10/12 - Off.
10/13 - Off.
10/14 - 1:44:40. 10.05 miles. +1180'/-1220'v. Stagecoach. Nice and easy long(er) run. From the house, I ran over to the field and down the single track to the gravel path. There down to the fire station and turn right, then up the road and left on the dirt road to the Elk Run Trail that travels the south shore of the lake. I ran the trail to the dam and then turned onto the dirt road that goes out to Sarvis Creek. I ran the dirt road to a small section of single track, where I did a short climb before turning around and running back home via the same route. I got to run in the sunshine after leaving the shop early and running some errands. The weather was a perfect 60ish with a light breeze.
10/15 - 1:21:16. 4.18 miles. +1040'/-1030'v. Stagecoach. Run-hike-run-hike-run starting at the "locals parking" and up to the top of the band of cliffs on Blacktail Mountain on the north side of the lake. I used trekking poles for the approach climb/bushwack through tall grass, sage brush, short bushes and scrub oak up to a class 5 scramble to the top of the cliff. In hindsight, I would've been fine without the poles and, instead, should have worn knee high socks to protect my lower legs from all the brush. The off-trail climb and downhill were only slightlly gnarly and I found a cattle track at the top of the ridge to run on. I was surprised to find a couple of cows at the top and stopped once I hit a fence line. It appears that the top of the mountain is private property. I ended up coming down in a different section from the ascent and had to navigate some thick scrub oak for a couple hundred feet before I found some openings. Overall, a fun run and good alternative to my usual routes. My ulterior motive here was to scout out the terrain for some splitboard lines I plan on poaching sometime this winter.
10/16 - :56:43. 6.2 miles. +490'/-470'v. Stagecoach. Down to the lake and back easy.
10/17 - 1:00:38. 6.01 miles. +690/-690'v. Stagecoach. What a beautiful evening for a run. Partial sunlight through layers of grey clouds and cool temperatures in the high 30s. New snow covering the tops of mountains above about 8500' but plenty of fall color below that. Legs started feeling heavy about half way through the run.
10/18 - :38:51. 4.45 miles. +450'/-440'v. Stagecoach. Good up-tempo short run to bring my weekly total to 30 again. Hills and thrills around good old Stagecoach. Ran a couple of trails but mostly next to CR 16.
Weekly Totals: 5:42:08. 30.89 miles. +/-3850'v.
Another solid week as far as total time/mileage/vertical goes. Feet feel slightly tender in the mornings but much better than they have over the past year. Endurance and leg strength feel very good and I should increase my weekly mileage to thirty-five next week.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Weekly Summary: Oct. 5 - Oct. 12
10/5 - 1:08:29. 6.83 miles. +370'/-380'v. Stagecoach. Easy out and back run next to the road down to the trail by the lake.
10/6 - Off.
10/7 - 1:07:25. 7.18 miles. +620'/-610'v. Stagecoach to Sarvis Creek Trail. Awesome late afternoon run from the "locals parking" on South Shore to Sarvis Creek trailhead and then the first climb on the trail and back to the truck. Yesterday was the first day it snowed in the valley and today was bluebird but cool. Running the dirt road from the dam to the trailhead provided a great view of the Yampa River headwaters and there were a ton of cows out munching on the grass. I only ran a little bit on Sarvis (or Service, or Sarvice) Creek but the first section of the single track was really nice, smooth and easy to run. The entire run was either dirt road or single track except for the concrete on the dam and judging by my time/mileage/vertical, I ran faster than I thought I did. I must've been jazzed about "something special." Nice.
10/8 - Off. Went to Leadville to ride the train.
10/9 - :46:xx. ~6 miles. +510'/-480'v. Stagecoach. Easy run down to fire station on trail, followed by a little road and then a little dirt road and back to the house with a little extra uphill. GPS battery died on the way down so I didn't get the exact mileage but it felt like an easy six.
10/10 - :27:26. 3.53 miles. +380'/-370'v. Stagecoach. Hard run down to fire station and up the next hill, turn around and back up with a little on a side single track.
10/11 - 1:03:56. 7.01 miles. +490'/-490'v. Stagecoach. Loop down the trail to the fire station, then right on the road and up and steep little hill. Left on the dirt road with a few hills and then duck under the wire fence and down to the lake shore. Couple of lake miles and then uphill next to the road all the way back to the house. Got rained on after about twenty minutes but I could see some holes in the cloud cover that said it wouldn't last long. Nice and cool, in the 40s and had a great run. Thanks, BA.
Totals thru 10/10: 4:33:16+. ~30.55 miles. +2370'/-2340' vertical
Bumped up my mileage and managed 30 miles for the week. Now, I need to slowly start building and stay consistent with my running. I'm very seriously considering running the 24 Hours of Utah race in Moab next March and I should start working on my endurance to facilitate that goal. I think it's soon going to be time to start running in the mornings. I'm going to miss sleeping in. Well, you got to pay to play!
