Week Summary: Nov 21 - 27

11-21-2011
Mon-AM: 1:15, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down 1st Saddle.  Met Rickey and Scottie at the Gregory TH (I biked, they were starting a longer run) and hiked to the impressively wind-less summit.  It was absolutely still up there today. Hiked down by myself as they headed off to places farther afield.
PM: 2:11, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access and down 1st Saddle. Ran the 14min to the Ranger Cottage and then hiked the rest of the evening. Almost the entire descent was in the dark, so things took about 20min longer than they should've.

11-22-2011
Tue-AM: 1:25, 2600' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access and down 1st/2nd access. The wind was back this morning, but I felt decent after getting warmed up, really nailed the section between the 3rd and the NE ridge, scrambling the slab way quicker than usual, too.
PM: 1:41, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down 1st Saddle.  I ran the 15min to the base of Amphitheater and then jogged the flat spots on the climb (hiking probably 95%), getting to the summit in 32:35. The ice on upper Greenman is still costing me close to a minute I think. Hiked all the way home.  Shin seems to be handling the transition to running, but I need to stay patient and not get greedy.

11-23-2011
Wed-AM: 1:24, 2600' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access and down 1st/2nd access. Very warm morning, exceptionally nice weather for November.
PM: 1:32, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access and down 1st Saddle. Ran from my doorstep all the way to the base of the 2nd Flatiron (24min) and then on the the last couple switchbacks of Greenman I ran into Jeff, who I then ran all the way down with.  All of which was no issue at all for the shin, which is huge. Solid effort on the up despite lethargic legs netted me a PR 36:10 from Chat on this route.

11-24-2011
Thu-AM: 1:22, 2500' ~ Green Mt. #500
Got up at 4:30am to get in my 500th ever ascent of the mountain before driving to Dubois, WY for Thanksgiving with my parents and sister.  Dead legs at this hour, all hiking.
PM: :24 ~ Dubois, WY
Jogged around on the dirt roads from my sister Katrina's cabin and my shin was 100% painfree.  Very encouraging.  She has an enviably stunning view of Ramshorn Peak from her front porch.

11-25-2011
Fri-AM: 1:28, 2700' ~ Windy Mt.
Awesome trip up and down the mountain this morning.  Parked at 8k' at the Nat'l Forest boundary and started hiking uphill in the snow.  Ran a couple minutes here and there on the flatter/more snow-free sections. The higher I got on the mountain the more intense the blizzard became with some pretty crazy winds, blowing snow and postholing.  Made the 10,200' summit and then ran the downhill back to the saddle before hiking straight up to the radio towers on a subsidiary 9900' summit.  The sustained winds there were simply astounding; they had to be 60+mph, it was all I could do to stay on my feet.  Ran the entire downhill from there back to the car (total of ~30min of running on the morning) and the shin was rock-solid the entire way. Great morning.
PM: :35 ~ Dubois, WY
More flat evening gravel road jogging from Katrina's cabin to settle the afternoon's Thanksgiving feast (yes, we were a day late).

11-26-2011
Sat-AM: :31 ~ Dubois, WY
A final +15F, 6am jog from Katrina's cabin before hitting the road back home. Perfectly clear sky made for some nice stargazing. I should've headed back up Windy again this morning as I would've been able to actually enjoy the expansive views of the Tetons and Absarokas that its summit allegedly offers.
PM: 1:31, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Evening summit after the 7hr+ drive back to Boulder.  This was very nearly a legit run. Ran to the base of Amphitheater and then ran/hiked my way up the front in 32:40.  Definitely way more hiking than running, and I can tell that I've lost some efficiency on the steep uphill run, but slowly working it back in. Ran the entire descent all the way back to Baseline where I decided to play it on the safe side and walk the final 1mi+/20min of downhill pavement home despite my shin feeling fine.

