By far, my running adventure highlight of the year was my April trip to run the Grand Canyon RRR with George and Homie. Not only was I elated to eclipse my previous PR, a PR that I was already very proud of, I was able to do it under tougher conditions to boot. Aside from the enjoyment of running such an amazing route and executing well, this was one of those all time memorable trips with great friends that just could not have been more fun. I consider George and Homie to be two of my closest friends and two of the easiest going, nicest, laid back, intelligent and fun loving guys on the planet. The mood, humor, support, enthusiasm, camaraderie, sense of adventure and conversation could not be surpassed. Also, meeting up with a diverse group of friends (Gerry and Jennifer Roach, Wayne Herrick, Hoot Gibson, Pete K, Emily Hale, Bob Dawson and Sharon, Bill, Sue and several other 14erworld members) at the canyon for this annual RRR hike/run really added to the enjoyment, whether it was hanging with them at the campground, hiking/climbing the day before, having dinner/breakfast together and especially exchanging encouragement on the trail. It really added to my enjoyment and motivation during the RRR, knowing that even though I was running solo, I was not alone in my endeavor.
Other running/hiking highlights and memorable moments include (in no particular order)
- Setting a PR on Grays/Torreys from I-70
- Several PRs on Green
- A fast run on La Plata with Sierra, followed by an awesome run with her on Columbia and Harvard the following day.
- Training on Mt. Evans with Tony and Brandon.
- Training trips to Pikes with Nate and Tony.
- Zion trip, hiking with Allison, running with Homie, especially Angels Landing.
- James Peak in Winter with Allison and Sierra
- Antero in Winter with Homie, Sierra and the Hales
- PR up SuperFlag (on the road)
- RT PR on Bear/SoBo
- Taking my sister Darcie up Grays/Torreys for her first 14er(s).
- Missouri/Belford/Oxford with Homie
- Quandary RT PR
- Shrine Pass wildflower hike with Allison, Sierra and Jack
- Longs Peak PR with Dan M
- Lackawanna hike with the Hales
- Basic Boulder
- Bolder Boulder
Spending quality trail time with friends and family, new and old, frequently or not added greatly to my enjoyment and satisfaction while running and hiking in 2010. Without the following people (and canines) along for the ride, 2010 would not have been complete: Allison, Sierra, Homie, George Z, Brandon F, Tony K, Dave M, Dave/Emily/Shep/Kiefer H, Aron R, Nate B, Tim L, Gerry R, Rick C, Jack O, Dan M, Darcie V, my Mum to name a few (sorry if I missed anyone, it is hard to list everyone in a reasonable amount of time).
Though the year was incredibly positive overall, I would be fibbing to say there were not any lowlights. The following are listed pretty much in order.
- Seeing Sierra’s hiking/running ability decline significantly, almost overnight in early October. Her companionship on the trails and on the summits can’t be matched or replaced and means more to me than I can put into words. She can still get out some, but just not as much and it just seems a bit too soon, certainly sooner than I would have anticipated. This has saddened me greatly.
- Not having Allison to hike with as much as normal and missing out on many high altitude adventures together and with good friends, such as the Hales, Praters and others (but this one was balanced by the fact that it was all for a good cause).
- Yet another crappy race at Pikes Peak certainly figures prominently in the lowlights column. This seems to now be a given, a monkey on my back/self fulfilling prophecy of sorts. I struggle with this, as I know that I am capable of doing better, but I never seem to be able to prove it to myself there. I know a good result at Pikes Peak does not necessarily define me as a mountain runner, nor does it diminish the experiences along the way or the journey to the finish line, but it would just be nice to achieve a nice result there, just for myself. Potential means nothing unless it is fulfilled. The upside, though is that each year this happens, I get more used to it and thus a bit more accepting of it. Maybe next year I will try the Marathon, or skip Pikes altogether and focus on something else, or focus on nothing else.
- A disappointing race at Mt. Evans, but whatever. I was suffering from my bruised sternum more than I cared to admit at the time and was the start of a mid-summer slump in performance.
- Falling and bruising my sternum in June. Such an unlikely and stupid accident, how the hell does one fall onto their knee and bruise a sternum? I am still stumped over it.
Considering a slow start to the year (precautionary time off) and expecting/having twins, I felt my stats for 2010 were decent (though minuscule compared to Tony and a few other friends).
(note: my stats are not measured accurately with a GPS or Altimeter and are my best estimates tallied day by day/month by month in an Excel spreadsheet).
Vertical: ~700,377 (certainly much more than that if you consider all the trips up/down the stairs I take with the baby monitor ;)).
1,919 vertical per day average
13,469 vertical per week average
58,365 vertical per month average
132.6 vertical miles
24.12 Mt. Everests from Sea Level
89.6 Pikes from Manitou
Miles: 1807
250 days (+7 days of biking)
Total summits: 275
Green Mountain summits: 169
Bear Peak: 30
S. Boulder Peak: 21
Sanitas: 13
14er ascents: 27
13ers: 3
12ers: 1
11ers: 1
Month Distance Vertical
January 53 22,800
February 143.2 52,120
March 212 80,350
April 190.8 54,600
May 207.2 74,817
June 155.4 68,815
July 182 78,430
August 146.2 62,245
September 127 52,100
October 123 45,000
November 137 55,400
December 130.5 53,700
