Ran Green again today with Mike and showed him the more runable Gregory/Ranger route. We started off going moderate pace, but before long, we were going fairly hard. I think we passed Kerrie in the canyon, but it did not register until after the fact (still not entirely sure).
We made it to the Ranger Cabin in ~16:50 or so and took a short break to put on Yak Trax. After the short stop, it took me a while to get back into a groove (if I did at all). I pushed hard and felt as though I was sucking wind a bit, hacking up a lot of pflegm, but forced myself to run most of the way up even when traction sucked.
Made the 4-way in 35:15, then the summit in 38:56. Not too bad given my still somewhat lacking fitness and less than ideal conditions. Mike ran quite well, as he was breathing down my neck the entire run, except for the final few minutes where it was real steep, but he was only 15 or 20 seconds back by the top. One or two more days and I will be chasing him. Awesome for his 2nd mountain run ever.
We cruised the descent at a moderate conversational 28 mintues.
Sierra
Sierra
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday, 03/08/10 Green Mountain
Today I met up with Mike O from Ohio, who tracked me down through Tony's blog. Mike is town visiting while on his Spring Break from Shawnee State University and wanted to check out the infamous Green Mountain that is getting some due notoriety thanks to Tony's current streak of daily (sometimes twice daily) training runs.
We ran a moderate pace most of the way and I backed off a few times to make sure Mike went the proper way through the intersections as I did not want to get too far ahead. My legs felt decent today and I was feeling as though I could go quick, but I figured I would be best to play it conservative as I know I am still recovering from a nice string of workouts culminating with a nice climb of Antero on Saturday.
I made the summit in 38 and Mike was only about 2 minutes back, pretty impressive I thought for never having run this peak and not really being acclimated. Mike recently set a 5k PR of 15:18, so I am sure that if he had the time to fully acclimate and run this a few times, he would certainly put in some really competetive times here. Great run, I plan on repeating tomorrow.
We ran a moderate pace most of the way and I backed off a few times to make sure Mike went the proper way through the intersections as I did not want to get too far ahead. My legs felt decent today and I was feeling as though I could go quick, but I figured I would be best to play it conservative as I know I am still recovering from a nice string of workouts culminating with a nice climb of Antero on Saturday.
I made the summit in 38 and Mike was only about 2 minutes back, pretty impressive I thought for never having run this peak and not really being acclimated. Mike recently set a 5k PR of 15:18, so I am sure that if he had the time to fully acclimate and run this a few times, he would certainly put in some really competetive times here. Great run, I plan on repeating tomorrow.
Saturday, 03/06/10 Mt. Antero 14,269
Mt. Antero 14,269
03/06/10
~13 miles/4,900 vertical from Baldwin Gulch TH
7:22 RT
Partners: John Prater, Dave and Emily Hale, Sierra, Shep, Kiefer
For at least a month, Dave and I had occasionally discussed the possibility of climbing Antero before Winter came to an end. The fact that there might still be a decent track left over from the recent Sarah/Dwight/Dominic/Kevin trip for us to take advantage of heavily influenced our decision, as did the ever improving weather forecast.
Since Dave and Emily stayed the night in Buena Vista and John and I would be driving to the TH in the morning, I suggested that they start as early as they would like and John and I would arrive a little later and do our best to catch up along the way.
The drive to the Baldwin Gulch TH ended up taking ~3 hours from my house in Louisville by the time I picked up John, stopped for gas, drove cautiously across the ice glazed roads from Kenosha Pass to Fairplay and stopped at Johnson’s Corner to use their facilities.
We finally got on the trail at 8:15am under sunny clear/calm skies and reasonably pleasant temperatures. I got a hold of Dave on the two-way radio and he indicated that they were about 1.5 miles up the road. John and I made good progress, going a steady but very comfortable pace, enjoying the nicely packed trail and the easy walking with Microspikes instead of snowshoes (I was the only one using them, they were helpful but not really necessary).
A short while after the creek crossing, I upped the pace a little, anticipating (hoping) that I would catch Dave and Emily by treeline where I could take a short stop for some food/drink/clothing adjustments.
