Felt a little sluggish, probably a combination of heat and 14er running over the weekend. Jogged to the mouth of Fern, hiked the remainder of the way up Bear, jogged to South Boulder and then back to the Cragmoor TH. Coordination was a bit off, felt really slow/uncoordinated.
47:04 up Bear
59:11 to SoBo (139 avg. HR/156 max (ascent))
1:44:56 total (118 avg. HR/152 max (descent))
Sierra
Sierra
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, 06/26/10 Missouri/Belford/Oxford
Missouri/Oxford/Belford
06/26/10
14.5 miles
7,400 vertical
Start from Missouri Gulch TH at 7:20am
Finish at Missouri Gulch TH at 12:45pm
Partner: John Prater (Homie)
Homie is training hard for the upcoming Hardrock 100 and wanted to get in some quality time up high. Missouri/Oxford/Belford stood out as an empty spot in his June grid, so we hit the road early Saturday morning for a good mountain outing. Though tired and groggy at 4:30am, conversation flows quite easily and almost non-stop with Homie and the trip to the Missouri Gulch TH passed quite quickly. At the trailhead, John was ready in an instant, while I hurriedly futzed around, as I had just thrown a bag together without much thought the night before.
We got on the trail at 7:20am and settled into a comfortable/conversational hiking pace that we maintained all the way up the switchbacks, through the valley and to the ridge below Missouri’s summit. There was some snow on the trail just below the ridge, so we avoided it on the left. John smartly went straight up to the ridge on more solid rock, while I performed an ascending traverse through scree and dirt toward the ridge in the general direction of the summit. This turned out to be somewhat inefficient, so I figured I should gain the ridge asap, but was blocked by a long/soft/impassable lingering cornice. This meant I was forced to traverse further than I had hoped as the ridge got higher and higher above. Once there was a gap in the snow, I bee lined directly up the steep fall line, but was on “conveyer belt” scree and dirt. I clawed, kicked and cussed my way through as my heart rate was nearly maxed to make what seemed like backward progress. Once on the ridge, Homie was long gone and I took off at full steam to try and catch up, as we had just speculated that we might be able to break 2 hours for the ascent. The ridge made for excellent running, except for the hard class 2+ section that required a little care. After carefully negotiating the steep gulley, I bolted for the top as Homie waited just below the summit so we could top out together in 2:05. After a ~10 minute break, we jogged down the ridge off the summit and back down the trail into the basin, re-filled water bottles in the creek and started up the trail toward Elkhead Pass. From Elkhead, it was a nice gradual hike to the high shoulder of Belford where we hiked along at a moderate pace conversing the whole way.
For much of the hike/run, I was quite preoccupied with the painful blisters developing on my heels (even though I stopped to cover the developing blisters with Band Aid brand blister coverings , they unfortunately did not work and my blisters continued to progress throughout the day). I was stupidly using a brand new/untested pair of Montrail Hardrocks I got for free the day before. The new shoes are super sturdy and protective, but that comes at too high of a price, as the sole is as stiff as a Vibram soled mountaineering boot and they are very heavy. The Hardrock is really a hiking boot in trail runners clothing and will think twice before using them for such an outing.
From the Belford shoulder, we upped the effort a bit over to Oxford, dropping to the saddle in 7 minutes, then another 16 to the summit, arriving there in 1:38 from Missouri and 23 from near Belford’s summit. We again took a nice long break, taking time to refuel and enjoy the summit for a bit. I was not looking forward to the return over Belford. My energy level and mindset were great, but my heels were in pain and my legs were feeling a little tired from the combination of Quandary the day before and gassing it through the scree and sprinting to the top of Missouri earlier in the morning. We again ran back down to the saddle on the good trail and I was expecting to dog it back up to Belford, but I dug in a bit, my strategy being to hurt worse for less time, arriving on the summit after 26 minutes. After another break on Belford, we started down the standard route with the intent of cruising somewhat easy, but before long, I was in a good groove and ended up pushing the pace at times. I felt better and better as I went, my legs were rock solid and I felt like I could cruise the most technical sections with confidence. Half of it was mental I am sure from having such a great time out in the mountains on such a great day with a great friend. Our goal was to do the whole loop in under 6 hours and I had it in my mind that we could run the final descent in an hour or less. I was occasionally checking my watch to mark progress. We were down off the ridge in 22, made the Elkhead Pass jct. in 25 and were back at the TH in 46. It was like a controlled freefall.