.
10/6 - Off.
10/7 - 1:07:25. 7.18 miles. +620'/-610'v. Stagecoach to Sarvis Creek Trail. Awesome late afternoon run from the "locals parking" on South Shore to Sarvis Creek trailhead and then the first climb on the trail and back to the truck. Yesterday was the first day it snowed in the valley and today was bluebird but cool. Running the dirt road from the dam to the trailhead provided a great view of the Yampa River headwaters and there were a ton of cows out munching on the grass. I only ran a little bit on Sarvis (or Service, or Sarvice) Creek but the first section of the single track was really nice, smooth and easy to run. The entire run was either dirt road or single track except for the concrete on the dam and judging by my time/mileage/vertical, I ran faster than I thought I did. I must've been jazzed about "something special." Nice.
10/8 - Off. Went to Leadville to ride the train.
10/9 - :46:xx. ~6 miles. +510'/-480'v. Stagecoach. Easy run down to fire station on trail, followed by a little road and then a little dirt road and back to the house with a little extra uphill. GPS battery died on the way down so I didn't get the exact mileage but it felt like an easy six.
10/10 - :27:26. 3.53 miles. +380'/-370'v. Stagecoach. Hard run down to fire station and up the next hill, turn around and back up with a little on a side single track.
10/11 - 1:03:56. 7.01 miles. +490'/-490'v. Stagecoach. Loop down the trail to the fire station, then right on the road and up and steep little hill. Left on the dirt road with a few hills and then duck under the wire fence and down to the lake shore. Couple of lake miles and then uphill next to the road all the way back to the house. Got rained on after about twenty minutes but I could see some holes in the cloud cover that said it wouldn't last long. Nice and cool, in the 40s and had a great run. Thanks, BA.
Totals thru 10/10: 4:33:16+. ~30.55 miles. +2370'/-2340' vertical
Bumped up my mileage and managed 30 miles for the week. Now, I need to slowly start building and stay consistent with my running. I'm very seriously considering running the 24 Hours of Utah race in Moab next March and I should start working on my endurance to facilitate that goal. I think it's soon going to be time to start running in the mornings. I'm going to miss sleeping in. Well, you got to pay to play!
.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Weekly Summary: Sep. 27 - Oct. 3
9/27 - :45:38. 5.3 miles. +/-1000'v. Stagecoach. Hill repeats on .26 mile trail, +/-100'. 1st 2.12 miles in :18:47, 2nd 2.12 miles in :18:22, last mile in :08:29. Progressively faster and effort was hard. .62 mile, +/-120' v. cool down.
9/28 - :27:02. 2.58 miles. +/-400'v. Stagecoach. Short night time run down to the fire station and back home. Easy.
9/29 - Off.
9/30 - :28:10. 2.75 miles. +/-330'v. Stagecoach. Quick run down to the fire station and back (:22:40) with a little cool down. Wonder if I can do it under :22?
10/1 - 1:47:15. 12.19 miles. +1540'/-1500'v. Spring Creek Trail. Steamboat. Gorgeous late morning run up to Dry Lake from JDs house. The leaves in the aspens were fully gold in some spots and still brilliant green in others. The combination lent a stunning relief to the mountain sides, particularly up on Buffalo Pass. The trail was busy with hikers and bikers. Great run at a moderate pace with a couple of harder downhill sections. 1:02:31 uphill to Dry Lake and :39:02:25 downhill to trailhead. :05:38:99/.65 mile cool down. Super nice re-visit to a favorite near-town trail.
10/2 - Off.
10/3 - 1:11:xx. 6.89 miles. +1600'/-1640'v. Stagecoach Mountain. After work hike-run up to within 200'v. of the summit. The trail was littered with yellow aspen leaves in many spots. Good easy effort for the whole run.
Totals: 4:39:05. 29.71 miles. +4870'/-4470 vertical feet
9/28 - :27:02. 2.58 miles. +/-400'v. Stagecoach. Short night time run down to the fire station and back home. Easy.
9/29 - Off.
9/30 - :28:10. 2.75 miles. +/-330'v. Stagecoach. Quick run down to the fire station and back (:22:40) with a little cool down. Wonder if I can do it under :22?
10/1 - 1:47:15. 12.19 miles. +1540'/-1500'v. Spring Creek Trail. Steamboat. Gorgeous late morning run up to Dry Lake from JDs house. The leaves in the aspens were fully gold in some spots and still brilliant green in others. The combination lent a stunning relief to the mountain sides, particularly up on Buffalo Pass. The trail was busy with hikers and bikers. Great run at a moderate pace with a couple of harder downhill sections. 1:02:31 uphill to Dry Lake and :39:02:25 downhill to trailhead. :05:38:99/.65 mile cool down. Super nice re-visit to a favorite near-town trail.