I made great progress, but as I neared treeline, I took a few deep plunges into the snow, I was forced to put on my snowshoes very near treeline as the previous track petered out and the only tracks now were Dave/Em’s. I followed their tracks to the base of a low angled gulley and I could see them high above. Sierra saw them as well and took off up the slope and covered the ~800 vertical in just a few minutes, but unfortunately, there was no way I could match her pace.
I plugged along up the gulley and before long, we all convened on the road near the upper most switchback, where the road tracks toward the Cronin/Antero saddle. Instead of following the road on it's circuitous path away from the summit, we continued directly up the fall line, through variable snow and talus to the ~13,800 foot sub-summit. I was getting a little hungry by this point and decided that I would just put my head down, “cruise” to the summit and eat once I got all the climbing behind me.
The ridge was less “cruisy” than I expected, complicated a bit by the ample snow. I bypassed the most significant initial rock outcrop on the West side of the ridge which generally worked well, but this bypass was still a bit slower and more tedious than I expected. I should have just re-gained the ridge after the first tower, but instead was not exactly sure where would be the best spot to go back up. As a result, I continued a bit too far and got into some steeper terrain than I preferred and had to backtrack a bit to easily attain the ridge where Sierra was waiting patiently for me. I should have just followed her, as she always seems to find the easier way.
John and I met up again here and continued on to the summit together, where my long hiatus from the high peaks, lack of sleep the previous night and a bit of a bonk all added up and I was feeling a little crappy. I was very relieved to reach the summit, where I quickly gulped down a thermos of soup and soon started to feel a little bit better. Dave and Emily arrived soon after and we celebrated with congrats and high fives, taking some pictures and enjoying the excellent views.
The descent was straight forward, but a bit tedious with the variable snow and loose rock and I was regretting leaving my poles in the car, as they would have helped quite a bit. Once back at the snowshoe cache, it was smooth sailing down the lightly snow covered gentle ridge back down to the valley (if I had to do it over again, I would ascend this way as well, unless the snow in the gullies were more consolidated).
Dave set a mean pace all the way back down to the car and we only stopped once for just a minute or two, just cruising the packed trail and gentle terrain. As always, the miles of road on the descent seemed twice as long as the ascent and the cars were a welcome sight after a long day out.
Aside from a short amount of time near the summit, I was dressed quite lightly all day, just a base layer and light fleece, glove liners, ball cap. Unbelievable weather for this date, it could not have been better.
Antero was a new Winter peak for myself, Dave and Emily, satisfied a March grid slot for John and was a new 14er for both Sierra and Kiefer.
Thanks to the previous group and Dave and Emily for breaking trail, it really made the day quite a bit easier, it ALMOST felt like cheating.
Splits:
Start from Baldwin Gulch TH: 8:15am
Creek crossing: 9:23am
Last road crossing/Snowshoe cache: ~10:50ish
~13,800 sub summit: 11:47am
Summit: 12:33pm
Leave Summit: ~12:55
Finish: 3:37pm
Pictures
03/06/10
~13 miles/4,900 vertical from Baldwin Gulch TH
7:22 RT
Partners: John Prater, Dave and Emily Hale, Sierra, Shep, Kiefer
For at least a month, Dave and I had occasionally discussed the possibility of climbing Antero before Winter came to an end. The fact that there might still be a decent track left over from the recent Sarah/Dwight/Dominic/Kevin trip for us to take advantage of heavily influenced our decision, as did the ever improving weather forecast.
Since Dave and Emily stayed the night in Buena Vista and John and I would be driving to the TH in the morning, I suggested that they start as early as they would like and John and I would arrive a little later and do our best to catch up along the way.
The drive to the Baldwin Gulch TH ended up taking ~3 hours from my house in Louisville by the time I picked up John, stopped for gas, drove cautiously across the ice glazed roads from Kenosha Pass to Fairplay and stopped at Johnson’s Corner to use their facilities.
