2009 Pikes Peak Challenge

On Saturday, September 12th, Elke and I hiked in the 2009 Pikes Peak Challenge, which is a fundraiser event in support of the Brain Injury Association of Colorado. I have been wanting to do this event for a few years in honor of my good friend Troy Bush, who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) about 8 years ago. In fact, Troy and a bunch of his friends were supposed to join Elke and me this year, but things got in the way, and it ended up being only me and Elke. We had decided, when others were going to be hiking with us, to call ourselves "Team Murdy" (Troy's childhood nickname), but Team Murdy only ended up being a team of two.

The "Challenge" is impressive because it is a 13 mile hike from Manitou Springs, CO up to the top of Pikes Peak via the Barr Trail. This route is the longest and most elevation gaining ascent of any 14,000 foot peak in the USA. Thus to see a host of TBI survivors determined to accomplish this daunting course is very moving.

I have run this course many times in the past, either training for other runs or as a participant in the Pikes Peak Ascent, and this is no easy "hike". It is (again) 13 miles of hiking up 7,500 feet of elevation gain to the 14,115 foot summit. Along the way you pass various shelters and memorial plaques that are dedicated to people who have died on this peak...

...and yet, this does not deter the dedicated survivors of TBI, who in reality, have faced a far greater challenge in their own recoveries. The Challenge for them is simply one more thing that they are able to do again, or, for the first time. Indeed, a sort of theme slogan that many were hiking with was, "Because I Can".

Since this event is not a race, the times are much longer than the Ascent, and therefore, for safety sake, the start time must be much earlier. You have a choice of starting in the first wave, at 5:00am, or in the second wave, at 5:30am. Since Elke and I like to sleep as much as possible, we opted for the 5:30 start.

We actually finally started hiking at about 5:38am, and quickly realized that we would have to curb our desire to move faster in that the trail was simply packed with folks settling into a pace that they would be able to maintain for the next 6-9 hours. So, we walked and talked and just enjoyed what seemed like effortless movement in the dark for about the first 3 miles. Once we hit "No Name Creek" we were able to begin to pick up our pace a bit, and the crowd was clearly thinning out by then.By the time we reached Barr Camp at about 10,000 feet, the hikers had really thinned out and everyone we saw then was part of the first wave starters. During the whole hike we were also running in front of the weather system that was to hit the peak at about noon during the event. We both had dressed light, depending on a certain pace to keep us warm, so we really did need to move at a steady clip.

The week before the event I had talked to Troy, and he encouraged me to make sure I met people and talked with them on the way up, so I made it a habit, as we came up on someone, to ask them what their story was and why they were up here doing this. This was a great exercise and it was really nice to meet various people and hear about their experiences and hardships.

The hours flew by and so did the miles, and by and by, we made the summit. The volunteers were wonderful and thanked us profusely for participating in the event and helping raise awareness and money for TBI. We were struck with just the opposite sentiment, wanting to thank them profusely for all that they had done for the same cause.

At the summit we received our medals for finishing (15th & 16th overall...out of 450), and headed into the shelter building for warmth and to get a bite to eat. As we chatted with a new acquaintance (Tim Allison...who also runs with C.R.U.D.), I noticed that Elke's lips were a deep purply-blue. I asked her if she was cold or if she was feeling bad, to which she said "no". I finally walked her over to the first aid folks and the head doctor said, "Hypoxia". Elke got to be the first to suck on oxygen and since she looked so cute they dubbed her "the oxygen model"!We had a great time and will do our best to be back next year for this event and we hope that many others will join us as Team Murdy rides again...

Horn Peak (13,450 Feet, 8 Miles, 4 Hours)

This past Tuesday morning, while away in the Sangre de Cristo mountains for our church family camp, Elke and I got up early with the aim of running up Horn Peak and back before the morning lecture. This is a peak that I have wanted to summit for many years, but the camp schedule usually doesn't comply with the time needed to get up and down one of the surrounding mountains in a reasonable time. The issue is, that while there is plenty of time in the afternoons, that is when the storms come through, and you don't want to be caught up high when the lightening starts striking.

Elke and I left at 5:30AM from Horn Creek Family Camp and made our way over to the trailhead. We walked up the 1/4 mile path up to the "Rainbow" trail, turned north, and after a nice 3/4 mile run, made it to the Horn Peak trailhead by about 6:00AM. We signed into the hikers log, and noticed that we were the first ones out for the day. Nature "called", and after we both had "answered", we finally started our ascent at about 6:15AM-ish.

