Thru Endurance We Conquer!

And that was just for the runners, who were out for anywhere between 11 and 16 hours! The volunteers and race crew on the other hand? They faced an equally long day, and in some cases days to prepare for the race and get everything organized so that we as runners were able to focus on one foot in front of the other. While this was my first 50 mile running race, it wasn't my first long distance event  - I've done enough marathons and mountain bike races that I know what I want and what I'm looking for in a race. I don't need the frills - the swag bag of trinkets and advertisements, the pre-race dinner I'm not going to eat anyway; the herds of people and the trash they bring; or the cheap medal for finishing or placing. And I have to say - Sheep Mountain delivered in almost every way. It was hard - with some of the descents as hard to run as the climbs. It was scenic - the views from Sheep Mountain showed off the front range and the Mosquito pass. The wildflowers were...

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 - ...

I love my circle of friends. Most of them are always up for an adventure and willing to try anything I suggest at least once. So when I had the great idea of riding up Crank Case Alley, then a short little jaunt on Pipeline and then up 720 and back down on Jones, I knew just who to ask. The route, inspired by my long run last week and the boy's Solstice Death March ride in June, seemed kinda crazy on paper, but had been just fine on two feet. I knew there would be hike-a-bike, both up Crank Case and then again on 720. I didn't know how bad it would be on 720, but it really hadn't seemed that ugly on my run. So at 7:30, Amber, Emily and I gathered our gear - our race gloves and our hike-a-bike shoes - and headed up into the canyon. We had a lot of climbing to do just to get to Crank Case and it was supposed to be a rather warm day. Thanks to the dry weather and hot temperatures, the decomposed granite that makes the canyon awesome in the winter was quickly building into de...

When most people go camping, they find a home base and stay there a few nights. We try to do that, since moving around gets exhausting, but it doesn't always work when there's lots of trails to be explored. So our trips often get turned into a whirl-wind of riding, running and hopefully just chilling out and relaxing for a little. This weekend was no different. With only two days instead of the usual three, we were even more pressed for time to adventure. Starting it out right with the obligatory columbine photo... Saturday was a Buffalo Creek day. We thought about riding the new Little Scraggy loop, but Nick really wanted to hit up Blackjack. So Little Scraggy with have to wait a few more weeks for us. We took the standard route up from the parking lot - the exposed climb of Nice Kitty. It's not that bad of a climb, just long and exposed. And it was hot. There were some puffy white clouds building on the horizon, but nowhere close enough to help cool things off. At t...

What to do when summer shows up in a hurry and big days are planned? We went from temperate and mild to record highs in just a few days and I know I wasn't ready for the planned long days. For me, it was leave early. Very early. Like I was going to work early... Saturday's fun ride with Amber was already an early departure time, but after seeing the forecast, we moved it up a hour. Leaving at 6:15 and it was already toasty. We were both loaded down with food and water, ready for an easy pedal up Gold Camp (if such a thing exists.) The parking lots in both Stratton and High Drive were already full when we rolled through. Plenty of people had the same idea - get out and beat the heat. Once we got past St Mary's, the crowds vanished and it was a mostly solitary pedal up the road. Just a few other riders heading up and down. One snack break about halfway up the never ending grind and then we hit Old Stage. Old Stage is really one of my least favorite roads - plenty of rednec...

I'm a little out of order with this one - I haven't had the desire to sit down and write about the Growler yet. But last weekend's trail marathon has me thinking more towards July then into the past and so here we go. I decided that I'd do the South Park Trail Marathon when I signed up for Sheep Mountain. It shares the same first 8 and last 8 miles as Sheep Mountain so would be great way to check things out. I had a feeling that the last 8 miles on the road were going to be tough and I wanted to see for sure. It was also a good way to look at the race organization - see what I could expect at the aid stations, course markings and other things that can make or break a race. It also provided me a chance to check clothes, socks, make sure my pack was comfortable in the heat and start getting the little things figured out before July. And it was the perfect time for a long run - I was mostly recovered from Growler and Meowler so it was time to transition over to running. ...

Saturday of Growler weekend. That means it's my turn to be race support and make sure the guys get the bottles and such they need for a successful race. I was helping Nick and Brett out this year - had offered to a few others but hadn't had any takers. The plan was the same as last time we went this direction - give Nick his camelback after Luge and then a bottle each time he went through the 4-way. I was also going to be giving Brett a bottle the first time at the 4-way. So it would be a busy morning. I did want to get a little bit of a run in - just something to stretch out my legs and get ready for my race the next day. After I dropped Nick off at the start, I headed up into Hartman and parked at the top of the second hill on the road. I'd get a good view of the riders cresting Kill Hill and then be able to see where people were in the race before jogging down to my post. I knew I didn't have enough time do get all of the run in before the race hit Kill Hill, so I wa...