We finally got on the trail at 8:15am under sunny clear/calm skies and reasonably pleasant temperatures. I got a hold of Dave on the two-way radio and he indicated that they were about 1.5 miles up the road. John and I made good progress, going a steady but very comfortable pace, enjoying the nicely packed trail and the easy walking with Microspikes instead of snowshoes (I was the only one using them, they were helpful but not really necessary).
A short while after the creek crossing, I upped the pace a little, anticipating (hoping) that I would catch Dave and Emily by treeline where I could take a short stop for some food/drink/clothing adjustments.
I made great progress, but as I neared treeline, I took a few deep plunges into the snow, I was forced to put on my snowshoes very near treeline as the previous track petered out and the only tracks now were Dave/Em’s. I followed their tracks to the base of a low angled gulley and I could see them high above. Sierra saw them as well and took off up the slope and covered the ~800 vertical in just a few minutes, but unfortunately, there was no way I could match her pace.
I plugged along up the gulley and before long, we all convened on the road near the upper most switchback, where the road tracks toward the Cronin/Antero saddle. Instead of following the road on it's circuitous path away from the summit, we continued directly up the fall line, through variable snow and talus to the ~13,800 foot sub-summit. I was getting a little hungry by this point and decided that I would just put my head down, “cruise” to the summit and eat once I got all the climbing behind me.
The ridge was less “cruisy” than I expected, complicated a bit by the ample snow. I bypassed the most significant initial rock outcrop on the West side of the ridge which generally worked well, but this bypass was still a bit slower and more tedious than I expected. I should have just re-gained the ridge after the first tower, but instead was not exactly sure where would be the best spot to go back up. As a result, I continued a bit too far and got into some steeper terrain than I preferred and had to backtrack a bit to easily attain the ridge where Sierra was waiting patiently for me. I should have just followed her, as she always seems to find the easier way.
John and I met up again here and continued on to the summit together, where my long hiatus from the high peaks, lack of sleep the previous night and a bit of a bonk all added up and I was feeling a little crappy. I was very relieved to reach the summit, where I quickly gulped down a thermos of soup and soon started to feel a little bit better. Dave and Emily arrived soon after and we celebrated with congrats and high fives, taking some pictures and enjoying the excellent views.
The descent was straight forward, but a bit tedious with the variable snow and loose rock and I was regretting leaving my poles in the car, as they would have helped quite a bit. Once back at the snowshoe cache, it was smooth sailing down the lightly snow covered gentle ridge back down to the valley (if I had to do it over again, I would ascend this way as well, unless the snow in the gullies were more consolidated).
Dave set a mean pace all the way back down to the car and we only stopped once for just a minute or two, just cruising the packed trail and gentle terrain. As always, the miles of road on the descent seemed twice as long as the ascent and the cars were a welcome sight after a long day out.
Aside from a short amount of time near the summit, I was dressed quite lightly all day, just a base layer and light fleece, glove liners, ball cap. Unbelievable weather for this date, it could not have been better.
Antero was a new Winter peak for myself, Dave and Emily, satisfied a March grid slot for John and was a new 14er for both Sierra and Kiefer.
Thanks to the previous group and Dave and Emily for breaking trail, it really made the day quite a bit easier, it ALMOST felt like cheating.
Splits:
Start from Baldwin Gulch TH: 8:15am
Creek crossing: 9:23am
Last road crossing/Snowshoe cache: ~10:50ish
~13,800 sub summit: 11:47am
Summit: 12:33pm
Leave Summit: ~12:55
Finish: 3:37pm
Pictures
Friday, March 5, 2010
Friday, 03/05/10 Green Mountain
Up in 1:03
Down in 50ish?
It was a bit colder than yesterday, actually a lot colder with the wind on the upper half of the Ranger Trail. The snow that was so soft yesterday was a skating rink this morning. I just tagged along with Allison and Sierra, content to go their pace, even though my legs felt surprisingly good. Trying to fully recover a bit from the past few days and rest up in anticipation for my Winter climb of Antero tomorrow. I am very much looking forward to getting up high, but know that I will be sucking wind big time, especially chasing Homie on snow at high altitude. I have not been to 14k since 12/19/09 and it has been since mid Jan. since I have been above 13,000. Either way, it will be a fun and challenging day.