The trail to the top is only 3 miles, but the elevation gain is 4,800 feet in those brief 3 miles, making this climb a grueling ordeal. This is a serious mountain and it is so steep that if you were to fall, you would do the "Princes Bride" fall for hundreds of feet. We fast-hiked the majority of the climb, running whenever there was something close to a flat section on the trail, and in about an hour, we broke tree-line.
The morning was cloudy, but as we came through the trees, the sun began to burn through the upper section of the clouds, and we soon were above them in our own, sun-baked mountain paradise. The climb above tree line was beautiful, with vibrant greens and tons of wildflowers. I wish I had a camera because I would look down at Elke coming up, and there was this vast, steep, mountain face behind her, that then dipped into a sea of clouds making the scene awe-striking.

There is a false summit on Horn Peak (Little Horn...I think) which I thought would be a waste to climb over and then down, so we decided to traverse the face for a bit until we got past it and then go straight up to the summit. This was a mistake and it cost us another half of an hour as we death-marched the ridiculously steep tundra and scree, until we finally were able to gain the ridge, which is the proper trail and the way to go.
Once on the ridge, not only did the views open up, but so did our pace. We continued climbing at a pretty good pace, and, in fact, I was able to run some of the ridge right up to the summit. Both Elke and I couldn't believe how strong we were and how good our breathing was during the whole ascent. We were working and breathing hard, but it-that is the breathing-was working too. Neither of us felt like we were at 13,000 feet, and this made the run even more enjoyable.

Looking around the Sangre de Cristos from this peak is a real treat-Crestone, Humbolt, etc, and numerous other mountains are all around you, and this morning, there was a this blanket of clouds that cut the rest of the world off from us and gave us something truly special there up high.

Right as I began to descend, a light rain began to fall. This was an interesting "sub-storm" on top of the other, lower cloud system. Footing at this point became interesting, but this quickly dissipated and we were then treated to the most amazing high altitude rainbow, above the clouds. Standing on the ridge, this multicolor "sign" vibrantly shot across our whole field of vision as we looked to the north and we could see it bend all the way down into the valley floor below, disappearing into the green tundra and trees.

We had donned light rain jackets and beanies, but within about 15 minutes, we shed them and kept our pace up, descending across the ridge and now off of Little Horn. About at this point, Elke said we should have stopped on top and prayed for our kids. Not that this makes us closer to God or anything like that, but it was just that they were in our minds as we were climbing. So, we stopped and I led us in prayer for God's grace upon each of our children (Tava, Elle, Izzy, and Seth).

Coming down Little Horn we could see another party coming up, but just breaking treeline. We quickly got down to them (they were a guided party from Horn Creek camp, being led by "Dave", who does this once a week...lucky!), and talked a moment with them but then kept descending.

When we reached the trees again, Elke just took off! I could not keep up with her and I did not see her again until a prominent creek crossing about a mile and a half down, where she was waiting for me. We kept our pace brisk for the rest of the run, trying to get back for the morning lecture.

We finally made it back down to the trailhead at 9:30AM, signed our of the log, and just needed to run the final mile along the "Rainbow" trail back to camp. We must have been so anxious to get back on time that we turned at the first trail going down, which we soon realized was wrong, causing us to climb the trail again back up to the "Rainbow" trail! This hurt after the pounding downhill.
We got back to the lecture arena at 9:50AM in time to hear the final half of the morning's talk, and then we caught showers during the break before the discussion time. We had got it done, with a couple of wrong turns, and only overestimating our speed by about a half hour (which we still think we could have easily done if we had not taken the two wrong turns...one on the way up choosing the face instead of the ridge, and the one on the way down, taking the wrong trail down, and needing to come back up).

We are both sore, and both in the same places, which is funny. We usually don't get to do things like this together, and so we are usually sore in different spots or at different times. But this time we keep saying, "Don't those stairs hurt to come down?!?"

This was a fun one, and one of the best times I have had with Elke in a while... We are very thankful.

Leadville Trail Marathon

This past Saturday I ran the Leadville Trail Marathon in Leadville, CO. It is a high-altitude race starting at 10,200 feet and running up to Mosquito Pass at 13,128 feet (22 miles of the 26.2 are over 11,000 feet). I have been traveling a bit lately, and so I was not really in great shape for the run (not that I have ever been in great shape), but I knew I could do it...even if it was ugly.


Elke and I drove the Westy up on Friday afternoon and "camped" at the Leadville RV Corral. We actually got a good-night's sleep and the guy only charged us for a tent site. The bathrooms were clean and a hot shower felt great before and after the run.


The course is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking (on a few levels!). You start in the town of Leadville, run through the old mining district, and then up into the mountains, alternating 4WD roads and single-track. With all the water this year, the mountains are green and the wild flowers are in full bloom, making the run visually spectacular.