10/2 - Off.
10/3 - 1:11:xx. 6.89 miles. +1600'/-1640'v. Stagecoach Mountain. After work hike-run up to within 200'v. of the summit. The trail was littered with yellow aspen leaves in many spots. Good easy effort for the whole run.
Totals: 4:39:05. 29.71 miles. +4870'/-4470 vertical feet
Monday, September 26, 2011
Summary of Two Fortnights: Aug. 25 - Sep. 26
8/25 - Off.
8/26 - Off.
8/27 - Off.
8/28 - Off.
8/29 - :38. +/-390'v. Stagecoach.
8/30 - :30. 240'v./-210'v. Stagecoach.
8/31 - Off.
9/1 - :49:22. 4.77 miles. 470'v./-490'v. Stagecoach.
9/2 - Off.
9/3 - Off.
9/4 - Off.
9/5 - 1:52:38. 10.21 miles. 1210'v./-1180'v. Silver Creek Trail.
9/6 - Off.
9/7 - :27:21. 2.96 miles. Stagecoach.
9/8 - Off.
9/9 - Off.
9/10 - 1:02:08. 7.75 miles. +/-1130'v. Emerald Mountain Trail Run. Steamboat.
9/11 - 1:41:35. 10.58 miles. 780'v./-740'v. Stagecoach.
9/12 - Off.
9/13 - 1:31. 930'v./-890'v. Stagecoach to CR 14 hill climb.
9/14 - Off.
9/15 - Off.
9/16 - Off. Travel.
9/17 - Off. Travel.
9/18 - 1:03:22, 8.10 miles. Whistle-Stop Rail Trail. Farmington - East Wilton, ME. A really nice run through the woods to a neighboring town and back. The path is a former railway turned into a wide, gravel, multi-use trail that allows ATVs, bikes and hikers in the summer and snowmobiles and cross country skiiers in the winter. I got a feel for how lush and dense the New England forests really are and with the leaves beginning to change color (a deep red), I was mesmerized. In a mere 4 miles, I crossed 3 wooden bridges with spectacular river views.
9/19 - :44:06, 4.93 miles, +260'v./-220'v. County Roads, Farmington, ME.
9/20 - Off.
9/21 - :52:32, 6.26 miles. Whistle-Stop Rail Trail. Farmington, ME.
9/22- Off.
9/23 - Off.
9/24 - 1:27, +/- 1870' v. Stagecoach Mtn.
9/25 - Off.
9/26 - :32, +\- 300' v. Stagecoach.
My running has been more than a little inconsistent for the past month. The last couple weeks of August, I started trying to treat my plantar fasciitis by rolling my foot on a golf ball for 20 - 30 minutes, once or twice a day and took a few days off from running. For a couple weeks or so, it really seemed to help and my foot was feeling great in the mornings so I added a little bit of light running and had a nice trail 10-miler on September 5th (my birthday run this year). The following week, I did a race and a couple of hour-plus runs and the morning pain returned so I took it pretty easy before leaving for a week-long vacation in Maine. While in Maine, I did some easy effort running on trails and on the road but the foot was still nagging me a bit. When we got back last weekend, I was really jonsing to run some vertical so I ran to the top of Stagecoach Mountain last Saturday. The run felt incredible and the golden fall foliage was just off the hook. I really, really, really want nothing more than to go for a long (2-3 hour) run in the mountains during this perfect time of the year but the pain in my feet (however mild, relatively speaking) has got me feeling conflicted about how much (if any) running I should be doing. I guess I'm just starting to feel pressed for time since winter's not that far off and I want to start increasing my mileage/time on my feet in preparation for an ultra I want to do next spring.
8/26 - Off.
8/27 - Off.
8/28 - Off.
8/29 - :38. +/-390'v. Stagecoach.
8/30 - :30. 240'v./-210'v. Stagecoach.
8/31 - Off.
9/1 - :49:22. 4.77 miles. 470'v./-490'v. Stagecoach.
9/2 - Off.
9/3 - Off.
9/4 - Off.
9/5 - 1:52:38. 10.21 miles. 1210'v./-1180'v. Silver Creek Trail.
9/6 - Off.
9/7 - :27:21. 2.96 miles. Stagecoach.
9/8 - Off.
9/9 - Off.
9/10 - 1:02:08. 7.75 miles. +/-1130'v. Emerald Mountain Trail Run. Steamboat.
9/11 - 1:41:35. 10.58 miles. 780'v./-740'v. Stagecoach.
9/12 - Off.
9/13 - 1:31. 930'v./-890'v. Stagecoach to CR 14 hill climb.
9/14 - Off.
9/15 - Off.
9/16 - Off. Travel.
9/17 - Off. Travel.
