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Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2001 8:22 AM
Subject: Incline Club V5 TH#3 LR #22
Yikes! That was the week of the stitches!!! Last Thursday Neal O needed 5 in the hand and 2 in the knee. Not to be outdone on Sunday Teresa T got six above the eye. While she missed a tie by one stitch she looked much more like street pizza all around including some road rash to parts that shall go unmentioned but if you were at the breakfast you know where I am talking about! Neal, on the other hand, went for the deep award and you can read about that below. What both of these crashes (and many others) have in common is that they were near the end of the run! Be careful out there esp when you are getting tired. Of course the better the crash the more mentions you get in the club e-mails but it seems, well, rather, hey go for it!
There may be a club mail later in the week to announce the 3rd annual Neal and Teresa T Van-O-Breakfast. We need to get closer to the date to get a better weather forecast before it is official however.
####
Thursday, April 19, 5:30 p.m. meet at Soda Springs Park.
Warm-up to the Hwy 24 bypass. 10 repeats or 40 minutes whichever comes
first. 4 X skip down, knee lift back in the grass. Cool-down back to park.
Sunday, April 22, 8 a.m. meet at Soda Springs Park.
Head out El Paso Blvd until turning left after crossing under Hwy 24 and
then right into the Garden of the Gods. After running by the Balanced Rock
turn left and do an out/back on Rampart Range Road. 2.5-3.5 hours. Turn
around where needed. (For those that want to live on the edge read Rick H’s
and Brett P’s account of how to connect this run back down to Waldo!!! I
think this sounds like the ticket!)
####
Hans Z reports:
Well, always enjoy reading the weekly episodes of the IC runs.
Would participate in more if they were in my back yard. For time sakes
there is always Mnt. Herman Road as a poor substitute and lack of
camaraderie.
But, I’ll be there to pick up my medication once all the prescriptions have been submitted. See you shortly.
(Matt C adds: Alas Hans I think many were confused that your request for
help a) came out in the April fools newsletter and b) appeared in a Dr.
Rocket post but Randy L has written something and if I read the Rockster
correctly will be the proud winner of a case of beer!)
----
Randy L writes:
Re: Dr. Rocket, Hans Z. groin pains
I used to suffer groin pains frequently. Deep breathing and bed rest were
the best solutions for me. I frequently had to curl up around something.
In Kansas, we called these “growing pains,” but I know how the accents
differ around the country. Perhaps you’re from the South?
####
Neal O writes:
I think I get to go on record as having the first injury of note for a
Thursday. As I was nearing the end of the last switchback, I relaxed a
little bit in anticipation of the left turn. About 5 seconds later, I was
sprawled out with pain in my back, knee, butt & hand. I pretty much slid &
rolled a good distance. I don’t know exactly how it happened-I just know it
didn’t feel too good. As I pulled the ripped glove off my hand to show Tom K
(who fortunately didn’t witness the embarrassing incident) I saw that the
gash in my hand was worse than it felt. As I was flicking out the chunks of
flesh, I realized it was probably stitch worthy. After Lindsay R drove me
down to Soda Springs park, I went to the hospital where they put 5 stitches
in the hand and 2 in the knee. The wound on the hand was so deep that once
it was all cleaned out, the doctor showed me the tendons that were exposed.
That was pretty cool!! Fortunately I got the important 30 minute uphill
completed but I’m feeling kind of wimpy for not doing the Hydro repeats. See
you next Thursday!!
(Matt C adds: Neal, don’t worry about the Hydro repeats — you can just do 8 the next time!)
####
Gordon B writes:
Really enjoyed the tempo run up Barr last night! I think we lucked out with
the weather considering what it looked like when we started.
Followed your advise, and experienced what you said we should feel when we hit the “flat spots.” At 30 minutes I was intrigued to discover I was about 100 steps past where I reached the week before on the 15 minutes hard/15 off run. Is there any correlation between the two, or was this just coincidence?
Hope the blood Neal O donated to the club blood bank and stitches won’t keep him out. FredW took a fall at the base of Hydro Street at the end of one of his reps — notice that didn’t slow him down!
