Previous | Next | 2002 Index | Newsletter Index
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 4:11 PM
Subject: Incline Club V6 LR #3
And the ICer ran Waldo an said “this hill is too easy.” So the ICer ran Longs Ranch Road and said “this hill is too hard.” Finally after many months the ICer ran the Barr Trail and said “this hill is just right” and ran a PR:-)
####
Sunday, December 9, 8:00 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 (safer with the ice and warmer running
up in the shade and down in the sun). Cross back over Hwy 24 (be careful)
and return via the Ute Indian Trail. 2-3 hours. If it would take longer do
an out/back or take the Bail Trail through Williams Canyon back to Soda
Springs park.
####
Jonathan Cavner writes:
Congrats Jennie!!! 2nd place (1:30:42) at Pueblo’s Rock Canyon Half! 1:30
was the magic number! I look forward to reading your R report.
####
Lynn Hellenga writes:
The Hellenga’s are hosting a Holiday Get together at their house Sunday
December 16 form 2pm to 6pm Every one please stop by. Bring a dish
(dessert, snack, beverage) to share. Kids, so family and friends welcome.
Please e-mail Lynn at (e-mail address removed for www posting) so they can get an idea of
how many people are coming.
####
Tony (the IC’s weather guy) Eckel writes:
How is everything going with you? I am on cloud 9 and I just had to let you
know that I am headed for the 106th Boston Marathon! I have wanted to run
that prestigious race for a long time but never came close to qualifying.
Last weekend I ran the Seattle Marathon in 3:10:42, my PR by 12 minutes!
This just barely got me into Boston.
Seattle was the first flat road marathon I have done since my trail running
in CO. I am sure that the 2 years of extreme training with the club really
took me up a notch in speed and endurance. So thanks again for all the
help! My goal for Boston is to break 3 hours.
####
Jackie Burhans writes:
I noticed the last email you sent out had messages from folks who came to
1st Incline Club run-do people just email you direct?
The Dec 2 run was very tough for me but I lived through it despite several
mistakes on my part. First of all, I forgot to bring my fanny pack and water
bottle. This has NEVER happened to me before (I’ve forgotten plenty of other
things-jacket, socks, shoes, asthma medicine-the last two are showstoppers).
I stopped at the 7-11 for bottle water, which got me through with nothing to
spare. The second mistake I made was deciding to take the middle run-rather
than just out and back which I did the week before relatively easily (I
think, if memory serves and it probably doesn’t), I decided to go to the J
pipe and cut back in. There are several pieces of information that would
have been nice to have and might have impacted my decision to go that way:
1) There is a gate that will (may) be closed with a sign saying something
about authorized personnel-ignore it and go around, over, through it. 2) There will be TWO J pipes, the second one is the one that will have a choice
to go straight or turn slightly right. 3) Once you turn left at LRR, it’s
pretty much all-uphill and if you are going to be hiking it may take an hour
or so to get to that 2nd J pipe. And 4) the overall distance is X. What IS
the overall distance? It doesn’t seem the IC generally speaks of trails in
terms of distance but rather in terms of time-I’m not quite used to that and
of course ones time will vary with one’s fitness. Somewhere on (one of) your
web sites, you have detailed trail descriptions of Barr-something like this
for the IC trails would be really helpful for newbies who haven’t ever been
on the trail in question. I will say that I was very glad there was snow on
the ground to confirm that I was on a trail on which other humans had trod
and I did hook up with two runners who backtracked from the longest trail to
get back to shortcut J pipe trail which cheered me up immeasurably. Long day
(3.5 hrs, easily 1-1.5 hrs longer than I should have done) but I feel a bit
virtuous and I’m sure the stock of the company who makes Advil has gotten a
boost. It was great to see an old familiar trail (Barr) finally and I can’t
wait to show this trail to my husband-he’d come out on the IC runs but
someone has to watch the small one until we get him trained up. Cheers!