9/18 - 1:03:22, 8.10 miles. Whistle-Stop Rail Trail. Farmington - East Wilton, ME. A really nice run through the woods to a neighboring town and back. The path is a former railway turned into a wide, gravel, multi-use trail that allows ATVs, bikes and hikers in the summer and snowmobiles and cross country skiiers in the winter. I got a feel for how lush and dense the New England forests really are and with the leaves beginning to change color (a deep red), I was mesmerized. In a mere 4 miles, I crossed 3 wooden bridges with spectacular river views.
9/19 - :44:06, 4.93 miles, +260'v./-220'v. County Roads, Farmington, ME.
9/20 - Off.
9/21 - :52:32, 6.26 miles. Whistle-Stop Rail Trail. Farmington, ME.
9/22- Off.
9/23 - Off.
9/24 - 1:27, +/- 1870' v. Stagecoach Mtn.
9/25 - Off.
9/26 - :32, +\- 300' v. Stagecoach.
My running has been more than a little inconsistent for the past month. The last couple weeks of August, I started trying to treat my plantar fasciitis by rolling my foot on a golf ball for 20 - 30 minutes, once or twice a day and took a few days off from running. For a couple weeks or so, it really seemed to help and my foot was feeling great in the mornings so I added a little bit of light running and had a nice trail 10-miler on September 5th (my birthday run this year). The following week, I did a race and a couple of hour-plus runs and the morning pain returned so I took it pretty easy before leaving for a week-long vacation in Maine. While in Maine, I did some easy effort running on trails and on the road but the foot was still nagging me a bit. When we got back last weekend, I was really jonsing to run some vertical so I ran to the top of Stagecoach Mountain last Saturday. The run felt incredible and the golden fall foliage was just off the hook. I really, really, really want nothing more than to go for a long (2-3 hour) run in the mountains during this perfect time of the year but the pain in my feet (however mild, relatively speaking) has got me feeling conflicted about how much (if any) running I should be doing. I guess I'm just starting to feel pressed for time since winter's not that far off and I want to start increasing my mileage/time on my feet in preparation for an ultra I want to do next spring.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Emerald Mountain Trail Run Race Report
Well, quite frankly, I got to "live the dream" again today. I woke up early (as usual) and walked the dogs as the sun began to rise over the Continental Divide. In the dawn's early light, the sky was clear, the air was cool and crisp and the leaves on the aspens, while still mostly green, were beginning to show signs of the approaching autumn. The morning temperatures in the high 30s would eventually give way to a gorgeous day in the 70s. The thought of getting to run a mountain trail race in this weather was all I needed to feel good about the life I have.
I arrived at the base of Howelsen Hill early enough to do a little warm up running on the final part of the course and then, a little more on the bike path with Derek McClung before the race start. This was the final race in the Steamboat Springs Running Series and it was really nice that it was actually a smaller field of runners than at the other races in the series. It gave the race a really "local" feel. Katy showed up to see me off, which always makes me feel lucky and very happy and I was ready to run. My goals for the race were to finish in 1:03 and as the first Masters (age groups 40+, since I just entered a new age group last Tuesday) and, above all, to have fun. Runners assembled behind the yurt next to the Sombrero Ranch's stables at the Rodeo Grounds and, at "Go!", we took off on our 12-kilometer, 1,130 vertical foot mountain tour.
Everyone seemed to be in great spirits and as we made the first hill going past Olympian Hall and there was alot of chatter and laughing. I watched and laughed out loud at the ridiculously fast pace that Nick Sunseri was already on as he barralled up the trail next to the ski jumps. It was obvious he was on to another win as he ran away from the rest of the field. Two other runners chased him with myself, Harry Niedl, Walter Magill and Tammy Jacques already 30 seconds back, and we all began climbing. Before we hit Blackmere Drive and started up towards Emerald Mountain, Harry moved up into 4th position. Then, Walter and Tammy moved up about 10 seconds ahead of me. We stayed like this for a few minutes and then turned on to the winding, uphill single track of Larry's. Here, I started to feel really good and moved past Walter and, then Tammy, a couple minutes later. We jumped back on Blackmere for the climb up to the top of the quarry and I could hear Tammy's footsteps hot on my tail as we neared the race's apex. (In hindsight, it would have been great if the race continued up Lane of Pain to the summit of Emerald Mountain. This would add an absurdly steep climb up another 400(ish)' in less than half a mile and, I think, really legitimize this as a "mountain race.") I managed to hold her off until the top of Little Moab and then bombed down the gnarly, rocky trail to open a gap. At the bottom of Little Moab (just a short 100+ yard, 100' descent), the course jumped back on the winding single track of Lupine. I absolutely love running the smooth single track with it's tight corners in the scrub oak and occasional rocky steps. I kicked it down a gear and did most of the mile or so downhill through the woods at just over a 6 minute/mile pace.