11-27-2011
Sun-AM: 1:42, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access and down 1st Saddle. Jogged up to Gregory w/ Jocelyn and then took the Bluebell-Baird connector over to the 3rd access as she headed to Flagstaff.  I ran all the way to the base of the 2nd Flattie, but above there I was just completely worked.  Totally bonking after not eating enough dinner last night I guess.  It seemed like it was basically all I could do to just stumble my way to the summit.  All hiking.  Ran the entire way down, though, and really enjoyed the magic grip of a fresh pair of MT110s.  Fresh lugs on those provide a perfect mix of bite on loose surfaces and stickiness on rock.
PM: 1:55, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down 1st Saddle. Ran from doorstep to the top of Amphitheater (22min) and hiked the rest of the outing.  Really pathetically tired again tonight, probably need an easy day.

Hours: 17h26
Vert: 29,700'

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I don't want to jinx it, but I may have finally turned the corner this week with my shin's health.  Maybe.  At least a pinprick of light at the end of what has been a very, very long tunnel.  The key now is to not get carried away and to listen very closely to how my shin feels.  Now that I can run a little, it will be important to remember that taking a day or two to limit myself to just hiking to ensure recovery is totally fine and probably advisable.

It was great getting up to Wyoming for a couple days to visit with my family this week; the Wind Rivers and especially the Tetons are two mountain ranges I hope to explore a little more extensively this summer.  The last time I was in the Tetons was over four years ago, and it's been far too long.  They are definitely one of the more inspiring mountain ranges I've run in.

In other news, I'm going to be out in San Francisco next weekend for the Unbreakable premiere, which should be a good time but I'm probably even more psyched for the opportunity to witness the battle in the Headlands the next morning.  Fun stuff.

Ramshorn Peak (11,640'), from Katrina's front porch at 7200'.

Windy Mt two-track approach. Wind River valley below.

Gale-force winds not shown.

10,200' summit.

Temporary sunshine 3000' lower in the Wind River valley.

Katrina's cabin.

Dad in his element: woodlot with a maul and chainsaw.

Week Summary: Nov 14 - 20

11-14-2011

Mon - sick

11-15-2011

Tue - sick

Can't believe how long this illness stuck around.

11-16-2011

Wed-AM: 1:18, 2500' ~ Green Mt.

Up and down front. Chilly morning at 19F. Some lingering effects of being sick, and could also muscularly notice my time away from the hill.

11-17-2011

Thu-AM: 1:18, 2500' ~ Green Mt.

Up and down front. Legs felt good.

PM: 0:10 ~ Creek Path

Short flat jog to test out the shin. Slightly tight and twingy, but not terrible.

11-18-2011

Fri-AM: 1:28, 2600' ~ Green Mt.

Up 3rd access, down 1st/2nd access. Legs were moving well, but there's still a fair bit of slick ice over on the boulder field below the Third--guessing that sticks around until Spring. Another really windy day.

PM: 0:12 ~ Creek Path

Another little tester with the calf sleeve on.  Shin never hurt at all.  Ridiculously warm day.

11-19-2011
Sat-AM: 1:19, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Another brisk morning and I didn't see a single other person out on the trails, which was pretty great.
PM: 1:49, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Jogged the 15min from my doorstep to the base of Amphitheater, then hiked to the summit in 33:55, slowed a 1min+ by the ice on upper Greenman.  Hiked all the way back home.  Shin felt good and legs felt great.

11-20-2011
Sun-AM: 1:19, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Brisk but very calm morning on the mountain.  The wind has finally given up.
PM: 1:42, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Jogged up to Gregory with Jocelyn and then met George, Jeff and Homie for a trip up the front of Green.  On the way down I probably ran a little more than I should've (~13min or so), but it's hard not to enjoy the descent when out with friends.  Great sunset on the top of Green, and we made it down just in time so as to not need lights.

Hours: 10h13
Vert: 18,200'

Nice week of getting back into the swing of things.  I just need to be very careful and gradual with adding short little bits of running back into the routine.

