Colorado Trail
When I ran Thursday, I felt sluggish. Friday, I still felt "off" and I was extremely busy, so it was easy to skip running. Saturday is a long-run day, but I still didn't feel right so I skipped running then too!
I went to a very fun party Saturday evening with an eclectic mix of runners and Quakers.
Sunday, I met Diane H, Chris R, and Brandy "Muffin" at Waterton Canyon. So I had some company starting out on my long run. By the time I reached mile 7, I was alone.
The first and last 7 miles of my out-n-back are manicured dirt road. Then the road goes up extremely steep for a ways, then the Colorado Trail begins.
I wanted it plotted out with GPS, so I had to stop about 50 times to get readings on the way out.
The snow was well packed by both snowshoes and feet for most of the way, but those last couple of miles were increasingly tougher. I turned around 10 miles from my car after post-holing up to my knees in places for a mile up the jagged trail.
By the time I got up there, it was a lonely place. The gully was narrow and steep and not a sound but occasional wind. Wihtout a doubt, no human had gone this far up the Colorado Trail since before the last significant snow - probably not since last year.
I kept looking for lions, but to tell the truth, there was absolutely no sign of any.
There were tons of doe tracks, though, new and old.
With all my GPS data recorded, I shut off the data-tracking and just ran it back.
Even though the "out" wasn't much of a workout with all the stopping, the "back" was work. And it's the longest I've been on my feet since the Boulder 100 last October.
At 4:30pm, I imagined the Superbowl kick-off and thought, "The first kick is still hanging in the air at this moment." I still had 8 miles to go.
By the time I got to the Super Bowl party, I was shaking from fatigue and lack of calories. After eating and having a beer, I was so sleepy I went home before the end of the game. I felt like a total pig - show up late, eat, leave early. But I was so sleepy I was having trouble staying awake when I was standing - and I still had to drive home.
When my head hit the pillow, I was GONE!
I went to a very fun party Saturday evening with an eclectic mix of runners and Quakers.
Sunday, I met Diane H, Chris R, and Brandy "Muffin" at Waterton Canyon. So I had some company starting out on my long run. By the time I reached mile 7, I was alone.
The first and last 7 miles of my out-n-back are manicured dirt road. Then the road goes up extremely steep for a ways, then the Colorado Trail begins.I wanted it plotted out with GPS, so I had to stop about 50 times to get readings on the way out.
The snow was well packed by both snowshoes and feet for most of the way, but those last couple of miles were increasingly tougher. I turned around 10 miles from my car after post-holing up to my knees in places for a mile up the jagged trail.
By the time I got up there, it was a lonely place. The gully was narrow and steep and not a sound but occasional wind. Wihtout a doubt, no human had gone this far up the Colorado Trail since before the last significant snow - probably not since last year.
I kept looking for lions, but to tell the truth, there was absolutely no sign of any.
There were tons of doe tracks, though, new and old.
With all my GPS data recorded, I shut off the data-tracking and just ran it back.
Even though the "out" wasn't much of a workout with all the stopping, the "back" was work. And it's the longest I've been on my feet since the Boulder 100 last October.
At 4:30pm, I imagined the Superbowl kick-off and thought, "The first kick is still hanging in the air at this moment." I still had 8 miles to go.
By the time I got to the Super Bowl party, I was shaking from fatigue and lack of calories. After eating and having a beer, I was so sleepy I went home before the end of the game. I felt like a total pig - show up late, eat, leave early. But I was so sleepy I was having trouble staying awake when I was standing - and I still had to drive home.
When my head hit the pillow, I was GONE!
posted by JeffO @ 12:36 PM
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