####
Tom K writes:
Laura had run earlier in the morning to accommodate a church commitment, so
I was on my own for the Sunday run. I had an ice run up to Barr Camp and
back, yucky crudy stuff, but after Matt’s inspirational speech, well, it was
still yucky crudy stuff, but I kept plodding on (Amen!). The weather was
nice (Hallelujah brother!), but after Don R turned around just past the
Creek with No Name (we all know how much Don loves ice), I was pretty much
on my own with the exception of the odd hiker + dog. For “*” purposes, did
see Dave S at the park afterwards. He had also gone earlier to accommodate
activities later in the day.
Laura and I helped out at the “Tortoise & Hare” 5K predict held this past Saturday morning at Monument Valley Park. David Geiger, one of our very own Thursday IC workout members (the youngest one, I think), won with a predict within 3.365 seconds of his actual finish time. Congratulations David. I think his time for the 5K was just under 27 minutes. Way to go!
While the runners were out on the course (for the T&H), Roger materialized out of nowhere. Don’t know if he had planned to do the race, or was just passing through. The first thing he asked me was “Are you Matt Carpenter?” Flattered as I was, I had to acknowledged that my genetics were not even remotely similar, though we are from a related species. He started trying to tell me something about a coach from the Colorado Running Company telling him he had to stay away from the IC, and something about a restraining order, and that some of the people in the club don’t like him. Interspersed with this, were mumblings about his running, and (verging on tears) how he is trying to get enough money for a bus trip back to Minneapolis. He did not mention any particular desire to climb Mt Everest. I got side tracked for a moment (with race work), and the next time I looked around he had disappeared. What’s up with that? Just thought I’d pass this along in case anyone was wondering if Roger is still around.
(Matt C adds: That Roger does get around! While I was at Barr Camp he paged them. One of many pages that happen very often as you can imagine. They said that the city of Manitou has kicked him out of town after some fire incident. Apparently his campfire was a tad bit bigger than needed to roast marshmallows. As far as some IC members not liking him I guess that could be true but for the most part I think the club tried to put him into the Douglas Adams category of “mostly harmless.” In fact, more than a few have given him money and clothing. However, it is hard to run with the ICers if the city of Manitou has banned you...)
####
Dave S writes:
I want to extend my thanks to Teresa Taylor and John Mills. They
courageously and bravely rescued two GU packages that had fallen out of my
pack near Longs Ranch Road and Hwy 24. Sometimes those little rascals (the
GU packages, that is) just want to escape before they become runner fuel.
So thanks, Teresa and John! But Teresa, after learning of your successful attempt at becoming one with nature, maybe you should have kept the GU packages for yourself, which perhaps would have prevented the nasty little spill that you took later on in your run. Besides, I thought I was getting close to being the main blood donor, but now I’ll never have a chance.
Also, a suggestion for Matt: Perhaps on one of the workout boards you should alphabetize in reverse order, thus giving those with alphabetized-challenged first names a chance to be near the top of the leader board. (And it would probably score some big husbandry points for you also, which is never a bad thing!)
(Matt C adds: And there you have it! Yvonne has been begging me for this for two years now but I for one did not want to mix wifeship/pleasure with workouts/pain and be accused of showing favoritism. Now that someone else has officially thought of it we *could* do this for the Thursday board this year! I *could* swap it around after this Thursday’s run and get some serious husbandry points as Yvonne moves up 32 spots into the #1 spot:-) Of course if she bails that next runner on the board could cause some problems of his own! At any rate, to keep it fair we will take a hand vote this Thursday by the runners who show for the workout — those most effected.)
####
Brett P and Rick H write:
The search for the “gateway trail off of Rampart Range
Road to Waldo Canyon” or better yet, the “I don’t care to
run back down this road (Rampart), so it would be nice
if there was another way back to Soda Springs Park without
beating my quads and feet up coming down Rampart Range
Road” run.
Your prayers have been answered. We, Rick H and Brett P, have found the trail that exits off Rampart Range road, runs through Williams Canyon, and connects back up with Waldo Canyon, or continues down Williams Canyon to the Cave of the Winds.
