Monday; July 4th: It's a holiday so where else would I be except working! Actually, this is a holiday that would rather be worked; just not a big bbq/beer drinkin', hootin' an hollarin' kind of girl. Waking up in Salt Lake, it was out the door to enjoy the cool morning air; however, Mother Nature had forgotten to cool off during the night and it was still a smokin' 80 degrees! So, a heated trot was the order of the day for about 7 miles; then to the hotel gym for an upper body and abs routine.
The work part of the day took me to Jackson Hole. While only 40 minutes on the ground, it is beautiful and great to visit for a few minutes.
The Tetons with Black Tail Butte in the foreground and to the left. The Snake River winds through the valley and provides a great moose hangout.
Tuesday; July 5th: A basic 6 miler from home.
Wednesday; July 6th: Off to Leadville with Jim very early. A 7am start from the race start and it was up the mineral belt trail to what I hoped was the race course. Once getting to a power line section, a left turn took the run north and unfortunately I ended up on the dump road! Yuck...but a quick turn around, a jig here and there and I was back on some mining road that was wonderfully rocky and climbing. Passing by the mineral belt trail, I took that out to California Gulch Rd, a right turn and then another nice climb up a dirt road to more bumpy mining roads. At just under the two hour mark, it was a U turn and back to the starting point, minus the dump road portion. About a 14 mile run.
What was good about this run was that it was a nonstop trot and the altitude was not a factor, although I only got to about 11,000 feet. and there are several areas on the race course that are much steeper than this run.
Purple Fringe flower. Plenty of these in bloom along the trails, mostly coming out the rocky sections.
Purple Lupine. Many varieties of this flower but the one grown in Colorado is often found in rocky areas and grows in large groups, covering the forest floor.
Yes, someone called me a "wildflower expert." With a biology degree and having spent time as a volunteer naturalist at a nature center in Littleton, CO, plus many hikes while carrying wildflower books, I know my flowers!
Thursday; July 7th: An at home day with the dogs. Started off with a weight lifting session of abs, back, and triceps and then out the door with Traysen. A nice 10 miler was the order of the day with the pace being pushed over about 6 miles of the run.
Friday; July 8th: We headed out quite early at 5am for a quick 7 miler. Nothing special, just pushed the pace again for about 4 miles.
The taper plan is going somewhat as planned. Although with the time off from work and all systems working well (and starting to not feel so overtrained), it is hard not to log the high mileage. Yeah, I know...pick up the pace and you will forget about the high miles!
Saturday; July 9th: At Lori's invitation/suggestion, I joined her and 4 other folks from the Springs area. Meeting at Starbutts at 5am and then an hour's drive to Frosty Park, on the southern end of Colorado Springs, somewhat near Cheyenne Canyon. About a two mile 4 wheel drive ride dumped us near Forest Service Rd 379 and below Mt. Almagre, our goal for the day.
As we started the climb, the chatter subsided....well, except for John and Bill....With their nonstop entertainment, crazy running stories, and picture taking, I have never laughed so hard while trying to run from 10,000 to 12,000 feet! John and I were running slightly ahead of the others and coming out of treeline when he observed, "you don't stop! and you don't look around much." The reply, "oh, (gasp) there will be some (gasp) sightseeing.....(gasp) and I hate (gasssp ) stopping." John was thinking he needed to determine a metronome/nickname for yours truly. Well, my running girlfriends call me Energizer Bunny, a friend of Jim's calls me BadAss and Jim, the husband, calls me Psycho...all of which are compliments!
Coming out of the trees, passing a gate, we came upon the dam for Stratton Resevoir. Unfortunately, no alpine swim today as the lake was only a mudhole. After a regroup of everyone (I thought we were at our turn around point so I stopped.), we started off towards the dam, where Lori had to give short stumpy legs here a boost to get up onto the dam wall! Thanks Lori...your long legs come in handy!) Then, it was the last 1.5 mile steep climb to the summit of Mt. Almagre. Beautiful views of Pikes Peak, Sentinel Point, the mining area of Cripple Creek, and a view of Colorado Springs. Not even on the top of Pikes Peak can you see far to the west and far to the east! A quick group photo or two and off we went back down the trail, a nice 6 mile cruiser with John pushing the pace a bit. At one point, as he was trotting and these legs were sprinting, he hollars, "I got it." Between gasps of air, "you got what??" I have now been dubbed "BadAss Psycho Bunny!!!" OMG!!! Too cute and just perfect!
A total of 12 miles and what a fun outing! Thanks guys....looking forward to the next high altitude adventure....This was one of those runs that makes this sport too much fun! Some good friends, good altitude, some dirt and rocks with some hills and a beautiful morning...doesn't get much better than that!
From Mt. Almagre, looking to Baldy.
Mt. Almagre in the upper right corner.
Looking to Mt. Almagre from the west.
BadAss Psycho Bunny!
Sunday; July 10th: A day off was needed. Traysen and I went out the door at 6am for a coffee cup in hand walk. With the rain of this past week, there is even a hint of green and the ground is soft. A welcome relief to the dry, fire prone days so far this summer.
Summary: A good taper week with a few nice runs. At the moment, all systems and plans are shaping up perfectly for the Leadville race.
Total miles for the week: 56.0
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