Just in case anyone who's interested hasn't already seen the announcement on RunColo or Geoff's blog or Facebook, I wanted to give a quick reminder that Journeyfilm's new feature documenting the 2010 Western States 100 will be showing on December 7th at 7:00pm at Stargazers Theatre in Colorado Springs.  Advance tickets ($10) are available at Mountain Chalet, the Colorado Running Company and Carmichael Training Systems in Colorado Springs, or at imATHLETE online.

More importantly, the event will be a fundraiser for the newly-formed Manitou Springs non-profit Incline Friends, whose purpose is to get the Manitou Incline legally open to the public and to preserve that access into the future.  The Incline is a unique and highly popular way of getting into the mountains in the Pikes Peak region, and I strongly support any efforts towards its maintenance and access.

Following the film there will be a panel Q&A including myself, Geoff Roes, Nick Clark (three of the top four at the 2010 Western States) and Anita Ortiz (2009 Western States Champion).  All in all, it should be a fun and timely evening as the lottery drawing for the 2012 WS100 will be only three days later!

Interview for the film on the WS trail, two days before the race. Photo: Joe Grant.

JB catching the action at Foresthill (62mi). Photo: Megan Zaranek.

JB talking to Joe before pacing. Photo: Jenny Uehisa.

Two Week Summary: Oct 31 - Nov 13

Bit of a catch-up post.

10-31-2011
Mon-AM: 1:17, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Tired. Very warm morning.
PM: 1:22, 2600' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access, down 1st/2nd access. Great outing ending with the sun setting on a 70F+ day. After not being on this route for a week or so (because of snow), it was great to come back.  Love the scrambly nature of it.

11-01-2011
Tue-AM: 1:17, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. At my 7am start the clouds were just kissing the top of the mountain and by the end the ceiling was chasing me back to the bottom. Enjoyed the gloom for some reason.
PM: Fly to Sao Paulo.

11-02-2011
Wed-PM: 0:24 ~ Sao Paulo
Went for a short jog over to Ibiapuera Park and back from my hotel in Sao Paulo. Shin was a little touchy, but I wanted to get out and explore.

11-03-2011
Thu - 0
Filming for much of the day in Sao Paulo.

11-04-2011
Fri - 0
Flew by helicopter to Ilhabella island.

11-05-2011
Sat-AM: 1:22, 1600' Ilhabella Traverse
Started at the park entrance and then ran the 4x4 road that traverses the island from west to east.  I didn't expect to be able to run the whole way and after the shin felt OK decided I would run to the top and catch a ride down in one of the accompanying jeeps.  However, at the top my shin actually felt pretty much fine on the downhill and I was able to run all the way to the beach, much to my surprise.  Really unique run going through the jungle and traveling from one side of the island/mountains to the other. We were going easy the whole way, but I was also surprised to find that I wasn't tired at all on this run (the first sustained run of this length that I've done in over two months) and that all the hiking has definitely developed a basic level of fitness in me.

11-06-2011
Sun - nothing.
Despite feeling mostly fine on the run yesterday, my shin was, of course, pretty tight today.  Just glad I was able to do yesterday's run.  Flew to Rio de Janeiro in the evening.

Hours: 5h41
Climb: 9200'

--------------------------

11-07-2011
Mon - nothing.
Spent all day filming around Rio.  Quite the city and landscape. Shin was sore.

11-08-2011
Tue - nothing.
In Rio all day and then flew home overnight.

11-09-2011
Wed-AM: 1:15, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Got home from the airport and within a couple hours got back on the home mountain, and my legs felt really good after all the rest.  Shin also seemed to be surprisingly good.  Last 10min to the summit are aggravatingly bullet-proof ice with most of the rest being reasonably dry. Frustrating mix.

11-10-2011
Thu - nothing
Last night I could feel myself coming down with something -- scratchy throat, headache, full body aches, super sensitive skin -- so spent the whole day today in bed trying to get healthy.  Bound to happen after all the travel stress.

