I was up and out the door at 5:30 this morning so that I could complete a tour of the local peaks before class. A dense layer of grey clouds formed a dreary, low blanket over Boulder, but based on yesterday morning's run, I knew that once atop the mountains I'd be treated to expansive, airplane-like views above the cloud ceiling. This ended up being exactly the case, so I was thankful that I'd thought to bring Jocelyn's camera along to capture a pictorial record of the morning's stunning, yet ephemeral, beauty.
(Looking west toward the Indian Peaks Wilderness, from my 127th summit of Green Mt. this year.)
(The sun rising over the ocean of clouds, from Green Mt.)
(Looking back at Green, from Bear Peak summit.)
(Looking east, from Bear.)
(Next up: South Boulder Peak. Can you find the trail?)
(More of the same, from the top of SoBo.)
(And to the west, clouds already retreating.)
(And back through the fog to Chautauqua via the Mesa Trail, to complete the loop.)
(The green grass is starting to make it look like Spring!)
Three hours, three summits, 20 miles, and 5000' of climbing all before 9AM. How's the rest of the day supposed to compete with that?
04-12-2010 Mon-AM: 15 miles (2:19) Green Mt. up Back down Bear Cyn, 3000' Started really slow with Jocelyn and Martin. Felt better by the end. PM: 8 miles (1:04) Creek Path+4mi barefoot at Kitt
04-13-2010 Tue-AM: 15 miles (2:12) Green Mt. up Front down Bear Cyn, 3000' Climbed in 35:50 despite tired legs and losing at least two minutes to the glacier ice on the Greenman trail. 1mi barefoot. PM: 8 miles (1:03) McClintock-Mesa-Skunk Cyn with Jocelyn, 1000' Ran from the Law School between classes. Finished with some barefoot.
04-14-2010 Wed-AM: 17 miles (2:30) Bear Peak and Green Mt. up Fern, 4000' 27:25 from Mesa trail to summit post (5:10, 9:45, 12:30) and then 14:05 from Bear Creek to top of Green. Lots of ice above the Saddle on Fern probably cost me ~1min. Fern is ridiculous--2100' in probably only 1.5 miles or so. Although historical comparison will be lost, I'm looking forward to OSMP re-routing this trail this summer and maybe making it reasonably runnable. Felt okay on the uphills this morning, awkward on the downhills. PM: 6 miles (:47) Creek Path Took it nice and easy, but legs felt good.
04-15-2010 Thu-AM: 17 miles (2:26) Green Mt. and Bear Peak, 4000' Bascially ended up tempoing the whole loop Chat-to-Chat (up Front of Green, down Green-Bear to Bear West Ridge, down Fern and back on Mesa) in 1:46. Climbed Green in 32:58 and was on PR pace before having to hike significant sections of ice on Greenman. West Ridge of Bear in 23:15. Fern above the saddle was pretty slow descending with ice/snow, too. This run reminded me of a conversation I was having with my buddy Martin last week. One morning we ran up the back of Green together in 41ish minutes and he asked how that compared to my "100 mile race-pace" to which I replied that it mattered what part of the 100 miler we were talking about. In the first 60 miles of a 100 I would probably run up Green in 37 or 38 minutes. The last 40 miles it would probably be more like 40-45 minutes, depending on how the day is going. So, in that vein, while I was cruising faster-than-usual this morning I realized that I was really just running ~50K-50 miler intensity, maybe a bit harder on the steepest portions of the climbs. All in all, a pleasant way to get in some up-tempo, race-terrain-specific running. PM: 8 miles (1:00) Creek Path-Skunk Creek-Kitt with Jocelyn Legs felt great and the 4mi of barefoot was at a relaxed 7-flat pace.
04-16-2010 Fri-AM: 15 miles (2:15) Green Mt. up and down Back, 2800' Cool morning with low clouds. Took it very relaxed up in 38:55 and then tacked on 3mi of barefoot at Kitt at the end. My right VMO is a bit sore/tight, so I got a couple twinges in the knee now and then.
04-17-2010 Sat-AM: 50 miles (7:30) 2xGreen-Walker CCW-Eldo-Old Mesa-Bear
Canyon-2xGreen-Flag, 13,000' Green #1: (36:40) 16:15, 17:15, 3:10; Green #2: (35:35) 16:00, 16:40, 2:55; Green via Bear Cyn: (35:10) 20:50, 11:00, 3:20; Green #4: (38:30) 16:40, 18:25, 3:25. Green ascents 1,2, and 4 were all via the standard Gregory-Ranger route. Great day of running. Felt very solid all day except for the last 1000' of the last time up Green. Eight gels. Got drenched in a downpour in Bear Cyn. Soaked in Boulder Creek afterwards.
04-18-2010 Sun-AM: 16 miles (2:24) Green Mt., up Back down Bear Cyn, 3000' Gorgeous morning. Super relaxed 39:35 climb. Quads not sore, just tired on the downhills. 1mi barefoot at the end. PM: 14 miles (2:00) Green Mt., up Back down Bear Cyn, 3000' Huge (~2min) PR of 33:39 up the Gregory-Ranger route. Bonked hard coming down Bear Cyn (still operating on a pretty big calorie deficit from yesterday, I think), but came out of it and finished the run off nicely on a beautiful evening.