I ran most of the first half of the race with fellow Team C.R.U.D. runners Keith Grimes (this is the start of his Leadman attempt) and John Courtney (18th marathon this year). There were actually about 8 or so C.R.U.D. runners running officially this year, and Paul DeWitt, the course record holder until this year, ran "un-officially" pacing his father who was shooting for a sub-5 hour finish (which he accomplished).

Well, with me, it did get ugly! I actually started out strong and ran the first 10 miles feeling fine. It was really hot, and I sweat a lot, but I was hitting the S! Caps about every 45 minutes so I never did have cramping issues. What I did have was stomach issues. I started to get nauseous about 10 miles in, and this did not let up for another 12-13 miles. I either had to slow way down to a walk or throw up. In fact, indicative of how slow I had to go, I do not have sore legs after the race at all...I hardly was able to push them!

I finally had a big "purge" at the final aid station (I actually walked away and behind some bushes), and then flew down the final 4 miles back into Leadville. But by this time I had lost over an hour of time off of what I should have come in at (around 5:30), finishing at 6 hours and 31 minutes. I finished strong, passing lots of runners (and never being passed by anyone) down the final leg of the race, and was amazed at how good it felt to be breathing the thick air at 10,000 feet again!


In the end, it was fun. I enjoyed the conversation and trash-talking with guys early on in the race, and the atmosphere and vibe in Leadville are comfortable. This event and its hosts are top-notch, except the T-shirt is way ugly (Note to those who design race/event T-shirts: Photos don't look good on shirts...its like those frosting portraits on birthday cakes from Wal-Mart). I do plan to run the race again next year, and I am hoping to be in better shape by then. This run is a kicker but one you feel good having completed.

Grand Canyon Rim-To-Rim-To-Rim (45 miles, South Kaibab-North Kaibab-Bright Angel, 15:40)

This past weekend I was blessed to be able to accomplished an ultra-trail running goal that few get the chance to do. That goal was running the Grand Canyon "Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim" (or "GCRX3", or "Triple R", or "RRR") in a self-supported, single-day, effort. The RRR is going from one rim of the Grand Canyon to the other, and then back again. I was there with other members of Team C.R.U.D. (Coloradans Running Ultra Distances)-Paul DeWitt, Rick and Jill Hesseck, Eric Gabe, and Paul Smith-along with my wonderful and supportive family (Elke, Tava, Elle, Izzy, and Seth).


We had traveled to Santa Fe, NM the previous night, and therefore were able to get into the GC by about 6PM on Friday night. We quickly unpacked and then I headed over to the rim with the C.R.U.D. group to get a peak at the canyon and put my feet on the trail a bit. It is a psychological thing for me, but I always seem to do better when I have seen the route a bit before I step onto it for the run or race.

We had decided that for the run, we would head down the South Rim via the South Kaibab Trail, then through Phantom Ranch and up the North Kaibab Trail up to the North Rim. But instead of doing a "camera in reverse" and going back out the way we came (which is what most people do), we decided to run back down the North Rim to Phantom Ranch via the North Kaibab and then take a different route back by ascending the South Rim out of the Canyon via the Bright Angel Trail. This alternative adds another 2 miles, but after 43, it doesn't matter much.


My beautiful wife Elke, who is a great runner (but didn't run so she could hike with the kids on Saturday while we ran), got up 3:50AM to drive us to the trailhead. I hadn't slept all night so I got up at about 3:15AM to get my stuff together and see if I could have a BM before the run started. I finished my morning "reading", when Elke banged on the bathroom door and yell-whispered "They're all waiting for you!"

All 7 of us piled into the 5 seater with Paul Smith in the trunk area, Elke on my lap in the front seat, Jill, Rick, and Eric in the back seat, and Paul DeWitt driving his wife's Audi A3. Half way to the trailhead, Eric realized, and exclaimed, that he left his water/fuel pack back at the camp. When we all asked if he was serious, he said, "Yep. My bad." then proceeded to talk about the time he had started the Lake City 50 without his fuel pack. He figured it out too late and started the race without it. At the first aid, after having run the first 15 miles without fuel, he took off his jacket, filled the pockets with the gels at the station, and used it (tied around his waist) for his fuel belt the rest of the race!

Even with Gabe's mishap we got to the trailhead by about 4:27AM. I kissed Elke goodbye, told her not to worry, clicked on my headlamp, and headed down the trail right behind Paul Smith, with Gabe behind me, then Paul DeWitt, and then Rick and Jill. The morning was surprisingly warm and we were all sweating within a couple steps down the trail. About a mile or two down, we stopped at a big, open spot and shed layers while waiting for the whole group to get there (we didn't want anyone to miss the trail since it was so dark and we were at a place that had several options leading out of it). Soon after this point, as the light began to get better, I took the lead (for the last time on the entire run), as I tend to run down hill fairly well (it is merely a matter of weight and gravity!).