11-11-2011
Fri - sick

11-12-2011
Sat- sick

11-13-2011
Sun- sick

Hours: 1h15
Vert: 2500'

Kind of a worthless couple of weeks when it came to physical activity and mountain summits.  So it goes sometimes.  All the travel this month must've taken its toll as it's Wednesday now and today was the first day I felt my body allowing me to get back out on the mountain after taking a week for little more than laying around in bed drinking tea, nursing a headache and trying to not let my swollen throat suffocate me.  Hopefully that mess is finally out of the way for the season.

This morning's summit of Green was brisk and breezy at 19F, but the trail was basically dry until the final stretches of upper Greenman above the northeast ridge.  But dry trails aren't even needed for my motivation and psyche to be pretty much at an all-time high right now--after Hardrock has its lottery in a couple of weeks my planned racing/adventuring schedule for 2012 should mostly fall into place (aside from the Wasatch lottery in February), giving my mind more concrete objects of visualization on my daily jaunts up the mountain.  Right now, if Hardrock doesn't happen for me, I'm hoping to take dual shots at California's pair of 100 mile classics this summer: Western States in June and Angeles Crest in July.

Mountain 100 mile racing's latest evolution has seen the shattering of every classic 100 mile race's course record--from Western to Hardrock to Leadville to Wasatch--except for Angeles Crest.  Over the last 23 years, only Hal has come even within an hour of Jim O'Brien's 1989 standard of 17:35:48, and while the race maybe hasn't attracted the depth of competition necessary to lower the time, the precedent has to be considered stout.  I hope my body gives me a chance to chase it this summer, but with it being only four weeks after what is sure to be a hard-fought race at WS, I'll be satisfied with just a strong finish, record or not.

Frogger slinging the bottles at Foresthill, 2010.

O'Brien setting his record in 1989.  Original photo by Stan Wagon, used by permission from the AC100 RaceBook [http://www.facebook.com/l/IAQHMuEOAAQH2r2k_7DTZ1ktiQuMhcJ9S1qAC-QxjVvzcoQ/larrygassan.com/ac100-RB/AC100RaceBook.html].

Brazil

For the last week-plus I was in Brazil -- Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro -- in support of New Balance's launch of their Minimus collection of shoes down there.  A full account of my trip can be found over on my Running Times blog, but here are a few pictures from the week.

Sao Paulo from helicopter.

Brazilian coast and the island Ilhabella (on the horizon) from helicopter.

Sunset on Ilhabella.

Climbing during the 16K NB Minimus Challenge traverse of Ilhabella. Photo: Funf Sports.

Looking down 2100' to the beach from the route's high point.

Castelhanos Beach, where the island traverse ended.

Coconut water straight from the source.

Ferry leaving Ilhabella.

Rio from the summit of Pao de Acucar.

On Pao de Acucar, with Corcovado Mt. (Cristo statue) over my right shoulder.

2800' Pedra da Gavea.

Leblon Beach sunset with Dois Irmaos.

Copacabana Beach with favela behind.

Cristo Redentor from Ipanema Beach.

Week Summary: Oct 24 - 30

10-24-2011
Mon-AM: 1:15, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Moving well this morning. 33:40 ascent, still hiking the descents too.
PM: 1:34, 2600' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access down 1st access. Lingered too long on the summit and ended up stumbling through darkness on the bottom half of the mountain.

10-25-2011
Tue-AM: 3:16, 4300' ~ Cameron Cone
First time I've been up and down what should be an absolutely classic peak in Manitou Springs.  Went with former CCXC teammate Martin Mudry.

10-26-2011
Wed-AM: 1:28, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front (w/ usual NE ridge variation). Slogging ascent through ever-deepening snow. Maybe a foot or so on the summit. No views of any kind today but tomorrow should be fantastic. Ran most of the downhill because the pillowy snow offers enough cushion to make my shin feel usable.

10-27-2011
Thu-AM: 1:27, 2600' ~ Green Mt.
Up front and down Greenman-Gregory. Simply incredible morning with the rising sun shining brilliantly on the newly-gilded landscape. Ran every step of the way down and it was the most fun I've had in months--floating through powder and visiting trails that I haven't seen since before I broke my leg.
PM: 1:10, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Trails were a bit stickier than this morning after some day-time warming. Ran the entire downhill again.