Down in 50ish?
It was a bit colder than yesterday, actually a lot colder with the wind on the upper half of the Ranger Trail. The snow that was so soft yesterday was a skating rink this morning. I just tagged along with Allison and Sierra, content to go their pace, even though my legs felt surprisingly good. Trying to fully recover a bit from the past few days and rest up in anticipation for my Winter climb of Antero tomorrow. I am very much looking forward to getting up high, but know that I will be sucking wind big time, especially chasing Homie on snow at high altitude. I have not been to 14k since 12/19/09 and it has been since mid Jan. since I have been above 13,000. Either way, it will be a fun and challenging day.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thursday, 03/04/10 S. Boulder, Bear, Green, Flagstaff, Sanitas
Ran/hiked the skyline traverse with Brandon from the S. Mesa TH today. Forecast was for near 60 degrees and I decided to go with shorts/tee (with arm warmers), which turned out to be a good call.
The weather was perfect, but trail conditions were all over the place, dry, muddy, slushy, icy, hard packed snow, knee deep post holing snow and 10lbs of mud sticking to each shoe sloppy. We went a moderate pace most of the time with some easy cruising mixed in. Sanitas as usual was a grunt and I was thankful to be done, as today's run is about at the limit of my not yet enduring endurance, but was a great stepping stone.
We just had an awesome time enjoying good conversation, warm sun and great scenery. Bumped into the elusive Kraig K at the top of Green and chatted with him for a while.
Splits:
S. Boulder: 1:04
Leave S. Boulder: 1:12
Bear: 1:22
Splits in the middle were fuzzy, I never really looked.
Base of Sanitas: 3:23
Summit of Sanitas: 3:47
The weather was perfect, but trail conditions were all over the place, dry, muddy, slushy, icy, hard packed snow, knee deep post holing snow and 10lbs of mud sticking to each shoe sloppy. We went a moderate pace most of the time with some easy cruising mixed in. Sanitas as usual was a grunt and I was thankful to be done, as today's run is about at the limit of my not yet enduring endurance, but was a great stepping stone.
We just had an awesome time enjoying good conversation, warm sun and great scenery. Bumped into the elusive Kraig K at the top of Green and chatted with him for a while.
Splits:
S. Boulder: 1:04
Leave S. Boulder: 1:12
Bear: 1:22
Splits in the middle were fuzzy, I never really looked.
Base of Sanitas: 3:23
Summit of Sanitas: 3:47
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wednesday, 03/03/10 Green Mountain
Met up with Tony this afternoon for a lap on Green. We started off chatting, but not long up Amphitheater, I was sucking wind, knowing that my fitness is not near where I want it to be, but as I tell George all the time, "It is only [insert month]".
Even though it was Tony's second lap for the day, I knew I was holding him up and after 6:45 at the first junction, he took me up on my earlier offer to go his own pace. He cruised on ahead and I kept him occasionally in sight on some of the more open areas, last seeing him just after I crossed the spring below the big, talus switchback ~10 minutes from the top.
I continued to fade and made the top in a somewhat disappointing 36:47. I was hoping to be in the 35 minute range, but I see after today that is a bit much for me to expect with the type of inconsistent training I have done over the last many months. No worries though, it is only March.
Tony was nice enough to wait ~4 minutes for me on the summit, then a few extra while I enjoyed some time on the summit. We took the descent at a casually quick conversational pace, getting back down in 22ish.
Spring was once again in the air today, it has me so mentally rejuvenated. It was also great to get my butt kicked and have a bit of a push up the hill, it will only make me better in the long run. My records indicate that I am on par or maybe even a little ahead of previous years with more consistent training, so I know the fitness will come.
Thanks for a great run and conversation Tony. I look forward to doing it again soon.
Even though it was Tony's second lap for the day, I knew I was holding him up and after 6:45 at the first junction, he took me up on my earlier offer to go his own pace. He cruised on ahead and I kept him occasionally in sight on some of the more open areas, last seeing him just after I crossed the spring below the big, talus switchback ~10 minutes from the top.