Moving time: 4:56
Total time with breaks: 5:25
TH to Missouri: 2:05 (avg. HR 138/Max 174)
Missouri to Oxford: 1:38 (avg. HR 140/Max 166)
Oxford to Belford: :26 (avg HR 156/Max 169)
Belford to TH: 46 (avg HR 155/Max 167)
On the way home, we got in touch with Brandon who happened to be at Twin Lakes after running part of the Leadville course (part of his training camp), so we gave him a ride back into Leadville. One of the more entertaining exchanges of the day as Brandon got out of the car and was using his i-phone 3 to call his wife:
Homie: “What, you don’t have the new i-phone 4?”
Brandon: “Dude, I’ve been gone!, there is no Apple store in Leadville!”
Homie and I later agreed the funniest part is that he was totally serious.
What an awesome day. I am very much looking forward to more runs like this soon.
06/26/10
14.5 miles
7,400 vertical
Start from Missouri Gulch TH at 7:20am
Finish at Missouri Gulch TH at 12:45pm
Partner: John Prater (Homie)
Homie is training hard for the upcoming Hardrock 100 and wanted to get in some quality time up high. Missouri/Oxford/Belford stood out as an empty spot in his June grid, so we hit the road early Saturday morning for a good mountain outing. Though tired and groggy at 4:30am, conversation flows quite easily and almost non-stop with Homie and the trip to the Missouri Gulch TH passed quite quickly. At the trailhead, John was ready in an instant, while I hurriedly futzed around, as I had just thrown a bag together without much thought the night before.
We got on the trail at 7:20am and settled into a comfortable/conversational hiking pace that we maintained all the way up the switchbacks, through the valley and to the ridge below Missouri’s summit. There was some snow on the trail just below the ridge, so we avoided it on the left. John smartly went straight up to the ridge on more solid rock, while I performed an ascending traverse through scree and dirt toward the ridge in the general direction of the summit. This turned out to be somewhat inefficient, so I figured I should gain the ridge asap, but was blocked by a long/soft/impassable lingering cornice. This meant I was forced to traverse further than I had hoped as the ridge got higher and higher above. Once there was a gap in the snow, I bee lined directly up the steep fall line, but was on “conveyer belt” scree and dirt. I clawed, kicked and cussed my way through as my heart rate was nearly maxed to make what seemed like backward progress. Once on the ridge, Homie was long gone and I took off at full steam to try and catch up, as we had just speculated that we might be able to break 2 hours for the ascent. The ridge made for excellent running, except for the hard class 2+ section that required a little care. After carefully negotiating the steep gulley, I bolted for the top as Homie waited just below the summit so we could top out together in 2:05. After a ~10 minute break, we jogged down the ridge off the summit and back down the trail into the basin, re-filled water bottles in the creek and started up the trail toward Elkhead Pass. From Elkhead, it was a nice gradual hike to the high shoulder of Belford where we hiked along at a moderate pace conversing the whole way.
For much of the hike/run, I was quite preoccupied with the painful blisters developing on my heels (even though I stopped to cover the developing blisters with Band Aid brand blister coverings , they unfortunately did not work and my blisters continued to progress throughout the day). I was stupidly using a brand new/untested pair of Montrail Hardrocks I got for free the day before. The new shoes are super sturdy and protective, but that comes at too high of a price, as the sole is as stiff as a Vibram soled mountaineering boot and they are very heavy. The Hardrock is really a hiking boot in trail runners clothing and will think twice before using them for such an outing.
From the Belford shoulder, we upped the effort a bit over to Oxford, dropping to the saddle in 7 minutes, then another 16 to the summit, arriving there in 1:38 from Missouri and 23 from near Belford’s summit. We again took a nice long break, taking time to refuel and enjoy the summit for a bit. I was not looking forward to the return over Belford. My energy level and mindset were great, but my heels were in pain and my legs were feeling a little tired from the combination of Quandary the day before and gassing it through the scree and sprinting to the top of Missouri earlier in the morning. We again ran back down to the saddle on the good trail and I was expecting to dog it back up to Belford, but I dug in a bit, my strategy being to hurt worse for less time, arriving on the summit after 26 minutes. After another break on Belford, we started down the standard route with the intent of cruising somewhat easy, but before long, I was in a good groove and ended up pushing the pace at times. I felt better and better as I went, my legs were rock solid and I felt like I could cruise the most technical sections with confidence. Half of it was mental I am sure from having such a great time out in the mountains on such a great day with a great friend. Our goal was to do the whole loop in under 6 hours and I had it in my mind that we could run the final descent in an hour or less. I was occasionally checking my watch to mark progress. We were down off the ridge in 22, made the Elkhead Pass jct. in 25 and were back at the TH in 46. It was like a controlled freefall.
