I have to admit, I was extremely apprehensive about running the race this morning due to the nasty weather forecast, but the 47 names on my back, and their spirits, lifted me up in the end and carried me to the top in a time I never expected.
It was extremely emotional at the top for me as I thought about my shirt, the names on it and the stories behind every one of them. I found my eyes welling up and a lump in my throat numerous times and unable to speak. I thought about my friend Serv Gonsalves whom this all started for, and others like my father-in-law George Strolin, John Bocko, Carroll Kenny and Paul Pinette who lost their battles. I also thought about people like Mikey Czech, Janice Whiteley, Regina Barcello and my cousin Darryl who are firecely battling cancer today; and about my Mom (Barbara), Nancy Olofson and Faith Sheehan among others who are survivors whom we can celebrbate life with every day.
Today was about not letting tall odds deter me from bringing the memories of your loved ones to the summit of Pike's Peak as I promised because cancer doesn't slow down either. Your loved ones actually made it to the summit of PP twice because I wore the jersey during our hike to the top last week as well.
LiveSTRONG my friends! I am still... running for other people's lives!
Next up... the Boston Marathon...
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Pike's Peak Ascent - Race Day
It's race day at 5:15 pm in Manitou Springs, CO. It is raining as it has all day in the historic town at the base of Pike's Peak and the Pike's Peak Ascent is now history but let me back up 13 hours.
I got up at 4:30am after a VERY restless night's sleep. I could hear the rain pouring down outside all night a that meant that there was snow on the hallowed mountain up in the alpine regions. I had fretted all day yesterday and all night about what I would wear, what I would carry, and would it be the right combination. It was very difficult deciding what to wear. Many hardcore runners swore all that was needed were shorts, a long-sleeve technical shirt and a wind/rain shell. I chose to use my Scouting experience and survival knowledge to help me decide.
The weather was scheduled for 52 degrees in Manitou Springs at race time (7am) and steady rain while the summit would be in the 30s and snowy until 10am and then turn over to rain with 25MPH winds. I decided to wear my winter tights, my underarmor cold gear shirt and my sleeveless race shirt over that and when needed put on my waterproof/breathable rain shell. I forgot to pack my gloves and ski hat back in good ol' Monroe, so I had to go out and buy them. Since it is normally quite hot in this region, gloves and winter hats were almost impossible to find. I bought some hunting cammoflaged fleece gloves and a totally ugly ski hat that was about the only one I could find. I also decided to wear my micro-pack which I often use for trail running so that I could hold my rain jacket, my ski hat, my gloves, some toilet paper (for emergencies) and my sports nutrition gels.
I ate breakfast by 5am, checked the weather forecast one more time (it really didn't change), and my support team (A.K.A. family) and I were headed for the starting line for a 6:30 drop off.
At race time the rain picked up and it was a steady rain as me and 2,000 of my closest running buddies took off for the summit! Wahoo! It was great to get going after all the stress of the last few days waiting for it to finally come! Since the rain was hard, I started the race with my rain jacket on and never removed it.
I saw my family at the turn from the road we started on to Ruxton Avenue towards the Barr trail and gave a HUGE wave before disappearing up the mountain. From here it was a relative blur for a while... in the early stages of the Barr trail it was like a cattle corral, especially at the switchbacks. Running and passing in these areas was very hard but I was keeping up a good pace that was actually faster than my goal pace. I had hoped, way back when, to finish in 3 hours and 50 minutes but with the nasty weather predictions I had completely given hope for that time and was just hoping to get up to the summit before the cutoff time since if you miss the cutoff you don't even get your race shirt since it says "Pike's Peak Ascent Finisher."
I took my time and ran comfortably in the "W's" which is a 3-mile series of steep switchbacks that is nortorious for crushing overly-eager runners who later bonk in the high altitudes above the treeline.
