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Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 10:08 AM
Subject: Incline Club News V10 LR #11
Good morning, ICers!
Well.
Did you survive the double loop? Sixty ICers came out for the big daddy
double loop last weekend; if you were one of them you are one giant step
fitter than the week before. This week’s run is up Rampart Range Road.
***
Have You Signed Your Waiver for the RRR run?
Yup, that’s right. This weekend’s run is up Rampart Range Road. If you
have NOT signed a liability waiver with the Cave of the Winds you must
either run down and then up to Waldo Canyon or turn around and run back
down Rampart Range Road. The lower section of Williams Canyon is on
private property and when running with the Incline Club you must respect
that! Bottom line, it is awesome that they offer a simple means to run on
their land (via a liability waiver) and we should not jeopardize that!
***
Vote for Your Favorite Running Store
Runner’s World is doing their first ever Runner’s Choice Award for running
stores. Now is your chance to thank your favorite Colorado Springs
specialty running store by voting for them in Best Customer Service, Best
Community Outreach, Best Product Selection, Best In General Excellence.
(It’s a very short four question poll):
http://survey1.rodale.com/rodale-2way-v56/2wOMDD/Link.html
***
The IC Trail Running Race Calendar
Thanks for the input on the Trail Running Race Calendar. You’ll be seeing
some minor changes in the next couple of weeks.
Train hard, and train smart!
Connilee
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NEXT RUN:
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Sunday, Feb. 5, 8:00am — Memorial Park
Head out El Paso and into the GOG. Run up Rampart Range Road to just past
the antenna. Head down Williams Canyon one mile and take the right up to
Waldo and head back to the park via UPT. 2.5-4.5 hours. Shorter option -
go all the way down Williams. See map:
http://www.inclineclub.com/maps/rrr_williams.htm
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THIS WEEK’S QUOTE:
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“Only those willing to risk going too far can find out how far they can
go.” -TS Eliot
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ICers WRITE:
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Need some shoes?
Yvonne Carpenter writes: I have a pair of shoes that I bought at CRC that
are too big for me. Since I had tossed the box and it was a special order,
I felt bad about returning it... I ordered another pair (6.5, the correct
size and fits great!) and wanted to know if anyone is interested in
acquiring the pair that did not fit!
It’s a Nike Free TRAIL — MENS 7.0 (equivalent to a Women’s’ 8.5 or 9.0) -
It is Royal Blue, with a black sole. I do have the box of my current 6.5
and the instructions that come with it. The shoes are brand new, worn once
in the house, and never run on. It retails for $85. I paid $73 including
taxes, I will be happy with $60.
If you are interested, contact Yvonne through her About Me page:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Yvonne%20Carpenter
***
More about Mountain Lions!
Debbi Meyer writes: Regarding mountain lions — I think it’s a bit of a
leap to go from seeing mountain lion tracks to assuming that he’s hungry,
further insinuating that he
might be prowling around ready to pounce on an unsuspecting runner. We
must remember that the mountains we love to run in are their home. Maybe
one was just out for a walk?
From the information I got from the wildlife department, mountain lions
want to avoid people, which is why they recommend making noise. The idea
here is that if a lion hears you, he will move on to avoid an encounter
with you, but if you surprise him, he might feel threatened. Obviously,
there are instances where mountain lions have attacked people, but I agree
with the other writer, that they are very rare. Seeing tracks can be a
little unnerving, no doubt, but I agree that people pose a bigger threat
than the lions. The guys driving up and
down Rampart Range Road with guns and ammo scare me more than any mountain
lion!
~Debbi Meyer (happily co-dependant dog lover and strong supporter of
President Bush)
***
And A Note from D.R. Crockett
Hello Fellow Trail Runners,
I just wanted to send out this quick note of caution about some suspicious
(ominous?) looking tracks I saw this past Sunday while running up Longs
Ranch Road. At first I thought they might be the usual mountain lion
tracks, but something looked a little odd and so I paused for a closer
look. Sure enough, on closer inspection, there could be no mistake -
these were definitely the biggest squirrel tracks I’ve ever seen. Now
some of you may laugh at this claim, but I should point out a recent
article in the Denver Post — I swear I am not making this up — about a
couple of hikers who were hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park this past
fall. They were hiking the trail up to Shelf Lake and had paused
momentarily to figure out what all of the commotion was about up in the
trees ahead, when they were suddenly blindsided by an unseen accomplice
squirrel that had apparently been hiding behind another tree off to the
side of the trail. Before this incident, I had never known squirrels to
be pack hunters. Anyway, the attacking squirrel flattened one of the
hikers, ripped the pack right off of his back, and headed off down the
hill and disappeared into the woods. The mangled pack was later found
amidst several empty Snickers wrappers from food they had been carrying.