Total -Miles: 189 -Hours: 27h 30min -Vertical: 36,800'
2010 Summits (Day 108) -Green: 124 -Bear: 6 -SoBo: 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just a great week all around. As usual, by Wednesday I was recovered from the previous weekend and was able to put in a solid climb up Fern Canyon. As the snow melts out above the saddle on that trail I'll definitely be looking to get back there regularly (once a week?) and hopefully get a decently quick time in eventually. I was going to say something about how solid Thursday's run was then, too, but I've generally just been climbing extremely well all week long. To the point where I have to start thinking that a 33min ascent up the Front side of Green is pretty typical, as is 36 or 37min up the Back side.
My run this evening, though, was certainly notable in my eyes. Jocelyn and I were at the public library putting in a standard Sunday afternoon study session, but I couldn't resist the incredible weather outside so I slipped on my 5oz. hot orange slippers, shucked my jeans and shirt, and bolted out the doors for a late afternoon voyage up my favorite local peak. On the warm-up to the trailhead via 6th St. I could feel some surprisingly good bounce in my legs (considering 50 miles yesterday and the run up Green I'd already completed this morning), so was excited to hit the uphill trails.
(Forget training, shoes this hot will take 2min off your PR all by themselves!)
I chose my standard Gregory-Ranger route because I knew it would have the best footing with just one significant section of slippery, slushy, packed snow remaining on the upper switchbacks. My custom configuration of New Balance's MT100s are certainly extremely light and low-profile, but the featherweight outsole doesn't always offer the greatest purchase on non-dirt surfaces. Once headed up the mountain, I could tell right away that the legs were there. This was confirmed by my time-checks on the bottom half of the climb: 5:35 to the 2nd Bridge, 12:40 to my-rock-at-the-beginning-of-the-flat-section-before-the-creek-crossing, and a PR 15:25 to the Ranger Cabin.
Above here I wasn't sure how my legs and aggressive pace would respond to the stubborn patches of snow on the steep ridge section, so I just focused on dialing in the effort and was very careful to not overstep the boundary between sustainable oxygen debt and an unsustainable accrual of lactic acid. I've found that striking this delicate balance is the essential aspect to attaining one's absolute best effort in a hill-climbing test. Because, once that line is crossed, the mountain rarely offers any sort of opportunity for recovery and one is forced to slow down significantly in order to get back on the right side of things.
.
Fortunately, I did a fairly good job of keeping the effort reasonable and hit the Crest in 23:20 and the last-log-before-the-final-switchbacks-start in 28:00. From there to the 4-way junction, I was certainly slowed by slick slush and snow and was forced to hike a few steps, but still hit the final time-check in 30:52. The remainder of the climb was a hypoxia-induced haze of gasping, grunting, and high-knee stepping up the rocks until I reached the summit (but not the summit rock cairn...people were in the way) in 33:39.
I would definitely be interested in knowing what the FKT is on this route. With a completely snow-free trail and rested legs (as in, not the day after a 50 miler), I think I could maybe shave another full minute off this evening's time. My best empirical guesstimate is that the Gregory-Ranger route is ~3min longer than the shorter, steeper Amp-Saddle-Greenman route. Considering that Rickey Gates has slayed that in a stunning sub-29min time, I would bet that he could do something in the sub-32 range on the backside route.
However, tonight's sprint up the hill only makes me even more excited at the prospect of being able to some day soon have a legitimate shot at breaking 30min up the front. We'll see. We need to organize a reprisal of last Spring's 8er Time Trial series, don't you think, Jeff?
Finally, TV On The Radio is without a doubt at the top of my list of Bands I Still Want To See Live (okay, The Kills might give them a little competition), especially given videos portraying such peformances as this:
"Damn, dude, you're killin' it! Two laps today?" This man was noticing that we'd already passed each other once on the Gregory Canyon trail, maybe twenty minutes earlier.
"This is four, actually."
"Four?!?!"
Of course, seeing as I was about a third of the way up my fourth ascent of Green Mountain today, I hardly possessed the energy nor inclination to further avail this man of the fact that I had taken the time--in between the 2nd and 3rd reps--to interject an additional 3000' of climbing and 18 miles of running out in Walker Ranch and Eldorado Canyon. Plus, within another mile or so, the day caught up to me and I was most definitely not "killin' it" anymore and was just doing whatever I could to get to the top at something faster than what felt like a snail's pace.
.
(A reprisal of last weekend, plus a couple extra ascents of Green Mt.)
On the whole, though, today was probably the best day I've had in the mountains since before Leadville last summer. I knew I wanted a final long run before the Miwok 100K in two weeks, but was unsure about what form I wanted it to take. A double-crossing of the Grand Canyon? Pressing academic projects precluded the amount of travel time such an excursion necessitates. A 50 mile race? Maybe Leona Divide? Spring Desert Ultra? My competitive nature would almost certainly drive me to run too hard and jeopardize my subsequent effort at Miwok. I've learned that I can't run "training races" (an oxymoron if ever there was one). So, I turned to my backyard--Boulder County Open Space.