(MC adds: 1. Sorry about the gate. I have never seen it closed in 5 years of doing IC runs but as you can see none of us can read anyway since we are used to blowing through the other gate on the Waldo run. 2. There are 3 “J” pipes but only one (the third) has an option to do something but you are correct in that I should have spelled it out a little better. 3&4. I think going by distance can hurt the newbie more than help. If I was to say the loop is 11 miles I think far less would pace themselves correctly or turn around than if I say it is a 2-3 hour run. Kind of like the people who come from flatland USA to run “only” 13 miles for the Pikes Peak Ascent and find it takes them 5-6 hours! In general the best approach is to do an out/back unless you know where you are and then add on to it each time until you get to a point were you do know where you are and you KNOW that it is over halfway. Also I talked about walking before the Sunday run and said LRR would teach us how to walk. I also said that is OK because most everyone has to walk parts or lots of Pikes Peak anyway and we need to practice in training what we will do in racing. However because a lot of time is spent walking a run like LRR I do NOT think 3-4 hours is too much! Esp when you consider that some of the peak runners are on their feet MUCH longer all the way up to 9 and 10 hours which means they are not even getting in 1/3 their race time when they do a 3 hour “run.” At any rate, you now know both courses and from here on out we will just add to them. Finally excellent point you made about the food and water. While you admit you made a mistake there are far too many people not taking enough along on purpose!? If you know the run is going to take you a while or that you dehydrate easily you need to bring some fuel and water!)
####
Gary Hellenga writes:
As usual, our schedule is conflicting frequently with the IC Club
runs. Last Sunday, we were visiting family in Loveland. I got a chance
to get up to Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday morning, though, and
hiked up to Hidden Falls to see if I could get some ice-climbing
practice in. Unfortunately, the ice wasn’t in good enough condition to
do any real vertical, so I hiked back out and laced the running shoes
back on, and ran up the Longs Peak trail to timberline. For IC members
who might get up in this area, I recommend this trail — it is very
similar to Barr Trail, but not quite as steep. The trailhead is at
9400’. Running up to timberline and back to the trailhead is about 5.5
miles round-trip; one could easily run further (Chasm Lake is about 4
miles from the trailhead, and a good destination), but the terrain above
timberline is very exposed, and the area is prone to high winds in the
wintertime (we encountered winds around 70-80 MPH when we attempted to
climb Longs in October).
####
Victoria Butchko writes:
Hee Hee I got one for you... If you know of anyone trying to hydrate for a big
race, tell them to go King Taco on Garden of the Gods. Then save a couple of
jalapeno peppers for 48 hours..I’ll tell you they’ll drink a lot of aqua!!
####
Some guy Darin writes:
Hi all Quest fans and friends . . . . . pass it along: “THE EVENT” (race up
Pikes Peak) has been moved to Saturday January 19th, 2002 to make it
tougher! People who are interested can contact Gary Scott via email at
(e-mail address removed for www posting)
(MC adds if you find out some info on this pass it on so I can post it! If it is true it would be pretty cool if some ICers were to make an appearance;-)
####
Scott Lincoln writes:
Okay, okay ... I will pick up the shirt(s) this Sunday. Either bring them or
I’ll come by after. (It’s not like you’ve been keeping my dog.)
Sorry I missed the gang this first one, but I was not idle. (see “R” report) For those unfamiliar with my saga — read on.
June 11, 2001: Bike crash/Boo-Boo/Concussion/Multiple lower back injuries. Oh yeah, staples left tibia.
June 24, 2001: IC Peak run — set new training PR to summit. (staples still intact)
July 1 & 8, 2001: Problems multiplying; develop hip/groin pain onset with running. Back pain worsens also.
July 14, 2001: Try to run long (solo), now on Saturday b/c it’s too hard not to “go out hard” with IC on Sundays. Have to quit after ten minutes b/c pain is too distracting.
July 21- Mid-August: Running intermittently but with ever increasing pain. Problems spread and Dr. warns of potential damage from continued training and heavy dose anti-inflammatories.
August 19, 2001: Watched my friends/training partners finish triumphantly. Bittersweet.
August 20 — October 15, 2001: (I’m giving the nickel version) Cross-training like a maniac. X-Rays. More cross training. Bone scan finds stress fx lumbar vertebrae. Cycling 6+ hours on Sundays, still x-training. MRI confirms arthritis of lumbar facets with S/I joint involvement. Doctor tells me “If I were you, I would give up running.” Pool/weights/more, harder x-training. Got new doctor (runner).