The South Kaibab Trail, starting at about 7,200 feet, is simply amazing. As you are coming down it and looking down in the distance at what you will be running, it looks fake. In fact, at one point Eric Gabe said "It looks like some kind of a fiction". It really does look like something out of the Lord of the Rings or something from another world...

We reached the bottom of the Canyon in about an hour and a half. We refilled our water bottles and headed through Phantom Ranch towards the North Rim. About a mile after Phantom Ranch we stopped at a sign that said "13.4 Miles to the North Rim". We stood there and realized that we would need to run the equivalent of a Pikes Peak Marathon to get back to this point. That is after having run 8 miles, and then after the "marathon" you have to run almost a Pikes Peak Ascent.

Now mind you, to the other guys, this is no problem, all of them having completed 100 mile trail runs (for instance, Rick placed 4th last year at the Leadville Trail 100), but for me, the longest I had run before last Saturday was a 50K (31 miles). Needless to say, I began to secretly think of quitting part way through...

We started out from this sign, in a total reversal of the order of the initial descent, with Rick Hesseck leading the way, Eric Gabe behind him, then me, and then Paul Smith. Jill, Rick's wife, and Paul DeWitt (who recently had surgery) hadn't planned on doing the whole run and headed up Bright Angel to do "only" a 19 miler that day (nothing to balk at, at all).

The run through the floor of the Canyon was beautiful. It is a rolling trail that follows a major water vein coming off of Roaring Springs and a few other water falls. Paul Smith suffered with stomach problems for the first 22.5 miles of the run, but even with these problems, he still eventually passed me going up North Kaibab Trail to the North Rim. The climb up the North Rim wall is epic. The trail is cut into the sheer cliff wall and your just running through this notch in the side as you ascend thousands of feet up.

We all reached the North Rim, about 21.5 miles into the run, in the same time proximity (about 45 minutes apart), with Rick and Eric getting there first (Eric was just amazing, coming from Texas elevation and keeping up with Rick during the first 3/4s of the run). Rick and Eric were 5 minutes into their decent when they saw me coming up the last part of the North Rim ascent. I had made it to the North Rim in 6 hours, just a few minutes behind Paul.

Paul was bone dry and out of water, thinking that there was going to be water on the North Rim. There wasn't. There is nothing there except a deserted parking lot and a bathroom with no running water. Thankfully there was still some snow and Paul was able to refill his bottle (note that singular...he ran the entire RRR with one 20 oz water bottle!) in a puddle of melted snow. Paul went off to the bathroom, and I started my descent, knowing he would easily catch me and because I was getting cold at 8,200 feet.

Paul did easily catch me, as it was right about then that my suffering began. I had been burning through S! Caps (electrolyte tablets) and I knew I didn't have enough to finish the run. When your sodium level decreases, your stomach gets queazy. When your stomach gets queazy you can't get fuel in. When you can't get fuel in, you start to fade fast. I was fading and trying not to throw-up. Paul graciously waited for me at a campground/fill up stop, but once I reached him, I told him not to wait for me, in that I was really starting to fade and did not want him to have to be out there any longer than necessary. Amazingly, I was actaully able to run with him to the next camp ground and it was after that one that he started to gain more and more distance on me.

These next 7 miles were very hard. The sun was up in full force and the heat at the bottom was in the 80s. On the trail itself, with the heated rock of the path, it had to be in the 90s. I continued to lose water through sweat and desperately needed those electrolytes that I was out of. I ran as much as I could, setting small goals to run from the sunny parts to the shaded parts. When I reached a shaded section of trail, I would take off my hat, walk the section, and let my head vent the heat. Every once in a while, I would pass a group of hikers and ask how much further it was to Phantom Ranch. Their estimates didn't help, but it was my fault for asking.

I finally made it to Phantom Ranch which is a bustling camp with a store, etc. (there had been no manned camp for the past 30 miles...just water spots here and there). I went into the dining hall looking for a Coke, which is often the only thing that can cut my thirst, but they only had beer, lemonade, and ice tea. I made a half-and-half of the ice tea and lemonade and guzzled it. My stomach was still really queazy so I went outside to sit on a bench and to try to get some fuel in for the final 9.5 mile, 5,000-6,000 foot climb out of the Canyon.

I sat there on the bench at Phantom Ranch with a hiker that I had passed and listened to him talk, mumbling every once in a while so as not to be rude. But, the reality was, I could hardly concentrate on anything he said because of my condition. I eventually went and found a pay phone and called Elke to tell her not to worry about me, that I was moving slow, and I expected that I would be about 5 hours later than I had hoped. She didn't answer and I only got her message service, which she never heard...

