running LOCAL ROCKS – new Coal Creek PR, 34th overall
Hooray for Labor Day! Kicked off the 3-day holiday weekend with my favourite 10 miler, Louisville’s Coal Creek Crossing. Running LOCAL ROCKS! (Glad to be back — last year’s event was cancelled due to extensive trail damage from the 2013 Boulder Flood.)
7am start, near perfect weather. Lined at Community Park – ok, go.
Louisville, like most Front Range communities, hosts a highly competitive field. I came out slow – but well remember Aquarius Hill (mile 4 & 9)…I’d catch folks either out or back, it’s a steep climb.
Used today’s local run to fix my mental before Fall marathon season. Tagged a runner at mile 6, closed the gap on Aquarius Hill. Lost him again on the downhill. A mile from the Finish I generally fade (mental lapse)…but not this day. Half-mile upgrade, stuck close & pushed past. Hitting pavement tenth-mile to go, sprinted to the Finish.
Improved my Coal Creek PR by 5 minutes, 34th overall. Good day 🙂
1428 K R Haga Louisville CO 1:24:07
Quick shower, change of clothes, packed the Prius. Tomorrow’s 14er goal: Mount Massive (3rd highest in the continental U.S.)
Whole lotta traffic on I-70 (holiday weekend parking lot). Arrived in Leadville at 3pm, two hours to see the National Mining Museum. I’m a FAN of minerals & big rocks – add history to the mix & I’m well entertained ‘til closing time. LOL>
Quick walk downtown, grocery store provisions, then 11 miles over dirt road, past Halfmoon Campground to Mount Massive Trailhead.
Pulled out the sleeping bag, downed a tub of hummus, kicked back & counted stars. Goodnight Moon.
-
- I-70 holiday parking lot
-
- tucked off Highway 24 in Leadville CO
-
- dedicated to the three Argall women in mining
-
- mining claim, issued when Colorado was still a Territory
-
- quartz crystal wall removed from Idarado Mine near Telluride
-
- iron pyrite from Colorado’s oldest mine, the Eagle Mine at Gilman
-
- built in 1879 by Horace Tabor (Leadville’s Silver King)
-
- sleeping bag, hummus & stars
Over my Quest, have been asked: what’s your favourite race? Previously kinda limped thru a response: “every state is different…”
Mesa Falls‘ (Ashton ID) high on my list (scenic Targhee National Forest start); also, rank Grandma’s (Duluth MN) near the top – my first sub-4, foggy cool drizzle along Lake Superior in mid-June, amazing crowd support.
Got a solid answer after today’s run – favourite 50 State Marathon: Crater Lake Marathon in Oregon.
Always strong in the mountains. Felt the morning cold blow, wind blasting over the Lake. Stood strong. Watched the sunrise peek over majestic Crater Lake. Nothing like it, truly spectacular.
Low key 730am start – ok, go. Eased into the first 3 miles, relatively flat, few ups & downs. Was not fooled – knew hills were a comin’. Researched this run in advance (altitude range 5,980 to 7,850 feet); would be my most challenging marathon to date.
Steady 5-mile climb near mile 8 – no relief…slight, medium or steep – but all grades UP as we climbed the top of the Rim.
Found hills to be an age equalizer. On each climb, I’d pass young guns walking the upticks. Every downgrade, they’d fly past my heavy legs. Mile 19, mile 21 – UP again. Tagged two runners (Michigan & Jersey) miles 22 & 23, and soaked in my surroundings – HUGE ponderosa pine & sunshine. Heat kicked in, eyes salt-burned but flying on adrenaline this day.
Have never experienced such a beautiful run – literally ran Start to Finish in a National Park. Whatta journey! Still appreciate my other state experiences – but telling ya, Crater Lake is unmatched, really something special.
Slowed on the cruel 2-mile finish UP but did not stop, did not walk – I stayed strong.
Breathing laboured & heavy, volunteers at mile 26 promised the last 2-tenths were flat…and straight ahead. Crossed with a smile on my face. Planted on a nearby tree stump — no fancy Finish digs, my 36th state finish.
Most challenging, most rewarding run ever. FANNN-FRICKIN-TASTIC day!
