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Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 4:12 PM
Subject: Incline Club TH #5 LR #24
Wow, lots of mail this week so I will get right to it. But first a BIG thank you to Neal and Teresa T for the 3rd annual van-feed and stupid people tricks. Also thanks to Jeanne M for helping with the cooking! As several said below it was just a great day:-) Yet another thanks to those that came out Friday and helped clear the “bail trail” from Rampart Range Road to either Waldo or Soda Springs Park!
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Thursday, May 3, 5:30 p.m. meet at Soda Springs Park.
Warm-up to Hydro Street. 30 minute tempo run up the Barr Trail. Easy down. 4
X Hydro Street Hill. Cool down back to park.
Sunday, May 6, 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 run up Rampart Range Road. Turn around where needed or do the
new Williams Canyon loop connection directly to Soda Springs Park or add in
Waldo for the deluxe tour. 2.5-3.5 hours.
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Fred W writes:
Many thanks to Teresa and Neal for providing a great breakfast last Sunday,
and the background for a nice social get-together. In addition to being nice
people, they are always an inspiration as runners and true “Members of the
Club.”
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Tom K writes:
I just wanted to send a note of appreciation to Teresa and Neal Taylor,
Jeannie Mills, and everyone else who brought stuff for the annual T&NT Van
Feed. I know how busy Neal and Teresa are with their business (Tri-Lakes
Printing, “The best little print shop in Monument, the Universe, and
Beyond"), and so organizing this fun event again demonstrated their typical
unassuming generosity of resources and time. It was a wonderful time and,
of course, the food was also wonderful. Thanks again T&NT!
Nice going, Kees (the “jog-bra” challenge). But real man would have done it with a thong.
(Matt C adds: As you can see in the www post below I was not going to mention the male who took the jog-bra challenge but I guess that point is now moot;-)
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Fred C writes:
I really enjoyed the workout yesterday and was certainly sobered by the
amount of work I have yet to do in order to finish the way I want to. I was
able to do a two hour run, and today I am none the worse for wear. I am very
ready for a recovery run today at lunch and I’ll do five smooth miles. I
can see that it will be very important to get lots of mountain training in.
I will try to make it down a couple of times a week when possible. Any
suggestions?
The breakfast was awesome! How is that funded? Can I help? Thanks for the encouragement and the invitation to join the group. I am very excited about the challenge!
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Gordon B writes:
Great run yesterday! Thanks to Yvonne C — four of us went ran to Mountain
View after Barr Camp, beautiful 1.5 mile out and back on a ‘groomed’ trail.
Thanks to Neal and Teresa T for the great pancake breakfast van feed. Read in
the Gazette this morning that Kelli L finished 6th in a strong field (Poland,
Russia) at the Cleveland Marathon, congratulations Kelli!
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Dan V writes:
How is it going? I’ve been running every day before I go to bed since April
10th. I’ve done two races here in Montrose — one was an 8 miler back in Feb
or March (don’t remember) and I ran a half marathon last Saturday. I won
both. I have the black canyon ascent this Saturday and I want to do the
BTMR. Tell Yvonne hi along with everyone else.
####
Tim E writes:
WHAT A DIFFERENCE! In one week I’ve changed altitude by approx two vertical
miles: from negative 1300’ (the Dead Sea) to positive 9000’ (my home).
I was running hard every day in Israel, but didn’t feel very tired from those workouts.
My first Thursday run w/the Incline Club was by comparison, an intense workout: I REALLY FELT the high altitude, and my legs are FINALLY sore again! (I LOVE IT!). I need more sleep too.