10-28-2011
Fri-AM: 1:09, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Broke out the Microspikes this morning for the first time this season as the trail has largely become frozen slush and packed snow. Quick descent, but the disappearing/consolidating snow means I might have to go back to hiking the downhills. Massage with Jeff Staron afterwards.
PM: 1:07, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Ran the downhill again, but the shin was a bit sore after Jeff hammered it this morning. Should've worn Microspikes as the ice/snow in the shade hadn't melted as much as I thought it would.

10-29-2011
Sat-AM: 1:32, 3100' ~ Flag Mt. + Green Mt. (Boulder Basic)
After a really late night at a Phantogram concert, hurriedly biked up 6th street and joined a bunch of other festive souls (/soles) for a communal and celebratory tour of the Boulder peaks. I took it cautiously, but ran/hiked up Flagstaff w/ Jeff and too many other familiar faces to name. At the top we all stopped to don Microspikes for the snowy/icy conditions before heading down to the Ranger trail to head up the backside of Green Mountain. Running up the hill at a casual pace w/ Geoff, Scott and Dakota meant I was able to mix in quite a bit of hiking and take some stress off my shin. After the others left to tag a couple more peaks, I reluctantly limited myself to just Green and ran down the frontside back to Baseline and my bike. I don't think I did any undue damage to my shin this morning, but it was a real bummer to not join in the rest of the morning's fun. A big part of being a runner is the shared identity that it gives you with other runners and my lack of racing and general lack of running this year has really left me kind of starved in that regard. Really great to get out for a bit with other like-minded folks this morning, even if just for a bit.

10-30-2011
Sun-AM: 1:21, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Awkward mix of bullet-proof ice and exposed rock and dirt made Microspikes necessary but not ideal. Some really great packed snow higher up on the mountain.
PM: 1:17, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Legs felt really good tonight and the ice had softened enough to make spikes unnecessary.

Hours: 16h36
Vert: 30,000'

I really enjoyed the intro to winter this week.  Obviously, hiking is even more appropriate when you're plowing uphill through a foot of fresh snow, so it fits my current limitations nicely.  I'm going to be out of town for the next 10 days or so, and I'm hoping that the enforced semi-inactivity will provide some new stimulus (or lack thereof) to my shin, maybe nudging it towards health.  It's really getting ridiculous.  My mind is already consistently wandering towards thoughts of the 2012 racing season (put my name on the Hardrock list last week), but whereas not too long ago 2012 seemed impossibly far in the future it now seems to be approaching almost too rapidly.  Things have to turn around at some point.

Middle Greenman trail.

Thursday evening: #477

The mighty Third.

Cameron Cone & Snowy Green Mt.

The route on Cameron Cone.

Yesterday I finally made it up one of the more prominent peaks in the Colorado/Manitou Springs area.  One of the things I really enjoy about Boulder is its triumvirate of legitimate backyard summits.  Green Mountain, Bear Peak and South Boulder Peak all rise authoritatively and abruptly from the edge of town for close to three thousand vertical feet and each has an appropriately direct route up its eastern aspect.

On the other hand, in Colorado Springs, although there is the staggeringly obvious and commanding summit of Pikes Peak, it's not exactly a run-up-it-before-work type of mountain (because I enjoy sleeping, 2-2h30 outings are the longest I will consistently log before 9am on a weekday).  There are several 2000'-3000' climbs to be enjoyed in the area, but none of them have the obvious destination of a true mountain summit at the top: the top of the Incline is still about 700 vertical feet below the awkward and seldom-visited summit of 9250' Rocky Mountain; Barr Trail offers the logical turn-around points of either No Name Creek (8800') or Barr Camp (10,200'), but neither have expansive 360 degree views; Longs Ranch Road does no more than crest the saddle between the uninspiring Mount Manitou and the aforementioned Rocky Mountain; Jones Park (9100') is stuck in an aspen grove with higher peaks rising all around; finally, one can climb High Drive to 8300' Buckhorn Mountain (as I have done hundreds of times), and while the views are great, it hardly feels like a real summit as the Captain Jacks trail continues climbing far above this ridge.