October 16, 2001: Lumbar facet injections.
October 26, 2001: Race for the first time in 8 months — the Manitou Mayor’s Cup 5k. Paul S beats me again, continues the streak. (God, the humanity.)
November 25, 2001: Seattle Marathon — Seattle WA. 3:02:27 Official results have me at 41st place, top ten in my age group. Nice.
####
Stephen Mitchell writes:
I’ll be out on Sunday, because we all know the cowards don’t show and the
weak die.
####
ICU (Incline Club Ultrarunners):
Keith Grimes writes:
The current ICU plans are to initially start out the first few months and
run the normal IC workouts every Sunday. This way it gives everyone a chance
to build their base and just get back into the swing of things. Probably in
the February time frame, we may start our runs at 7:00am to allow for the
additional distances we will be doing. I currently have a list of 4 (myself,
Rick H., Eric G., and John G. ) who will be doing these runs. Whoever may be
interested in joining us can either get in contact with me directly or email
me.
I can either let the ICU list know of the routes we plan to run or do you want to list them at the web site? They will basically be the same route the normal IC runners will be running but with an additional trail or two. Once we get into late spring and early summer, we will then start some very long runs possibly once every 3 weeks. By the time we hit June, we plan on starting our long runs at 6:00. We will also do some back to back long runs on Saturday / Sunday. Let me know how you want to handle as far as letting people know where and when we will be doing our ICU runs.
Once we start our Thursday evening hill runs in April, we plan on running to the 7.8 mile sign for time as opposed to 30 minutes of tempo. Our one workout that will be the same will be the 40 minutes of hill repeats. The other 2 runs on Barr Trail will be similar, but just longer. I can make out a schedule and talk to you about our plans.
(MC adds: Sounds awesome Keith! Perhaps when you start the early ones you can work out a course that loops back to the main group so we can still “start” together. Feel free just to send weekly posts and what not through the club e-mail. That way we will all know what is up with you ICUers!)
####
The “C” (cycling) vote:
Yes IIIII
No IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
----
Vote comments:
Stephen Mitchell writes:
My vote for the “C” for cycling, YES.
#
Gary Hellenga writes:
I say, let the big bike events count, as long as they are roughly
equivalent in terms of time/effort/elevation change to our
currently-accepted alternative running events.
#
AL Alvares writes:
I never voted on any incline business and was unsure of your instructions
on how to vote on Mike Foster’s idea of including cycling. I am an avid
cyclist and would vote “yes.”
#
Mike Foster writes:
Thought I had better vote yes on my own proposal ;-)
#
Glen Ash writes:
A yes for the “C.”
#
JD VanLancker writes:
I say no to “C.” It’s a running club.
#
Larry Miller writes:
No on the bike thing.
#
Lonnie Fails writes:
’no’ for the C
#
Sid Rubey writes:
No. I’ve nothing against cyclists, I like cycling myself. I feel the workout
board credits should be extended only as was done last year — race credits
of more than ‘X’ miles, etc. Just one runners vote.
#
Bob Mastors writes:
C on the workout board — vote no
#
Neal Oseland writes:
I know from experience that cycling, especially in Colorado can be
absolutely brutal. That being said, I like the credit for workouts being for
running only. There is no doubt that there are some sick rides that fit the
incline club mentality but I still like the fact that our club strictly
revolves around running.
#
Kelli Lusk writes:
What? A “C” for cycling efforts?? No way. I’ve done both the events Mike
listed in his epic cycling calendar...Evans was a part of a stage race at
the time and when I rode the Iron Horse road race, I raced the mountain bike
race the next day... (plus Leadville 100 and 24-Hours of Moab..I ran before
riding Moab) and my thought is...running is running...cycling is cycling.
The only credit that should be given for cycling on a Thursday or Sunday is
if you’re injured and you can’t run....OR...better, yet....run before or
after the epic ride! Then and only then should credit be given for a
kickass effort.
#
Connilee Walter writes:
My vote is a ‘no’ on the “C.” I too enjoy cycling and agree it has benefits
for cross training, but I do believe we are a RUNNING club, not a CYCLING
club!!