(50 miles, 7h30min, 4 x Green Mt., 13,000' vertical.)
After jogging up to the trailhead with Jocelyn, I kicked off the day with two ascents of Green Mt. The first one passed in a snappy 36:40 that was surprisingly effortless. It's always nice to see the benefits of taking Friday relatively easy. Thanks to being warmed up, round two felt similar to the first, except I climbed a full minute faster for a completely unexpected five second PR on the Gregory-Ranger route of 35:35. Clearly, I'm in shape to go a lot faster than that if I ever get around to time trialing it.
(Fog on the Ranger trail.)
(Summit #122.)
The circuit around Walker Ranch was a joy. I'd taken my first gel at 1h30 and one every hour after that, and the earlier fuel seemed to be allowing me to maintain a higher intensity deeper into the run. From the Ethel Harrold trailhead I cruised around the loop to the Eldorado Canyon singletrack in 56 minutes, and then 28 minutes later was chugging water at the State Park visitor center. High on the Eldo trail, I enjoyed maybe the best views of the day: low, misty clouds had been draping the mountains all morning, and, with it's summit obscured, Eldorado Mountain on the other side of the canyon looked gigantic.
(The stairs down to South Boulder Creek in Walker. Photo: Lucho)
Descending off the Fowler trail down into Eldorado Springs, I anticipated the Old Mesa climb with trepidation. This extremely skinny, rocky, somewhat overgrown half-track generally hurts. I'd been running a quick pace for more than four hours at this point, had already ascended over 7000', and rain was beginning to spit from the heavy clouds. Instead, I ran up the 700' rise with little effort. At the top, my extra energy allowed me to maintain a fast pace that would keep me warm in the rain, and by time the Mesa trail reached Bear Canyon I'd decided I was going to turn up it for a bonus ascent of Green.
Once back down at the Gregory Trailhead, I dropped my bottle and turned around for one more climb of the mountain. Finally, on the ridge above the Ranger Cabin, my day-long euphoria came shuffling to a bit of a stilted halt. The increased gradient exploited my slowly-eroded caloric advantage, and I had to reach into my pocket not once but twice for a gel in order to stimulate some kind of peppy response from my legs. Fortunately, three GUs in the span of only 30 minutes seemed to put me back in the game and above the 4-way junction, my legs again felt curiously sprightly. On the descent I spontaneously bopped over the top of Flagstaff and descended down to Eben G. Fine before running the Creek Path home for a (quick) soak in the creek itself.
Running isn't always this easy. But, on the days that it is, it's a pleasant reminder of the exquisite awards that can be reaped by consistently perservering through the long winter months, injuries, and other detractors. It's been a long, long time since I could just go tearing off through the rocks and woods with daylight and fuel being the only limiting factors to my voyage. I am equally grateful to have the arena for such opportunities exist quite literally in my backyard.
The 1972 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Wallace Stegner Angle of Repose is partly located in what I feel to be my second home of Leadville, CO. (Of all the "second homes" that exist in and around the Leadville region, I would bet that mine is likely the only one that consists merely of a small, trampled patch of oxygen-deprived, grass-like vegetation that lies betwixt a few pine trees and random piles of discarded trash (not mine), and could only be vaguely designated "mine" by an extremely loose adherence to some sort of probably quasi-illegal Squatter's Rights. I'll say no more for fear of legal action.)
However, the "angle of repose" I have been thinking of today is even more metaphorical than Stegner's title. I'm talking about resting. You see, it is Tuesday, which means I'm tired. Or rather, still tired. It is not as bad this week as last (because, ostensibly, my fitness is improving), but for the past three or four weeks, the weekend's serving of mountains and miles has left me predictably stymied for the first two days of the next week. By Wednesday, my stride usually regains most of its bounce and vigor, and come Thursday morning I'm ready to take on anything the peaks can throw at me yet again.
In Leadville this past summer, though, it was often different. The difference was that instead of the steep slopes of Green Mountain, Monday mornings each and every week consisted of Hagerman Pass. I loved running up to Hagerman Pass. The route was simple, symmetrical, and perfectly fit everything I was looking for in a Monday recovery run: a shallow, forgiving grade (i.e., an "angle of repose" in the sense that the road was at an angle which allowed me to rest), fantastic scenery to distract and inspire my typically weary mind, and a worthy summit.
(Curiously, probably my favorite run in Leadville.)
From where the dirt road started off of the paved road on Turquoise Lake's south shore to the 12,000' summit on the Continental Divide, it was exactly 8 miles. Another 0.4 miles of jogging up the ridge to the south offered a couple hundred extra feet of altitude and, more importantly, a seat on a rock overlooking a nearly 1000' drop into a magnificent glacial cirque forming the face of the Divide. I would sit on this rock forever, just soaking up the sun, gazing at the view, feeling the breeze on my face, chomping idly on a snowball. Eventually, though, I would stand up, take one last look west, and pad back down the hill, exactly the way I'd come.
(The pass itself is fairly unremarkable.)
