every foot, but conditions were perfect for kicking a deep enough and solid step. I also brought along an extra axe which at times seemed like overkill, but I was really glad to have it along, as I could plant/plant, step/step and always felt very secure. Sierra and Shep were absolutely loving this climb, every bit of it no matter how steep it got and were always smiling.

Dave and I topped out at 9:22am and the Dawson group of 10 trickled in very soon after. We waited a bit for Emily, Kiefer and Sophie to ascend the standard route and it was a festive atmosphere as we basked in the glow of a great climb and a perfect day.

After we had all regrouped, Dave and I cruised over to Grays, then back down to the saddle to rejoin Emily, where they decided to glissade and I walked. As I descended, I was surprised to bump into Kevin Lund and Carol Gerber heading up Grays for a late day jaunt. As we arrived at the Stevens Gulch TH, it started to snow/graupel, but there was no thunder which was good for all those above.

This was an all time favorite climb and I can’t wait to go back.

Pictures:
http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/jeffvalliere/2009_06_14_Emperor/

6/11/09 S. Boulder Peak TT

We had a great turnout this evening, 20 I think. Dave proved to be king of the mountain today, and overall for the series, blazing the course and besting the FKT by 34 seconds, in an amazing 44:46. I ended up second in 46:43, a disappointing 53 seconds off PR. Early on my throat started getting pflegmy and I knew I just did not have it as I was hacking and not feeling as strong as I would have liked. Either way, it was a very fun run and a great turnout.

Wednesday, 6/10/09 Green Mountain

Running today did not look likely, as the afternoon deluge was in full swing, tornado warnings, hail, thunder, lightning. Oh well, gotta run a few errands in Boulder anyways, so I figured I would see what happens. My timing was perfect and the rain stopped just as I completed my errand. I was planning on Sanitas, but since I was closer to Chautauqua, I figured I would head in that direction. The air was cool and damp and the ground was soaked as I started up Gregory with no real plan. As I crested Gregory Canyon, I got off the beaten track and visited some vintage routes. I had not visited segment 1 of vintage route in years and it was awesome! The sun came out, everything was green and flowery, the dark clouds to the East looked purple and stood out in stark contrast to my immediate surroundings. I soon hit the Greenman trail, headed up Green via vintage segment 2 (big mistake), intersected the trail again and made it to the top in time to spy a nice rainbow to the East. I went SUPER easy, saving myself for the S. Boulder TT, but I felt awesome and wanted to run hard. I headed back down the front side, in a hurry to get home, but it was all I could do not to tack on another hour or more. This was one of those perfect evenings for running where it all comes together and you just don’t want it to end.

Up in 46/1:11 RT