Moving time: 4:56
Total time with breaks: 5:25
TH to Missouri: 2:05 (avg. HR 138/Max 174)
Missouri to Oxford: 1:38 (avg. HR 140/Max 166)
Oxford to Belford: :26 (avg HR 156/Max 169)
Belford to TH: 46 (avg HR 155/Max 167)
On the way home, we got in touch with Brandon who happened to be at Twin Lakes after running part of the Leadville course (part of his training camp), so we gave him a ride back into Leadville. One of the more entertaining exchanges of the day as Brandon got out of the car and was using his i-phone 3 to call his wife:
Homie: “What, you don’t have the new i-phone 4?”
Brandon: “Dude, I’ve been gone!, there is no Apple store in Leadville!”
Homie and I later agreed the funniest part is that he was totally serious.
What an awesome day. I am very much looking forward to more runs like this soon.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Friday, 06/25/10 Birthday Run up Quandary Peak
Quandary Peak
06/25/2010
East Ridge from Monte Cristo TH
5.4 miles/3,370 vertical
1:39:57 RT (1:03:34up/36:23 down)
To celebrate my birthday, Allison and I decided to go to Breckenridge for the day to enjoy some time outdoors in the morning, get some lunch afterwards and take advantage of cooler temperatures than the high 90’s forecast for home.
We left the house a bit later than normal, but I was on the trail by 10:10am and started off at a quick, but reasonable pace with Sierra leading the way up the dusty trail. There were a few fallen trees to negotiate that cost a bit of rhythm. The morning was perfect, sunny, warm, calm and although there were a surprising amount of cars at the trailhead for a weekday morning, we had the trail completely to ourselves until above treeline. At this point, I got a warning that there were some goats on the trail up above, so I paused to put Sierra on leash as to not take any chances of her practicing her herding skills. Putting her on leash happened to coincide with the first patch of snow and she was determined to make the most of it.
I let her soak it up for a few seconds, but ended up having to coax her along the trail with promises of more snow near the summit. Although Sierra was moving well, it was a bit awkward running with her on leash, as it was hard to push and really get into a groove. We finally passed the goats near the false summit before the final steep pitch, but the wind was blowing just right and despite passing within 20-30 feet of the goats, fortunately, she did not even notice they were there.
Once a safe distance beyond, I let her off leash and I was able to get into a better groove. Thinking that I had gone too slow in the beginning, combined with 20+ minutes of awkward leash running, I figured that I was not even close to PR pace. As I approached the summit, I realized that it might be closer than I first thought, so I upped the tempo a bit, but was once again deceived by the convex nature of the summit. I efficiently negotiated the final snowy pitch and then sprinted along the final flat section to the true summit, topping out in 1:03:34 (avg HR 169/178 max) but was about a half minute shy of PR.
I took a few minutes to wait on Sierra, chat with some hikers and take in the day, completely comfortable in a t-shirt and shorts. I was eager to cruise the downhill, as this was where I hobbled and limped in pain just a year ago, not knowing how close I was at the time to topping off my stress fracture to the point that I would spend the remainder of summer 09 in a stiff boot. I made quick work of the upper section and felt super solid in every way, effortlessly gliding over technical terrain as if it were a paved road. I pushed hard at times purely for the exhilarating fun of it and backed off at other times to be sure that Sierra was still in sight. I made it down to the trailhead in 36:23 (avg HR 154/max 169) for a total time of 1:39:57, shaving a little over 2 minutes off PR, which felt great, especially since I knew that without the dog, I could shave a few more minutes on the up and the down.
An excellent way to celebrate another year of life.