These 17 mile jaunts would start gloriously slowly. Easing into the effort was paramount. In fact, despite the 2000' of gain, the goal for the morning was always to feel essentially no effort. Without fail, though, by the end, and aided by the gentle 3-4% downhill, my legs would feel alive, awake, and better than when I'd started. A summit view, two and a half hours of getting the heart pumping, mission accomplished. Tuesday morning the legs were rarin' and ready again to run up a 14er, usually Massive or Elbert.
(Looking back east towards Turquoise Lake, the venerable Mosquito Range and Leadville, from high on the road.)
It was weird, though. I mean, the route was a road (albeit, an exceedingly narrow, rocky one after the first four miles) and I'm always seeking the perfect ribbon of singletrack. A friend stopped in town for a couple days, and--of all the incredible trails in the Leadville area--what run do I take him on? Hagerman Pass. By the end of the summer, it was maybe the run I looked forward to most. When I head back up there for the first time this summer, it might be the first run I do.
(Headed up to Hagerman Pass for the last time this past summer. Photo: Rob O'Dea)
I know that the grades of Green Mountain here in Boulder don't offer me the same chance at recovery as Hagerman Pass Road did in Leadville, but it's still tough for me to stay away. The pull of the summit is too strong. The desire to leave behind the streets and concrete and crowds too great. So, I'll probably just stick to my now-familiar rhythm of weekend energy and long runs and weekday fatigue, recovery, and 8000' peaks, instead of finding a new Monday route with a more appropriate angle of repose.
Saturday marked the 100th day of 2010, so it is appropriate that this weekend has contained some running that has allowed me to take stock of my fitness and preparedness for racing.
On Saturday I continued my progression of the weekly long run with a rather ambitious circuit on some of Boulder's most sublime stretches of trail. The morning started with the usual jog up through the streets to meet Jeff at the Gregory Canyon trailhead for a run up Green Mountain. To my surprise, Brandon and Tim were along for the ride as well, with Brandon taking a liberal head start. However, after making efficient work of Gregory Canyon, the ice on the Ranger Trail proved to be too gnarly for Tim's soles and Jeff and I continued to the top alone, slowed somewhat by the slick early-morning conditions.
At the top, Brandon, Jeff, and I took some time to chat it up, eyeball the incoming clouds, and get good and chilled. After the 4-way junction, I was on my own; next destination: Walker Ranch.
(Saturday's route: 6h16min, 43 miles, 9000+' vertical = one big loop)
There were several good reasons to include Walker Ranch in this run. A) It has to be one of the higher-quality trails in Boulder County (depending on one's criteria of course), B) After weeks and months of almost pure vertical in my training, it was time to get some sustained, faster-than-12min-pace running in my life, and C) On a run this long, Walker has to be visited in order to reduce the amount of repetition in the course of the route.
(The dissected terrain of Walker Ranch, as seen from the summit of South Boulder Peak.)
I joined the 7.8 mile loop at the Ethel Harrold Trailhead off of Bison Drive and turned west, headed around the curcuit in a counter-clockwise direction. The Walker loop is defined by its "rolling" nature, but growing up in Nebraska, to call the terrain in the area merely "rolling" is euphemistic at best and probably more accurately described as cruel. The buffed singletrack path takes one in and out of three separate drainages associated with the upper reaches of South Boulder Creek. Each ascent/descent offers ~700' of vertical change, usually in less than a mile but all with excellently maintained tread. This sort of profile compares favorably with the Miwok 100K course.
(Some of the pleasing sights in Walker Ranch: South Boulder Creek/Eldorado Canyon. Photo: Richard Ryer)
One hour and 27 minutes after entering Walker I stopped at the Eldorado Canyon State Park Visitor's Center for a refill on water. I'd been running for just over three hours and 21 miles and the day's cloudy, humid conditions required rehydration. After a quick tour through the hamlet of Eldorado Springs, another 700' climb-in-one-mile, and a traverse back across the base of the mountains on the Mesa Trail, it was time for the crux of the day's run: another ascent of Green Mountain.
Somewhere over the course of the previous four and a half hours and 6000+' of vertical, my legs had lost a little of their early morning pep. I struggled through the dry trail in Gregory Canyon, but still managed to get to the cabin in a respectable 16:40 from the trailhead. The sun's warming rays, however, had transformed the Ranger trail from ice into slush and my legs were not happy. I tried--in vain--to channel the strength and power that I'd felt during last weekend's four-lap endeavor, but ultimately it was all I could do to eek out a 38:55 ascent, 25 seconds slower than the initial climb with Jeff earlier in the morning. Down the hill, a couple miles of barefoot around Kitt, and another successful long run was in the legs.
(Those four successive 700' climbs in the middle ain't trivial, especially when bookended by my 112th and 113th 2010 ascents of Green Mt.)
