Started from Chautauqua, then up/down Amphi/Saddle/Greenman. It was very windy and I was not particularly motivated. I pushed somewhat hard for a short while (5 or so minutes at best), but my physical performance, mindset and unity of the two were lackluster at best. I felt decent on the down, but my right ankle that I twisted yesterday was still a bit sore, so I just cruised (quick, but not taking any risks).
Splits:
Up:
4:23 warmup to Amphi from Chuatauqua
Reset watch:
6:23/12:30/14:33/19:10/33:55
Descent:
20:33 to Gregory TH/23:55 to Chautauqua
1:02:13 RT
Sierra
Sierra
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Thursday, 12/09/10 Green Mountain
It was a beautiful morning, mid 50's, calm, sunny and all week I was looking forward to throwing down another quick(er) run like I did last Thursday. I used the bathroom at Chautauqua to drop a few lbs. and when I came out, the wind was just cranking, which shifted my mood a bit. I started off across Chautauqua with the wind nearly stopping me in my tracks several times and knocking me off balance. I made it to the start of the Amphitheater Trail in 4:43 and as I started up, I quickly decided that I was just not that into it anymore. My legs felt OK, but I was just not at all into it mentally, no willingness to dig in and I knew within a few steps that I would be lucky to break 33 if I decided to push.
I turned around and headed back down to the car, not quite sure what I was going to do, but since I knew I was not going to be going fast, I at least wanted to change out of my race flats and maybe grab a windbreaker if the wind was going to persist. On the way back to Chautauqua, the wind completely died down and the day was warm and pleasant again.
To save time, I drove back up to the Gregory TH, parked and started up the Gregory Trail at a very mellow pace, just enjoying the sunshine and now calmness. Just before descending to the second wooden bridge, I cut straight to follow the faint trail that sticks to the canyon floor. This soon fizzled out, leaving me bushwhacking in a choked dry creek bed. I cut left and up, in the general direction of the trail, but intended to stick to the ridge as much as I could.
Soon I was back on the trail, but only stuck to it for another 60-90 seconds and then jumped off again just before the upper steep rocky pitch and continued on the ridge. The going was slow, but fun as I zig zagged to pick my way through the ledges, deadfall, cacti and yucca. Again I met up with the trail at the top of Gregory and followed it to the Ranger Cabin, where I again felt inclined to get away from things and worked my way up the hillside, hiking up the steep and deadfall laden hillside which eventually brought me to the base of the steps on the NW Ridge section of Ranger. Again, I casually jogged the trail while it stuck to the ridge, but alternately cut my way along the ridgecrest and did some heavy bushwhacking and scrambling near the summit.
Once on top, I figured I would make up for my slow ascent by cranking down the front side, but within 20 seconds, I rolled my right ankle heavily. I cussed up a storm as I hopped forward, trying to shrug it off and was fearing that this was my long overdue descent injury that would keep me grounded for a while. The pain surprisingly started to subside within 2 minutes, but my mind was still rattled by it, as this sort of thing happens so infrequently to me. As I was pondering this, I carelessly stepped on a patch of snow/ice that looked to be dirty enough for good traction and sent me for a huge flailing slip and slide, propelling my down the trail much faster than I could controllably handle. Somehow though, I managed to pull out of it with out further injury and just resolved to take it really easy and careful the remainder of the descent. I again got off the beaten track and took the NE Ridge, occasionally stopping to toss logs and branches down the hillside that might have ended up there from previous wind storms.
Though it was not the run (way more hiking and bushwhacking than running) I had hoped, it was still great to get out on a gorgeous December day and see some new scenery.
Splits:
Ranger Cabin: 18:30ish
4-Way: 38:28
Summit: 42:12
Descent: 22:20
1:04:32 RT
I turned around and headed back down to the car, not quite sure what I was going to do, but since I knew I was not going to be going fast, I at least wanted to change out of my race flats and maybe grab a windbreaker if the wind was going to persist. On the way back to Chautauqua, the wind completely died down and the day was warm and pleasant again.
