Quiet Colorado Trail

-
Waking up to a pretty sunrise
With Kenosha ruled out, we opted to head to BV and do some more vapor scouting with the ride. There was fresh snow, biting wind and cold temperatures that morning, so whatever we did, it would have to stay low. No high alpine trails today. That left the Colorado Trail. The second segment of the VT125 is on the CT from Blanks Cabin to the Narrow Gauge trail. We'd ridden part of that the last time we were out there, so now was the chance to ride the rest of it. We parked at Raspberry Gulch and quickly got organized to ride. The wind has just died down and it was surprisingly comfortable in the trees.

On the CT - Fall is in the air and the Aspens!

Another shot of the CT and the aspens
Ugh - this hill is steep and you're making me ride it!
We headed south on the CT and it was quickly evident that I was tired. Very tired. I was sluggish on the gradual climbs and struggling on the steep and rocky sections. And it seemed like we did nothing but climbing for the first hour. Everything from gradual false flats to straight up and filled with rocks. I had to dig deep and focus on my pedaling to make it through some of it. It didn't help that the trail had been chewed up by horses - normally tight and smooth single track was more like a sandbox, with hoof sized divots further messing things up. It's hard to ride or hike with trail conditions like that. Once we got past the main horse trails, the conditions improved. My spunk did not, however. I was still struggling and not able to accelerate after cresting the hills. It wasn't until we turned around at Blanks Cabin that I started feeling better. I think it helped that we were mostly going downhill back to the van! I rode more of the steep rocky sections then I thought I would and used all of the suspension on my Stumpjumper. 

And I thought the other hill was steep! Ouch!

What goes up....
Must come down! Made it!
But the scenery was enough to take my mind off the fatigue. It was a perfect day for a ride, albeit a slow one by our standards. Nick had plenty of time to stop and take pictures for me - even if he threatened to make a few of them of me walking. We didn't get the full time I was supposed to ride, but when we got back to the van I was done. I didn't feel like riding anymore. Besides, we'd accomplished what we needed to - some more info for the VT125 and had a good hard ride. And it was quiet. No one else on the trails except for us - such a pleasant change from the limited and very busy trails at home. After the ride, we did some more exploring, then settled on a campsite near the Arkansas River. We took a short hike down the river to one of the rapids and generally relaxed. Something we don't get to do that frequently!


Can't beat that for a view anywhere - Looking south off the CT

Sidel's Sinkhole - looks more impressive at river level


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A long way on foot - Sheep Mountain Endurance Run

-
Image
Fifty miles is a long way - regardless of how you travel. As I was training and preparing for Sheep Mountain Endurance Run, I knew that it would be a long day - I knew that there would be ups and downs, that the plan would have to be fluid and goals adjusted mid-race. That is the nature of endurance sports and the people who achieve are the ones who can go with the flow and find the ability to turn things around if they do go south. Obviously, for my first 50, I was hoping for nothing but smooth sailing - with no dark spots, no demons and smiling the whole way. A girl can always hope, right? Runners assembled for the start Photo - Human Potential Running The sun was just starting to brighten the clouds as we walked to the starting line with nearly 100 other runners. The race director went through a few things, noting that there had already been some DNS's due to the elevation and to be smart. Smart... Most people would say smart would mean not doing something like a 50 mile ...
the full story...

Mortality

-
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention to arrive safely in a pretty and well preserved body; but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'Wow! What a ride!'” - Hunter S. Thompson It seems such a trite quote, but true at the same time. Life is about the journey - the adventures along the way, the failures and successes. A life well lived is a person with stories to tell, taking the chances along the way that will provide fulfillment. You don't realize how close we are teatering to the edge until something happens that affirms our mortality.  In eleven years of practicing physical therapy in a nursing home setting, I've had my share of experiences with death. Never close though - far enough removed to be touched by the passing but not affected. Sometimes it's expected and everyone says "it's for the best. They are happier now." Other times, it's not and we are all shocked...
the full story...

Regaining my mojo

-
Image
I'll be honest. The two months between the middle of July and middle of September just about crushed me. Tired all the time, unable to muster more then a slug pace for most rides, and shuffling my way through my runs. It was the worst two month I've had - made worse by my continuing to try to push through the fatigue. So after Vapor I made sure that I would listen to my body and not pressure myself into training until I felt ready. No matter how long it would take, I would take the recovery I needed. Two weeks of minimal activity - short swims that were mostly just paddling around, very short runs where I didn't look at my watch at all and the easiest of rides imaginable. After those two weeks, I was still tired, but feeling better. Getting more like myself again, with a little more energy. That meant I needed at least another week of easy recovery! It was not the time to succumb to FOMO and start up with the big rides and hard runs again. So I behaved even more, knowing ev...
the full story...

Friends with the Monsters..

-
And the voices inside of my head.  As Saturday approaches, the voices - the demons - have begun talking to me. Sometimes a whisper, sometimes a scream. 54 miles. It's the distance from Colorado Springs to Lake Pueblo State Park. Or the top of Wilkerson Pass... A long bloody way to cover on two wheels, let along two feet! Yet that is my goal. Traverse the trails and roads west and east of Fairplay, covering more then the distance of two marathons. Theoretically, it should be nothing. After all, I've run back to back marathons many times - once getting both under 3:10. Fifty two miles, in just shy of 24 hours at a pace much faster then I'm planning. But in this ventures, I had time to recover between races and took the recovery seriously. Here, nothing but continuous forward movement. One step in front of the other, no breaks between efforts and the the clock doesn't stop ticking.  As Saturday approaches, those voices are getting louder. Ever doubting, ever questioning - ...
the full story...