This morning was one of those pleasurable days where you get more than you'd orginally bargained for. I woke up feeling starved (not unusual the morning after a long run), but neglected to even tuck a gel into my shorts, thinking that my legs would be satisfied with nothing more than a typical ascent of Green Mountain. Happily, the combination of the absolutely fantastic weather and the usual post-long run boost (tomorrow will be when the fatigue truly hits) was enough to convince me it was a Three Peak Day. I certainly paid for my lack of food or water on this run (however, there was plenty of snow to eat up on South Boulder Peak), but all was made right with some Teahouse French Toast with Jocelyn and my visiting college buddy, Martin (fresh off a respectable 2:37 outing at the L.A. Marathon a few weeks ago), after the run was over.
(Three Peak Sunday: Green, Bear, and South Boulder.)
Due to the casual nature of this morning's outing, I did bring a camera, though:
(Self-portrait on Bear Peak's West Ridge Trail.)
(Glacier travel on the West Ridge.)
(Looking confused on a bluebird day on 8549' SoBo Peak.)
(Running down Shadow Canyon is often more of a controlled fall.)
(Excellent trail leaving Shadow and heading back over to the Mesa trail.)
Mon-AM: 14 miles (2:13) Green Mt., up Back/down Greenman, 2800' Drunken sloth pace today. Getting passed by women pushing babies in strollers on the Creek Path. 42min to shuffle up the hill, and then nearly fell asleep on the summit rock. But, what else should I expect after a 60mi/16,000' vert weekend? PM: 6 miles (:53) Creek Path+barefoot at Kittw/ Jocelyn
04-06-2010 Tue-AM: 15 miles (2:16) Green Mt., up Back/down Greenman, 2800' A bit peppier this morning, but still tired and sleepy. Lots of graupel on the mountain after the early-morning storm. Finished up with 2mi of barefoot on the Kitt Fields. Knee was a bit twingy/achey towards end. That, combined with lots of class/school-work, meant it was time to be careful and take the evening off. The old me would've probably soldiered on and made things worse. 04-07-2010 Wed-AM: 15 miles (2:08) Green Mt., up Back/down Greenman, 2800' Felt good this morning. Rest finally kicked in. 39:30 up the hill but that was slowed a minute+ by the 2-3" of new snow up there. PM: 8 miles (1:02) Goose Creek+2mi barefoot at Kitt Legs felt great, but I should've been doing homework instead.
04-08-2010 Thu-AM: 20 miles (3:03) Green Mt. and Bear Peak+barefoot, 4500' Awesome run; this is what happens when I decide speedwork is dumb. 35:15 up the Front of Green, but I was on PR pace without trying before I hit the postholes and snow on the Greenman trail. West Ridge of Bear had seen only one other runner since it snowed yesterday, but it was never too bad until the last 10min through the rocks. Descended Shadow instead of Fern because I was worried about traction. 2mi barefoot at end. Watch said 4700+' climbing, but I only count 4000' with the big climbs...not sure if I want to start counting the 100-300' rollers on the Mesa trail as legit vertical...they certainly sting enough. PM: 8 miles (1:00) South Boulder Creek+1mi barefoot Nice jaunt with Jocelyn, Alex, and the Mold-sauce. 04-09-2010 Fri-AM: 15 miles (2:14) Green Mt., 2800' Up Back down W. Ridge-Flag Rd-Gregory. Ran easy with Moldy, but of course his shoes were slipping everywhere on Ranger so we bailed onto the road. Great to catch up and chat with him. 04-10-2010 Sat-AM: 43 miles (6:16) Green-Walker-Eldo-Mesa-Green, 9000' Had to run to the grocery store afterwards for some Nutella so I could refuel.
04-11-2010 Sun-AM: 20 miles (3:04) Green-Bear-SoBo Loop, 5000' Up Back of Green in 38:15; 24:10 for West Ridge of Bear. PM: 6 miles (:51) Creek Path with Jocelyn and Martin
I awoke this morning to a layer of fresh snow reflecting the rising sun in through the bedroom window. I wasn't really expecting that. Jocelyn, with her SoCal roots, sees this sort of thing and rolls over in bed. (Not that this makes Jocelyn a wimp. She's actually one of the more consistently tough runners I've known. In shape or not, Jocelyn knows how to suffer. This can't be said of a lot of (very fast) runners; I think she's probably just secure in the level of toughness in her constitution and doesn't feel the need to validate it to herself all the time with silly macho gambits like running in all kinds of terrible weather. Like I apparently tend to need to...)
I, on the other hand, grunt and groan, kick around the apartment for a couple minutes and prepare to run. As I put my shirt on, Jocelyn comments that I'm getting too skinny. Where did those hip bones come from? Why are there ribs in your back? she asks. Jocelyn always lets me know when I'm finally getting fit.
(Late season frosty Flatirons.)
The snow actually lended a playful aspect to the run this morning as I danced up and down Green Mountain with a little extra cushion on the path. I imagined this to be one of the last few crystalline window-dressings of this type, so I was sure to bring the camera along and snap a couple of pictures.
.
(Looking back down Gregory Canyon towards Chautauqua and Boulder.)
For the past couple of weeks, I've definitely had a paradoxical relationship with my feelings toward continued snowfall. The alpine hydrologist in me and my interests in water resources all know that Spring-time snows in the Rockies are essential to securing a healthy snowpack, which the Front Range and most of the western United States relies on for its water, via the Colorado River, specifically.
