Western Slope

Bib pickup, quick swing thru Downtown, pricey fish dish at Ouray’s Bon Ton.  Marathon ready.

Welcomed the cool high-altitude temps at Saturday’s Start – that’d save me the first 2 hours.  Ridgway to Ouray ‘n back.  Wide-open dirt road course, evergreen-lush first couple miles, sun-exposed as elevation climbed.  Topped out near 8000ft.

If one can manage the constant steady UP, some of Colorado’s finest alpine scenes.  Little Switzerland.

Trail road peaked 9 miles in, big valley descent next 4 miles into Ouray Hot Springs Park (marathon return).  Day’s race elites ran the Half.  African men & women pushed fast on-the-left, closely followed by the area’s best college runners.

Took electrolytes early & often but stomach-emptied at mile 10.  Tough GI day.  Negotiated the course turnaround, headed back UP to Ridgway, dropped to a walk after 15 miles.  Disheartening for the entire field to pass one-by-one on the return trek back.

Sun, altitude.  Dizzy-staggered next hour.  Drop, notta option ‘til mile 21 – dirt trail void, people AND vehicles.

Aid at 21 doused [me] with ice, refilled my hydration pak.  Sucky day – only 5 miles more.  These are the days I question why?  How?  Courage stripped, frustrated.  Nerves raw, stomach pulsing/throbbing, throat dry from vomit charades.  Push thru the pain.  Anything is POSSIBLE.  Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.  Infommercial mantras no longer working.  Physical struggle.

Ultimately I’d finish; new PW end time [Personal Worst].

Dehydrated, chilled, body shaky.  Paralysis right side of my face.  TIA, medic says.  Don’t know the term.  IV bag, long drive home tomorrow.  Virtually INSTA-BETTER Sunday – 80%.  Full motion before work Monday.  Unexpected, crazy scary.

When blood flow to part of the brain stops for a short period of time, also called transient ischemic attack (TIA), it can mimic stroke-like symptoms. These symptoms appear and last less than 24 hours before disappearing.

Ok.  Breathe, exhale – one step at a time.  Doc visit, blood work, endoscopy in 2 weeks.  Relapse?  STOP, let it go.

Airport pickup at 5pm; Stephen’s local thru Saturday.  It’s Birthday Week – MY birthday 😊

 

Mt. Sneffels Marathon and Half Marathon
Running @ Ouray, CO, 8/11/2018, by HAL Sports

 

NAME  BIB  M/F  CITY  CHIP TIME

K R Haga  30  M  LOUISVILLE  06:24:27

 

Colorado Road-trippin’

 

 

Most of Colorado’s Western Slope: mining towns or Swiss chalets.  Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, Telluride, Crested Butte – all mountain towns converted to European ski villages.  Pricey New York jewelers, fur coats, Starbucks lattes & SNOW.  Stunning to visit in the summer as well – towering green mountains/14ers capped in white – and generally, without the ‘ski village’ $$$ markup 🙂

Destination: Ouray [your-AY].  Nicknamed “little Switzerland of Colorado”; also known as, America’s ice-climbing capital.  Home of Mt Sneffels, backdrop to Saturday’s high altitude marathon.

Halved the 7-hour drive Thursday after work.  Sleeps in Glenwood Springs, three hour completion Friday morn.  Road-trippin’ stops, mineral springs soak AND an introspective faith walk.

Dennis Weaver Memorial Park.  Created on land purchased by TV’s McCloud, took an unplanned left to what became a quiet/centering spiritual journey.  No idea! located just 20 minutes outside Ouray.  2-ton Eagle soaring over a cache of mountain boulders.  Midday weekday, had the place to myself.

Chose 3 rocks from the pile of prayer stones & created my personal cairn.  Native American wisdom garnished each of the circle’s 4 directions – East spoke closest my heart.  Gazed long at the New Mexico-like landscape around me, bushes lavender & sage.  Crushed sprigs of both together, breathed in its aroma.  Hippie peaceful.  Shed shoes & river-walked before resuming Friday’s Ouray trek.  Good to get quiet & head-speak to the Great White Spirit.  For us Christians, one Living God & Savior.

Lodge check-in.  Late afternoon bib pickup.  Two-hour soak at Orvis Hot Springs.  Early to bed?  Well, not really.  Ash texted: it’s National S’mores Day.  Located a campfire, secured ingredients.  It’s a holiday, right?  Gotta/hafta/must.  Mission accomplished ✔️

Saturday a.m. marathon – Ridgway to Ouray ‘n back.

 

 

National S’mores Day is a day that is celebrated on August 10th as a way to honor the iconic campfire treat, the S’more. This holiday is celebrated across the United States – mainly by boy scouts and girls scouts – but can be enjoyed by anyone who has a love of this treat or fond memories of eating it during their youth.