2015 Marathon
1 Sergio Morales, 2:53:38; 2 Gary Krugger, 2:53:38; 3 Kyle Hall, 3:07:38; 4 Stephanie Cooke, 3:32:52; 5 Richters Warnick, 3:37:46; 6 Scott Schwasnick, 3:39:59; 7 Mark Albanese, 3:40:44; 8 Jonathan Seiber, 3:43:53; 9 Thomas Hallberg, 3:49:59; 10 Angela Wells, 3:51:44; 11 Micah Harpel, 3:53:38; 12 Jeffrey Schulte, 3:57:34; 13 Stephen Guynn, 3:58:45; 14 Timothy Hamn, 4:00:31; 15 Josh Wood, 4:01:10; 16 Alyssa Bowers, 4:01:24; 17 Beth Henderson, 4:04:58; 18 Geoffrey Rabie, 4:06:01; 19 Paul Andrews 4:07:00; 20 Jessica Armstrong, 4:07:15; 21 Ryan Stansfield, 4:07:49; 22 Jennifer Arrowsmith, 4:07:49; 23 Aaron John, 4:10:43; 24 Darryn Zawitz, 4:17:25; 25 Tobin Turner, 4:17:40; 26 Joe Binevento, 4:19:58; 27 Jonathan Richards, 4:19:40; 28 James Salge, 4:20:17; 29 Adam John, 4:23:07; 30 Louis Pahnke, 4:25:02; 31 K R Haga, 4:25:39; 32 Irwin Hosea, 4:25:49; 33 Gerald King, 4:32:17; 34 Jeni Hous, 4:34:37;
Hiked Mount Hood, trail ran Warm Springs, marathoned Crater Lake Nat’l Park – leaving a HUGE fan of Oregon.
-
- Finished 31st overall – WOW! Bring on the hills, STRONG today. Everything’s clicking – mountains & marathoning…perfect combo!
-
- “Like No Place Else On Earth”
-
- multiple forest fires ablaze, 30 miles away
-
- towering Ponderosa pines (mile 22, 23 & 24) – INSPIRED!
-
- The Pinnacles (mile 25)
-
- warm finish: eyes burned, salt collected ’round my glasses
Best way to celebrate Colorado Day? Outdoors of course 🙂
On August 1, 1876, president Ulysses S. Grant signed a proclamation admitting Colorado as a state. Colorado Day was celebrated as a state holiday on August 1 for many years, and then was moved to the first Monday in August. The day no longer became a public holiday, but rather an observance, when the state started observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a public holiday in 1985.
Started the day with an early hour-half drive to Estes Park. Rocky Mountain Half Marathon, my first Half in 18 months. 6am Gun time – something special about racing pre-dawn, settling into pace, then experience sunrise.
Circled Estes Lake. Mile 2 jammed up on the running path – lotta runners, maybe 2 across possible. Picked up pace & caught the 1:50 racers.
Mile 4 thru 8 – UP. Elevation AND incline – but no negativity this day. I dug in, held pace & picked off tens of runners walking the last mile up.
Miles 9, 10 & 11 – big smile. Ripped DOWN (rare for me, generally I pull up, hold back).
UP again at mile 12 to the Stanley, then finished flat to the Fairgrounds. (Kinda weird ending – passed a ‘3’ which we all assumed was mile 13…but that happened another half mile later, then the final tenth mile was actually .3 miles. Not a deal breaker but I went out fast, far too early.)
Good day. 13.1 miles, half the distance – nice to have some gas left in the tank.
Hills & altitude – my new favourite combo. Finding hills to be an age equalizer.
Bib Name City Chip Time Division Place
327 K R Haga Louisville CO 1:52:21 6
Rocky Mountain Nat’l Park – Planned to re-hike Black Lake, hadn’t been in 3 years (2012 challenge: 52 weeks, 52 hikes). 9am in the Park but couldn’t find parking, even RMNP’s Park N Ride advised to come back at 2pm. Seriously? (Easy to get frustrated with summer tourist season but learning to share the love. National Parks are OUR parks as Americans – all Americans, no discrimination.)
Snuck the Prius in Moraine Park campground & hiked the extra mile to Cub Lake trailhead. Not a lotta trees in the meadow (Fern Lake fire burned most in 2012). Temps soon soared near 90, warm day. Last mile forested, blanketed in wildflowers 🙂
Cub Lake – pulled off my shoes & soaked. Lily pads, 2 ducks, dragonflies, small blue fish. Nibble, nibble, BITE. Hey, that’s no fish – pulled off a blood-sucking leech attached to my foot. ‘Nough soaking, hiked back – 4.6 miles total.
½ marathon run followed by a Nat’l Park hike. Colorado Day done? Nope, not yet.
-
- a well lived life
Othello
Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Boulder) – 8pm curtain time, biggest concern was sleep deprivation. Half-moon outdoor arena, center aisle seat, Flatirons sunset, temps in the low 70’s – yep, pretty much PERFECT.
From the opening dialogue, was hooked.
Iago couldn’t have been more sinister, nor Othello more tormented. Acting from these 2 overshadowed all other players. Othello a North African Moor, interracial marriage – and Iago’s sheer cunning to drive noble Othello mad.
NOT the Shakespeare of my youth. Far exceeded all expectations – I’ll be back next summer. FAANNN-frickin-TASTIC!
Colorado Day, day after? Sleep 🙂