(Stairway to heaven: above the 4-way junction on Green Mt.)
However, the mountain runner in me selfishly wishes that the blasted snowpack was gone yesterday. I want trail X and secret path Y to be melted out now because I've been slipping and sliding through the white stuff since October and I'm tired of carrying Microspikes in my waistband and dulling them on the rocks that are now poking through and I'm tired of having to plan my long-run routes with postholing and bullet-proof ice in mind and I'm tired of gloves and I'm tired of shirts. Bring on summer and tan lines and double-fisting water bottles and S-caps!
(Green Mt as seen while descending the Greenman trail.)
Nevertheless, obviously, there is a nexus in my interests and personality where the environmentalist/hydrologist and the mountain runner are actually one and the same. I wouldn't be the environmentalist I am if I weren't a mountain runner and vice versa. So, let it snow.
03-29-2010 Mon-AM: 14 miles (2:06) Green Mt., up Front down Greenman, 2800' Up in an easy effort 35:45. Pretty soft, punchy trail conditions. Finished up with 2.5 miles barefoot at Kitt Fields. PM: 13 miles (2:02) Green Mt. up Front down Gregory, 2800' Terrible conditions (slushy, soft, super-punchy) made it almost impossible to run up high in the deep snow. Rounded out the run with 2 miles barefoot at Kitt. Awesome warm night.
. 03-30-2010 Tue-AM: 15 miles (2:17) Green Mt., Ranger-Greenman, 2800' Slowness and tiredness exacerbated by still soft/punchy
snow on Ranger. Need more sleep. 1mi barefoot at Kitt. PM: 7 miles (1:00) Mesa-Skunk Creek, 1000' Finished up with a mile of barefoot at Kitt. Hot out.
03-31-2010 Wed-AM: 15 miles (2:10) Green Mt., Ranger-Greenman, 2800' PM: 8 miles (1:02) Creek Path+2mi barefoot
04-01-2010 Thu-AM: 15 miles (2:10) Green Mt., Ranger-Greenman, 2800' 1.5 miles barefoot at Kitt at the end. 38:35 climb. PM: 10 miles (1:08) Creek Path+Kitt 15x1min hard/easy barefoot at Kitt. 72-75sec 400m pace on
all of them and felt relaxed. Felt good to go fast for once.
04-02-2010 Fri-AM: 13 miles (2:00) Green Mt., Ranger-Greenman, 2800' 100th summit of Green Mt for the year. Very relaxed 39:45.
04-03-2010 Sat-AM: 32 miles (5:05) 4 x Green Mt., 10,000' vertical 37:20, 37:05, 36:50, 36:45 up the back and down the front.
Finished up with 2.5 miles barefoot at Kitt.
04-04-2010 Sun-AM: 15 miles (2:10) Green Mt., 3000' Ran up the frontside and then down Bear Canyon and back on Mesa. 33:16 for the climb, which surprised me because I was never pressing. Massive stomach issues on the downhill. PM: 13 miles (2:00) Green Mt., 2800' Up Skunk and Bear Canyon, down Ranger-Gregory. Ran up to
Bear Canyon with Jocelyn. Had really bad stomach problems
once I got back down to town that precluded tacking on any
barefoot running; also bonked badly on the downhill after being stuck in the library all day and not eating anything.
Total -Miles: 170 -Hours: 25h 10min -Vertical: 33,600' 2010 Summits (Day 94) -Green: 106 -Bear: 2
---------------------------------------------------------
Another good week. It was nice to get in that little speed session Thursday; I'll probably continue to hit something like that once a week heading into Miwok, if the legs are feeling it. I was extremely pleased with the long run on Saturday. It went much better than I ever could've imagined, and even more importantly I was able to follow it up with another pretty big day--trying to transition into back-to-back long runs without damaging the knee.
Here are a few photos from this evening's run with Jocelyn--it's really fun to get out on the trails with her instead of always going solo. Once she gets the time to really focus the training for a month or so this summer, she could make an impact on a couple of mountain races. Experience running technical trails joined with 17:22 5K speed could be a potent combo.
(Headed up Skunk Canyon.)
(Kaibab-like water-bars on the ~1000' climb up to the Mesa Trail.)
(Traversing over toward Bear Canyon--and Bear Peak--on the Mesa.)
(Mouth of Bear Canyon.)
(Looking back east: sun setting on the backside of a flatiron.)
(The south-facing Green-Bear connector trail gets steep at times.)
(My mistress, from the Boulder Public Library yesterday morning.)
Last week's session on Green with Jeff just didn't feel quite right. It was an excellent run, and Jeff was outstanding company, but ending the run at "only" three laps of the mountain somehow felt incomplete. Like the run lacked a certain aesthetic. Four laps seemed much more appropriate, more symmetrical. Even vs. odd, 22 miles vs. 16.5 (on the mountain itself), 10,000' climbing vs. 7500'. Heading back this weekend--especially with the enticing vastly superior trail conditions--seemed like really the only long-run option in my mind.