To save time, I drove back up to the Gregory TH, parked and started up the Gregory Trail at a very mellow pace, just enjoying the sunshine and now calmness. Just before descending to the second wooden bridge, I cut straight to follow the faint trail that sticks to the canyon floor. This soon fizzled out, leaving me bushwhacking in a choked dry creek bed. I cut left and up, in the general direction of the trail, but intended to stick to the ridge as much as I could.
Soon I was back on the trail, but only stuck to it for another 60-90 seconds and then jumped off again just before the upper steep rocky pitch and continued on the ridge. The going was slow, but fun as I zig zagged to pick my way through the ledges, deadfall, cacti and yucca. Again I met up with the trail at the top of Gregory and followed it to the Ranger Cabin, where I again felt inclined to get away from things and worked my way up the hillside, hiking up the steep and deadfall laden hillside which eventually brought me to the base of the steps on the NW Ridge section of Ranger. Again, I casually jogged the trail while it stuck to the ridge, but alternately cut my way along the ridgecrest and did some heavy bushwhacking and scrambling near the summit.
Once on top, I figured I would make up for my slow ascent by cranking down the front side, but within 20 seconds, I rolled my right ankle heavily. I cussed up a storm as I hopped forward, trying to shrug it off and was fearing that this was my long overdue descent injury that would keep me grounded for a while. The pain surprisingly started to subside within 2 minutes, but my mind was still rattled by it, as this sort of thing happens so infrequently to me. As I was pondering this, I carelessly stepped on a patch of snow/ice that looked to be dirty enough for good traction and sent me for a huge flailing slip and slide, propelling my down the trail much faster than I could controllably handle. Somehow though, I managed to pull out of it with out further injury and just resolved to take it really easy and careful the remainder of the descent. I again got off the beaten track and took the NE Ridge, occasionally stopping to toss logs and branches down the hillside that might have ended up there from previous wind storms.
Though it was not the run (way more hiking and bushwhacking than running) I had hoped, it was still great to get out on a gorgeous December day and see some new scenery.
Splits:
Ranger Cabin: 18:30ish
4-Way: 38:28
Summit: 42:12
Descent: 22:20
1:04:32 RT
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday, 12/06/10 Green Mountain
Met up with Aron and Tim at 4:15pm for a casual trip on Green. Went up Gregory/Ranger at a relaxed and conversational pace, hiking most of the way. Made it to the top without lights, but they were soon essential for the trip down Greenman/Amphi/Saddle. It was a great evening to be out, with great company.
Up: 54
Up: 54
Down: ~40?
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Saturday, 12/04/10 Green Mountain
Met Homie for a trip up Green at 1:30pm. Went fairly easy up the front side with a few periods of moderate, cracking the whip on him to push for a PR. He was moving at roughly a 35:30-36:00 minute ascent pace until after the 1st Flatiron jct., then slowed a bit, but still managed to put in his best time since June, just a few seconds under 40 I think, a good effort for him and he was happy with his recent improvement.
Went down Greenman/Canter cut/Gregory in 31 at a casual pace.
Up front: 39:50
Down Greenman/Canter/Gregory: 31
Went down Greenman/Canter cut/Gregory in 31 at a casual pace.
Up front: 39:50
Down Greenman/Canter/Gregory: 31
Friday, December 3, 2010
Friday, 12/03/10 Green Mountain
I was debating whether or not I wanted to get out and fight the wind today, but temps in the mid 60's, coupled with Homie's morning sighting of a family of bears on the Saddle Rock Trail had me eagerly speeding out the door.
Headed up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman at a 'looking for bears and watching out for widow maker trees' pace and just before the Amphitheater, heard what I thought to be a bear cub make a loud moan, so I paused and looked up the hillside to the right. I slowly backtracked a few paces and looked through the bushes up the hillside. Then I hear a cascade of rocks and boulders, "Cool" I thought, this is my chance to finally see a bear(s) on the trail and was straining my eyes, contemplating a careful pursuit, until I saw a guy rapelling and knocking a slew of rocks. Dammit.
I continued on at a casually moderate pace, constantly on guard. Tagged the summit and took a few minutes to take in the view and headed back down at a moderate pace. Awesome day out despite the wind, it was almost hot by the time I got back to the car.
Splits:
Top of Amphi: 7:??