06/25/2010
East Ridge from Monte Cristo TH
5.4 miles/3,370 vertical
1:39:57 RT (1:03:34up/36:23 down)
To celebrate my birthday, Allison and I decided to go to Breckenridge for the day to enjoy some time outdoors in the morning, get some lunch afterwards and take advantage of cooler temperatures than the high 90’s forecast for home.
We left the house a bit later than normal, but I was on the trail by 10:10am and started off at a quick, but reasonable pace with Sierra leading the way up the dusty trail. There were a few fallen trees to negotiate that cost a bit of rhythm. The morning was perfect, sunny, warm, calm and although there were a surprising amount of cars at the trailhead for a weekday morning, we had the trail completely to ourselves until above treeline. At this point, I got a warning that there were some goats on the trail up above, so I paused to put Sierra on leash as to not take any chances of her practicing her herding skills. Putting her on leash happened to coincide with the first patch of snow and she was determined to make the most of it.
I let her soak it up for a few seconds, but ended up having to coax her along the trail with promises of more snow near the summit. Although Sierra was moving well, it was a bit awkward running with her on leash, as it was hard to push and really get into a groove. We finally passed the goats near the false summit before the final steep pitch, but the wind was blowing just right and despite passing within 20-30 feet of the goats, fortunately, she did not even notice they were there.
Once a safe distance beyond, I let her off leash and I was able to get into a better groove. Thinking that I had gone too slow in the beginning, combined with 20+ minutes of awkward leash running, I figured that I was not even close to PR pace. As I approached the summit, I realized that it might be closer than I first thought, so I upped the tempo a bit, but was once again deceived by the convex nature of the summit. I efficiently negotiated the final snowy pitch and then sprinted along the final flat section to the true summit, topping out in 1:03:34 (avg HR 169/178 max) but was about a half minute shy of PR.
I took a few minutes to wait on Sierra, chat with some hikers and take in the day, completely comfortable in a t-shirt and shorts. I was eager to cruise the downhill, as this was where I hobbled and limped in pain just a year ago, not knowing how close I was at the time to topping off my stress fracture to the point that I would spend the remainder of summer 09 in a stiff boot. I made quick work of the upper section and felt super solid in every way, effortlessly gliding over technical terrain as if it were a paved road. I pushed hard at times purely for the exhilarating fun of it and backed off at other times to be sure that Sierra was still in sight. I made it down to the trailhead in 36:23 (avg HR 154/max 169) for a total time of 1:39:57, shaving a little over 2 minutes off PR, which felt great, especially since I knew that without the dog, I could shave a few more minutes on the up and the down.
An excellent way to celebrate another year of life.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday, 06/24/10 Green Mountain
Because of a mistake(s) courtesy of Comcast, I had to waste the entire morning not getting outside. It wasn't until early afternoon where I had a chance to finally get out and I had grand plans to run Green/Bear/SoBo. I started "running" up Amphitheater trail and it was immidiately obvious that simply summiting Green today would be a lofty goal. It was so hot, I was just draining my hand bottle of electrolyte drink and if I had not restrained myself, it would have been gone halfway up. Several minutes in (or 1:30 to be exact), I elected to just hike this one out. I jogged perhaps 5 percent of the ascent and was surprised to see a fair amount of other people out there. Conditions were perhaps equally as miserable as the coldest/snowiest day this past winter.
Up: 41:05
Down: 27
Up: 41:05
Down: 27
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday, 06/22/10 Green Mountain
Solo this morning and feeling recovered from the race (I was recovered by the time I got home Saturday which is a bad sign that I did not give much), I decided to push a little to see how I felt. I started off up Amphitheater fairly conservative, but two minutes in I fully breathed a fly straight into my lungs. This sent me into fits of gagging, hacking and coughing, which I felt the residual effects of the entire run up. I hit the 1st jct. in 6:45, not great, but still within range of putting in a decent time. I upped the effort a bit, but really just did not have as much as I had hoped. My legs felt great and I plugged along, going at the low side of hard, but my cardio system was just not in sync and I felt as though I was fighting the hill a bit. My chest has still been bugging me more than I have wanted to admit since slamming it on my knee two weeks ago and I was mentally acknowledging some awkwardness this morning while trying to go a little harder than I have since it happened. It does not actually hurt so much while running (even though it still hurts if I lay on my stomach in bed), but I think the combination of it somewhat limiting my breathing (it still hurts a bit taking in a full breath) and just the overall feeling of being a bit more fragile than usual is having a bit of an affect both mentally and physically.
