Previous | Next | 2001 Index | Newsletter Index
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2001 5:23 PM
Subject: Incline Club V5 LR #15
Howdy ICers,
I have gotten some great feedback on last week’s run on Rampart Range Road! This sounds like a keeper until the ice melts and perhaps even after that. Speaking of ice, 2 weeks ago Rick P scored the club’s first broken bone in 5 years of group running. He fell on a patch of ice on the Barr Trail but the good news is that (and this is from he and his wife Kim) “at least it was my arm — I can still run with a broken arm.” In fact Rick, his broken wrist and nice new cast were out last Sunday running with the club! ? :-) I am still waiting for a “B” (broken) report!
####
Sunday, March 4, 8 a.m. meet at Soda Springs Park.
Run out the Ute Pass Trail and turn right and then cross Hwy 24 and do the
Waldo Canyon lollipop loop clockwise. Cross back over Hwy 24 (be careful)
then go straight and head up Longs Ranch Road. Go straight at the “J” pipe
to the top of Incline and down Barr Trail to finish the run. Run down the
Barr Trail to finish the loop. 2.5-3.5 hours. If it would take longer just
do the Waldo loop clockwise because it has less ice than the Barr Trail.
####
Fred W writes:
Really enjoyed last Sunday’s long run course. You were right — the views
were great! however, for some reason my quads and groins are really stiff
and sore, even though I ran easy down? Hard surface, maybe? Anyone know the
elevation at the Range? Some folks ran a course that bought them down to the
North side of The Garden of the Gods. Is there a sign of some sort on
Rampart Range Road, that indicates that trail? The range was interesting.
Has anyone ever been shot?!
(Matt C adds: In general I think the sore quads can be attributed to running the same amount of time on an easier course therefore putting in a lot more distance on your body. Yes, that and some road at the end! The Shooting Range is at 7,931’. There is a gate by the lower water tower that takes you down into the Garden. Suffice it as to say that it is heavily signed — NO TRESPASSING!!! No, no one has been shot — however in the latest edition of “Hunter” magazine there is this ad: “For sale: fresh runner meat from very fit high altitude runners who can not read signs.”)
####
Randy L writes:
It was fun to run a different route Sunday. The Rampart Range Road’s
surface waxes and wanes, but right now it’s waning. It’s worse than any
trail in the region. Maybe we could sic Gail Allen* on it! By Sunday
afternoon I found my ankle/foot hurting, and have had to take an extra rest
day for it. Guess I should have joined Yvonne in the creek. The thing I
liked most about this route was that with the out-and-back nature and the
wide road, several of us could run together on the way down and have nice
conversations. I hadn’t been able to do much of that with the IC before.
* For those who don’t know her, Gail Allen has been largely responsible for the excellent maintenance on the Barr Trail for the last 12 years or more. At first she did much of the work herself and with a few friends, and later she spearheaded the current adopt-a-mile program by which so many more people have been helping, including the Incline Club. I guess I got spoiled!
####
Richard B writes:
The red dust of Rampart Range road did all
it could to soil my attitude and not even a small
nosebleed an hour into the run could get me to
stop in defeat (that’s why I carry Kleenex!)
No danger though as the dry air tends to crack
the lining of my nose. I guess Vaseline is in
order next time for the old honker. There’s nothing
more exciting than seeing that well earned * next
to my name. Thanks for having such a painful
club that is a pleasure to run with.
####
Connilee W, Joe C, Keith G, Kelli L, Matt C and Robert R all report that
their streaks have survived through February:-)
####
John Q writes:
Had a great time running with the club today, but must confess you all
left me in the dust right from the start! I must have missed the
turn-off for the Rampart Range road, because I ended up in a pretty
exclusive housing development above the Garden of the Gods, with huge
homes. Got some disapproving looks from some of the residents, with my
ragged beard, dirty hair and cap, and some pretty old running digs!
Guess it’s good to shake up the upper crust in their home territory once
in a while, though, eh? All the same, I’ll try to keep up enough next
week to stay on the right trail!
####
Carol S writes:
The Quiet of Our Company
In the quiet of our company, the struggle we share.
Stride after stride, together we strive,
accompanied by the soft cadence of our footsteps.
Push...Push...Push...
One more step, one more minute,
One more mile...after mile...after mile.
In the quiet of our company,
Is it in humility or pride
that we feel so alive ?
In pride we rise to meet the challenge before us.
In self-determination, we press on.
In our own strength we WILL to stay the course.
In the quiet of our company, not a single breath to spare.
With gasping and moaning, we push beyond the pain,
Until in humility we cry out,
and receive that strength again.
We run with perseverance the course marked out before us...
In the quiet of our company.
In the quiet of our company, encouragement is there.
Ahead I see another that I share this journey with.