Fortunately, a bag of baby carrots was found and returned, apparently
unharmed, to the owners along
with the remaining pieces of the pack. A Park Service biologist Evelyn
Beaver
estimated the size of the ambushing squirrel to be in the range of 200 to
250
pounds.
So some caution is advised when you’re out there running, especially if
you’re carrying any type of nut-based energy food. I know that from now
on I am going to carry some protection while out on the Longs runs. Some
of the outdoor magazines are now advertising a defensive spray evidently
manufactured from a canine derivative scent, and is sold under the brand
name “Pup-Pee Protect Squirrel Repellant.” The spray canister comes in
the clever shape of a little fire hydrant (at least that’s what I think it
is), and has a convenient “leash” you can hang around your neck for quick
access.
Safe running!
D.R. Crockett
“Go out hard, when it hurts you might want to look back to see if that
really is a carnivorous tuft of road kill dining on one of your
hamstrings!”
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IC BIRTHDAYS: 2/1/2006 — 2/7/2006
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Adabelle Wright:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Adabelle%20Wright
Cam Rollosson:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Cam%20Rollosson
Cheryl Laslo:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Cheryl%20Laslo
Chris Mader:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Chris%20Mader
Holli Harper:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Holli%20Harper
Peggy Monson:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Peggy%20Monson
Robert Ronas:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Robert%20Ronas
Teresa Taylor:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Teresa%20Taylor
Wesley Wright:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Wesley%20Wright
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NEW IC MEMBERS: 1/25/2006 — 1/31/2006
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Brian Musick:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Brian%20Musick
Kathryn Karst:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Kathryn%20Karst
Ken Kowalski:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Ken%20Kowalski
Mark Chamberlain:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Mark%20Chamberlain
Rob Crawford:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Rob%20Crawford
Sean Starkey:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Sean%20Starkey
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UPDATED ABOUT ME PAGES: 1/25/2006 — 1/31/2006
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Harry Harcrow:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Harry%20Harcrow
Ted Jimenez:
http://www.inclineclub.com/show.asp?name=Ted%20Jimenez
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“R” REPORTS:
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Chilly Hilly
Adam Feerst Reports:
Location: Near Martinsville, IN
Date: 1/21-22
Distance: 5 races: 1mi — 10mi
Goal: Compete well. Get good high intensity training. Stay strong
throughout. Stay warm.
Results: 4th overall; 4-4-5-4-4 in individual races. 1st master.
Website: http://www.hoosier200.com/chilihilly.htm
General Information: First, Indiana can be cold and wet in Jan. We lucked
out. It was dry both days, 40s, and even sunny on Sat. Race 1 was a 10k on
Sat afternoon. One of IN top HS runners was off the front early. With five
races, I didn’t want to go out too hard. I was 5th on the opening climb,
with 6th on my heels. There’s a long, road downhill, about 1.5 mi into the
first of two loops. I opened it up there (I’m a very good downhill
runner), passing another HS runner to move into 4th, and closing on 3rd.
Back in the trees, I tried to push to build the gap on 5th, and close on
3rd. By the time we were back at the long downhill, I had built a good
lead on 5th, but saw that I had lost contact with 3rd. Then, I started to
think about strategy. How hard should I run? I wanted to make sure I had a
good lead on 5th before the finish. Maybe I should pick it up and possibly
catch 3rd. I didn’t want to run any harder than necessary, with four more
races to go. Then, there’s also ego and time to deal with. They used
cross-country scoring (place, not time).
So it would go throughout the weekend. Very similar dynamics at the front
of each race; the top 3 finishers were the same. Similar questions of
strategy.