I went back, sat next to my hiker friend, and resumed listening to him talk as I hoped my stomach would calm down. It did not. As he talked, I realized that I was not only NOT going to get anything down, but that what was down, was going to come up! I walked away without telling him why and threw up a few times away from where everyone was sitting...

...I spent over an hour in Phantom Ranch, and when nothing changed with my condition, I realized that I better start moving or figure out what I was going to do for the night. I started out of Phantom Ranch, and actually ran a bit before hitting the sand at the bottom of Bright Angel Trail, which Eric Gabe would later describe as a "some kind of bad joke".

The next 5 miles to Indian Gardens was an eternity. When I finally reached its' water facet, I sat there for about 30 minutes. I finally got myself to move and began to death-march up the last 4.6 miles. By this time, I was empty. No power. No motivation. Very thirsty.

Different thoughts were going through my head. I kept thinking about the humiliation I would experience if I had to be rescued. I thought about all those signs that warn you to not attempt to travel to the floor of the Canyon and back in a day...and here I was doing that forbidden activity twice in a day! I wondered about my worrying family, knowing that they probably thought the worst...I just kept walking up and trying to keep myself moving.

Eventually the light faded and I walked in the dusk of evening. This was actually helpful for me, because when it was light out, I had to deal with looking up and seeing how far the South Rim still was from where I was. Each time I would look up, I just about died...I could not imagine being able to finish. The Canyon Rim towered thousands of feet above me and I just couldn't fathom finishing this thing.

But then, I got to the 3 mile hut...then, after another eternity, the 1.5 mile hut. Now it was dark. I clicked my headlamp on and just kept walking/death-marching. By this time, my equilibrium was off, so I stayed as close to the wall-edge of the trail as possible so I wouldn't be at risk of falling off. Interestingly, my legs were surprisingly strong, so I kept pounding with them, even while my mind was fading and my balance was failing. It was weird how the top half of my body was shot, but the bottom half was still working pretty well.

Finally, I rounded a switchback and saw a light coming towards me (no...not that kind of light!). I hoped against hope that it was someone in my party...even Elke...and then I heard her voice. She called out my name, I responded, and she began to cry. She had not gotten my phone message, and I had WAY over estimated myself thinking I would be in hours earlier. She had given me 15 hours in her mind, and then when it got dark, and I was 40 minutes past that, she had gotten worried. Plus, I hadn't ever done anything this hard before, and so she had no idea what I could or couldn't do...and neither did I.


She asked if she could carry anything for me, but at that point, I wanted to finish the whole thing entirely by my own strength. It was a joy to walk the final 200-400 yards with her and then touch the kiosk at the top at 15:40. I had finished the GC RRR.

I am not sure I will do this again (unless a really good friend wanted to do it, or, someone in my family gets into ultra-running and wants to run it), but I am extremely grateful to God for now having finished it. It was beautiful, extremely challenging, revealing as to where I am at with my endurance-running abilities, and, just plain epic in proportions.

Humbly submitted advise for others from a total novice who just experienced his first true ultra run:

1. Never do this as your first long run (i.e. 50 miler). You can't DNF, you have no support, it is too dangerous. You need to get this distance under your feet in more controllable conditions.

2. Take an entire bottle of S!Caps with you if you sweat a lot. You need the electrolytes...without them you are toast.

3. Take 2, 20 oz bottles if you sweat a lot. There is a lot of water available, but every once in a while, there is no water at a stop, and you do not want to go dry out there.

4. Take some comfort food (e.g. something easily digestible, but solid) because the gels will make you sick after about 10 or so.

5. Take it easy and enjoy the run. It is not a race and you are in one of the most beautiful places you will ever be.

6. Go with some really great people...I did and it made the experience more meaningful and enjoyable.

Garden of the Gods/Rampart Range Road...About 13 Miles

Had a good long run today (2 hours and 35 minutes), from my house, around the perimeter of the Garden of the Gods, then up Rampart Range Road for about 2 miles (to the forest information sign?), and then back home. Felt good and played around with various 'fuels' that I recently purchased (S! Caps, Hammer Gels, etc.).

I ran long and slow, trying to get time on my feet, in preparation for the Grand Canyon R2R2R. I am sore now from about 13 miles...I am wondering if I am biting off too much trying 43 in the Grand Canyon...?

C. C. Tempo Run 2-5-2009

Much better run today. It was about double the degrees temperature-wise than it was last week (actually above freezing), and I knocked over 2 minutes off my time. There were 12 people out this morning and most everyone set PRs for the year...

C.C. Tempo Run 1-29-09

Everything was going great until I got out of my car...

That's not me...but that's how I felt.

...it was hard this morning. I ran slow and out of breath. Granted it was 14 degrees and the roads were covered with snow and ice, but that really wasn't the problem...

I went out too fast, lost control of my breathing, and ended up posting my worst time this year: 52:43. Yet, I am glad I went and I will keep plugging away at it...