To find this trail when running up Rampart Range Road, the trail will be on your left about 500 feet after the 2nd water tank and about 1/4 mile before the shooting range.
Specifically, just after passing the water tank, you keep looking off to the left side of the road for where there is a break in the scrub oak. The trail is fairly noticeable if you are looking for it. We made a cairn out of rocks to mark the start. If you go over the little rise in the road right before the range, you have gone too far.
You then head down a faint trail through open trees. The trail heads more or less straight down, but it does tend to veer slightly to your right. After about 1/3 of a mile the trail will take a hard right and will take you towards the shooting range. You will run about 500 feet or so below the range, so it should be safe despite the terrifying sounds echoing through the canyon. Eventually, this will wind you down to the bottom of the canyon at which point you will follow a trail that parallels the little creek. There also are several fallen trees you will have to go over as you run down the canyon to make for a true cross-country experience.
Once you are down run a couple of miles in this narrow canyon with towering limestone precipices looming overhead, there is a relatively obvious fork in the trail. If you take the trail that continues down the canyon, it will take you to the Cave of the Winds road that got washed out in 1999 by the April rains. Once your on the road, if you head down, it will take you back to Manitou Springs via Canon Ave, and you will come out right by the Cliff House and the old Manitou Spa.
If you go right at the fork, it will take you over to the Waldo Loop just below the slickrock, sidewalk-like portion of the trail that is about a mile or less from the top of the loop if you do it counter-clockwise. At this point, you can take a right and continue to the top of Waldo, or you can go left and head on out back to the highway.
We tracked/found the trail by doing it opposite as it is describe above by doing Waldo first. To find the Williams Canyon-Rampart Road cut-off trail from this direction, run the Waldo Canyon Loop clockwise, and once you reach the top of the trail continue running down about a mile until you come to the slickrock, sidewalk-like portion of the trail. Just after this section of the trail, the trail stops following the ridge that over looks both Waldo and Williams Canyons and veers sharply to the right. At this point or maybe a couple of feet before it, there is a small sign on the left side of the trail that reads “Manitou Limestone.” At this point, turn left, and this will take you down into Williams Canyon. For the first 50 or more feet as you head down the canyon you just follow the breaks in the scrub oak, but soon you will run into a distinct trail.
Next, follow the trail down until the it forks at the bottom of Williams Canyon. If you head right, it will take you down into Manitou as stated above. If you go left, the trail is about a couple of miles long and will take you up to Rampart Range Road just below the shooting range about a 1/4 of mile as it was also stated above.
When doing the trail, it may sound as if the shooting range is right above you. It is! But the trail is a good 500 feet below the shooting range. When you are down in the canyon, the gun-shot sounds are echoing off the canyon walls, and it sounds as if some of the yahoos at the shooting range are firing grenade launchers. Don’t let this deter you; it is a worthy, enjoyable trail and is a great alternative to running back down the road(right now about 90 percent of the trail can be run easily; it would only take a little TLC to clean up the rest of it). As you head down Williams Canyon or up, there will be a couple of spots where the trail is obtuse, but just keep following the creek and looking for clearings and you will be fine because the trail always reappears.
####
And now, Incline Club 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 that requires rocket science to answer. Ask Doctor Rocket
(he’s got a PhD... in Rocket Science).
Dear To---, I mean, Dr. Rocket,
I have a perplexing thing happening to me and thought maybe you can throw some light as to its cause and perhaps fix.
As every other frugal runner out there (is there any other kind ?), I have worn the same running shorts and bras for at least 3 years ( I do wash them occasionally ). They worked great until now. What is wrong you ask. Well, I get rubbed so bad on certain parts of my body that it actually bleeds and makes that anticipated post-run shower feel like Chinese torture (oops, no pun intended — but I guess it’s okay to say anything we want now that our guys are home ) given that I am unaware I have a cut on my back for example, until I am rubbing on it with a bar of soap and a rag with scalding water running on top of it ! I get these cuts/rashes under the bands of my jogging bra, on the front and on the back and then again on the waist line mostly on the back right underneath the elastic of the shorts.
Could these pieces of attire be turning on me ? Is there any magic aerospace lubricant that I could spread on these areas ? I tried GU but that tends to glue the attire to my body and makes removal very painful — its great during the run though — I feel an immense energy on that area.