Race 2 was at night, and on roads, with a steep descent at the start, and
climb to the finish. It was supposed to be 4mi, but was more like 5k. I
went out fast on the opening downhill. This time, I kept the 3rd place guy
and the other HS runner close on the gradual uphill, and passed them
coming back down. I went with him up the finishing hill, but just didn’t
have the speed to take 3rd.
Sunday morning started with a 5k, a single reverse of the 10k loop. I was
cold and stiff at the start. I let the other HS runner get too far ahead
this time. I pushed hard up the hill, closing a bit, and pulling well away
from 6th, but had given up too much to t bring him back.
The mid-morning race was 10mi. Having given up a point in the morning,
placing mattered more in this one. Also, being the longest race, I thought
I might have a better chance of finishing 3rd. After trailing 3rd by ~30
seconds after 2mi, I started to pick it up. I thought that I could close
on some long downhills, but found myself 1:15 down by the turn around. I
continued to push through some open meadows, but lost him in the trees.
Again, there’s the dilemma of how hard to push. I was also very wet, after
two stream crossings and muddy trails. I ran the last 3mi steady — not
easy but not too hard. All alone, I slowed to a near walk up the steep
finishing hill.
The final race was a mile, at noon. It has the same steep downhill start,
followed by a longer, windy climb back to the finish. The placings at the
top were pretty well set. On one hand, it was making sure I didn’t give up
too many places. On the other, I wanted to give it all up on the last
race. With my downhill ability, I lead at the bottom, about 500 yards. The
first 3 went by as we started to climb. I went as hard as I could, but
didn’t have the leg speed to keep up. I continued to push, and, with more
endurance than speed, was surprised
that I stayed well in 4th.
Things Done Right: I was able to stay loose and efficiently fueled
throughout. I had Endurox R4 immediately after every race. I ate light at
dinner. Many others commented on eating too much, and feeling dinner on
the night race. I saved the bigger calories for a late night snack. How
and when you eat is important in stage races. Lodging and meals were
included in the entry.
It was great training. It’s been a little over a year since my last ultra,
but after 3+ years of running them, I’m still trying to get back some
speed. This is the kind of higher intensity training I need, and it was on
hills. I’m still sore 3 days later. I guess that means I have to do more
of this kind of training.
Things Done Wrong: Perhaps I should have gone out with the 3rd place
runner in every race. In hindsight, I don’t think I had the speed to beat
him anyway, but I only gave myself a chance in the night race and mile.
Other Stuff: Fun event. Everyone was friendly — runners and staff.
***
Houston-Chevron Marathon
Charles Scheibe reports:
Location: Houston, Texas
Date: January 15, 2006
Distance: 26.2 miles
Goal: Under 4:30
Results: 4:18:09
Website: http://www.hphoustonmarathon.com/
General Information: City-wide course, starting and finishing in downtown
Houston.
Things Done Right: Realized current level of conditioning by 4th mile,
adjusted pace accordingly, and was able to maintain through the finish ...
last 22 miles evenly paced!
Things Done Wrong: None during the race ... could have prepared better in
the weeks leading up!
Other Stuff: Predominantly flat course with lots of concrete. Well
organized. Weather started cool but got warm the last half; sunny & humid;
40’s at the start — 60’s at the end.
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RACE CALENDAR:
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Current version of the Incline Club calendar
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WWW POSTS:
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1/29/2006 Sun: Was it the weather, the snow, or the alignment of the moon
that produced a club turnout of “only” 60 runners? Perhaps it was simply
that the first Waldo/LRR double scared off some people as it does every
year! This is where the Wheat gets separated from the Chaff and today the
snow on LRR made us all feel like chaff. But for those that showed we at
least put another * up on the board. Bring it!
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NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS:
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Additions to Incline Club News from IC members are welcome and encouraged.
Submit a Newsletter Item at:
http://www.inclineclub.com/newsletter.htm
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WEBSITES:
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Training for the Ascent and Marathon on Pikes Peak
http://www.skyrunner.com/guide/
Barr Trail Mountain Race
http://www.runpikespeak.com
presented by Pikes Peak National Bank
Incline Club
http://www.inclineclub.com
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ACCOUNT SETTINGS:
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