Cameron Cone, however, breaks all aspects of this frustrating local pattern.  At 10,707' it towers nearly 4500' above downtown Manitou Springs and the standard route takes less than five miles to ascend that vert (to get from a ~6500' trailhead to 10,700' anywhere else in the region requires almost eight miles of trail).  The main problems are that this "standard route"-- despite being surprisingly well-developed with remarkably nice tread at least 80% of the way -- is not a Forest Service-sanctioned trail and the very beginning of the route is rather inconveniently blocked by the Cog Railway tracks at the base of Englemann Canyon (the same canyon from where the Barr Trail embarks). Nevertheless, my trip up the Cone yesterday revealed it to be just about everything I could want in a daily summit type of mountain.  I can guarantee that its path sees little to no traffic at all in the winter, though, so there would almost certainly be a ton of trail-breaking if one were to turn this peak into his or her daily vigil, but I think it would be worth it.

Typical tread below 8200' Gog/Magog Ridge.

Gog.

The Cone with 2000' down and 2500' of vert still to go.

Trail becomes rougher closer to the summit, but marked by ribbon.

Martin on Cam's summit.

And then, of course, it snowed last night.  Quite a lot.  This morning's trip up and down Green Mountain was particularly enjoyable as a result.  There seemed to be almost three times as much snow on the summit as what was on Boulder's streets, but this just made the downhill that much more enjoyable, and maybe my first completely pain-free running descent in the last nine months.  Of course, biking back home with slush spraying everywhere was a little less euphoric.

Week Summary: Oct 17 - 23

10-17-2011
Mon-AM: 1:36, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Cloudy morning meant it was dark until I was half-way up the mountain. Ran to and from Gregory again for a total of 29min of running.
PM: 1:51, 3300' ~ Green Mt. + 2nd Flatiron
Biked to Chat, up and down Green via 3rd access and then a quick scramble lap on the 2nd Flatiron, which added ~700' of vert. Even though it was only partly cloudy and the sun was shining through on the horizon, there were a few flakes of snow falling on the summit of Green.

10-18-2011
Tue-AM: 1:38, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access and down the front. This involved 27+ min of running from my door to the base of the 2nd Flatiron (trail really kicks up after that) and then another 13min of running home from the base of Amphitheater. More spectacular than usual sunrise.
PM:  1:19, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down the front. Shin tightened up a bit on the hike up, so I took it pretty casually. Shouldn't have done that extra 10min of steeper running this morning.

10-19-2011
Wed-AM: 1:19, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Exact same outing as last night, but maybe 30sec faster on the way up. All hiking. Shin is tight. Cold morning in the lower 30s!
PM: 1:24, 2600' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access and down 1st/2nd with Jeff and Aron. All hiking. On the way down we hung out at the base of the First Flatiron for a bit watching the scramblers rip up the East Face. Pretty inspiring watching Stefan and others literally run up the first thin 5.6 pitch in a pair of Crosslites like it was a 3rd Class slab. Stefan completed the Chat-to-Chat roundtrip (including the downclimb, eschewing the 100ft rappel) in an impressive 34:02, less than a minute off the FKT (which he holds).

10-20-2011
Thu-AM: 1:14, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Kinda broke out of my lethargic funk of the last few days with a 33:23 ascent, but my shin was still tight, so all hiking.
PM: Appt w/ Mark Plaatjes.

10-21-2011
Fri-AM: 1:19, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front.  Tired again this morning with little motivation.