####
“Anonymous” writes:
May Queen
Gathering her chosen dreams in the early glow on a darkened sky For the long journey forward to seek the answer to the why She will strive to break those bonds that limit what she now must do To be reborn from her corporal refuge and begin her life anew
In the city of clouds on dawning light once more her dream is born As cloaked with misty mountain spires her virga veil is shorn And from the celestial breach above the floating stars spill down To form a ring of sparkling gems around her turquoise crown
For hours she will live her life over what seems one hundred seasons Yet contemplate an early end to it with ten plus ninety reasons But continue outward bound upon thin thread between earth and sky Holding tightly to her credence that to fail is not to try
She will lay herself down briefly to rest in windy field of flowers And upon a moveable feast she will dine among the earthly towers Then return again with hope to pass once more on journey’s flight Twin Lakes that quench two suns and slip into a half moon night
And when darkness falls she will wind a path of solitary despair Finding warmth where none is found in transient cold night air On and on her story unfolds and is retold from pages worn Sleep running forever on till new dawn delivers hope reborn
She will wrap herself in columbines and drink the heaven’s rain And join submissively until the journeys end the company of pain Acquitting her soul the debt for one last year of resignation Thus we will embrace merrily the May Queen in all her celebration
(Matt C adds: The author also wrote: “This was inspired by Teresa T’s multiple attempts at LT100. Though it is running related, I think it will only make sense to someone who is familiar with Leadville.")
####
Registration has started for the 2nd annual Barr Trail Mountain Race to be
run on July 15th. You can register online through the race website at
www.runpikespeak.com or go directly to the active.com page at
www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=959656
####
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. The exceptions
are: (a) weeks where no questions float to the surface, and (b) weeks where
no answers float to the surface. Ask Doctor Rocket (he’s got a PhD... in
Rocket Science).
This week, we have a somewhat rhetorical question submitted by Dawn H, who is from one of our IC satellite location, Arizona (where it typically takes eons for anything to float to the surface, with the exception of the wet season where it is not uncommon to see large farm animals floating through the middle of downtown Phoenix):
“What ? ? ? No Dr Rocket?”
Dear Dawn,
Thank you for your inquiry as to the whereabouts of Doctor Rocket. Please let me assure you, I is exactly where always is: Spaced Out. In a recent Incline Club pole, it was estimated that approximately 3.14 Incline Club members read Doctor Rocket on a regular basis. Roger is one of them (that would probably explain the 0.14). The recent dearth of rocket news can be attributed to several factors: (a) Most IC members do not have enough time on their hands to ask questions, much less read the answers; (b) Matt C is censoring all the really good stuff so he doesn’t loose any more e-mail subscribers; and (c) Doctor Rocket has been busy of late selling AstroCasts ("Takes a BLASTING and keeps on LASTING") door-to-door in the hopes of earning enough money for a nice week-long vacation on the International Space Station. I made a recent attempt to play the Russians, destitute as they are, for all they are worth, for a ride to the ISS. I was narrowly outbid for the trip of a lifetime by Dennis Tito by a mere $19,999,999.01. So, unless the Russians institute the 99 cent Get-Away-Special (GAS), the rest of us middle of the pack orbit mechanics will have to work our way into space the honest way: run up the Peak. It would be nice if rockets grew on trees, but if they did, Dr. Rocket would probably be allergic to them. Say, you don’t suppose NASA would interested in an AstroCast for that new robotic arm they just installed, do you?
Until next time,
Go out hard, when it hurts blast off.
Dr. Rocket
POST-ADDENDUM
Randy L would like to pass on his thanks all of the IC members who did not write in with their remedies for Hans Z’s groin problems. Randy is very happily enjoying his 6-pack of “Red Rocket Pale Ale” that he won (honestly) by submitting the ONLY remedy. Sorry Hans. Maybe Randy will share some of his beer with you.
####
“R” reports:
Gary H reports:
Lynn and I also ran the Horsetooth Half-Marathon last weekend in Fort
Collins. The race starts and ends at the CSU football stadium, climbing
a few hundred feet to skirt the eastern shore of Horsetooth Reservoir
during the second half of the race. It’s not that tough by IC
standards, but is pretty hilly for a road race, and it’s a more-or-less
steady climb from about mile 6 to the high point at mile 11. Having
gotten used to doing training runs with thousands of feet of elevation
change, I found it assuming to overhear runners in the start area asking
each other what they thought the weather would be like “up on top"!
I really regret being so out of shape, because of all the races I’ve done in Colorado, I think this race had about the most perfect race conditions I’ve run in. It was cool and overcast, with a slight breeze at our backs for the first part of the race. During the climbs on the second half of the race, the headwind was sufficient to really promote keeping cool, while not being strong enough to make you feel like you had to push against it. It even rained a little from mile 9 to mile 11, and was almost too chilly. I hope I’ll be lucky enough to find such cool conditions in other races this year!