1st Flat jct.: 13:05
Greenman jct.: 19:58
Summit: 35:08
Descent: 22:30
57:38 RT
Headed up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman at a 'looking for bears and watching out for widow maker trees' pace and just before the Amphitheater, heard what I thought to be a bear cub make a loud moan, so I paused and looked up the hillside to the right. I slowly backtracked a few paces and looked through the bushes up the hillside. Then I hear a cascade of rocks and boulders, "Cool" I thought, this is my chance to finally see a bear(s) on the trail and was straining my eyes, contemplating a careful pursuit, until I saw a guy rapelling and knocking a slew of rocks. Dammit.
I continued on at a casually moderate pace, constantly on guard. Tagged the summit and took a few minutes to take in the view and headed back down at a moderate pace. Awesome day out despite the wind, it was almost hot by the time I got back to the car.
Splits:
Top of Amphi: 7:??
1st Flat jct.: 13:05
Greenman jct.: 19:58
Summit: 35:08
Descent: 22:30
57:38 RT
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Thursday, 12/02/10 Green Mountain
Started from Chautauqua, up/down Amphi/Saddle/Greenman. I was eager to try out a pair of test shoes I recently acquired, the Brooks Racer ST5 , an 8oz. road race flat that seemed like it would be adequate (though not ideal) for the trail. With their bright orange color with flashy blue trim, you can't help but to want to go fast in them.
It was really warm today in the sunshine and I quickly realized that I was over-dressed with one too many shirts and gloves. I put my gloves in my pockets and just sweated it out with my short sleeve over long sleeve combo. Jogged at a quickish but not too hard warm-up pace to the start of the Amphi trail in 4:27, reset the watch and got down to business. I felt good right from the start, but wanted to play it a bit conservative and see how things went as the run progressed. A minute or two into the run, a duo of runners passed on the way down and said "hi Jeff", I think it was Aaron and said hi back, but I had a decent rythym going and did not want to stop (sorry).
I generally went reasonably hard, but never felt as though I was really pushing at PR pace. My splits were decent, but I didn't (don't) think they were near PR, so I just kept a steady pace and did not worry about it at all. Beyond the Saddle/Greenman junction, I upped the intensity a bit and was rolling good, but once I got to the final icy switchbacks, I was spinning out some on the sheer ice and was wishing I had a shoe with just a little bit of tread instead of a smooth-ish road shoe. I tagged the summit and folded over in a heap, only 4 seconds off PR. I am sure that without the ice, I would have gained 4 or more seconds. Either way, I was very happy with that time, considering that it is December and I have been kicking back in Holiday mode for a while now.
I had topped out at the same time as a woman coming up from the other side and we exchanged pleasantries. She started down Greenman about 20 seconds ahead of me and I assumed that I would pass her quickly, but she was moving pretty good and I very slowly gained on her, as I danced and slipped my way cautiously down the upper icy sections. I finally passed her at the bottom of the wooden steps, but she was not too far behind until the rocky overlook, then I think I opened up some gap on the flattish section between the spring and the Greenman/Saddle junction. Whoever she was, she was pretty quick!
The remainder of the run down was quick, but never really pushing, just getting used to the shoes I was wearing, which were OK, but not perfect for the rocky technical trail.
Splits:
Chautauqua to start of Amphi: 4:27
(Reset watch)
6:20 top of Amphi
12:07 1st Flatiron jct.
18:30 Saddle/Greenman
32:28 Green Summit
24:54 back to Chautauqua (21:27 down to Gregory lot)
1:01:49 RT
It was really warm today in the sunshine and I quickly realized that I was over-dressed with one too many shirts and gloves. I put my gloves in my pockets and just sweated it out with my short sleeve over long sleeve combo. Jogged at a quickish but not too hard warm-up pace to the start of the Amphi trail in 4:27, reset the watch and got down to business. I felt good right from the start, but wanted to play it a bit conservative and see how things went as the run progressed. A minute or two into the run, a duo of runners passed on the way down and said "hi Jeff", I think it was Aaron and said hi back, but I had a decent rythym going and did not want to stop (sorry).