10-22-2011
Sat- 5:29, 7000' ~ Almagre Mt. + Incline
Went down to Colorado Springs this morning to take advantage of the late-season snow-free-ness that the Pikes Peak region still offers at high altitudes. Parked at the upper Gold Camp lot (top of Cheyenne Canyon Dr, 7500') and hiked up 7 Bridges to Jones Park and then kept going up Bear Creek to the base of Almagre's north ridge at 10,100'.  Left the trail here at 1:31 and fought through the loose gravel to gain the ridge at ~11,200'.  Stayed right on the ridge all the way to the summit, mostly boulder-hopping and scrambling with enough snow to spice things up and keep it interesting. From the summit I went south to Stratton Reservoir and the headwaters of North Cheyenne Creek where I took the goat path down the canyon and essentially followed the creek drainage all the way back to the car (on trails), some official, some not. Upon finishing I immediately drove the ~15min over to Ruxton Ave in Manitou and ground up the Incline in 22:48, descending Barr Trail.

10-23-2011
Sun-AM: 1:30, 2600' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access and down 1st/2nd access. Tired this morning, could really feel yesterday's long outing in my legs.

Hours: 18h35m
Vert: 31,100'

I started out the week quite optimistic about my shin, but a slight transgression on Tuesday morning put it just a little back over the edge and I was stuck with hiking the rest of the week.  On top of that, I was just plain tired this week.  I guess vert takes its toll, even if it's not technically running.  The week ended on a highlight, though, with my day-trip to the Springs on Saturday.

Pikes Peak has a unique climate all its own that usually means it's the state's 14er that stays snow-free(ish) the latest in the fall and becomes comfortably(ish) foot-traffic accessible the earliest in the spring.  Each year I try to take advantage of this by making my way up into the alpine down there one last time, usually around Halloween.  This year, I was interested in a trip up and over Almagre Mountain (Pikes' 12,400' little brother to the south) because the trails down there are steeper and more direct than the heavily-switchbacked and gradual Barr Trail on Pikes Peak.  Indeed, by taking the Seven Bridges Trail up North Cheyenne Canyon and then continuing on other less-traveled (but easily followed) paths further up the drainage, one can gain nearly 5000' in little more than six miles.  Not bad.

My ascent of the north ridge of Almagre, though, turned out to be a bit less ideal than I'd hoped.  This ridge looks like a fabulous and logical line on maps and from a distance, and in reality the ridge itself was quite a lot of fun--airy but nowhere-near-fatal exposure on both sides with solid tundra and boulder fields on its upper reaches--but the first 1000' required to gain that ridge was a giant pain in the ass.

Geologically, the Pikes Peak Massif is an enormous igneous intrusion of Pikes Peak Granite, which exists in various stages of decomposition.  This granite starts out as a suitably solid material (the mountain exists, afterall) but over time (and at varying rates) weathers first to chossy rock, then a relatively unstable rock-like matrix, and finally the ubiquitous Pikes Peak gravel that is the defining characteristic of the region's trails.  The lower reaches of Almagre's north ridge is dominated by this gravel, giving it all the shiftiness and solidity of a sand dune.  It took me 50min to go maybe a mile and a half (granted, this included over 2k' of vertical, but with better footing I could've easily dispatched of this in less than 30min), and left me with little desire to ever struggle through this line again, let alone establish it as a regular part of my outings in the region.  Other than for some very short-lived sockless postholing in a shaded canyon, the rest of the loop was fantastic.

I punctuated the day with a quick lap on Manitou's Incline.  This hugely popular staircase of railroad ties offers up 2000' of vert in one mile, about as stout and constant a climb as you'll be able to find anywhere without venturing into consistent 4th or 5th Class territory.  Despite living in the Springs for seven years, Saturday was only the third or fourth time I've ever climbed the Incline, and the first time since my freshman year of college 10 years ago (due to my before-now largely anti-hiking bias, I suppose).  Even with all of the very specific hiking I've been doing lately, it was really tough.  Part of that was the fact that it came at the end of an already big day with way too few calories, but by time I'd crawled my way to the top I realized that this particular climb has a lot to teach me--I hope to get back on it sometime soon, and often. Sub-20min feels like a good goal.

Saturday's route.

Seven Bridges Trail, North Cheyenne Creek Canyon.

