Pikes Peak from Palmer Park
I don’t remember ever going this late in the year with no snow. This lack of snow makes for some great running and riding. The Saturday CRUD run went up a Longs Ranch which is a very steep dirt road that rises over 2,000 ft in just 2 ½ miles. Normally at this time of year we’d be post holing. There were traces of snow here and there and that’s about it. Even Barr Camp, at over 10,000 feet, there is no snow. We did get about 15 minutes of blizzard conditions and gale force winds on Tuesday evening. It was the exact time that I started my ride home from work. After just a couple of miles of fighting to stay on my bike and being blinded by almost white out conditions I decided this was too dangerous. I turned around went back to work, threw my bike in the truck, and started driving home. The wind & the snow subsided.
Monday Nov15
AM: Recovery Run, Delominco/Rockrimmon Loop, 0.7 hrs, 4.4 miles, Strength Training
Very easy pace, felt really fresh today. Good strength workout too!
Tuesday Nov16
AM: Middle distance run, Neighborhood, 2.9 hrs, 12 miles
Very early run on bike paths & sidewalks. Ran a little slower on the bike paths since it was hard to see. Also added a couple hills just for fun.
PM: Attempt at ride home, 0.3 hrs, 3 miles
Started to ride home from work. A blizzard started just as I got started and I could barely stay on the bike by the time I got to the top of Peterson Hill. The wind was incredible and the snow was white out. With all the traffic it was a very dangerous situation. Turned around and went back and got my truck. It seemed as I drove home the storm subsided.
Wednesday Nov17
AM: Track Workout, 1.4 hrs, 9.8 miles
Warmed up by running to Eagleview Middle School track then did 4 * 100 w/100 recover, 4 * 400 w/200 recover, 2 * 1 mile w/400 recover, and 4 * 400 w/200 recovery. Felt really good this morning despite yesterday’s run. The wind was pretty brutal on the West straight but I had a strong tail wind going east. Times were kind of slow, but then again I’m and old guy that hasn’t done track work in a while. 400s ranged from 1:33 to 1:40 with the last one being the fastest. The miles were 6:54 & 6:51. If I had more time I would have done some barefoot running, but work calls!
Thursday Nov18
AM: Middle distance run, Santa Fe Trail, 2.8 hrs, 12.1 miles
Still feeling good even after the last two days of pretty decent runs. Just ran a nice even pace and enjoyed the early morning stars and cool air. Was pretty stiff at work today though.
Friday Nov19
AM: Slept in, somehow I turned off my alarm clock.
Woke up this morning too late to run. I think I needed a rest, because I didn’t feel like running at lunch or in the evening.
Saturday Nov20
AM: Long Trail Run, Williams Canyon, Waldo Canyon, Longs Ranch, Barr Trail, 4.6 hrs, 22 miles, 8,188 ft climbing.
Creeks
Hills
Rocks
Trees
Views
Camaraderie
Equals: Another fantastic CRUD run! We had a few new people today, but they were not new to ultra running. Today I felt fantastic and even though most of my running has been flat, I felt good on the climbs. Maybe because I took yesterday off? Longs Ranch seemed less difficult then I can ever remember. At different points small groups would turn off and head back to town until only Paul & I were left to complete the climb up Barr Trail from Bob’s Trail. Paul & I continued to Barr Camp which sit at a little over 10,000 feet. Amazing, still no snow this late in the year. We ran a very relaxed, civilized pace back down Barr as neither of us are great downhill runners. The whole run was just fun, relaxing, and peaceful.
The Gang Rippin the Trails in Palmer Park
AM: Mountain Bike, Palmer Park, 3.4 hrs, 31 miles, 4,164 ft climbing.
Rode over to Palmer Park to meet the gang and do some technical riding. There were a lot of very good technical riders there today, so I had my work cut out for me. The pace was hard and fast compared to last week. Although my legs were feeling yesterday’s run I was keeping up for the most part. We rode all the most technical trails in the park. I feel really good with the way I rode today. I was able to ride many sections I normally can’t and sections that seemed really hard in the past felt relatively easy and smooth. It seems my technical skills have really come up a couple notches since I started riding with Kevin. Great ride! Rode some of the trails behind UCCS on the way home.
Week Total: Run: 10.4 hrs, 60 miles. Bike: 3.7 hrs 34 miles.
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