I continued to fade and made the top in a somewhat disappointing 36:47. I was hoping to be in the 35 minute range, but I see after today that is a bit much for me to expect with the type of inconsistent training I have done over the last many months. No worries though, it is only March.
Tony was nice enough to wait ~4 minutes for me on the summit, then a few extra while I enjoyed some time on the summit. We took the descent at a casually quick conversational pace, getting back down in 22ish.
Spring was once again in the air today, it has me so mentally rejuvenated. It was also great to get my butt kicked and have a bit of a push up the hill, it will only make me better in the long run. My records indicate that I am on par or maybe even a little ahead of previous years with more consistent training, so I know the fitness will come.
Thanks for a great run and conversation Tony. I look forward to doing it again soon.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday, 03/02/10 Green Mountain
Met Wayne at Chautauqua, jogged the road to the Gregory TH to avoid the copious amounts of mud along the way. We started off jogging the Amphitheater Trail, but it was a bit steeper than Wayne was used to, so I let him set the pace.
He jogged most of it and I hiked behind him chatting away about our upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon. It was much warmer than it has been (fast approaching shorts weather), but the snow was still nice and solidly packed on the front side which was a welcome surprise.
Made the summit in a very relaxed 47:15, then jogged the down in a quickish, but not pressed 21:34.
He jogged most of it and I hiked behind him chatting away about our upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon. It was much warmer than it has been (fast approaching shorts weather), but the snow was still nice and solidly packed on the front side which was a welcome surprise.
Made the summit in a very relaxed 47:15, then jogged the down in a quickish, but not pressed 21:34.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, 02/28/10 Green Mountain
I brought a variety of warm running clothes with me to work, just in case I decided to go up Green after work. I was on the fence, but in the middle of the day, my friend Bruce gave a call to see if he could join me. Bruce is a bit new to Winter trail running, so I sent him on a pre-run trip to seek out Microspikes. He stopped at REI and they were out, but he got maybe the next best thing, a pair of Yak Trax Pro.
Driving into Boulder, it began to snow quite hard and visibility became a bit reduced. Had Bruce not gone out of his way to meet me, I may have bailed, but since he was there waiting, I was committed.
This was Bruce's first time up Green, so I figured I would take him up the most fun and efficient route, Amphitheater/Saddle Rock/Greenman. Although it had not been snowing long, it was snowing hard and was accumulating quickly on the trail, maybe 1-2 inches in spots. The pace was casual and I was glad to be out in the falling snow, it was so quiet and tranquil, it felt as though we had the mountain to ourselves (we did).
We made it to the summit in 54, chatting all the while. The descent was also casual in the fading light (39).
143 miles/52,120 vertical for the month (since Feb. 10th).
15 full trips up Green (+4 partial summits = 19 visits)
3 x Bear
3 x S. Boulder
Driving into Boulder, it began to snow quite hard and visibility became a bit reduced. Had Bruce not gone out of his way to meet me, I may have bailed, but since he was there waiting, I was committed.
This was Bruce's first time up Green, so I figured I would take him up the most fun and efficient route, Amphitheater/Saddle Rock/Greenman. Although it had not been snowing long, it was snowing hard and was accumulating quickly on the trail, maybe 1-2 inches in spots. The pace was casual and I was glad to be out in the falling snow, it was so quiet and tranquil, it felt as though we had the mountain to ourselves (we did).
We made it to the summit in 54, chatting all the while. The descent was also casual in the fading light (39).
143 miles/52,120 vertical for the month (since Feb. 10th).
15 full trips up Green (+4 partial summits = 19 visits)
3 x Bear
3 x S. Boulder
Saturday, 02/27/10 Green, S. Boulder, Bear
In the morning, Allison and I got out for a great trip up Green Mountain. We left Sierra behind and were eager to go up Amphi/Saddle/Greenman for a change. As we were approaching the TH, we noticed our good friend Steve (tippy Steve) running across Chautauqua, so we intercepted him and joined forces.