North ridge of 12,400' Almagre Mt.

Summit, with Pikes.

Headwaters of North Cheyenne Creek at 12,000'.

Incline summit.

Posing on the Incline a couple years ago for a magazine article. Photo: Dave Philipps.

Week Summary: Oct 10 - 16

First Flatiron.

10-10-2011
Mon-AM: 1:15, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Hiking the whole way.
PM: 1:27, 2600' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down 3rd access route. Hiking.  Great moonrise.

10-11-2011
Tue-AM: 1:26, 2600' ~ Green Mt. 
Up 3rd access, down front mellow with Gavin. Massage with Jeff Staron.
PM: 1:27, 2600' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access, down front. Unfortunately, the full moonrise was obscured by clouds on the horizon.

10-12-2011
Wed-AM: 1:26, 2600' ~ Green Mt. 
Up 3rd access and down front again with Gavin. Tired.
PM: 1:27, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. Cranked out a 32:58 hiking PR ascent. In the dark w/o a headlamp on the way down, so it was slow going.

10-13-2011
Thu-AM: 1:58, 2800' ~ 3rd Flatiron+Green.
Climbed the 3rd with Buzz. He belayed me on the downclimb (SW Chimney), which wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, and then I continued on to tag the summit of Green. Can't believe the time change doesn't happen for another three weeks, I'm tired of the dark mornings.

10-14-2011
Fri-AM: 2:19, 3000' ~ Green Mt.
Up the front and then exploring out towards the south summit of Green and down to Dinosaur Mountain.  Involved more awkward 4th Class downclimbing than I'd hoped, but the summit of Dinosaur above Mallory Cave is quite unique.
PM: 1:15, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down the front totally in the dark. My legs felt great on the 33:20 ascent and I spent a lot of time on top watching the orange harvest moon rise.

10-15-2011
Sat-AM: 1:43, 3600' ~ Green Mt.
Via Skunk Canyon.  After biking over to the base of Skunk Canyon I actually ran the entire 17min approach to the Mesa Trail and the climber's trail that takes off up from there. The shin was surprisingly pain-free (first running steps I've taken on it since last Saturday), so on the way back down I ran all of this same section of trail for a total of ~30min of running on this outing.
PM: 1:18, 2500' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front with a hiking PR 32:05 ascent. Legs felt great tonight and I'm not sure it's possible for me to hike this route any faster. This is only 1:21 off of my absolute PR on the mountain (on a slightly different route), which leads me to believe that my heart/lungs are actually in fairly decent shape but I'm just held back by mechanics right now.

10-16-2011
Sun-AM: 1:37, 2800' ~ Green Mt.
Up and down front. For the first time in weeks I ran the 16min from my doorstep to the base of Amphitheater and then the 13min from the base back home. The shin felt basically fine, but my running stride felt awkward on the pavement. All of my travel on the actual mountain was hiking.  The uphill because I can hike it nearly as quickly as running with way less stress on my lower legs; the downhill because the steep downhill is more shock than I'm willing to impart on my shin just yet. Baby steps. I'll be psyched if I can maintain this 30min/day of running (with copious hiking) through the next week.
PM: 1:22, 2600' ~ Green Mt.
Up 3rd access and down 1st access. Legs were very solid tonight and I was happy to sneak this outing in before it was fully dark.

Hours: 20hr (1hr of running)
Vert: 35,200'

I was rather disheartened earlier in the week when my shin seemed to have regressed several steps, but by the end of the week things had seemed to calm down a bit again.  I think I just have to be very careful now to not get too excited and limit any running to just one outing per day, and keep it in the 30min range for at least the next week.

In the meantime, this:

and the impossibly catchy "Don't Move" off of Phantogram's soon-to-be-released new EP have me very excited for their show at the Marquis Theater in Denver at the end of the month.

EDIT:
What I've been doing, instead of running, for the past two months. From Monday morning 10/17/2011. Cloudy morning, so it was a little dark at first, before the sun made it's way over the horizon. I cheat a little at the end.