Inspired again to pursue the prize, I will not waste this gift.
Drawn out of my complacency,
Afresh I see the majesty, the beauty of God’s creation
which completely surrounds me.
In the quiet of our company,
We will summit every mountain.
Together we will reach
for the dream that awaits us there.
In the quiet of our company.
***************************************
This is dedicated to the members of the Incline Club. These are the ones
that I share the love of the mountain and the trails with. I have always
found acceptance and encouragement with you all. The TRAILS Rule ! Long live
the Incline Club !!
####
Tom K writes:
After checking in at Soda Springs Park, I drove over to the Waldo parking
lot to do an easy “recovery” run after the 20K yesterday (Sat, 2/24/01). My
primary mission though was to try and find a favorite “Wind Blocker”
headband I lost up there last week (it went up Mt. McKinley with me in June
of 1999). I found it! Well, I had a pretty good idea of where it was lost.
I had pulled off the trail for a pit stop at a particular spot, and it
evidently slipped off my water bottle carrier in that vicinity. I was able
to locate at it at this location off the trail, well preserved after a week
of camping out under the stars. I feel fortunate I was able to get to it
before the next big snow. The run was nice, about 4 miles or so, but plenty
enough for me for today.
Here are the IC member’s (that I know of) results who ran the 20 K yesterday.
Following these are the Series results (IC members).
A special thanks to Teresa T (and Zeb) who jogged parts of the course and cheered us all on in the snow and wind.
I have been asked to note that Kees G chose to stay in the shelter of his warm, dry home as part of his training, rather than run the 20 K.
Long Run (20K)
1 1/4 KELLI LUSK 30 1:29:48
2 1/2 LAURA LANDES 37 1:32:48
2 1/5 JONATHAN CAVNER 26 1:21:03
5 1/9 RICK HESSEK 35 1:22:03
7 2/8 PAUL SULLIVAN 34 1:23:11
8 3/8 SCOTT LINCOLN 34 1:25:53
9 1/7 TOM KELECY 45 1:26:07
10 1/3 LARRY MILLER 50 1:27:40
13 2/7 RICH HADLEY 45 1:28:35
14 2/9 NEAL TAYLOR 38 1:29:05
15 2/3 STU NIEBURG 52 1:29:22
16 3/7 ECK ZIMMERMANN 49 1:31:58
18 5/8 TODD BURGESS 31 1:36:56
19 3/11 GORDON NEAL 44 1:37:36
24 6/8 JEFF MILLER 33 1:41:57
31 6/11 DAVID WICK 40 1:46:40
40 1/3 HANS ZIMMERMANN 61 1:59:37
41 2/4 JAMIE MCMILLIN 57 2:04:42
55 7/7 DAVE SORENSON 46 2:26:51
Short Run (10K)
3 2/8 CONNILEE WALTER 27 0:47:41
22 3/8 LINDA RONAS 35 0:59:43
29 1/2 JOY GODBEE 30 1:03:41
1 1/11 LEVI BRATHALL 17 0:36:56
2 2/11 ANDY DIMMEN 17 0:37:32
29 8/13 PETE TONSITS 38 0:51:12
Long Series Results
Male (32 Finishers)
PLACE POS/#AG NAME AGE FOX RUN FT CRSN SANTE FE
BLK FRST TTL TME
4 1/3 LARRY MILLER 50 0:49:02 0:54:05 1:11:30
1:27:40 4:22:17
5 1/4 TOM KELECY 45 0:50:52 0:56:43 1:11:59
1:26:07 4:25:41
6 2/3 STU NIEBURG 52 0:49:14 0:56:05 1:12:21
1:29:22 4:27:02
8 2/4 ECK ZIMMERMANN 49 0:51:18 0:57:15 1:15:27
1:31:58 4:35:58
9 2/3 TODD BURGESS 31 0:54:43 0:58:10 1:17:23
1:36:56 4:47:12
11 2/4 GORDON NEAL 44 0:56:27 1:01:36 1:20:15
1:37:36 4:55:54
13 3/3 JEFF MILLER 33 0:56:34 1:00:04 1:24:37
1:41:57 5:03:12
23 1/2 HANS ZIMMERMANN 61 1:03:53 1:09:52 1:33:24
1:59:37 5:46:46
Female (9 finishers)
PLACE POS/#AG NAME AGE FOX RUN FT CRSN SANTE FE
BLK FRST TTL TME
1 1/2 LAURA LANDES 37 0:51:32 0:58:57 1:19:24
1:32:48 4:42:41
Short Series Results
Female (30 finishers) 14 2/5 LINDA RONAS 35 0:35:30 0:36:27 0:48:28 0:59:43 3:00:08
My apologies to any IC members that I might have missed. Congratulations to all for such a great showing!