Immidiately, Allison started getting ahead, putting in an effort to minimize her losses while I hung back chatting with Steve. About 3/4 of the way up, knowing that we were losing ground to Allison, I decided to run the gap between her and Steve, but not long after I started, I bumped into Tony, so we chatted for a bit. Steve kept on cruising and now I had both of them to (try) catch.
I re-passed Steve on the stairs (buried now with snow) and pushed a bit to try and catch Allison, but she had already been on the summit for ~2+ minutes or so when I arrived there in 50. We waited a minute or two for Steve and we all continued down the other side with expectations to bump into Brandon. We eventually saw him ~1/2 mile down trail on his first of two laps, stopped momentarily to chat and continued on at a steady jog.
What a great morning, cool, yet pleasant temperatures, no wind, re-assuring sunlight, great company. Truly invigorating.
Afterward, we hurried home, where Allison had to get ready to go to a baby shower and I ate a second breakfast, in anticipation of a hike up S. Boulder/Bear with Dave (Hale), as he was visiting town with Emily. Once they arrived at the house, Allison and Em were off to the shower and Dave and I left to meet Homie and Joey at the S. Mesa TH.
The day was warming and I was hot at times, being over dressed (as usual). Spring was in the air and mud and slush were the rule lower down, but then the trail became nice and packed, a night and day difference over the previous day.
We took it very easy and I even forgot that I had been up Green that morning. I was content to hike at an easy pace and enjoy conversation with good friends and felt as though I could have gone on for hours more, it was just one of those days to spend it outside.
Immidiately, Allison started getting ahead, putting in an effort to minimize her losses while I hung back chatting with Steve. About 3/4 of the way up, knowing that we were losing ground to Allison, I decided to run the gap between her and Steve, but not long after I started, I bumped into Tony, so we chatted for a bit. Steve kept on cruising and now I had both of them to (try) catch.
I re-passed Steve on the stairs (buried now with snow) and pushed a bit to try and catch Allison, but she had already been on the summit for ~2+ minutes or so when I arrived there in 50. We waited a minute or two for Steve and we all continued down the other side with expectations to bump into Brandon. We eventually saw him ~1/2 mile down trail on his first of two laps, stopped momentarily to chat and continued on at a steady jog.
What a great morning, cool, yet pleasant temperatures, no wind, re-assuring sunlight, great company. Truly invigorating.
Afterward, we hurried home, where Allison had to get ready to go to a baby shower and I ate a second breakfast, in anticipation of a hike up S. Boulder/Bear with Dave (Hale), as he was visiting town with Emily. Once they arrived at the house, Allison and Em were off to the shower and Dave and I left to meet Homie and Joey at the S. Mesa TH.
The day was warming and I was hot at times, being over dressed (as usual). Spring was in the air and mud and slush were the rule lower down, but then the trail became nice and packed, a night and day difference over the previous day.
We took it very easy and I even forgot that I had been up Green that morning. I was content to hike at an easy pace and enjoy conversation with good friends and felt as though I could have gone on for hours more, it was just one of those days to spend it outside.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, 02/26/10 Bear Peak/S. Boulder Peak
Got out with Allison and Sierra today for a casual hike up Bear/S. Boulder. Trail conditions were surprisingly lousy, as the peaks got 4+ inches up high and we were the first ones up both peaks on the Shadow Canyon route, so I was regretting not wearing gaiters and microspikes (we opted for Yak Trax since it was a casual day and I expected better conditions).
The weather was perfect though, crystal clear blue sky, warm sun, no wind. The snow was very sticky today and built up majorly underfoot. I had many near face plants on the upper sections above the saddle, doing a reverse guy on the wet floor sign due to lack of traction. Allison took a scary looking crash through the rocks on the way down, but fortunately was OK.
The weather was perfect though, crystal clear blue sky, warm sun, no wind. The snow was very sticky today and built up majorly underfoot. I had many near face plants on the upper sections above the saddle, doing a reverse guy on the wet floor sign due to lack of traction. Allison took a scary looking crash through the rocks on the way down, but fortunately was OK.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, 02/25/10 Green Mountain, Flagstaff Mountain/Green Mounntain
Got in a bit longer than normal run today with 2 trips up Green, the second involving a trip over Flagstaff.