I generally went reasonably hard, but never felt as though I was really pushing at PR pace. My splits were decent, but I didn't (don't) think they were near PR, so I just kept a steady pace and did not worry about it at all. Beyond the Saddle/Greenman junction, I upped the intensity a bit and was rolling good, but once I got to the final icy switchbacks, I was spinning out some on the sheer ice and was wishing I had a shoe with just a little bit of tread instead of a smooth-ish road shoe. I tagged the summit and folded over in a heap, only 4 seconds off PR. I am sure that without the ice, I would have gained 4 or more seconds. Either way, I was very happy with that time, considering that it is December and I have been kicking back in Holiday mode for a while now.
I had topped out at the same time as a woman coming up from the other side and we exchanged pleasantries. She started down Greenman about 20 seconds ahead of me and I assumed that I would pass her quickly, but she was moving pretty good and I very slowly gained on her, as I danced and slipped my way cautiously down the upper icy sections. I finally passed her at the bottom of the wooden steps, but she was not too far behind until the rocky overlook, then I think I opened up some gap on the flattish section between the spring and the Greenman/Saddle junction. Whoever she was, she was pretty quick!
The remainder of the run down was quick, but never really pushing, just getting used to the shoes I was wearing, which were OK, but not perfect for the rocky technical trail.
Splits:
Chautauqua to start of Amphi: 4:27
(Reset watch)
6:20 top of Amphi
12:07 1st Flatiron jct.
18:30 Saddle/Greenman
32:28 Green Summit
24:54 back to Chautauqua (21:27 down to Gregory lot)
1:01:49 RT
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tuesday, 11/30/10 "127 Hours" on Green
OK, not really, I don't have 5.291666666666667 days to spend on Green (it was more like 1h 29min on Green).
I had not seen Aron since an early October “Friends and Family” screening of his movie “127 Hours” in Boulder and had not hiked/ran together since late Spring, as he has been busy with movie promoting and such. We met at the Gregory TH and started up around 4:15pm and headed up the Amphi/Saddle/Greenman route at an easy pace. As we went higher, the wind picked up as it got darker and darker, but good conversation and some warm clothing lessened the effect. We made the summit at 5:09pm, just as it was getting dark and the lights in town created an amazing sight, almost illuminating our surroundings. There was quite the cloud cap over the divide, indicating snow and explaining the hammering wind. As soon as we started the descent, I switched on my 205 Lumen Fenix LD-20 and am always amazed at how much light it puts out. The trip down was uneventful, save for a few minor slips on the icy upper switchbacks and 2 (what appeared to be) college students heading up near the Greenman/NE junction without lights. Aron revealed that he is going on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday, so check it out if you get a chance.
Up Front: ~54
Down Front: ~35
I had not seen Aron since an early October “Friends and Family” screening of his movie “127 Hours” in Boulder and had not hiked/ran together since late Spring, as he has been busy with movie promoting and such. We met at the Gregory TH and started up around 4:15pm and headed up the Amphi/Saddle/Greenman route at an easy pace. As we went higher, the wind picked up as it got darker and darker, but good conversation and some warm clothing lessened the effect. We made the summit at 5:09pm, just as it was getting dark and the lights in town created an amazing sight, almost illuminating our surroundings. There was quite the cloud cap over the divide, indicating snow and explaining the hammering wind. As soon as we started the descent, I switched on my 205 Lumen Fenix LD-20 and am always amazed at how much light it puts out. The trip down was uneventful, save for a few minor slips on the icy upper switchbacks and 2 (what appeared to be) college students heading up near the Greenman/NE junction without lights. Aron revealed that he is going on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday, so check it out if you get a chance.
Up Front: ~54
Down Front: ~35
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, 11/27/10 Green Mountain
Got out with Dave and Bruce for a trip up Green from Chautauqua, starting a little after 12:30pm. Jogged up to the Gregory TH, then mostly hiked up Amphi/Saddle/NE/Greenman at a casual/easy conversational pace. Passed Homie and Mia coming down Amphi and Dave graciously offered Mia some food, as she was a bit hungry. The day was pleasantly warm and calm for late November.