(Matt C adds: 11 top 10s and after that we got some top age-group placings as well — that is not just a great showing that is domination!!!)
####
And now, Incline boys and girls and every thing, it’s once again time for “Ask Doctor Rocket,” where each week we feature a perplexing running related
question [this week we get two for the price of one] that requires rocket
science to answer. Ask Doctor Rocket (he’s got a PhD... in Rocket Science).
Randy L writes:
Dear Dr. Rocket,
I’m wondering what’s the best way to sharpen my shoe screws? I’m sure you and the good runners must have worked out this little detail. I’ve tried filing them, and whetstones, even my wife’s fingernail emery boards. Nothing seems to help much, and now I have a lot of muddy files. I’d thought I’d just replace them when they got dull, but with the price of screws these days, that’s just not an option. I’ll soon have more money in the screws than in the shoes. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this, but the hardware stores always seem to be “out” of the #6 3/8 screws. Then you go beg, grovel, offer to pay double, triple the price, and they always “find” some in the back room (to their credit, no one’s actually charged me triple yet though). So is there a nationwide shortage developing? Are the manufacturers holding back to jack up the prices? Are all the fast runners buying up all the supplies? Is this going to become a crisis, with hoarding, rationing, screw restrictions, screw lines at the pumps? Screw recycling centers? I’m not panicking yet, but, you know, I’m just really worried about it, you know?
Randy Lindsey
Dear Randy,
Thank you for your questions regarding how to sharpen your shoe screws, and your pointed comments concerning your attempts to find replacement screws. I sense a little frustration that I might be able to help alleviate fairly simply by pointing out that you are probably trying to sharpen the wrong end. In fact, no matter which end you are attempting to sharpen, you are probably trying to sharpen the wrong end. You see, this type of traction device is intended to be cheap and simple, and works by the simple psychological mechanism of making you think that you won’t slip and fall on your butt if you have them attached to the bottom of your shoes. Of course, what usually happens is you do fall on your butt, faster than a space monkey can push a big green button when induced with a squirt of mashed bananas (and that’s pretty fast). That is why these types of screws, in general, do not require sharpening. Like your set of pearly white choppers, they are intended to be used until they either just wear out or fall out. You don’t sharpen your teeth, do you? Hey, I know, this isn’t rocket science. But since you might have other reasons for wanting keep your screws sharp (that’s OK Randy, you are under no obligation to share you kinky sharp sheet metal screw fantasies with the Incline Club and the rest of the world) I still might be able to help.
You sound like a pretty sharp guy, but I do question using your wife’s personal hygiene devices (emery board) to sharpen your screws, a device intended for a much more delicate application to personal care, like cleaning out your ears. Her prized cheese grater would probably be a much more effective tool in priming your points. I recommend using the fine grate for that shredded screw look (Yea baby... wanna shred?), just watch your knuckles. (Rocket Science Tip: A cold Powerbar will work almost as well as the cheese grater).
Now, allow me get to the root of your real problem — that you are having some difficulty in locating new screws to replace the old worn ones. One solution to this problem is to try and run behind Tom K (provided he’s not wearing a thong) and pick up the screws he keeps losing. These would be slightly used, but serviceable. A word of warning though, there are other more “be-heinous” hazards associated with running behind another runner (see below question).
And finally, if you must have new screws, well, I just might happen to have a few billion #6 3/8” sheet metal screws laying around in my rocket laboratory that I’ve been accumulating over the years in case of just such a shortage. I would be happy to make available one dozen of these #6 3/8” sheet metal screws for the lean price of $25,000, or you can get three dozen for $500,000. I know, you’re probably thinking “hey, that sounds like a good deal,” but considering the scarcity of these types of screws, I’d say it’s a really GREAT deal. And I will even throw in a brand new stainless steel cheese grater (certified by the American Council of Aerospace Cheese Grater Engineers) at no extra charge so you can keep those screws as sharp as a screw sharpened with a stainless steel cheese grater can be, for whatever.
Have a grate day,
Dr. Rocket.
And an anonymous questions:
Dr Rocket,
I was running along on Sunday going up that terrible hill before you hit Ute trail smelling the sweet fresh morning air. Couple of “people” came past me like they usually do when an awful smell hit me. The smell was so strong that I nearly lost my breath and had to stop to wait a little bit to catch some fresh air.
Everybody needs to “pass gas” sometime or another. Do you think there is a way to control that so that there is no one behind you when you want to do that? Or is there a better diet that you can follow so it won’t be necessary to do that. Do you think it is a tactical effort by passing awful fumes so that nobody wants to gain on you?
Should we be carrying an Air freshener with us to spray whenever we get the urge?
Please advise
Awfully gas out...