I kept listening for footsteps behind me but they never materialized. After a couple minutes, I saw a white t-shirt in front of me and ran a little harder to catch it. Here, I passed Eddie Rogers, who runs in either Vibram Five Fingers (a "foot glove") or sandals. Today, he was wearing what looked like a home-made, Tarahumara Indian-style sole tied to his feet and ankles with rope or line. While I like his barefoot approach to trail running (I race "minimal"-style trail flats, Inov-8 Talon 240's), I just don't think you can run as fast in sandals or barefooted as you can in shoes. Once I got in front of Eddie, I hammered the pace to put on a good gap on him and to take advantage of the long, gradual downhill of the next few miles. There were a few, small uphill sections but the rest of Lupine was a fun, fast, meandering run through the trees before the course finally broke into a meadow and the made the turn out to the Bluffs Loop.
I ended up running the Bluffs Loop by myself and could feel myself starting to fade on the occasional uphill. Fortunately, there weren't many ups and I was able to keep my tempo quick all the way back to the Rodeo Grounds and the race finish. As I reached the portion of the course I had pre-run earlier in the morning, I opened up to the fastest I could run and sprinted the last few hundred yards to the finish. I managed a 4th place overall and first place Masters finish in a very satisfying 1:01:46. Nick Sunseri killed another course for the win in :50:11 with Adam Loomis of Eau Claire, Wisconsin in second (:56:04) and Harry Niedl in third (:57:37). Local mountain biker extraordinare, Tammy Jacques went on to win the women's race in a quick 1:03:07, followed by Steamboat's Kristin Stemp (1:12:47) and Veronica Ventuno (1:13:30) of Denver. Derek McClung ran the race of the day in my book, finishing 14th in 1:10:28, nearly 5 minutes faster than he expected.
Just as much fun as the race was hanging out with all the other runners afterwards. Steamboat has a small but great community of runners, both road and trail alike. With food catered from some of the town's fantastic little restarants and free water, gatorade and beer(!) to drink, runner's milled about, telling stories from their personal races and talking about all things running. The atmosphere was festive and light. Clearly, the race series regulars have become pretty familiar with one another and are supportive and friendly. Furthermore, the running series consistently raffles off the coolest gear at the end of every race. Tech t-shirts, Big Agnes sleeping bags, backpacks, magazine subscriptions and free nights at the Sheraton make it better to be lucky than fast at a Running Series race.
In all, another fantastic race put on by the race directors and volunteers make me glad to live and play in such a wonderful little town in the Rocky Mountains. The consistently good participant turnout is testament to the quality and enjoyability of the races that are put on by the SSRS. Thanks for the memories and see you next summer, Running Series!
I arrived at the base of Howelsen Hill early enough to do a little warm up running on the final part of the course and then, a little more on the bike path with Derek McClung before the race start. This was the final race in the Steamboat Springs Running Series and it was really nice that it was actually a smaller field of runners than at the other races in the series. It gave the race a really "local" feel. Katy showed up to see me off, which always makes me feel lucky and very happy and I was ready to run. My goals for the race were to finish in 1:03 and as the first Masters (age groups 40+, since I just entered a new age group last Tuesday) and, above all, to have fun. Runners assembled behind the yurt next to the Sombrero Ranch's stables at the Rodeo Grounds and, at "Go!", we took off on our 12-kilometer, 1,130 vertical foot mountain tour.
Everyone seemed to be in great spirits and as we made the first hill going past Olympian Hall and there was alot of chatter and laughing. I watched and laughed out loud at the ridiculously fast pace that Nick Sunseri was already on as he barralled up the trail next to the ski jumps. It was obvious he was on to another win as he ran away from the rest of the field. Two other runners chased him with myself, Harry Niedl, Walter Magill and Tammy Jacques already 30 seconds back, and we all began climbing. Before we hit Blackmere Drive and started up towards Emerald Mountain, Harry moved up into 4th position. Then, Walter and Tammy moved up about 10 seconds ahead of me. We stayed like this for a few minutes and then turned on to the winding, uphill single track of Larry's. Here, I started to feel really good and moved past Walter and, then Tammy, a couple minutes later. We jumped back on Blackmere for the climb up to the top of the quarry and I could hear Tammy's footsteps hot on my tail as we neared the race's apex. (In hindsight, it would have been great if the race continued up Lane of Pain to the summit of Emerald Mountain. This would add an absurdly steep climb up another 400(ish)' in less than half a mile and, I think, really legitimize this as a "mountain race.") I managed to hold her off until the top of Little Moab and then bombed down the gnarly, rocky trail to open a gap. At the bottom of Little Moab (just a short 100+ yard, 100' descent), the course jumped back on the winding single track of Lupine. I absolutely love running the smooth single track with it's tight corners in the scrub oak and occasional rocky steps. I kicked it down a gear and did most of the mile or so downhill through the woods at just over a 6 minute/mile pace.