#
Yvonne C writes:
No “C"s !!!! As someone else said, this is a “running” club. If we do the “C,” then we have to do the “S"(swim), and the “W"(walk), and the “H”(hike)
and the “Ra”(racquetball), and the “B” (beer drinking) and so on, every time
someone feels like doing something else on a Sunday morning instead of the
club run. I feel we are missing the point with the stars. They are meant to
get you out the door and get you to RUN !
How about coming to the workout AND doing your other crazy thing for a “C,” which, in this case, would stand for “Crazy” and not only “Cycling” ???? I know Mike’s problem is that he wants an A+ star report card at the end of the season and not only an A. Those bike races would not allow him to be at SSP on Sunday morning. So the question is: what’s more important to you ? A+ or Bike Race ? An A is still a good grade Mike :-)
#
Steve Sargeant writes:
“No” to a cycling credit. I appreciate the effort for a 100-mile cycle but
lots of non-Incline associated tasks require a significant effort. Hell, I’d
ask for an “MT” credit for spending 12 straight hours working on my Masters
thesis.
#
Matt Carpenter writes:
No — not unless I can get an “S” for Sleeping 12 or more hours while the
rest of you run!
#
Jonathan Cavner writes:
I vote against the “C.” Someone told me once, while walking back to
Soda Springs with a sprained ankle, that this is a “running” club.
#
Andy D writes:
You should not award a C for long bike rides. After all, we are a running
club. How does the saying go? If you want to get better at running, run.
The whole business of stars is starting to get out of hand anyway. Some
people are beginning to think the star is more important than the actual
workout.
#
Robert & Linda R write:
Just wanted to let you know that we vote NO on including the cycling events
on the workout board. Nothing against cycling but this IS a running club
(THE running club). If we allow cycling to count now, soon other people
will want other activities to count also.
Let’s keep the club a RUNNING club!
Robert & Linda [ that’s 2 votes ;-) ]
P.S. Nothing says an “Incline” cycling club can’t be started.
####
“R” Reports:
December 2, 2001
Rock Canyon Half Marathon, Pueblo, Colorado
www.socorunners.org/scrrs1C1.htm
Paul Sullivan reports:
This was, I believe, the 3rd time I ran this race. A record 187 finishers!
ICer Jennie Pierce was 2nd female with 1:30:42!! Paul Koch 1st overall in
1:16:03. I was happy with my 8th place finish 1:23:55 (smoked you Neal,...
finally) and 1st in age group, having just turned the old-man (Larry) age of
35. Good showing by the IC:
8 Paul Sullivan 35 1 M 35-39 1:23:55.3 6:24/M
9 Neal Oseland 32 3 M 30-34 1:24:32.9 6:27/M
19 Larry Miller 51 2 M 50-54 1:29:31.5 6:50/M
23 Jennie Pierce 29 1 F 25-29 1:30:42.7 6:55/M
26 Gordon Neal 45 6 M 45-49 1:34:18.5 7:12/M
39 Bryan Willis 41 6 M 40-44 1:38:51.3 7:33/M
117 Kim Kitchen 43 8 F 40-44 1:58:58.1 9:05/M
119 Rick Pearcy 48 26 M 45-49 1:59:35.5 9:08/M
151 Laura Enleman 48 9 F 45-49 2:09:58.5 9:55/M
181 Dave Sorenson 47 34 M 45-49 2:35:37.4 11:53/M
For the 2nd year, due to trail maintenance, apparently, the course ran east on paved trail from City Park (Zoo) along the Arkansas River to the new River Walk in Downtown Pueblo — and back. Unfortunately, because of this, it was less scenic than in years past. (Unless you like looking at Pueblo’s bygone industrial era. Given the Arkansas is almost entirely concreted over for several miles leading into downtown, the race’s name, “Rock Canyon,” is rather ironic. Number of overturned, wayward shopping carts along route: 4) Hopefully, the race will be back to its westward route toward the reservoir next year. Otherwise, this is a fun, well organized event!