...I am thankful for my health right now.

Cheyenne Canyon Tempo Run

(Got this image off of Krupicka's blog)

I finally got back out for a Thursday morning run with C.R.U.D., and my knee is doing great. I am energized simply by the fact that I have no pain after the run! As you can see by the topo and elevation chart above (if you click on the picture you can see a very clear map and numbers), these "tempo" runs are 4.2-ish miles up (to just shy of 8,000 ft.), and then its just a leisurely run back down. Everyone starts at their own start-time, trying to get to the top at 6:40AM. The times range from about 34 minutes to just over an hour. I am right at about 50 minutes, which makes me one of the slowest out there...

...but the workout is great, the views are amazing (you see the city lights on the way up, and then the sun rises for the run down), and realizing that others are out there also, and running up the hill WAY faster than you are, it keeps you going.

I did these runs as part of my training for the Death Valley Trail Marathon last year, and, I am planning on keeping them up as I think that they will help build a good base for the Grand Canyon R2R2R this May (43 miles; 13,000 ft. of elevation gain). As soon as we can coordinate it with the kid's school schedule, Elke plans to come out for these runs as well.

Inov8 RocLite 315

The Inov8 RocLite 315 was my first pair...the pair that hooked me. But let me tell you a little "don't do this" story about my first experience with them...

I had been running for years with the big, bulky, support, stability, we-wont-let-you-feel-the-trail, shoes. So, when I got my first pair of these thin, minimally cushioned "English" shoes, I wondered how it would be. So, I decided to dive in and went out and ran a 9-miler in the Garden of the Gods...

...big mistake.

I could hardly walk the next day, and I thought I was going to have to send them back. So I went down to a local shop that sells Inov8s, and asked what was up. The girl there said, that I had to take it slow and get my feet and legs used to the neutral, minimal support. So I did. I would take them out for a 2-miler, then a few 3-milers, then 5, then 7, then 10...

...then, the big jump was running to Barr Camp (about 12-13 miles) and back in them. By the time I did this run (maybe a month in), I couldn't believe how comfortable the shoe was, and how little foot pain I had. I usually had really sore feet after a long run, but now, none. What had happened is that my legs had gotten stronger and the much more natural foot-strike was allowing me to run more naturally...more like I was barefoot.

After being sold on these RocLites, I wondered if I would ever find a better shoe, and hoped that Inov8 didn't quit making them. I couldn't imagine ever running in anything else...

...until I tried the Inov8 Terroc 330.

Better Run Today...

I ran Waldo Canyon on New Year's Eve and totally bonked. Well, this morning I ran it with Elke (my wife) and had a much better experience. Not only was my breathing and leg strength much better, but the weather and scenery was glorious. It actually got up into the 60s today, and therefore this morning, the temps were already well above freezing on the trail. Ezra (the dog) came along and had a blast. The views of the Pikes Peak were perfect. It was clear and beautiful, and we had the whole trail to ourselves...

...above is a topo with mileage and altitude of the trail.

The Best Trail Running Shoe Out There...

I honestly don't know where "out there" is, but Inov8 does make great trail running shoes. I have now ran in them for about a year and I own three pairs. I will be highlighting them in some future posts, but google the funny name and check out their website in the meantime.

Rude Awakening!

I decided to go for a final 2008 run this afternoon. Some runners from a local running club were going to run Waldo Canyon, which I have run many times, and so I thought I would give it a go. I particularly wanted to get out on a little longer run to test my knee after weeks of resting it...

...what a rude awakening!

I tried to keep pace with them up the first section, and did so for most of it, but went anaerobic and struggled to breathe the rest of the run (7.5 M in the mountains). I am really bummin' 'cause of my recently announced plan to run the Grand Canyon R2R2R in May 2009. I realize now how much I have to train, and how far I have fallen since October, when I was able to run 50K fairly easily.

I was one of the last ones in tonight (I think 4th from the last), and while everyone else was having a beer in the parking lot, I ran straight to my car and drove off (totally anti-social...but also, I was totally hypoxic!)

THE plan to start immediately when I get home from the wedding: Run and lose the extra 5-10 I picked up during this rest time!

Grand Canyon Double Crossing-R2R2R

"As opportunities arise...plans change."

I have a new running goal for the first half of this year...

...the Grand Canyon R2R2R!

Recently C.R.U.D. announced this as its 2009 Spring trip and I can't resist it. Not only do I love the Grand Canyon, but to be able to be out there with some really experienced and talented runners will, I hope, be a plus in my shot at an honorable completion. Paul DeWitt writes:

"The route that the bulk of us will be taking is:

Down South Kaibab, up North Kaibab, down North Kaibab, up Bright Angel. This isn’t the fastest route but allows us to see both main south side trails and is the route I’ve taken before.