First Lap: Amphi/Saddle/Greenman
Hoped to feel better than I did and go a little quicker, but was also pacing myself for at least two laps, so I just decided to listen to my body and hang back a bit, just going moderate. The trail was packed nicely (thanks John, Kraig, Tony) and the weather was excellent, temps in the mid 40's, some sun. It just felt good to get out on a "warmish" mid-day. Ran the descent casually quick, made a pitstop at the car and swapped out my wet shirts, hat, gloves, had a bite and a drink.
Ascent: 40:30
Descent: 24
RT: 1:04:30
Second Lap: Flagstaff/Ranger on the up/Greenman/Saddle on the down
I originally intended to do my second lap on the same route, as I normally prefer steep, but I was feeling not so peppy, so I decided to take the longer, but less steep Flagstaff/Ranger route. Trail conditions varied from ice to dry to packed snow to some sloggy sections and I just took it super casual. Once I crossed Flagstaff road for the last time, heading toward the cabin, it started to snow pretty hard, leaving a fresh coating of snow on the trail. I alternated between jogging and powerhiking, totally content to just burn some calories and get a little exercise.
Spent little time on the summit and headed down Greenman/Saddle, avoiding the Amphitheater normal route in favor of continuing down Saddle Rock trail. It took a little longer (~2 minutes?), but it was fun to run a trail that I often overlook.
Flagstaff: 28:30
Last Flag crossing: 33:30
Ranger Hut: 37:??
4 way: 1:03
Summit: 1:08
Finish: 1:33
First Lap: Amphi/Saddle/Greenman
Hoped to feel better than I did and go a little quicker, but was also pacing myself for at least two laps, so I just decided to listen to my body and hang back a bit, just going moderate. The trail was packed nicely (thanks John, Kraig, Tony) and the weather was excellent, temps in the mid 40's, some sun. It just felt good to get out on a "warmish" mid-day. Ran the descent casually quick, made a pitstop at the car and swapped out my wet shirts, hat, gloves, had a bite and a drink.
Ascent: 40:30
Descent: 24
RT: 1:04:30
Second Lap: Flagstaff/Ranger on the up/Greenman/Saddle on the down
I originally intended to do my second lap on the same route, as I normally prefer steep, but I was feeling not so peppy, so I decided to take the longer, but less steep Flagstaff/Ranger route. Trail conditions varied from ice to dry to packed snow to some sloggy sections and I just took it super casual. Once I crossed Flagstaff road for the last time, heading toward the cabin, it started to snow pretty hard, leaving a fresh coating of snow on the trail. I alternated between jogging and powerhiking, totally content to just burn some calories and get a little exercise.
Spent little time on the summit and headed down Greenman/Saddle, avoiding the Amphitheater normal route in favor of continuing down Saddle Rock trail. It took a little longer (~2 minutes?), but it was fun to run a trail that I often overlook.
Flagstaff: 28:30
Last Flag crossing: 33:30
Ranger Hut: 37:??
4 way: 1:03
Summit: 1:08
Finish: 1:33
Wednesday, 02/24/10 Green Mountain
Trail conditions today were excellent on the Gregory/Ranger route. The snow is packed very well, mostly continuous all the way to the summit and the temperature was much warmer than on Monday. It might have even been a touch too warm (not that I am complaining), but I was once again over dressed, anticipating the big chill that never came once the sun dropped and was feeling a little bogged down with heavy shoes, jacket, stuff in the jacket pockets.
The snow was hard packed, but was just the right temperature and consistency to clump up and stick to the bottom of my Microspikes, adding about a pound of extra weight with each step. It felt as though I was "running" much of it on my heels, or dragging each foot plant to scrape it off. Not very efficient, but was a great workout for stretching the achilles. Pace today was moderate for the lower 3/4 and on the high side of moderate or lower end of hard on the upper 1/4.