Race tip: Carried a gel(K-boom) with me and downed it and 2 cups of water as I walked leisurely through the aid station at the 7 mile turn-around point. Lost several seconds that I easily made back up in the second half of the race (passing a particular person. ;-)).
##
Larry Miller reports:
Well, that was #14. I’ve run 14 of the 15 Rock Canyon Half Marathons. This
one was an eye opener for me. I didn’t get ready for it like I usually do by
running on concrete and asphalt surfaces and the course did a number on my
legs. This was the second year in a row that the Rock Canyon 1/2 didn’t go
to Rock Canyon and was run to the water-walk which is near downtown Pueblo
with a lot of concrete surface’s. I did the first four miles to see where I
stood as far my time during my tempo runs and found that the last 9 miles
was the same pace? So the tempo runs I’ve been doing have been working, but
are just too slow. Well, now I know were I stand and how and I can work on
improving myself for the next race. My time 51 years, one day. My race time
one hour and 29+
##
Kim Kitchen and Rick Pearcy report:
Pueblo’s 1/2 marathon was held today (Dec. 2). The race started at City Park
and then ran its way into the city on the path by the river. The weather was
good- sunny, a little breeze, and cool. The race was on pavement and/or
asphalt. (And boy, can I tell the difference on my legs from the trails that
we’ve been running!) The flat, flat, course included some interesting
graffiti down along the river, and a beautiful section in Pueblo’s downtown
area near the turn around. The best part of the race was the sweatshirt
(instead of a t-shirt). We saw lots of other ICers and as usual, they were
all awesome.
##
Jennie Pierce reports:
I ended up taking second place female with a time of 1:30:33. I was pretty
happy with my time considering it was my first road half marathon. I don’t
know if you can compare the Accent??? Anyway, there was some other incliners
down there including: Paul S., Neil O., Larry M., and Craig ???? ( I can’t
remember his last name). The trail was different this year due to
construction. Larry said it had more hills in it this time, but in certainly
wasn’t like we normally run.
##
Dave Sorenson reports:
Course: Out-and-back along the Pueblo River Trail (i.e., along the Arkansas
River). The start/finish is at Pueblo City Park and the turn around is the
Pueblo Riverwalk.
Weather: Very comfortable, starting temperature about 40 degrees, rising to around 50 degrees a couple of hours later. Thin layer of high clouds, protecting runners from direct sunlight.
Ugh, I’m really out of shape. I definitely did too much “off” during the off season. My race today was much like the Broncos played in Miami today. Nothing spectacular happened during the first 3/4 of the race, but I was slow and steady. I just needed to keep it up and finish comfortably. But just like the Broncos, I fell apart in the 4th quarter and really struggled to finish. However, unlike the Broncos, I don’t have to turn things around immediately. There are still more than 8 months left before the 3rd weekend in August. I’ll just have to plan on slow and gradual progress, and stay away from those interceptions and fumbles on kickoff returns.
##
Neal Oseland reports:
What a great day for running! Not too hot, not too cold and minimal wind.
The lack of long runs showed itself in full force. I have only run over 1
hour twice in the last 2 months and it bit me big time. I came through the
10 mile mark around 1:03 and feeling good. I crashed almost immediately and
was barely able to run sub 7 min miles during the last 5k. I ended up
finishing 1:24:32 in 9th place which was over a 4 minute PR for me but I had
hoped to do better. That should be a relatively easy fix-just get the long
runs under my belt.
###
November 25, 2001
Seattle Marathon — Seattle, WA
Steve Mischel reports:
This was my first marathon so I had no idea what to expect except that the
half way mark is at mile 20, so true. My goal was to complete it since I had
to get a cortisone shot in my foot the week prior just to walk normally. The
podiatrist said I had a bruised nerve in the ball of my foot. The shot
helped, I finished in 3 hrs, 42 min.
The course began/ended near the Space Needle, most of the run followed the shores of Lake Washington. The weather was not surprisingly cold with rain/drizzle throughout most of the morning. According to the literature it was a moderately hilly marathon which I was happy to hear since most of my training contains hills. I later discovered that the max elevation gain was 150’ at mile 20 where I passed a handful of marathoners. At mile 23 is where the real pain started as my legs began to cramp but I could see the finish line at Memorial Stadium near the Space N. which was enough incentive to continue running. It was a great event with plenty of oxygen!