Thanks in advance,
Yvonne C.
Dear Bumble B---, I mean, Yvonne C.,
Thank you for your question. Not to rub you the wrong way, but I was actually hoping you might have been writing Dr. Rocket to suggest a remedy for Hans Z’s groin problem. Do you suppose the poor man is at this very moment hobbling the trails somewhere in the foothills west of Monument in a Quazimoto-like death march, wreathing in agony with every step, and holding his injured groin with one hand while shaking his other angry fist at the sky, and cursing his jog-bra for a little abrasion on his back? Noooooooooooo, I don’t think sooooooooooo. The Hans man has a REAL running injury to curse about. In the spectrum of all running related injuries, be thankful that yours falls into the category of injuries that include pinky finger splints and thong burn (no details, thank you). Not to diminish the terribly unbearably mild discomfort you must be feeling. As always, I am happy to answer your questions with all the latest technology that rocket science has to offer. And if that fails, I’ll just make it up!
I can appreciate your frugality Yvonne, but are you sure you aren’t really just a little too emotionally attached to your running apparel? Have you inspected them for fungus? Topologically speaking, if there are more than 3 (for bottoms) or 4 (for tops) visible holes in it, it’s probably ready to go. Another problem might be that it has lost its wicking ability with age. Where there is moisture and friction, there is abrasion waiting to happen. It could also be detergents that you are using. You may have a skin sensitivity. You do mention infrequent cleanings. Next time you wash it, you might try using gasoline. Set a match to it, and it will dry in seconds.
Another obvious solution to this bind is to run nekkid. But here’s the rub:
if you do it, then everyone will want to do it. And there are probably some
of non-running public (and maybe a few runners as well) who might not be
interested in seeing that much of us. Yet another option would involve
application of some of the new space-age lubricants used both by NASA and
the oriental massage & torture industries. One in particular was designed
to aid the astronauts in sliding out their space suits easier after weeks of
inactivity and freeze-dried cheeseburgers. “GooberLube” cannot legally be
purchased without a prescription from your family rocket scientist, but I
might be able to find a sample some where in my rocket science laboratory if
you are interested in trying it. One possible side affect: since it is
extracted from peanut butter, don’t be surprised if on your next run you
find yourself being pursued by several hungry bears, and maybe a bonking
ultra-runner or two. This should not be a real big problem though if you
have been doing the Thursday IC workouts, you will easily outrun them.
GooberLube has also been used recently at several prestigious sporting
events such as the Boston Thongathon.
So that’s the best I can do for now. Pretty lame, I know. Unless I accidentally trip over the cats and bang my head against the key board of my computer, and THE ultimate solution pops out an e-mail to you, I would recommend reaching for your latest issue of “Title 9” and begin ordering some new running attire. But, just in case, you probably don’t want the old running stuff around when you order. They may be sensitive.
Regardless,
Dr. Rocket
But wait, * there’s more...
* *
* *
<*>
^
Dear Dr. Rocket,
I was addled by the cloying, loquacious, polemical cacophony on Sunday morning that lampooned an amalgamation of the Knute Rocke “Do One For the Gipper” allocution, Jack Nicholas on the stand in a Few Good Men, and any John Wayne movie or Ernest Hemingway book gone mad by our prodigious, senescent, multifarious cognoscenti that appeared to be galvanized by unfortuitous cult members performing blood-letting ceremonies by hoving and heezing themselves repeatedly to altruistically mark the trail for following runners. This has seemed to have created a draconic, minacious, parlous harbinger of machiavellian devotion who has accoutered his disciples to immolate all that is orguluous, corpulent, timorous, chary, pusillanimous, and especially mewling.
This has twitterpated my naive and finite intellectual abilities. At this point, only you Dr. Rocket with your stupendous and prolific rocket-science adroitness can save the day. Please help; you are my only hope.
Brett P
Dear Brett,
Sounds like you have a bad case of verbal diaherea. You might try a round or two of Kao-speak-tate to see if it clears up. But me, if I find myself inadvertently expressing myself with words longer than 6 or 7 characters, and more than a few syllables, I just try to apply the sage words of my good friend, the Thesaurus Offender Probation Officer: “It’s not the length of the word that counts, but how well you use it.” I hope this helps.