Jeff opted to go do laps on an admittedly nice loop behind Eldorado Canyon State Park (Walker Ranch), which is relentlessly rolling with ~2000' of climbing per 7.5 mile loop, but that held little interest to me when I can do 5.5 mile loops on Green with 2500' of climbing in one push and a summit view each lap. After running the long way up to the Gregory Canyon trailhead with Jocelyn, I bid her adieu, stashed my four GUs alongside a gallon jug of water that I'd cached in the bushes a few days earlier, and headed up the canyon to start the day's work.
(The MapMyRun version of the morning.)
Lap one was supposed to be a warm-up, a chance to see how the legs felt and what the day would hold in terms of trail conditions and weather. My legs hadn't been particularly peppy on the run up through the streets with Jocelyn (in fact, she was half-stepping me the entire way; Jocelyn's getting into shape), so when I climbed past the cabin at the head of the Ranger trail I was surprised to see 16:40 for the split. On my usual week-day excursions up Green I very rarely get to the cabin in less than 17 minutes. I guess yesterday's single two hour run had left my legs well-rested. The trail turned to packed snow/ice on Ranger and my Microspikes bit well, depositing me at the extremely windy summit in a climb of 37:20.
(Green's summit rock.)
At the outset, my goal for the day had been to simply keep each climb under 40 minutes, so now I was worried that I'd run too hard too early and would pay later. So much for negative-splitting the repeats. Oh well, nothing I could do about it now. The descent down the front side of Green was dispatched in a casual 22 minutes, and after some water and a gel I quickly got back to it. I was trying to keep the run as continuous as possible with no lingering on the summit or in the parking lot because I had a date for brunch with Jocelyn at the Teahouse after the run (probably my favorite eatery in Boulder).
On the second lap, I settled into a rhythm that I would follow the remainder of the run: stash my shirt and Microspikes in my waistband for the sunny run on dry trail up Gregory Canyon, stop very briefly to sit on a stump and don my 'spikes just before the Gregory Creek crossing, continue steadily up through the trees until the trail crested Green's north ridge and the raging wind required putting my shirt back on (without pause), and finally, pull my gloves on during the switchbacks immediately before the 4-way junction. This process was followed in reverse when I descended the front side trails of Greenman, Saddle Rock, and Amphitheater. Despite what I had perceived to be a brashly quick first climb, my legs enjoyed the usual warmed-up boost on the second lap and I was able to top out a bit quicker, in 37:05.
(Dirt! Typical trail in Gregory Canyon.)
Things were generally much the same on lap three, except that the snow/ice on Ranger was becoming noticeably softer/punchier; but, with some encouragement from Kraig (descending from a second summit of his own) on Ranger's upper switchbacks I was successful in dropping my time yet again to a 36:50. Granted, I've mostly run Green in the winter, but the number of times I've broken 37 minutes for this route is probably less than the number of toe-nails I'm missing. I was psyched. On the way down from this climb the super-computer kicked in (despite the now decidedly soft and slippery snow on upper Greenman) and a 20 minute descent felt unpressed.
Heading into the final circuit, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew my legs were getting tired and figured that with my indiscretion on the previous climb I should just be happy with stumbling my way to the top for a sub-40 ascent. Heading up the big steps and rocks in Gregory Canyon I could tell that I was finally edging into that territory of effort and fatigue that had been my goal this morning: it's been a long time since I've run for five hours--and certainly never with this much vertical--and I wanted to reacquaint myself with and rehearse the focus, will, and stubbornness required to maintain efficient uphill progress late in an extended, hard effort.
As I stepped onto the snow surface of the Ranger trail that was now slushy even in the shade, I found what I'd been looking for. Ugh. Hamstrings and calves threatened to cramp, my Microspikes annoyingly caught invisible undulations in the trail surface, and despite all attempts to remain conservative my breathing achieved a high level of raggedness and then stayed there. So it goes. When I finally hit the 4-way junction for the last time I knew that if I re-doubled my focus there was even a chance I could slip under the previous lap's time.
(These hurt after four laps--above the 4-way junction.)
Grunt, groan, unending rock steps just a little too big to efficiently ascend and I was there in 36:45, instantly going to the hands-on-knees position of the blown out runner. I actually felt bad for the single other person on the summit, like I was inconsiderately disturbing her wind-whipped reverie with my obnoxious huffing and puffing. No matter, I needed oxygen.
(The final few yards of the climb.)
Lap #1 - (37:20) 16:40, 17:25, 3:15 Descent: 22:00
Lap #2 - (37:05) 16:15, 17:35, 3:15 Descent: 21:10
Lap #3 - (36:50) 16:15, 17:15, 3:20 Descent: 20:25
Lap #4 - (36:45) 16:20, 17:25, 3:00 Descent: 27:15 (Greenman to Gregory--about a mile longer.)
Back down at the parking lot the weather was all bluster and brilliant sunshine despite the very occasional spits of snow and sleet I'd been enjoying on the upper reaches of the mountain all morning. An extra three and a half miles of barefoot running down on the Kittredge grass pushed the run over the five hour mark and afforded me that luxurious fatigue that only comes with a truly long, hard run. I'm hoping that a couple more long runs like this one, and in a month I'll be inducing a different kind of symmetry with my running: the climactic, satisfying race performance that is the only appropriate coda to several months of diligent preparation.