##
Scott Lincoln reports:
November 25, 2001
Seattle Marathon — Seattle, WA
8:15 AM Start. 40 degrees start — 39 degrees finish
RAIN all day
When I say my lower back is day-to-day, I mean it. I signed up at 3:00 at the Expo on Saturday. I asked about refunds. The rest of the day I drank lots of water, tried to get off my feet and had pasta for dinner. Truthfully, I had NO IDEA what to expect for Sunday when I hit the pillow that night. I lay awake ... sleepless in Seattle. (eeewww, sorry ;)
My friend dropped me off 1/2 hour before the start, and I (warmed up) in the chilly drizzle. Shoes wet at start. My plan was okay I had no plan. But I had a mantra: “Relax and run steady.” Uphill start. Decided to keep my eye on the HR monitor. (anyone wishing to discuss HR adjustment from altitude to sea-level please email; I have thoughts but no science.) Mile 1 in 6:40. Okay ... remember to breathe. Settled in and clicked off sub-7:00’s for a while. Had at least a gulp of Ultima at each station. Got in with some pacers. GU at Mile 7. Starting to feel the throb. Split of 1:28:48 at halfway. GU at mile 18. Still sub 7:00 pace.
Mile 20, hurting but still focused and pleasantly surprised. At this point I’m thinking ... SUB 3:00:00? Whathehe#*! This is SOOO COOL! Then a guy in my age group pulls up beside me and says “Looking good .... here come the hills.” He starts to pull away. The course takes a 90 degree left from flat to Seattle’s version of Hydro Street. It was almost eerie. I remembered the day Matt and I raced each other on Hydro for the last six or seven repeats. (Side note: I won’t say who took who on those repeats but let’s just say there was a comment made by ONE of us suggesting that the OTHER must have held back on the minute-on/minute-offs because it just didn’t make sense how the ONE could so handily outsprint the other.) Anyway, as this guy pulled on leaden boots I smiled my way up the hill. Same on the next long hill; very Ruxtonesque. I said “on your left” more than once. At mile 21 & 3/4 my Seattle buddy had his state-of-the-art digital whizcam set-up under an umbrella — the course went (literally) right beside his house — and he got some fantastic footage of the back of his state-of-the-art lens cap.
Okay — the big finish. Well, it wasn’t big. It was just steady. I passed a few more who were bonked or bonking, and handed one a GU. The hill guy never caught me. The hills had slowed my pace for a mile or so, and try as I did, I watched 3 hours tick by with marker 26 in sight. Still, I gotta say, my finish made me smile. I would have jumped for joy ... but, well, ... my back, ... you know. No jumping. Wrapped in mylar, completely waterlogged, I ate my free PowerBar and tried to take it all in.
The events of the last year have made me acutely aware of how much living a fit lifestyle and being a runner means to me. Enough to find a way to make it happen. I would not be the runner I am today without the encouragement, support and pushing of my fellow IC’ers. Good on all of ya. Back permitting, I’m looking forward to rejoining my club soon.
Click here: www.seattlemarathon.org
####
Non “R” reports:
Kelli Lusk reports:
Saturday, December 1, 2001
Pedal Power Snowshoe Race #1
4-miles
Vail Nordic Center, Vail, CO
5th overall women
This was the first hard effort I’ve done since the New York City Marathon on November 4, so I was pleased with how I felt. I was the third woman on the top of the first climb, then got passed by a woman about a 1/4-mile into the first technical section. The 4th-place woman passed me about 1/2-way through the race. The course was a lot of ascending and descending and pretty technical in snowshoeing terms. The course started flat and untracked at the Vail Nordic Center, then it headed straight up the side of a mountain and into some off-camber singletrack with lots of logs and roots. There were a few (small) sections of flat running, but the course was mainly singletrack and in the woods. Overall, it was fun and challenging.
####
More off season Race reports:
Kelli Lusk reports:
RACE: Breckenridge Crest “10"-miler (more like 12 miles this year)
DATE: Sunday, Sept. 2, 2001
START: 9500’ approx. with the “summit” above treeline.