I kept listening for footsteps behind me but they never materialized. After a couple minutes, I saw a white t-shirt in front of me and ran a little harder to catch it. Here, I passed Eddie Rogers, who runs in either Vibram Five Fingers (a "foot glove") or sandals. Today, he was wearing what looked like a home-made, Tarahumara Indian-style sole tied to his feet and ankles with rope or line. While I like his barefoot approach to trail running (I race "minimal"-style trail flats, Inov-8 Talon 240's), I just don't think you can run as fast in sandals or barefooted as you can in shoes. Once I got in front of Eddie, I hammered the pace to put on a good gap on him and to take advantage of the long, gradual downhill of the next few miles. There were a few, small uphill sections but the rest of Lupine was a fun, fast, meandering run through the trees before the course finally broke into a meadow and the made the turn out to the Bluffs Loop.
I ended up running the Bluffs Loop by myself and could feel myself starting to fade on the occasional uphill. Fortunately, there weren't many ups and I was able to keep my tempo quick all the way back to the Rodeo Grounds and the race finish. As I reached the portion of the course I had pre-run earlier in the morning, I opened up to the fastest I could run and sprinted the last few hundred yards to the finish. I managed a 4th place overall and first place Masters finish in a very satisfying 1:01:46. Nick Sunseri killed another course for the win in :50:11 with Adam Loomis of Eau Claire, Wisconsin in second (:56:04) and Harry Niedl in third (:57:37). Local mountain biker extraordinare, Tammy Jacques went on to win the women's race in a quick 1:03:07, followed by Steamboat's Kristin Stemp (1:12:47) and Veronica Ventuno (1:13:30) of Denver. Derek McClung ran the race of the day in my book, finishing 14th in 1:10:28, nearly 5 minutes faster than he expected.
Just as much fun as the race was hanging out with all the other runners afterwards. Steamboat has a small but great community of runners, both road and trail alike. With food catered from some of the town's fantastic little restarants and free water, gatorade and beer(!) to drink, runner's milled about, telling stories from their personal races and talking about all things running. The atmosphere was festive and light. Clearly, the race series regulars have become pretty familiar with one another and are supportive and friendly. Furthermore, the running series consistently raffles off the coolest gear at the end of every race. Tech t-shirts, Big Agnes sleeping bags, backpacks, magazine subscriptions and free nights at the Sheraton make it better to be lucky than fast at a Running Series race.
In all, another fantastic race put on by the race directors and volunteers make me glad to live and play in such a wonderful little town in the Rocky Mountains. The consistently good participant turnout is testament to the quality and enjoyability of the races that are put on by the SSRS. Thanks for the memories and see you next summer, Running Series!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Weekly Summary: Aug 19 - Aug 24
8/19 - 4.00 mile. :47:04. ~800'v. Silver Creek Trail. Started raining not long after I started running up and into the woods. Very hard at times.
8/20 - Off. BA's wedding. What a great time. Started the day out with Creekside breakfast with Jonny and Matt G., then went tubing on the Yampa with them, Shasta, Christian, Dave and Rivers. Brian and Melissa's wedding that evening was beautiful and a terrific reunion of alot of friends.
8/21 - 14.3 miles. 2:30:44. ~3400' v. Continental Divide Trail Run.
8/22 - Off.
8/23 - Off.
8/24 - 4.91 miles. :45:57. +600'v./-610'v. Stagecoach. Easy road run to break in my new Suunto altimeter. My newest mountain running toy.
Weekly Totals: 23.31 miles. ~4800'v.
A bit of racing, a bit of recovery this week. Mostly easy efforts to offset running one tough race and my longest run this summer. Hard to believe how many 20-30 mile runs I did last summer and comparing it to the low mileage I did this year. It's been cool focusing on shorter distance but I definitely miss the long adventure runs and ultras so I'm pretty sure I will be bumping my mileage back up next year and possibly going for my first 100-mile race or 24 hour race. Over the next few weeks, I think I might be foregoing the last two trail races in the running series in favor of using the time to do a couple of long runs in the Flat Tops. I've noticed that the leaves are slowly beginning to turn gold, so winter weather isn't far away. However, the next two months are probably the best of the year to go trail running. The weather will be cooler and the foliage will be ripening and I feel fit enough to make some longer routes. I also want to try a speed attempt on my Flat Tops Short Loop and a Devil's Causeway double. Once winter hits, I won't be getting a Season Pass to Steamboat this year, so I hope to be doing alot of longer splitboard tours to keep my cardio fitness up and running a little when weather permits.
8/20 - Off. BA's wedding. What a great time. Started the day out with Creekside breakfast with Jonny and Matt G., then went tubing on the Yampa with them, Shasta, Christian, Dave and Rivers. Brian and Melissa's wedding that evening was beautiful and a terrific reunion of alot of friends.