Note: All are welcome. I think most of us will be doing the full R2R2R, which is about 43 miles and 13,000 feet vertical but obviously you can also just go down to the river and back. If there is anyone who wishes to drive to the North Rim, there would also be the possibility of doing a R2R trip. For those planning the full trip (43 miles), plan on about one hour less than your San Juan 50 time."

My problem with the "plan on about an hour less than your San Juan 50 time" is that I have not done San Juan! So...I have a ton of training to do, but I am pretty sure that I can do it. Above, I spoke of an "honorable completion", and what I mean by this is that I actually run the bulk of it and don't come strolling in 20 hours later in the dark, or something like that.

I am talking with my good friend Jorge about coming along as well...I think he is game (but he hasn't run a marathon yet)!

Here is my tentative plan for training:

1. Keep running my regular 10 mile route in the Garden of the Gods 2-3 times each week.
2. Thursday tempo runs with C.R.U.D. (Through the winter, up Cheyenne Canyon; in the spring, up Barr Trail)
3. Start getting out for the Saturday long runs with C.R.U.D.
4. Yoga
5. Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series (10K, 8M, 10M, and 20K)
6. As early as possible in 2009, run a Pikes Peak marathon.
7. In March, run a reverse Pikes Peak marathon (drive to the top, park, and run down to Manitou Springs...then back up to the summit)
8. In April, run from my house to the summit of Pikes Peak and back.

These extreme climbs, etc. are to get ready for the 13,000 feet of elevation gain on the R2R2R run. I have to be able to run down, back up, back down, and then finally back up out of the Canyon.

Oh, and it is all dependent on how my knee holds up...

Hope For The Knee

I have still been sore in my knee after even a short 3 mile run. I tried resting for a couple weeks, but it came right back. I started reading on the internet about something called "bursitis" and I think it is what I have. There are these little sacks of fluid in all our major joints that are there to help us keep from injuring ourselves when over worked. I think that I have enflamed one of these sacks in my knee joint, and it keeps swelling every time I go running. This causes a bit of pain while I run, an especially after as my muscles stiffen up.

I think that I am deficient in the fluids that keep us lubricated in the joints and so I have been taking Glucosemene and Chondroitin, and I ran today with my daughter and finally had no pain.

The Knee & Me (Running Schedule/Goals)

O.K...so I guess I did something to my knee running Palo Duro.  It didn't hurt the entire run, but the next morning I felt like I had wacked in on something...like a bruise.  My wife, who is a highly skilled massage therapist, says I probably bruised a tendon and it just needs to rest.  That is fine, but I am itching to run!

In fact, I still plan to run the Pikes Peak Marathon route before the end of the year, only because I want to run the two, North American, marathons with the highest and lowest points respectively-Pikes Peak and Death Valley-in a single year.  This knee thing though is slowing me down right now...

I ran about 9 miles in the Garden of the Gods yesterday with my wife, but it bugged me all day.  I ran about 3 miles last Saturday, and I could feel it then too.  I thought that with almost a week off since the 50K, I would be good to go, but today my knee feels like it did the day after Palo Duro...?  I might try to take a whole week off of any running at all, have Elke work on it, and see if that wont get me through this right now.

I plan to solo/self support the Pikes Peak run, stashing a few fuel drops on the way up, and, taking advantage (by way of a few dollars in cash), of Barr Camp and the snack bar at the summit (this will be one time I am glad it is there).  I should be able to get'r done in about 6 hours.  The big question is whether or not the dog (Ezra) can make this run.  He normally does about 5-15 miles at a time with me, but I am not sure that he can do 26.2 of moutain running.  He is going on 8 years old, but acts like he is 3.  So immature...

Hundreds of Marathon Runners May Be Stranded in Heavy Mountain Flooding

LONDON — Mountain rescue teams were searching for stranded competitors Saturday after an elite marathon was called off because of heavy rain, flooding and high winds.

The athletes were competing in the Original Mountain Marathon, a two-day race across rough country in Britain's Lake District, about 300 miles north of London. High winds and heavy rain affected much of northwest England on Saturday.

According to the marathon's Web site, the race was called off just after noon Saturday. It's unknown how many people are stranded in the mountains."It is impossible to say how many people are up there because there is no mobile (phone) reception," said Bob Liddell, a member of a local mountain rescue team. "I don't believe the organizers will have been able to account for everyone at this stage."

Liddell said rescue teams would not be using Royal Air Force search-and-rescue helicopters because of the wind.

In a statement, Cumbria Police said about 840 people had taken shelter in four different locations in the area, including a school, farm, and outdoor center.

"The competitors are mainly seasoned mountaineers, and are expected to be carrying suitable equipment to cope with adverse weather," the release said.
 