I tagged the top in a somewhat disappointing 35:46 (avg HR 165) which seemed slow to me given my overall perceived effort. I am looking forward to Bike to Work Day tomorrow and then hopefully a slew of 14ers over the weekend to usher in my 39th year.
I tagged the top in a somewhat disappointing 35:46 (avg HR 165) which seemed slow to me given my overall perceived effort. I am looking forward to Bike to Work Day tomorrow and then hopefully a slew of 14ers over the weekend to usher in my 39th year.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Monday, 06/21/10 Green Mountain
Went up the front side jogging/hiking casual with my most frequent hiking/running partner who insisted today to stop and take in all the smells, sights and sounds, so I was happy to just go with it and enjoy a perfect morning on the summer solstice. Took things easy again on the down, found a nice overlook on NE Ridge on top of a surprisingly high cliff and spent ~5 minutes taking in the views of Longs, Audubon and the divide. Is there anything better than the long days of June filled with the endless possibilities of high mountain outings for the summer?
Up: 39:41 (avg HR 146)
Down: 25 (avg HR 114)
Up: 39:41 (avg HR 146)
Down: 25 (avg HR 114)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Saturday, 06/19/10 Mt. Evans Road Race
Time: 2:19:06
Place: Too far back to count or care
Let's just say I had an inexplicably terrible day. Like one of those dreams where you punch/kick (or, what, run?) with no affect and the effort seems fruitless and wasted. The rational side of me reasons that it does not really matter, who really cares? There are bigger issues in the world and I count myself fortunate to be able to do one of the things I love most, run up mountains. On the other hand, the emotional side of me says WTF! I felt well trained, well tapered, had the right mindset and it just did not pan out the way I envisioned. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
I need to digest the day a bit more before I write a report, maybe tomorrow. Ughhh.
Place: Too far back to count or care
Let's just say I had an inexplicably terrible day. Like one of those dreams where you punch/kick (or, what, run?) with no affect and the effort seems fruitless and wasted. The rational side of me reasons that it does not really matter, who really cares? There are bigger issues in the world and I count myself fortunate to be able to do one of the things I love most, run up mountains. On the other hand, the emotional side of me says WTF! I felt well trained, well tapered, had the right mindset and it just did not pan out the way I envisioned. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
I need to digest the day a bit more before I write a report, maybe tomorrow. Ughhh.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Thursday, 06/17/10 Flagstaff
Started from Boulder Creek (near Scott Carpenter Park area) and ran the trail up Flagstaff at an easy pace and then did a loop at the top. HR in the 130's/140's. Was itching to go fast, as it is killing me taking it easy on such primo June days where I should be up high doing something more rigorous, or at least running several peaks in Boulder. Must save it all up for tomorrow's race up Evans and although I signed up for this race as a "training race", I am really looking forward to it. A race up a 14er is a race up a 14er no matter what the surface. Bring it.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday, 06/16/10 Sanitas
Intended to go casual, but felt good and was itching to push a bit more at least, however, Sierra saw to it that I stay on track and kept things on the slower side. Upped the pace to moderate for the final few minutes. Great morning, very quiet and peaceful.
18:59up (155 avg HR)
15:12dn (116 avg HR)
18:59up (155 avg HR)
15:12dn (116 avg HR)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tuesday, 06/15/10 SuperFlag/Green
Was surprised to see George as I pulled up to park at 5:30am and was stoked to have company for the run up Flagstaff Road. We kept the pace moderate, chatting the whole time enjoying the quiet morning. Made the top of SuperFlag in 45, Green in about an hour, then ~28 back down Ranger/Gregory to the parking lot.
Monday, 06/14/10 Green Mountain
Met up with Tim, chatted the whole time, waited on Sierra a bunch. Easy 45min up Gregory/Ranger. The creeks were flowing like rivers. Down in 30.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Friday, 06/11/10 Green Mountain
Met up with Tony at Chautauqua at 7:30am and headed up Green via Gregory/Greenman. Bumped into GZ and a few of his friends on Greenman and chatted with them for a bit. Made the summit in a moderate ~42 or so minutes (I think, as I was not very accurate with the timer today). Spent a few minutes on top taking in the as always excellent views (though cloudy today). Headed back down Greenman/NE Ridge/1st/2nd Flatiron access trail. 29 minutes back to Chautauqua.