8/21 - 14.3 miles. 2:30:44. ~3400' v. Continental Divide Trail Run.
8/22 - Off.
8/23 - Off.
8/24 - 4.91 miles. :45:57. +600'v./-610'v. Stagecoach. Easy road run to break in my new Suunto altimeter. My newest mountain running toy.
Weekly Totals: 23.31 miles. ~4800'v.
A bit of racing, a bit of recovery this week. Mostly easy efforts to offset running one tough race and my longest run this summer. Hard to believe how many 20-30 mile runs I did last summer and comparing it to the low mileage I did this year. It's been cool focusing on shorter distance but I definitely miss the long adventure runs and ultras so I'm pretty sure I will be bumping my mileage back up next year and possibly going for my first 100-mile race or 24 hour race. Over the next few weeks, I think I might be foregoing the last two trail races in the running series in favor of using the time to do a couple of long runs in the Flat Tops. I've noticed that the leaves are slowly beginning to turn gold, so winter weather isn't far away. However, the next two months are probably the best of the year to go trail running. The weather will be cooler and the foliage will be ripening and I feel fit enough to make some longer routes. I also want to try a speed attempt on my Flat Tops Short Loop and a Devil's Causeway double. Once winter hits, I won't be getting a Season Pass to Steamboat this year, so I hope to be doing alot of longer splitboard tours to keep my cardio fitness up and running a little when weather permits.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Continental Divide Trail Run Race Report
Holy shit. That is a tough race. Especially when it starts the morning after one of your best friends gets married and you clipped your quadracep on a rock while tubing down the Yampa River that afternoon and you've been at sea level for most of the week before and...OK, that's enough excuses. Here's how the race went down:
The 2011 Ski Haus Continental Divide Trail Run, which is a Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series race, sold out with 125 runners, again proving that the Steamboat Springs Running Series is really getting the attention it deserves. It was another gorgeous morning, the weather clear and cool and perfect for racing. After meeting at the Knoll parking lot at the Steamboat Ski Area, runners are loaded onto shuttles which take them to the race start at the Fish Creek Falls trail head. At the race start, runners practically sprinted to the trail to avoid bottle necking and continued down the trail and crossed the footbridge at the bottom of Fish Creek Falls. Immediately afterwards, runners begin the first of many, many climbing sections. Gaining 500' in the first mile and 1500' in the first 3.5 miles, I found myself hiking much of the first part of the race. The trail is not only steep but also very, very rocky for the first few miles, making it very difficult to do any running at all (unless you are one of the rabbits at the very front of the race) since the footing is so sketchy. I managed to reach the 2nd waterfall in 33 minutes and took a few seconds to go down to a small pool and dunk my hat in an effort to cool off. After the second falls, the trail begins to climb more gradually and I was able to start running a little more, albeit conservatively, knowing that there was still much more uphill to deal with later in the race. About 4 miles in, the trail crosses a beautiful meadow that was pretty muddy. I tried to avoid getting my feet wet at first, but there was an unavoidable section of soupy mud and all bets were off. I laughed and said out loud, "Yep. It's a mountain race." I saw the runner in front of me turn his head a bit and smile in agreement. At the 5.5 mile mark, the course turns onto the Mountain View Trail, a 6 mile grind up the backside of Mt. Werner. I paused at the aid station, drank two cups of Cytomax, ate a Honey Stinger gel and pet a race volunteer's dog before I proceeded on.
I have a real love/hate relationship with Mountain View Trail. Running in this direction, it's a long, forested uphill run to get to the top of the ski area. It's a beautiful trail (that's the love), especially in the last 2 miles when the views out to the Continental Divide become really impressive. But it's tough (the hate). I always have a hard time on this trail. I ended up doing most of the trail alone, alternately running the flats, downhills and moderate uphills and hiking on the steeper climbs. My right quadracep was feeling pretty sore from hitting the rock in the river while tubing the day before but I just tried to keep moving and keep my heart rate from going too high. I stopped a couple of times to get some debris out of my shoes. Finally, in the last 1.5 miles, I caught a glimpse of two runners about a hundred yards in front of me and I felt like I would be able to catch them, if not before the summit, then, hopefully on the 2.5 mile descent to the Gondola. I managed to reel in the first guy and kept steady after the next, catching him in last .5 mile before the summit. At the summit, I was so relieved to finally be done with (almost) all that heinous uphill. By now, we had climbed well over 3000'. On the descent, I saw two more runners in front of me and I ran my fastest to catch them both. I was able to catch the first runner on Storm Peak Challenge and gave him an "attaboy" as I passed. There was a short, bushwacking detour to the course due to logging operations on the mountain, which was actually really fun. There was a ton of flagging to let you know where to run but NO trail. Just low brush, grass and rocks. I managed to pass the second runner here and then did all I could to stay fast on the remainder of the downhill as we hit dirt road again. Like the Mt. Werner race I did a couple weeks ago, this course finishes with a very cruel 400+ yard uphill run to the gondola. I felt like I was moving in slow motion but happily crossed the finish line in 2:30:41 (19th), nearly 6 minutes off my goal time of 2:25 but proud, none the less, to finish this grueling race.