The Original Mountain Marathon Web site says the race was founded in 1968. Teams are "totally self-supporting," and competitors do not carry global positioning systems or mobile telephones, the Web site says.

Competitors race in pairs and carry their tents, clothing and enough food for 36 hours.

"The ethos of the event is to be totally self-reliant, in the wilds, carrying all equipment, no outside support," the Web site says.

"The event is for experienced fell (large hill) runners and everyone should have been able to cope," said Shane Ohly, who spoke to the BBC after completing the race. He said that if competitors got into difficulty they should be able to get into their tents to ride out any bad weather.

Mark Weir, who manages a mine in the area, said he had sheltered about 300 athletes.

"The weather is absolutely horrendous and it's a scene of chaos up here," he said.

The sleepmonsters.co.uk Web site, which filed reports on the race, said conditions had deteriorated throughout the afternoon.

"It seems likely many of those retiring will have to spend the night in whatever shelter they can find ... and everyone will have to wait until the rain stops and the waters subside," the Web site said.

None of the race organizers were immediately available for comment.

According to local hospitals and rescue services, more than a dozen people were treated for minor injuries and mild hypothermia.

2008 Palo Duro Trail Run 50K

Well, I did my first "ultra" this past Saturday in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, TX.  We loaded the kids in 'Vanmorisfun' (our '90 VW Westfalia Camper), and drove down through New Mexico for a very quick weekend.  We camped in the canyon with a few of the guys and families from C.R.U.D. (Coloradians Running Ultra Distances), and were totally attacked by bugs!  That part was lame...

...the race began at 7:00am, and we ran the first hour in the dark by headlamp.  I made the mistake of going to the back of the pack, instead of positioning myself more in the middle.  I ended up having to risk ankle-twisting, as I was passing people for the first 2-3 miles of single-track in the dark.  After about 2 miles I caught Teddy from C.R.U.D., who seemed to be fighting to get past slow-pokes as well, and ran with him for about 6 miles 'til he dropped me (he ended up winning the masters-over 50-division)!

The next 10 miles or so, my stomach gave me problems.  I had to keep my pace down or else I would almost barf.  On top of that, I kept feeling like one of the safety pins holding my number on was scratching me.  I looked down, and I had a big, red, blood stain around my left peck...my (white tech) shirt had rubbed off the ends of my nipples.  I took my shirt off and ran the rest of the race shirtless, which given the hot weather, was just fine.  The nausia kept up, but finally, at about mile 25, I got my tummy back and was able to finish the last 6 miles pretty strong.  I finished at 6:15, which is really slow, but it was great to see that I could do this distance pretty reasonably, and, that longer races are possible for me.

We ended up getting back to Amarillo, TX for church on Sunday morning and visited the Orthodox Presbyterian Church there.  We had a great time of worship and fellowship with them, and ate lunch at the church building with the congregation. 

I am already looking forward to hopefully running the 50 miler next year, and getting back to the church there in Amarillo.  I also look forward to running and learning more with the C.R.U.D. guys. 

Exercise 10/06-10/11

Monday 10/06- Ran 9 miles in the Garden of the Gods

Wednesday 10/08 Biked 2 miles

Thursday 10/09-Ran 6 miles in the Garden of the Gods

Friday 10/10-Biked 10 miles

Saturday 10/11-Ran 6 miles in the Garden of the Gods

Total Running: 21 miles

Total Biking: 12 miles

Other: 0

 

Exercise 9/27-10/4

Saturday 9/27-Ran 6 miles in the Garden of the Gods

Monday 9/29-Biked 2, Ran 19 miles in the Garden of the Gods

Wednesday 10/1-Biked 10 miles

Thursday 10/2- Ran 10.5 miles at Rampart Res.

Satuday 10/4-Biked 10, hiked 2.5 Mt. Cutler

Total Running: 35.5

Total Biking: 22

Other: 2.5

Running in 2008 & 2009

In a few weeks, I will be attempting my first true "ultra" marathon, the Palo Dura 50k trail run.  I actually have my sights on a 50 miler next year (actually, Palo Dura also has a 50 miler simultaneous with the 50k but I am not ready for that yet), so this will be a good test and revealer of where I am right now.  Thus far this year, I have run the Death Valley All Trail Marathon (Feb.), the Pikes Peak Ascent (August), the Imogene Pass Run (Sept.), and, Palo Duro (Oct.) will do it for the year.  Next year I hope to run Death Valley again (Feb.), Greenland 50k (Apr.), the Collegiate Peaks 25 miler (Apr.), and, if schedules work out right, the Great Wall Marathon in China (May)!  Then, later in the year, I hope to do the 50 mile version of Palo Dura...

...we'll see!