Thursday, 06/10/10 Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak
06/10/10
13.1 miles/7,815 vertical
Partners: Tony K, Nate and Dan Bahrenburg
Pikes Peak Summit #18
14er Summit #223
Nate’s brother Dan was visiting from Vermont where they had planned to head down to Pikes, as Nate wanted to check out the Barr Trail since he will be racing his first PPA this summer and invited myself and Tony to join.
We arrived in Manitou a bit before 7am and got started at 7:11am. We all stuck together running through town going a casual pace, chatting all the while. At the Cog Railway, Tony stopped to use the bathroom, while I walked with Nate and Dan, showing them how to get to the Barr Trail via the race day variation. We made it to the actual Barr Trail after 21+ minutes and I then went ahead, jogging at a mellow pace and enjoying the morning. Tony was long gone, as he had passed a while back and I did not expect to see him until he was heading down.
I was taking things fairly conservative after bruising my sternum in a fall the previous day. Generally, it was not a problem, but my ability to take as deep of breaths as I needed was a bit of an issue that only seemed to worsen a bit as I got higher. It did not cause me too much pain aside from a sharp stab every 15-30 minutes when I would shift wrong or flex my muscles in an awkward way.
Though I was timing myself, I knew it was not going to be anything close to a PR run and it was actually very enjoyable and liberating not to be a slave to the watch and splits. I just cruised and drank in the morning and the scenery, as it was very pleasant, calm and summer-like. I jogged all the way to the Bottomless Pit turn and then alternated walking/jogging to the A-Frame. Above that, it was mostly walking with short bits of jogging thrown in. The snow on the trail is mostly melted, aside from a few lingering patches on the final 2 miles. Though not very long, they do require you to slow down a bit and tip toe through the footprints. I bumped into Tony as he was descending not long after I passed the 1 mile to go/Cirque section of trail and he was moving pretty well. We chatted for a short bit and then were each on our way.
Although I was not really tired or worked over, as I was taking it easy, I was relieved to get to the top and breathe easy so to speak. I got some water and sat at a table to relax for a moment, where a couple in their 50’s immediately opened up a conversation asking about my run. One thing led to the next and I soon had a ride back down the mountain. Sweet!
Back at the car, Tony had already been there for a bit, as he did the round trip in 4:16 (2:34 up and then casual down). We hung out chatting for a while until Nate and Dan arrived and headed off to get some lunch.
What an awesome day out despite not feeling so great, as I came very close to bailing the previous day after injuring myself.
A few splits:
Barr Trail: 21
Top of W's: 37:57
No Name: 50
Barr Camp: 1:33
Summit: 3:20
06/10/10
13.1 miles/7,815 vertical
Partners: Tony K, Nate and Dan Bahrenburg
Pikes Peak Summit #18
14er Summit #223
Nate’s brother Dan was visiting from Vermont where they had planned to head down to Pikes, as Nate wanted to check out the Barr Trail since he will be racing his first PPA this summer and invited myself and Tony to join.
We arrived in Manitou a bit before 7am and got started at 7:11am. We all stuck together running through town going a casual pace, chatting all the while. At the Cog Railway, Tony stopped to use the bathroom, while I walked with Nate and Dan, showing them how to get to the Barr Trail via the race day variation. We made it to the actual Barr Trail after 21+ minutes and I then went ahead, jogging at a mellow pace and enjoying the morning. Tony was long gone, as he had passed a while back and I did not expect to see him until he was heading down.
I was taking things fairly conservative after bruising my sternum in a fall the previous day. Generally, it was not a problem, but my ability to take as deep of breaths as I needed was a bit of an issue that only seemed to worsen a bit as I got higher. It did not cause me too much pain aside from a sharp stab every 15-30 minutes when I would shift wrong or flex my muscles in an awkward way.