~47 up
~?? down
~47 up
~?? down
Friday, November 26, 2010
Friday, 11/26/10 Green Mountain
Inefficiency around the house meant that our ~3 hour window between baby feeds became less than two hours, as we did not want to leave Grandma to fend for herself. Allison and I started from the Gregory TH, up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman a bit after noon. Allison was feeling tired from yesterday, so she sent me on my way to the top and agreed to turn around wherever I met up with her on my descent. In the interest of time, I cut up the NE Ridge route to shave a minute or two and made decent time, as that route was almost completely snow/ice free until the upper section of Greenman. I never really pushed at all, just went moderate at best and was surprised to make the summit in 34:30. This was especially surprising to me, as I was dressed heavily in winter mode (heavy shoes, jacket, pants etc....) and each night I get up to feed babies, I feel like I am crippled and hobble around the house, stumbling and dragging myself like a Sleestak.
I met up with Allison on the descent just above the high talus field below the NE jct. and we headed back down Greenman/Canter Cut/Gregory.
I met up with Allison on the descent just above the high talus field below the NE jct. and we headed back down Greenman/Canter Cut/Gregory.
Thursday, 11/25/10 Green Mountain
Allison and I got out for a lap on Green while Grandma watched the girls. Started at 10:50am up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman and soon bumped into Homie on his way down and stated that he would meet us on his second lap. Allison was pushing a bit, trying to hold Homie off, but he caught us at the NE Ridge jct. near the top and hiked it in with us. We did not linger on the summit, as temps were probably in the single digits or less with the windchill. Of course Homie was wearing shorts, certainly way tougher than I am, as I was somewhat bundled and still cold. Despite the cold, he was gracious enough to hike/jog down with us and it was great to have his company. Allison took 8 minutes off her post pregnancy Green ascent PR, so she was happy with that, as it will not be long before she is back to her old self.
Splits:
Up: 56
Down: ~38?
Splits:
Up: 56
Down: ~38?
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday, 11/24/10 Green Mountain
Today was my first day out since Saturday. I was hoping for more wintery weather this afternoon, but unfortunately there was no snowfall to be had. Went up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman at an easy pace and it was quite cold late in the day, though I soon warmed up and alternated between too warm and too cold depending on what the wind was doing (usually blowing steady). When I finished, the temp read 19 degrees, so I am sure it was a good bit cooler than that with the wind chill. I headed down Greenman/Canter Cutoff (old trail to the top of Gregory), then down Gregory at a very casual pace, being careful on the ice and snow on the upper sections.
Splits:
Up: 37:57
Down: 32:17
Splits:
Up: 37:57
Down: 32:17
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Saturday, 11/20/10 Green Mountain
Met up with Homie at 6:30am for a trip up Green. I was again so tired from a sleepless night, that I was seeing a large sun spot most of the way up Gregory, but fortunately it finally wore off and I felt at least half awake. Went an easy conversational pace and as always it was great to catch up with Homie, as he is one of my favorite trail partners and we always have too much to talk about to fit into one run/hike. It was also a rare opportunity to get above the clouds, which finally broke above the Ranger cabin. On the summit, it was so cool to see a sea of clouds butted up against the Front Range and it was relatively clear to the West over the divide, we both were kicking ourselves for leaving behind the camera.
Up Greg/Ranger: 48
Down " ": 27
Up Greg/Ranger: 48
Down " ": 27
Friday, November 19, 2010
Friday, 11/19/10 Green Mountain
Started at 10:30am, up/down Gregory/Ranger. T-shirt weather again and much of the snow has melted, but the upper sections that were slush yesterday were bullet-proof sheets of ice this morning. I felt pretty good, passing the cabin in an un-pressed 16 flat and maintained less than a minute off PR pace without pushing, but lost a good chunk skating around below 4-way. This was also sketchy and slow on the down, not sure if it would have been worth it to carry traction just for that. I thought so while I was on it.
Up: 37:35
Down: 22:46
Up: 37:35
Down: 22:46
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, 11/18/10 Green Mountain
Up/Down Gregory/Ranger. Very easy hike/jog with Allison and Sierra, great to get out with both of them on the trails after a long hiatus. It was quite warm on the lower half, but windy on the NW Ridge to summit and was glad to have a windbreaker, hat and gloves. A significant amount of snow has melted today, so traction was not necessary (though ironically, I carried Microspikes and did not use them).
Up: 48
Down: 33
Up: 48
Down: 33
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)