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Craig H reports:
Boston Trip Report
The 105th running of the Boston Marathon...Awesome event! In terms of organization...hardly any better. But then they’ve had 105 years to get it right. (Only 100 years longer than your event Col Hazen) The experience was great--even better than the first time despite my time being slower. But with four weeks of PT on the knee and no training for six weeks (a grand total of 28 miles), I was just thrilled to toe the line. I’ll take my 3:45 and be happy. Couldn’t have picked a better run to celebrate my 25th marathon.
Bean Town can be expensive. Lodging could cost a small fortune. (Military guys could take advantage of Hanscom.) The best deal...have your sister move to Boston. Worked for me! :) Public transportation... you can make the metro lines and the marathon buses work for you. The weather is really fickle in April; be prepared for anything.
Got to meet Dick Beardsley at the Marathon and Beyond booth. Super guy. However, I realized I was sorely lacking in the “Great Moments of the Boston Marathon” department. (He was the one who duked it out with Alberto Salazar and finished two seconds behind him in 1982. Or was that 1981??) Anyway, with over 1500 women beating me on Patriots day, (which my co-workers so graciously pointed out upon my return) I don’t think I’ll ever be on the winner’s podium and pressed to compare my day to any past great performances. Two more marathons in the next seven weeks. Just hanging in there. Four down, eight to go. Course info below.
Boston Marathon — 16 Apr 01
Entry Fee — $75
Course — A net 450 foot drop, but of course you have over 200 feet gain
along the way, mostly in the Newton neighborhood. Most of the route is very
scenic.
Goodie Bag — Pretty decent...nothing too special though.
Expo — Fantastic! I recouped half my entry fee in energy bars I think. Of
course buying all the “official” Boston gear will require a second mortgage,
but hey...it’s Boston; expect to be gauged.
Medal — Standard Boston Medal with the year change.
T-Shirt — Great long sleeve T.
Super Neat Hi Tech Thing — Your running chip was tied to the internet (and
your cell phone if you registered your phone) to give updates every 5K on
whatever runner you wanted to track.
Crowds — TOUGH to beat!! (Maybe Chicago and London are a not too distant
second.) Great volunteers!
Start temp — Sunny and warm noon start. Cooled down after about two hours
though.
Overall impression — AWESOME!! If marathons are your distance...you’ve got
to do it! If marathons aren’t your distance...why’s that?? :)
(Matt C adds: When asked “what is Col Hazen” Craig wrote back: “The question is WHO is Colonel Hazen. He was an old boss of mine who is now the Wing Commander at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. This is of course where the Air Force Marathon is held so it’s sort of his show.")
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Kelli L reports:
Cleveland Marathon April 29, 2001
Cleveland, Ohio
CONDITIONS: Pretty close to perfect. It was around 45 degrees at the start and remained around 50 degrees for the race. It was sunny with some wind, stronger on some sections of the course.
COURSE: Okay, but definitely not too exciting. It was an out-n-back from downtown Cleveland. The aid stations were good, but not many spectators. Some sections of road were uneven and very noticeable (especially after running trails all winter!). Since it was difficult for spectators to watch runners from various points on the course, there were way too many cyclists riding on it. At one point, a dad with a girl in a buggy flew past me! It was somewhat annoying since you’re trying to focus on the race, not on the bike traffic. Very little music on course except for maybe two bands at two of the aid stations. No water tables at start (I like water tables at the start so I can get a few more cups in before the race begins!).