RESULT: 1st O/A woman, 2:03:39. New course, new course record. 11th O/A (men
and women)
The last time I did this race was in ‘97...and still living in Michigan. I was passing through Breckenridge on my way home from a bike race and decided to do it because I had to get in my run before hitting the road...little did I know what was in store! This was my first mountain running experience! I still was 3rd O/A woman, but quite disoriented at the top of the climb!
Switch gears to 2001 and some training at altitude and trails and it felt considerably different than in ‘97! My goal for this year’s race was to try to break the course record, but they lengthened and changed the course. No matter, because the course was at least 1+ miles longer and I still got the course record because it was new. The old course record was 1:57 and I ran a 2:03:39. I estimate I would’ve broken the record on the old course, considering the length added to this year’s race and my finish time.
I was very pleased with the way I ran....very smart. I ran steady, even and conservative from the start (unlike almost all my other off-road races this year...it’s been a struggle figuring out my pacing off-road. No problem on the roads, but the trails are another thing). I had just kept a steady pace, ran the tangents and used what I learned running with the club this year. The woman who would eventually be 2nd O/A woman was ahead of me until I passed her at the first aid station. I stayed ahead of her until about a mile to the top. She pulled away and put some time of me. By the time I reached the 2nd aid station, she was gone. The 2nd aid station was the “summit” for the “10-"milers and the beginning of the descent. Well, my descending paid-off again in this race. I estimate she was 1-2 minutes ahead of me at the aid station and I passed her a 1/2-mile into the descent. I finished in 2:03:39 and she came in at 2:05:30. I’ve never thought of descending as one of my strong points until the Barr Trail race....and my new found confidence and skills on the descent gave me a race win in Breckenridge.
AID STATIONS
Water was available at the start. There were only two aid stations on
course, so I brought a water bottle and two GUs with me. I ate a GU at
45-minutes and one at the second aid-station (1:28). Drank water the entire
way and at the aid stations. Water, energy drink and food available at the
finish.
OVERALL
A very fun race with a festival/expo area. I saw Paul S., Jonathon C. and
Jon G. before the race start. Paul S. was doing the “marathon” and it looked
like he had a good race. Jonathon was smoking....only two-minutes behind
Mark Plaatjes and second overall. Way to go Jonathon! The prizes were
exceptional. Age-groupers won a pair of Nike Pegasus trail runners, a Nike
technical shirt and t-shirt. Overall winners won a comp to the race for next
year, a comp entry for the Boulder Backroads Marathon/Half-Marathon, an hour
message, a $25 gift certificate to Runners Choice....pretty good awards for
everybody. I would definitely return next year, even if I didn’t have a comp
entry....it was worth the $30.
##
Scott Riley writes:
I thought I would send a trip report on the Breckenridge Crest Mountain
Marathon. The race was well put together and the course (although climbing
above 12,000 ft) was quite forgiving. The trail had a good mix of climbs
and descents with breathtaking views! It’s nice too because you get the
harder stuff over in the first half of the run. The aid stations had the
right types of foods and liquids, and the volunteers were super helpful! By
the time you get to aid station 3 (about mile 17), it’s virtually all flat
or downhill to the finish. The after race food and show (band) was good. I
would highly recommend this race next year to any ICers that feel like they
have recovered from the PPM.
####
WWW post:
12/2/2001 A huge group of 65 runners took on Longs Ranch Road today and in
the end more made the complete loop than ever. There was a good bit of snow
on the ground but the weather was perfect and more than make up for it. In
fact many hung out after the run to talk about the run. Many of the newbies
commented that they were thinking LRR was not near as bad as they had heard
until they turned that “one turn where you run into a wall that does not
seem to end.” At least one was heard to say “now I understand why the
Incliners tear up Pikes Peak.” A group of ICers were also down in Pueblo for
the Rock Canyon Half Marathon and we await their “R” reports.
####
Go out hard, when it hurts speed up...
Matt Carpenter
www.skyrunner.com
Barr Trail Mountain Race
www.runpikespeak.com
Top | Previous | Next | 2002 Index | Newsletter Index