I tagged my 100th Green Mountain summit of 2010 this morning, the 92nd morning of the year. I guess that was the goal, three months ago, to see if I could enforce a measure of consistency in my running that had been missing since last summer. Much of that previous inconsistency had nothing to do with a lack of discipline or desire on my part. Indeed, it was much the opposite; I would often take any sign of health in my legs as free license to rashly pile on the miles with seemingly no regard for its effect on my ability to run pain-free the next day, week, month, or year. My undertaking of a daily summit of Green was my way of ensuring a long-term mindset.
(A bit windy this morning.)
(Shot south towards Bear Peak.)
There are at least two things that my daily run up Green has provided me with over the course of the last three months.
First, I've gained an appreciation for the traditional, slow-but-sure, conservative-but-steady-wins-the-race, method of running training. It's such a simple concept: run a reasonable amount every day--an amount that the body will ably absorb--and eventually it will respond to that steady stress by becoming stronger, healthier, and more resilient instead of breaking down. The key--and this is by no means ground-breaking--is fighting off the urge to constantly be training at a volume and intensity that pushes the body's current limits.
Running up Green every day has taught me to temper my desire to be constantly thrusting my hand into the fire, seeing how long I can keep it in there this time. In the past I've always pushed past the initial pain and waited for my fingers to smolder, if not burst completely into flames. So far, this year I've successfully remained content with training at a level that challenges me but doesn't break me. I have to continue to do that--if only for my personal sanity. Not being able to run--especially as the weather edges towards summertime perfection on a daily basis--is simply unbearable on an emotional level. And I have to remember that whenever I'm tempted to go a little further than what a safe and sane progression would dictate.
Weekly Mileage Progression of 2010 (# of Green Summits): 75 (2) (only the last three days of the week were in January) 94 (7) 107 (7) 120 (8) 123 (7) 125 (9) 88 (6) (little scare with the knee caused me to forgo two-a-days) 143 (10) 145 (11) 102 (7) 53 (3) (fell on my back at the end of the previous week) 152 (8) 168 (9) 170 (12)
In the past, that third week I would've traditionally tested the waters with something in the 140-150 mile range before usually skyrocketing to nearly 200 miles or so on the fourth week. Because of some newfound wisdom (let's hope I don't lose it!) and the strict demands of needing to be able to run two hours with nearly 3000' of vertical the next day (and the day after that, and the day after that, etc.) that the Green Mountain Project required, the above progression is the route I took this time.
Second,the Green Mountain Project has instilled in me a much greater appreciation for the Boulder Mountain Parks,and therefore,the community of Boulder itself. For better or worse, a significant portion of my view of a town is largely tied to my perception and opinion of its trail/mountain running offerings. For instance, the Del Mar/Solana Beach/Encinitas communities (Jocelyn's home stomping grounds) of northern San Diego County all offer a charming oceanside ambience with vibrant downtown districts. These are actually things I value in a town. Alas, (much to the protest of many of the local runners) there's not a lot of real trail running immediately available there (I mean, shit, there are a lot of freeways and houses in the way), which means that it's kind of tough for me to get excited about any extended visits to the area.
Of course, this is not the case in Boulder. I'm still not convinced that Boulder has the variety or abundance of dirt of, say, Manitou/Colorado Springs, but I harbor an admitted bias there. When I first moved to Boulder at the end of last summer, I spent a month mostly sitting on my butt waiting for my knee to calm down and heal itself with simple rest. After that, when I was able to actually get out and struggle over them firsthand, I was roundly appalled at Boulder's uniformly rocky, technical, and steep so-called trails. It was frustrating. Vertical gains of 1000' per mile are de rigueur around here, whereas most other places I've lived that's considered to be on the absolute border of runnable.
(Uh, where's the trail?)
(Come on...)
(Okay, so there are some nicely buffed--but still steep--sections, too.)
However, diligence pays off, and I've become increasingly comfortable on the log, rock, and step-filled routes up Boulder's peaks. In turn, this acceptance and increased proficiency has translated into greater enjoyment, a more positive attitude, and even a boosting of confidence in my fitness. All good things heading into the summer racing season.
Which leads me to, what next? This morning, after I returned from my 100th summit, Jocelyn asked, "Well, what are you going to run tomorrow?" My reply, of course, was "Green". Planning on four heaping servings, actually. The fact is, living where I do in town, Green is often the best running option for one who is interested in standing on a significant summit (which I usually am). So, I will likely continue to run up Green virtually every day. It's become both a test-piece and a comfort blanket. It's the very easy but still quality answer to "what am I going to run today?"
Eventually, though, the real snow (as in, real high) will melt and I expect I'll seek out the big peaks more and more. Races will require that I scout their specific courses and taper rigorously. More novel adventures will be devised and executed. But, there is no doubt that Green will remain an essential staple in my running diet, and that--hopefully--I'll continue to retain and act on the principles of running training that its slopes mandated this winter: consistency, summit views, and rational moderation.