Though I was timing myself, I knew it was not going to be anything close to a PR run and it was actually very enjoyable and liberating not to be a slave to the watch and splits. I just cruised and drank in the morning and the scenery, as it was very pleasant, calm and summer-like. I jogged all the way to the Bottomless Pit turn and then alternated walking/jogging to the A-Frame. Above that, it was mostly walking with short bits of jogging thrown in. The snow on the trail is mostly melted, aside from a few lingering patches on the final 2 miles. Though not very long, they do require you to slow down a bit and tip toe through the footprints. I bumped into Tony as he was descending not long after I passed the 1 mile to go/Cirque section of trail and he was moving pretty well. We chatted for a short bit and then were each on our way.
Although I was not really tired or worked over, as I was taking it easy, I was relieved to get to the top and breathe easy so to speak. I got some water and sat at a table to relax for a moment, where a couple in their 50’s immediately opened up a conversation asking about my run. One thing led to the next and I soon had a ride back down the mountain. Sweet!
Back at the car, Tony had already been there for a bit, as he did the round trip in 4:16 (2:34 up and then casual down). We hung out chatting for a while until Nate and Dan arrived and headed off to get some lunch.
What an awesome day out despite not feeling so great, as I came very close to bailing the previous day after injuring myself.
A few splits:
Barr Trail: 21
Top of W's: 37:57
No Name: 50
Barr Camp: 1:33
Summit: 3:20
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Wednesday, 06/09/10 Green Mountain/Bruised Sternum
Sierra and I met up with Homie for a seemingly routine run up Green at 5:30 this morning. After crossing the bridge to start up the Amphitheater Trail, I tripped and injured myself in such a stupid way that I still can’t entirely figure out exactly what happened as I run it over and over again in my mind.
Somehow, I think my left foot slipped, causing my right foot to almost simultaneously stumble stub into a solid rock, which lurched my torso down and forward into my right knee. It was one of those really hard impacts, akin to crashing over the handlebars of your bike onto the pavement where it knocks the wind out of you and you can feel and taste a surge of pain rush through your head.
I jumped up quickly and in shock trying to catch my breath, embarrassed to take a digger in front of Homie, yet glad he was there at the same time. I knew right away that I had hurt myself, but I was now pumped with adrenaline and still wanted to get up Green. I spent the entire trip up Amphitheater/Saddle/Greenman assessing my condition and reasoned that if I keep my torso still in just the right position, I would be OK. Breathing was a bit labored, especially if I tried to take a deep breath and it hurt whenever I turned or twisted to look behind me.
We made the summit in 38:47 (avg HR 152), shattering Homie’s PR, so I was really stoked for him, but I was a little nervous about the downhill. I was relieved that the impact of the down did not really hurt, but going downhill required more body movement and contorting, so I just took it super cautious.
As I sit here now, I am finding that it hurts to twist, turn, bend, sit, stand, cough, laugh, sneeze, talk, breath etc…… basically it hurts existing. I did a little online research and am convinced that I have a bruised sternum (not broken though, as I think I would experiencing much more significant pain). I am hoping it heals up quick, but have read that it could easily take a month, so I am not quite sure how this will affect my daily mountain runs.
Somehow, I think my left foot slipped, causing my right foot to almost simultaneously stumble stub into a solid rock, which lurched my torso down and forward into my right knee. It was one of those really hard impacts, akin to crashing over the handlebars of your bike onto the pavement where it knocks the wind out of you and you can feel and taste a surge of pain rush through your head.
I jumped up quickly and in shock trying to catch my breath, embarrassed to take a digger in front of Homie, yet glad he was there at the same time. I knew right away that I had hurt myself, but I was now pumped with adrenaline and still wanted to get up Green. I spent the entire trip up Amphitheater/Saddle/Greenman assessing my condition and reasoned that if I keep my torso still in just the right position, I would be OK. Breathing was a bit labored, especially if I tried to take a deep breath and it hurt whenever I turned or twisted to look behind me.
We made the summit in 38:47 (avg HR 152), shattering Homie’s PR, so I was really stoked for him, but I was a little nervous about the downhill. I was relieved that the impact of the down did not really hurt, but going downhill required more body movement and contorting, so I just took it super cautious.
As I sit here now, I am finding that it hurts to twist, turn, bend, sit, stand, cough, laugh, sneeze, talk, breath etc…… basically it hurts existing. I did a little online research and am convinced that I have a bruised sternum (not broken though, as I think I would experiencing much more significant pain). I am hoping it heals up quick, but have read that it could easily take a month, so I am not quite sure how this will affect my daily mountain runs.
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