Dear Gas Out,
I could be imagining it, but I’m getting this strange vibe that IC members across the universe are at this very moment asking themselves “Hmmm, was I passing more than other runners a couple of weeks ago when I was running up that terrible hill to Ute Pass Trail?” Nothing puts an abrupt halt to a badly needed breath of oxygen faster than a little foul air advection. I would beg your tolerance though for these fresh air offenders. This is, after all, a natural bodily function, among many others, each of which I will mention in explicit, gory and graphic detail with examples, color graphs and rocket equations at the end of this e-mail. Another reason for cutting one some slack is that as runners — well hey, we’re different (“But runner’s farts don’t smell different than any old other bad smelling fart” you might argue. OK, then how about...). And yet one more reason you should forgive their guilt of emission is that... gas is everywhere.
Let me help you to put this into perspective for your. The universe, which I believe can be classified as “everywhere,” is predominately made up of the gases hydrogen and helium. Some smaller fraction of the total gases in the universe consists of methane, though it constitutes a very miniscule percentage. Nevertheless, it can occur in greater concentration in certain instances. For example, even Uranus has about 1,735,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms of methane (no offense), which is the mass equivalent of about 24 earth moons, or put yet another way, about the same heft as 2 or 3 “Chipotle” big burritos, depending on whether or not you get extra guacamole.
The point is, gas is natural. But gas also has it’s productive uses. Within the past century or two, man has harnessed certain gases for his own benefit using his technological ingenuity: refrigerators, steam engines, automobile engine, rocket propulsion, mustard gas, and the whoopee cushion. But, like our own physical bodies which might occasionally exhibit anywhere from mild to violent protests of what we put into them, even man’s most ingenious inventions can sometimes backfire. Rocket Science has no shortage of examples. When the #2 oxygen tank on the Apollo 13 service module unexpectedly and abruptly decided to pass a little gas, well, in the immortal words of the Apollo 13 Commander James A. Lovell, “Oh sh***t Houston, we’ve got a problem. I think Fred [Haise, Apollo crew member] has snuck into the supply of freeze-dried chili again!!! We (gag) have a three alarm emergency. I repeat (cough)...”
And if that isn’t all enough to raise your olfactory anxiety level, this from a recent front-page newspaper article: There is now evidence (I swear, I am not fabricating this from thin air) that “rare alien gases” delivered to earth via a HUGE piece of space debris marked “Return to Sender” are suspected of being responsible for poisoning the prehistoric air and eliminating most every form of life on planet Earth, with the notable exception of Larry M who, if you haven’t noticed from the Winter Series results, is still pretty fast for an old guy (yes, it is possible to outrun deadly gases).
But let me address your questions regarding potential solutions. Diet changes might help, though the only one that I know of that would be completely fool-proof would be to stop eating. This would, of course, be counterproductive to you running/training, though it would certainly reduce your food and dental bills.
Your idea of using an air freshener has some merit, though you likely run the risk of having every skunk this side of Olympus Mons (the tallest mountain on Mars) following you around, and maybe a horny cow or two. This isn’t, mind you, a large problem if you have your boy/girl/thing friend, husband/wife/thing, or dog along to run interference for you. A pair of extra strength odor eaters stuffed up your nostrils is also a possibility, or better yet, use one of those nasal strips to pinch your nose shut.
Ultimately, you need to consider that it could always be worse — being out of gas running up Long Ranch Road versus gassed out going up Ute, for example. So you’ve experienced a little nasty gas of humanoid origin? This too will pass.
When the air gets tough and you think you can’t go on, it might help to keep in mind those words of wisdom from one who has learned to live at peace with the gaseous elements... “Oxygen is Overrated.” My advice: Go out hard, when it smells speed up.
Note from the Editor: Various explicit, gory and graphic detail with examples, color graphs and rocket equations describing bodily functions have been edited due to the sensitive nature of certain IC members, with the exception of the following:
“Buuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrpppppppppppp.”
Regardless,
Dr. Rocket
Go out hard, when it hurts blast off.
Oops. We’ve once again accidentally on purpose revealed who the REAL Dr. Rocket is;-)
Dr. Fila Screwsinski, MD, PhD, MS, BS, OBGYN, IOU, TCBY, CO 30132
Screw Therapist / Aerospace Cheese Grater Engineer
Harvard School of Sheet Metal Screw Physics
####
WWW post:
2/25/2001 56 showed to replace last week as the 2nd largest group of the
year. Lots of sun, warmer weather and a new snow-free course combined to
make for a perfect day. Rampart Range Road was in great shape. Rick P, who
last week got the clubs first broken bone, was back out today with a cast on
his wrist. In a club vote only 3 people wanted to count the upcoming road 10
miler in Pueblo as an “R” run. This is an off-road crew for sure:-)
####
Go out hard, when it hurts speed up...
Matt Carpenter
www.skyrunner.com
Top | Previous | Next | 2001 Index | Newsletter Index