Supercalafrajalisticexpialadocious,
Dr. Rocket
Go out hard, when it hurts take (it) off!
####
“R” reports:
Steve S reports:
Here is my race report for the Golden Gate Marathon which was held April 7th
in the Marin Headlands at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge, San
Francisco, CA.
Weather: Sunny and 55F at the start, sunny 65F and really, really windy when I finished.
Elevations: the start is about 10 feet above sea level and the “ups” supposedly added up to 2,200 feet per 13.1 mile loop. High point is around 900 feet.
This was a definitely a trail run with some variety. There were only around 50 marathoners with a few hundred half-marathoners and a bunch more 7-milers. I was pleasantly surprised that they started the marathoners 5 minutes ahead of everyone else as the first two miles is a climb up a fire access road and ultimately into a single-track trail. For once I knew what it feels like to be ahead of the pack. Scenery was incredible as you can see the beach and ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge and lots of wildlife. I saw a couple of golden eagles and a wolf around mile 4. Awesome! He/she was patrolling the fields looking at us like we were mad. There are two major hills on the loop and the last 3/4 mile is right on the beach. The wind was directly in your face approaching the finish line which was definitely not appreciated.
Overall impressions: this is a small race with a very weak field (The winner came in around 3:20). Envirosports was the group putting on the race. There were 3 aid stations not including the start/finish which were equipped but not manned during the second half of the marathon. No port-o-lets (or many trees). No mile markers. As a race, it sucks. As a run, it is awesome. I think it is a good race to judge how well (or poorly) you are doing after the long winter. T-shirt is ugly, the finishing medal is okay, the race bag did not exist.
Personal crap: This was my second-ever marathon so I learned a lot more about the strategy of running one. I went too fast on the second half of the first lap and, as a result, had some major quad issues on the last hill of the day. Speeding up when it started to hurt didn’t help this time so after my legs locked up, I spent five minutes convincing my quads that it was quicker to run back than crawl back. I need to learn how to pace myself better prior to the PPM or I am going to be toast by the A-frame. I think I’d also better get my ass out on Thursdays after I recover. This was my first race running with a water bottle and my first using Body Glide to eliminate chaffing. Both worked very well for me. GU continues to work well for me during training and racing.
Time: 4:16, 11th place
Halfway split: 1:49 which means 2:27 on the home half (ouch)
####
WWW posts:
4/15/2001 53 runners headed out for one of several runs with most doing
either the Barr Trail or Waldo with a few doing both. A couple of the
crazies went on a recon run trying to connect Waldo into Rampart Range Road
and were successful. Apparently after reading about Neal O’s Thursday blood
donation Teresa T felt her title as official club blood donor was in
jeopardy. She patiently waited till after running all of Waldo, LRR, Bob’s
and even an out back to Barr Camp. Then showing true control made it all the
way done the Barr Trail and through the gate onto the road before taking
back her crown with true authority! We are talking something out of a scene
from saving Private Ryan. She had to get stitches above the eye and in
general looked like street pizza. However, being the true champion she is
she stopped by the place where about 12 of us were having breakfast to prove
that she had rightfully taken back her title. She even left some Easter
candy for the group before heading off to the hospital!
4/12/2001 The 43 people who braved coming out during a cold wet snow were rewarded with a breakthrough above the clouds at the top of the Ws. It was awesome — sun, warmth and no wind. Just before the top of the Ws and the rest of the way there was plenty of slush and then snow. It is about ankle deep until No Name were there are some foot deep drifts on the steep approach. These punched through to a very wet slush. On the way down Neal O donated to the club blood bank when he took a tumble on the last switch-back near the little green chlorine gas building. His knee got a little banged but there was a nice hole in his hand that required stitches! The 4 Hydro Street hills seemed just a tad easier this week.
####
Go out hard, when it hurts speed up...
Matt Carpenter
www.skyrunner.com
Barr Trail Mountain Race
www.runpikespeak.com
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