 

 

6 days ago hadn’t heard of Creede.  Spirit broken after failing to finish last Saturday.  It’s not that I didn’t finish, it’s that I quit.  Let conditions of the day – heat, altitude, nausea, crowd – break me.  Additionally, opened the door/the possibility of ending my streak, 54 months marathoning.  Bright side: Dirty 30 highlighted holes in my training, tweaks I could make before Bighorn.

15 marathons past 5 months, 1000 miles complete.  Stronger than 2015, the year I went Maniac ‘Platinum’.  HUGE miss in this year’s Bighorn quest?  Failed to run BIGGER in my own backyard.  Knocked off a lotta East Coast targets but only ONE trail – and nothing over 7000ft, even in training.  Insert: Creede.  Small mining town 6 hours from my front door stoop.

Marathon field < 50, mix of dirt & Colorado asphalt.  High altitude [9000ft+] without the technical bouldering of Dirty 30.  Thanks 50 Stater-Beth for sharing your race calendar (post-run Vermont).  Wasn’t looking for a BONUS race then.  No crystal ball, didn’t know.

Direct from work, journeyed solo outta Boulder.  3 hours tonite, 3 hours predawn – too fatigued for a drive straight-shot.  Bedded in Salida, up again at 2:45am.  Race dressed, key on the dresser, door locked behind.  Rolled into Creede 5:35am, 10 minutes to spare (bib pick-up/registration).  99.  Same EXACT bib # as last Saturday.  What are the chances?  Cursed or redemption?

mining town past

School bus boarded at 6.  Cold morning shiver, mercury would soar 40+ degrees by race end.  Stopped 20 minutes outside of Silverton.  Out-n-back course.  Dawn burst o’er the surrounding peaks, bright & blinding.  Beautiful part of Colorado enveloped by canyon.

7am Mountain time.  Start Line drawn in the dirt, headwaters of the Rio Grande (same Rio Grande, Texas to Mexico).  Sported an ultra-vest (no cup event): bottle of water, bottle of electrolytes.  Slight grade first couple miles, remainder of the day flat – ultimately descending into town, 8800ft elevation.  Mountain time 😊

Popped on Highway 149 [Mile 5].  Notta fan of running highway; that said, notta lotta early morning traffic Silverton-Creede either.  Perspective.  Added an extra .75 (third-quarters mile) – ARGH – went left, later righted by a race cyclist.  But, not my first rodeo.  Would drop back on dirt mile 18, joined by Halfers bussed to marker 13.

5th overall at the Half.  Aided by cool temps/steady pace, led the middle pack.

Good portion of the day ran with last year’s women’s winner (she’d finish 3rd today).  Both of us fueled at 18.  Despite her encouragement, walked most the next mile.  Hot sun overhead, expended lotta energy first Half.  Nice gal.  …and I was sixth.

No water again ‘til 25.  Empty.  Guy in a truck honked encouragement – I yelled WATER.  Vehicle stopped, guy handed over his open bottle.  Random act of human kindness.  Shared half-bottle with a college gal I’d chatted up miles 21/22.

Joined Runoff’s 6k event at their turnaround (mile-half from Finish).  Appeared having been lost in a desert (I looked a hot mess – HA!), family jogging with their dog (mom/dad/3 boys) shared a Nalgene bottle.  Again, thankful for the kindness of strangers ❤

Stop, start.  Stop, start.  90 degrees, summer ablaze even on the Western Slope.  Long 20 minute mile, drug the last one out.  Dusty path littered with mine rock & sage led to Creede Ballpark.  Finished in an irrigated field of green.  June marathon complete, tag.

Laid back & over-sunned listening to a folk band.  Veggie burger & a soda, small town festival.  Good energy, happy vibe.

Not the greatest of courses – lotta highway, lack of race support/water – but the people here are good.  Pure hearts.  Just carry a full [backpack] bladder if visiting on a hot day 😊  Tick, tick, tick.  7 days, Bighorn.

 

RUNOFF RUNOFF

Rio Grande Restoration Project

and Headwaters Alliance

CREEDE, CO

Saturday, June 9, 2018

 

MARATHON OVERALL RESULTS

 

PLACE       NAME          GEN AGE  BIB   CITY/STATE            TIME   PACE

1 JACKSON COLE           M 22    43  ALAMOSA CO           3:27:29  7:56

2 KYLE CLARK             M 35     2  MORRISON CO          3:39:16  8:23

3 GRANTLEY SHOWALTER     M 24     8  ALAMOSA CO           3:52:00  8:52

4 NOEL PRANDONI          F 22    89  SANTA FE NM          3:57:23  9:04

5 KATELYN SNYDER         F 26    16  FORT DEFIANCE AZ     4:44:59 10:53

6 SHAUNA GUTIERREZ       F 27   124  ALAMOSA CO           5:03:36 11:36

7 ASHLEY MCCARTY         F 39    67  DIBOLL TX            5:07:40 11:45

8 K R HAGA               M 51    99  LOUISVILLE CO        5:17:38 12:08

 

 

summer trippin’ to Creede