Sierra was lagging some, as she has been getting up Green/Bear/S. Boulder much more than I have. Time for a doggy rest day on Thursday, while I get in a longer run.
Splits:
Cabin: 17:45
4-way: 37:28
Summit: 41:23
Down: 25:30
The snow was hard packed, but was just the right temperature and consistency to clump up and stick to the bottom of my Microspikes, adding about a pound of extra weight with each step. It felt as though I was "running" much of it on my heels, or dragging each foot plant to scrape it off. Not very efficient, but was a great workout for stretching the achilles. Pace today was moderate for the lower 3/4 and on the high side of moderate or lower end of hard on the upper 1/4.
Sierra was lagging some, as she has been getting up Green/Bear/S. Boulder much more than I have. Time for a doggy rest day on Thursday, while I get in a longer run.
Splits:
Cabin: 17:45
4-way: 37:28
Summit: 41:23
Down: 25:30
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, 02/22/10 Green Mountain
Headed up Gregory/Ranger with Sierra. The trail had seen a good bit of traffic, but was not consolidated all that much. Conditions made the going slow, so I just went with it, hiking mostly on the up with some running thrown in. Casually jogged most of the down.
While on the upper section, the setting sun illuminated the fresh snow draping the trees and was really quite amazing. Even though it was cold, the sun cast a warm glow, more mental than anything. The sun set around the time I made the summit and with the setting sun, my core temperature dropped, enthusiasm plummetted and all I could think about was a hot shower and warm food.
For the last 10-15 minutes coming down, I waffled between going faster to get down sooner and going slower as to not trip in the waning light. I never needed my light, but contrast was minimal. I was glad to be done.
Up: 55
Down: 32
While on the upper section, the setting sun illuminated the fresh snow draping the trees and was really quite amazing. Even though it was cold, the sun cast a warm glow, more mental than anything. The sun set around the time I made the summit and with the setting sun, my core temperature dropped, enthusiasm plummetted and all I could think about was a hot shower and warm food.
For the last 10-15 minutes coming down, I waffled between going faster to get down sooner and going slower as to not trip in the waning light. I never needed my light, but contrast was minimal. I was glad to be done.
Up: 55
Down: 32
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, 02/21/10 Local Run
~5.5 miles
46 minutes
I had planned on running Green after work, but unfortunately, last minute adjustments to my schedule foiled that plan.
After dinner, I sat at the computer to catch up on a few blogs and felt like a fat, lazy slouch compared to all my fellow bloggers, so, 16 degrees, dark and snowy night be damned, I suited up and headed out the door into the darkness for a little mental redemption if anything. I ran a combination of single-track, unplowed paths, plowed paths, neighborhood streets, sidewalks etc.... At first, I wondered what I was doing out in the loose snow and lousy weather, shouldn't I be sitting on the couch watching the Olympics snacking or something?
In 5 minutes or so, I started to warm up nicely and settled into a steady rhythm. I really began to enjoy the conditions, as it was so quiet and peaceful and I was perfectly comfortable. Though I never felt particularly fast with all the bulky clothes and unsure footing, I felt as though I could have run for hours, but unfortunately needed to get back, so I pulled the plug at 46 minutes.
46 minutes
I had planned on running Green after work, but unfortunately, last minute adjustments to my schedule foiled that plan.
After dinner, I sat at the computer to catch up on a few blogs and felt like a fat, lazy slouch compared to all my fellow bloggers, so, 16 degrees, dark and snowy night be damned, I suited up and headed out the door into the darkness for a little mental redemption if anything. I ran a combination of single-track, unplowed paths, plowed paths, neighborhood streets, sidewalks etc.... At first, I wondered what I was doing out in the loose snow and lousy weather, shouldn't I be sitting on the couch watching the Olympics snacking or something?
In 5 minutes or so, I started to warm up nicely and settled into a steady rhythm. I really began to enjoy the conditions, as it was so quiet and peaceful and I was perfectly comfortable. Though I never felt particularly fast with all the bulky clothes and unsure footing, I felt as though I could have run for hours, but unfortunately needed to get back, so I pulled the plug at 46 minutes.
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