RACE: Well, let’s just say it was a disappointing day...I was about a day shy of canceling the race a few weeks ago because of the back injury, but decided I could still do it. I haven’t felt quite right since the back accident, so it would be no different on race day. I didn’t feel exceptionally good or bad. The first 15k went well, then I just gradually lost time on each mile. My mind was thinking one thing and my body was doing another! Truly an outer-body experience! WOMEN’S FIELD: There were six very fast women in the “seeded” field (I made the seeded field seven). One other American (making her marathon debut) and a few Russians, a Hungarian and a Pole. I managed to get a seeded number because I called the race organizers once I saw the elite runners times posted on the website (my PR is 2:49), so I was able to start at the front with the others. I bumped into the elite athlete coordinator (who I used to work with at the Runners Roost) and he invited me to attend the elite athlete prerace technical meeting. The front women all had posted times in the low 2:30s and the race organizers were expecting the first woman to cross the line around 2:32. Well, not at this Cleveland Marathon! I think the entire women’s elite field ran bad today! Everybody seemed to be about 10 minutes off what they were expected to run (including myself), so it was a disappointing day all around for the women. The woman’s winning time was 2:42, way off of what was anticipated. I did manage to be 6 out of the 7, I passed the Hungarian woman around 15k. Her PR was 2:30 and she was going for low 2:40s...she must have finished a few minutes after me or dropped out. TIME/FINISH: 2:55:30 6th overall woman...one spot shy of money! damn! AFTERTHOUGHTS: Something I learned from this race experience...no matter how hard you work all winter, you can still have a freak accident which will destroy any chances of a PR! I feel like the queen of 2:50s! Now I’m looking forward to the race season since it hasn’t really even begun. I’m signed-up for New York City marathon in November, so maybe my dream marathon will happen there! ‘Til then, it’s off to Barr Trail!
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Anita B reports:
Well, here is another race disaster, I mean report, for another attempted
100 miler I tried on April 7th and 8th, in Raliegh, NC. I have to say, I
hope persistence pays off, because my next 100 miler,(in October) ought to
be spectacular! But keeping with the report, the Umstead 100, in Raleigh
was well organized, and the volunteers were great. They really seemed to
care about you, and boy, did they feed you. As I sat down, working on my
second plate of spaghetti and meatballs, they brought out two huge homemade
cakes. Not wanting to offend the cooks, I was obligated to have some. So I
was really glad to have a 100 miler to look forward to. Everything started
out great, although it was quite humid. N.C. was beautiful, with all the
dogwoods and redbuds blooming all around us. It was the humidity that was
to later do me in, along with 92 degree heat. I have to confess, coming
from the Rockies and running in high altitude maybe made me think I was a
bit invincible. Boy, was I wrong. Personally, I’ll take altitude over
humidity anyday. Anyway, the combination of heat and humidity had an
adverse affect on my stomach, and at miles 50 I was unable to keep anything
down-nothing! And Carol S. of the IC club was there to witness all the fun.
I’ll leave out all the lovely details, but somehow I found it in me to keep
going, at a pace that was later to prove to be too slow. However, I know
that without Carol S. babysitting, I mean pacing me, I wouldn’t have made it
the eighty miles that I did go. Later I learned that the race had one of
the lowest finish rates ever this year, but that only made me feel worse,
because it’s good to see as many happy, exhausted finishers at the end of a
race as possible. On the brighter side, I made some new friends, and met
some really talented, interesting, obsessive-compulsive people. Based on my
limited experience, I would have to say that the Umstead 100 would be a good
first time 100 miler, if the weather cooperates,(normally they said it was
45-75 degrees in April in Raliegh).
####
WWW posts:
4/29/2001 56 runners and 5 more family members came for the 3rd annual Neal
and Teresa T van-feed breakfast. 35 lbs (it was measured) of pancakes were
used to refuel the depleted runners. As always stupid people tricks were
performed with one new entrant for the year being a male runner taking part
in the jog bra removal contest — as in HE put on a jog bra and then
successfully removed it without removing his T-shirt. Now I shall try to
keep his name a secret but those that saw this display of dexterity will
never quite get over that sight of that much hair protruding from a jog bra!
Oh there was a run before all this fun and the snow on the Barr Trail is all
but gone all the way to Barr Camp with just a few pesky patches remaining.
4/26/2001 A new Thursday club record was set when 54 people came out for 30 minutes of 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy. Because this was our 4th Thursday and we have 3 protocols we started the series over again. Reports of PRs for protocol 1 came from many even with what seemed to be some dry air. The warm (and windy) week really advanced the snow melt and with the exception of about 2 steps of snow at No Name there is no snow on the trail at least until Bob’s road and perhaps a lot farther. What a difference a few warm days can make.
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Go out hard, when it hurts speed up...
Matt Carpenter
www.skyrunner.com
Barr Trail Mountain Race
www.runpikespeak.com
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