Folks, it was a day for DUCKS. Well, arctic ducks I guess. 37 degrees & RAIN… in Colorado! Hypothermic but my first home-state FINISH of 2024. Whoop whoop! 🙌
Texted run-buddy Karen nite before & gave her a way out after seeing the forecast. Rain started at 8pm, temp dropped almost 40 degrees. Been such a beautiful week of SPRING, 70s & sunshine every day. Ho hum… a day for ducks. My friend Karen? Oh yeah, she was there — & just as Pollyanna as ever. God gave this one an extra shaker of salt.
And then came the wind. Oh my.
Warm-up lap ’round the rez lake in Brighton. We were to keep 12:30-13:30 minute/mile pace for next 20 miles (Karen’s goal distance). Set landmarks, kept it fun & conversational.
This day… I’m the Pollyanna. Rushing River. Karen’s summit. Muck wuck. Holy pavers. ‘Honor, Celebrate, Respect, Remember’ (later, Vomit Pavillon). Keenan’s mini-summit. Lakeside half-mile of quiet. the Rainbow Slide (dance included). AND… Hymnal Rock.
Whole lotta work for a pair of golden scissors!
21 miles. Check, done. Goal pace met. Picked it up last 10 miles to finish-up 50K distance & enjoy a bowl of WARM vegan chili. If the weather’s miserable enough, even us meat-eaters won’t turn down vegan. LOL>
Keeping it local again next week. Trail on Saturday, Sunday road. Colorado PROUD!
-
- 50-stater Lisa
-
- ‘Rushing River’
-
- SCISSORS buddy
-
- GOLD scissors 🎖️
-
- wet & MUCKY
Riverdale Regional Park, CO
3 minutes. 180 seconds.
Brief amount of time that cut my Fruita experience short. Overall, beautiful rugged course on Colorado’s Western Slope. Miles & miles of climb, high alpine desert. Strong mountain bike/rock climbing community. Colorado’s version of Moab 🚴
Took off slow, power-hiked in a conga-line of runners UP UP UP. Over 9k elevation.
Stomach wonky. First Colorado trail of 2024, little/no altitude training… felt a bit flatlander. Ate light, hydrated often. Pushed/worked thru the nausea. 8-9 miles, course would flatten out for miles. Allowed me to break free & enjoy the open expanse. Red rock, cliff canyons, spectacular view of the Colorado below. Cool temps this day — pretty much perfect, traversing high arid desert. Completely exposed, heat would be a suffer fest.
3rd Aid Station on, hung with a group from Oregon/Virginia. All graduated Virginia Tech days past. One guy in the bunch struggling. Marathoner/fit but notta lotta altitude ’round his DC home. Couple of us stayed behind, kept his spirits up, feet moving forward.
Unfortunately, that’s how I’d end my day.
Course went long by half-mile so… after 18+ miles, we arrived at the day’s only cutoff station @ 12:03pm, 3 minutes past Cinderella hour. Explained to folks I was feeling GREAT & could certainly finish remaining 13 miles over the next 5 hours (course limit).
This day, rules were rules.
Post-race, 90% of my run friends say you ignore them & go on. Refuse to give up your bib. They expect that. Huh?
Not me. Just a chump I guess. Higher [integrity] standard, that goes far beyond trail racing.
So… that’s how it ended. You take off your bib & give to RD. They eventually provide transport back. That’s what happens when you DQ… & now I know. 2 of us chose to run over the saddle on an ATV road, extend our day & forego the SAG wagon experience.
Today stung. Didn’t end by choice. Wasn’t meant to be.
Will return to Fruita this November (Kessel 60K). Not sure if Desert RATS will make a future calendar. Thankfully there’s a lotta race options that probably better align with my run standards. Strong believer we support our trail community/young old new experienced… especially in my home Colorado. Was told I should have left him, drop a pin location on my cell phone & share at the aid station.
Come on. Think we’re better than this.
-
- cool morning temp
-
- ready ready to run
-
- stunning landscape
-
- red rock, cliff canyons
DQ Disappointment
Right time of the year; too much ‘stay-at-home’.
Not a naysayer, the virus is real but moving forward. Done with living the past. Grieving every lost flight, every marathon registration, day-to-day work-family banter. Not sure what the future holds/our new norm. Faith. Balance. Control what you can control.
St. Mary’s Glacier
Six weeks more ‘til we can attempt the high peaks in Colorado. No rush; I’m not there yet. Corona belly & lack of altitude. Big jump – my home @ 5500ft & our 14er peaks.
Alarm set. Backpack readied. Water & burritos. destination: St. Mary’s Glacier. Hour from home (nearby Idaho Springs). Expect far fewer hikers than currently clog Boulder County trails.
Easy ride. No one on the highway. Weird to drive again.
Mile half up, mile half down. Relatively short hike. Goal: home return by 9am. Get up/get out/get back/little people exposure. Snow PILED as the truck CLIMBED. 4WD happy. Lotta WHITE ❄️
Pre-dawn park Ranger. Ok to hike, just pay the permit fee.
Been months between hikes. ROOKIE mistake. BOOTS. Where are they? Been a pair of Brooks or slippers stay-at-home. I’m here. I’m parked. Tag on the windshield. Suck it up buttercup.
DEEP snow. Shins, knees, quads, hip bone. Wind a-blowin’. No path. FIRST to forge a way. Pine/spruce surrounded & virgin snow. Doing it all from memory today. 30 minutes in, reached my first clearing. Peak peeping for direction. Go Right, young man – & UP of course 😊
When it’s snow season, is it glacier or just heavy snow? Answered day’s question. Wind whipping, there she is… or there she should be. LOL> Looks more ski slope than primeval glacier.
Arms outstretched. Did my 8pm HOWL. Sucked in the thin air, held my breath, let it go slowly. Chicken soup for the mountain soul. We’re gonna be ok. LOVE LOVE my Colorado life ❤️
-
- Corona stache
-
- Spring DEEP 🌷
-
- WHITE OUT ❄️
-
- Colorado SUNRISE
-
- Winter/Summer
-
- GLACIER or ski slope?
-
- COUNTY vs State LAW
-
- April 25 HIKE Day 😊
#self isolation HIKE