Nick Sunseri won the race, destroying yet another course record, in a blistering 1:47:50! We talked before the race and were both a little dubious about the advertised race distance of 15 (or 16) miles. Both of our GPS watches calculated the course at 14.3 miles. Nobody disputed the 3400' of vertical gain. Other locals also recording fast times were Josh Smullin (3rd, 2:05.30),Harry Niedl (4th, 2:07.10), Bill Goldsmith (5th, 2:08.13) Glen Light (8th, 2:15.34) and Gregg Joyce (14th, 2:25.36).
The 2011 Ski Haus Continental Divide Trail Run, which is a Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series race, sold out with 125 runners, again proving that the Steamboat Springs Running Series is really getting the attention it deserves. It was another gorgeous morning, the weather clear and cool and perfect for racing. After meeting at the Knoll parking lot at the Steamboat Ski Area, runners are loaded onto shuttles which take them to the race start at the Fish Creek Falls trail head. At the race start, runners practically sprinted to the trail to avoid bottle necking and continued down the trail and crossed the footbridge at the bottom of Fish Creek Falls. Immediately afterwards, runners begin the first of many, many climbing sections. Gaining 500' in the first mile and 1500' in the first 3.5 miles, I found myself hiking much of the first part of the race. The trail is not only steep but also very, very rocky for the first few miles, making it very difficult to do any running at all (unless you are one of the rabbits at the very front of the race) since the footing is so sketchy. I managed to reach the 2nd waterfall in 33 minutes and took a few seconds to go down to a small pool and dunk my hat in an effort to cool off. After the second falls, the trail begins to climb more gradually and I was able to start running a little more, albeit conservatively, knowing that there was still much more uphill to deal with later in the race. About 4 miles in, the trail crosses a beautiful meadow that was pretty muddy. I tried to avoid getting my feet wet at first, but there was an unavoidable section of soupy mud and all bets were off. I laughed and said out loud, "Yep. It's a mountain race." I saw the runner in front of me turn his head a bit and smile in agreement. At the 5.5 mile mark, the course turns onto the Mountain View Trail, a 6 mile grind up the backside of Mt. Werner. I paused at the aid station, drank two cups of Cytomax, ate a Honey Stinger gel and pet a race volunteer's dog before I proceeded on.
I have a real love/hate relationship with Mountain View Trail. Running in this direction, it's a long, forested uphill run to get to the top of the ski area. It's a beautiful trail (that's the love), especially in the last 2 miles when the views out to the Continental Divide become really impressive. But it's tough (the hate). I always have a hard time on this trail. I ended up doing most of the trail alone, alternately running the flats, downhills and moderate uphills and hiking on the steeper climbs. My right quadracep was feeling pretty sore from hitting the rock in the river while tubing the day before but I just tried to keep moving and keep my heart rate from going too high. I stopped a couple of times to get some debris out of my shoes. Finally, in the last 1.5 miles, I caught a glimpse of two runners about a hundred yards in front of me and I felt like I would be able to catch them, if not before the summit, then, hopefully on the 2.5 mile descent to the Gondola. I managed to reel in the first guy and kept steady after the next, catching him in last .5 mile before the summit. At the summit, I was so relieved to finally be done with (almost) all that heinous uphill. By now, we had climbed well over 3000'. On the descent, I saw two more runners in front of me and I ran my fastest to catch them both. I was able to catch the first runner on Storm Peak Challenge and gave him an "attaboy" as I passed. There was a short, bushwacking detour to the course due to logging operations on the mountain, which was actually really fun. There was a ton of flagging to let you know where to run but NO trail. Just low brush, grass and rocks. I managed to pass the second runner here and then did all I could to stay fast on the remainder of the downhill as we hit dirt road again. Like the Mt. Werner race I did a couple weeks ago, this course finishes with a very cruel 400+ yard uphill run to the gondola. I felt like I was moving in slow motion but happily crossed the finish line in 2:30:41 (19th), nearly 6 minutes off my goal time of 2:25 but proud, none the less, to finish this grueling race.
Nick Sunseri won the race, destroying yet another course record, in a blistering 1:47:50! We talked before the race and were both a little dubious about the advertised race distance of 15 (or 16) miles. Both of our GPS watches calculated the course at 14.3 miles. Nobody disputed the 3400' of vertical gain. Other locals also recording fast times were Josh Smullin (3rd, 2:05.30),Harry Niedl (4th, 2:07.10), Bill Goldsmith (5th, 2:08.13) Glen Light (8th, 2:15.34) and Gregg Joyce (14th, 2:25.36).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)