Monday, December 10, 2012

Dec 3 - 9

12-3-2012
Mon-AM: 2:33, 4500' ~ 3rd Flatiron+Green & Bear
Got up early for a romp over the peaks before flying to Texas.  Legs took a minute to get going but once they did I cruised a really solid pace for the full loop up Bear's West Ridge and then down Fern Canyon back to Chautauqua and back down to my apartment.

12-4-2012
Tue-AM: 1:15 ~ Town Lake, Austin TX
Steady cruise all the way around the lake with Jurker (10mi+ loop).  A surprising amount of dirt to run on right from downtown and the hot humid weather even motivated a short swim at Barton Springs in the middle of the run.

12-5-2012
Wed-AM: 1:15 ~ Town Lake, Austin TX
Reprisal of yesterday's outing, but solo, and no swimming as it was a markedly cooler morning.

12-6-2012
Thu-AM: 1:44, 3000' ~ First Flatiron+Green Mt.
I was hoping to go for the big Double Quinfecta this morning, but as I jogged out of Chautauqua there were a few sprinkles and then half-way up the First this changed to snowflakes, so that, combined with my tired legs made it easy to bail after the First and just head to the summit of Green and enjoy a run down Bear Canyon instead.

12-7-2012
Fri-AM: 4:07, 10,000' ~ Double Flatiron Quinfecta
One of my favorite days on the mountain recently. Starting from Chautauqua I scrambled all five flatirons, twice, in an out-and-back fashion: 1-2-3-5-4-5-4-3-2-1.  Right away I was in a pretty good groove and that just kept getting better the longer I was on the rocks.  On the bushwhack from the summit of the 4th back to the base of the 5th (for my second ascent) I traversed straight south, snuck around the backside of a big slab and descended the south side of the 5th, thus avoiding the hideous descent down the gulley between the 4th and 5th Flatirons. Also, on my second ascent of the 3rd I crossed the dry streambed next to the Royal Arch trail and did a full ascent of the 3rd, starting at the very bottom of the rock, instead of the standard East Bench start.  By time I'd made my way back to the base of the First Flatiron there were no less than five different parties roped up and perched on the lower East Face.  I was able to climb past them quickly and efficiently, though, and thanks to carrying a bottle of water and four gels I finished feeling strong. Full time Chat-to-Chat was 4:07:17. Including downclimbs, this outing consisted of somewhere between 100 and 110 pitches of climbing.

12-8-2012
Sat-AM: 4:31, 6200' ~ El Chubbo Fat Ass Marathon
Headed up to Ft. Collins with Joe to get a tour of Clarkie's backyard hills.  I'd never done any running in Ft. Collins (other than racing XC), so it was fun to get in some miles with friends on fresh terrain.  Very runnable terrain, I must add, making this the longest proper run I've done in exactly a month.  Legs were tired from yesterday's big outing.  Afterwards was a jovial gathering at the Casa de Clarkie, replete with food, brews and friends. Good times for sure.

12-8-2012
Sun-AM: 2:38, 5700' ~ Flatiron Quinfecta+Green Mt.
I awoke to dry (but cold at +18F) conditions when I'd been expecting rain/snow, so I modified some old gloves into fingerless gloves so that I could get some skin on the rock and went and laced the Five Fountains one more time.  Can't stay away, especially when I know I'm going to be out of town the next few days.  Despite the cold it turned into a very pleasant morning out on the mountain.

Hours: 18h03min
Vert: 29,400'

Not much new to report.  Things are pretty mellow this time of year and I've been embracing that by focusing on a lot of scrambling (which, at the intensity I tend to go, still gets the heart rate high and keeps it there, believe me).  This week involved a lot more "real running" than usual, though, because of the trip to Texas and then the Fat Ass on Saturday.  If it ever snows, there will continue to be more of that in the mix.

The five numbered Flatirons on the east face of Green Mt here in Boulder.
A salty duo rehydrating at Clarkie's after El Chubbo. Photo: Rob Timko
Definitely worth 15 minutes.

31 comments:

R. Logan Brooks said...

So nice to hear that your health is maintaining over such a long period of time. I hope this winter brings many more outings into the higher country and satisfaction in said endeavors.

David said...

I was on Bear's summit for the first time this Saturday, and found the red rocks to be pretty slippery. Is that natural, or were they "painted" by fire suppressant this summer?

tim white said...

Any pics from El Chubbo? Who won? Best beer consumed?

jun said...

Killer week. Great video. Best post in weeks. Enjoy the winter.

Unknown said...

I check your blog almost weekly and what you do has inspired me to want to pursue ultras a semester from now after my collegiate running career is over. This bog post, however, had another inspiring aspect in the Macklemore video you posted at the end. I'll have to admit, normally I don't listen to the music you post at the end of your blogs, but this time you picked one of my favorite artists, and great performance at that. Bravo to your inspirational running and your great music choice. Muchas Gracias.

Buzz said...

Amazing outings - the Double Quinfecta, which has only been done by a few people, then casually popping it again a few days later, all in December - you've turned into a scrunbling monster. A friend did it about 20 years ago and wrote an article for Trail and Timberline magazine about his 10+ hour epic.

Rain said...

Were you here in TX for an event? I live in Austin, didn't know you were in town.
I run for Team Lukes and I know Jurek was in the store for a run/talk and I sadly missed it!

Rob Timko said...

Thanks for jinxing the snow.

Nick said...

That you tube link is rad. Definitely a good 15 mins spent.

AJM18 said...

Top band tip, Alt-j. I think you'll like them.

TheBaldEnglishTeacher said...

Love me some Macklemore! Just played here in SLC last weekend. Any chance you heading this way for ORC?

mkirk said...

Hey Anton, pardon this random question: is there a retailer here in the US that carries visor buffs?

Mark Gibbs said...

just awesome man, lovin the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis link. Keep bashing those trails, we've just started getting snow here in the UK too, can't wait to get out..

Ryan said...

Hey, just found your blog, some inspiring stuff! I will be in the area for a wedding in January and would love to sneak in a run up Green Mountain, if the trail remains packed through the winter as you say. Curious, when you're running the Flatirons, what is your shoe situation? Do you climb everything in your trail runners? Are the MT110s sticky enough for confidence with that sort of thing. Tried some MT10s today and they seem fairly sticky.

eichhorst said...

Jealous.

Anton said...

David - The red rocks on top of Bear Peak are natural, not left over fire suppressant residue.

mkirk - Here is the visor buff that I wear. I cut off the long tail and leave 8-10" or so of fabric to serve as the headband.

Ryan - It depends on the rock, but, in general, when scrambling on the Flatirons you want some proper sticky rubber. Most people wear at least an approach shoe if not true climbing shoes. I have a pair of MT110s that I've had re-soled with approach rubber, which offers much better runnability than a normal approach shoe. I regularly scramble the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Flatirons in just normal running shoe rubber, but the 1st and 5th have a few stretches of thin 5.6-ish rock that would be pretty spooky w/o some stickier rubber. Having said all that, I don't recommend any of this without knowing you and your abilities, so it's completely up to you to make your own decisions.

Ryan said...

Thanks for answering. I know shoe questions can't be the highlight of your day.

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