At the virtual half-way point, Barr Camp, (it's virtual because its not the half-way point in distance but half-way in effort) I was actually about 15 minutes ahead of my split for my goal of 3:50. They say "smart runners know that the race really starts at Barr Camp and really smart runners know that the race starts at the treeline" so I was off to the start of the real race from the treeline at 12,000 feet and then on to the summit. When I neared the treeline, the CO Search and Rescue teams told us that it was pellet sized sleet above us and I decided to switch from my bandana to my ugly ski hat and to get my gloves on. The weather changed fast! It was wicked and the original forecast had changed... instead of changing to rain by 10am, it had actually gotten colder and hail, pellet-sized sleet and thunder snow driven by 25MPH steady winds greeted us.
Some fools were out in shorts, long-sleeved shirts/nylon shells and trash bags pulled over them and they were in real danger. Many were running in shoes meant for road racing and were slipping and falling on the snow and ice. I was never so happy to have listened to my inner voice and prepared. I was wet and chilly but I was also as prepared as anyone, hydrating, eating my gels and in good shape.
The clouds were close in around us and you could only see a few hundred feet away so I guess that was good since I couldn't see how far away the summit still was above me. I hit the 3 miles to go sign and felt good. One guy was in real trouble since he had not brought nourishment and was bonking... since I felt fine I gave him 2 of my GUs to help him out and kept going. I hit the 2 miles to go sign and was getting very cold... my hands were numb and my legs were getting rubbery but I was still making decent time. The ice and snow made it hard to pass people and many were in trances from the cold and could not even respond to your requests to move out of the way. The thunder snow over our heads provided a good motivation to get the heck out of there!
I got to the "16 Golden Steps" which was about 1/3 of a mile from the finish... these 16 steps are actually 32 rocky, steep, nasty switchbacks just before the summit and they break many people. I was pushing forward but I had a line of frozen bodies in front of me moving at a glacially slow pace and it was nearly impossible to pass with steep rocky slopes both above and below the trail so I had to instead resort to motivating the guys to go faster in front of me so I could go faster too. Some appreciated it, some didn't because they were dead men walking. I managed to get by a few of the dead men walking and came across the finish line in 3 hours and 45 minutes! Wow, I never imagined that was possible given the conditions!
I got my finisher medal and my shirt (it's REALLY nice!) and found Jan, Derek and Erica in the fog and sleet. When I got inside I realized that I too was bordeline hypothermic and had started to shake, had no fine motor control in my hands but was just pumped from the experience! Then I was treated to a really cool show of love and support from Jan, Derek and Erica who held up 3 placards which said on one side (when held up together) "Go Dad Go" and "We Are SO Proud" on the other side which really choked me up. They have been SO very supportive in this journey and really propped me up at the end when my confidence was faltering. I am the luckiest Dad and Husband in the world!
I put on my heavy jacket and headed outside to take my obligatory pictures at the summit. I can't vouch for the quality of the pictures however because I was shking so much the signs are probaly blurred and the sleet probably messed up the camera lens but I will post those pictures on the web site in the next few days. You'll notice the PP summit sign is crusted with snow and ice in mid-August.
The van ride down from the summit was an adventure as well! We were stuck for a while until snow plows could clear the ice from the road and I had to split up from my family to get the vans filled to capacity before they could head down. It was slow going and one plow had skidded off the road which held the vans up. Our car was parked at "Devil's Playground" which was 4 miles below the summit. They call it Devil's playground becaused of the way the lightning dances from rock to rock in that area during storms... yikes!
Epilogue...
It turned out that they closed the course and started turning all people back at the treeline about an hour after I passed through that area due to the dangerous conditions up top. 2,000 runners checked in, some bailed out due to the weather and did not even start the race, and only about 750 actually finished the race. I came in 297th, not bad.
I do feel bad, those that were turned back at the treeline (almost 9 miles up the trail) do not get shirts or medals because they did not finish. But we all knew the rules before we started.
I got up at 4:30am after a VERY restless night's sleep. I could hear the rain pouring down outside all night a that meant that there was snow on the hallowed mountain up in the alpine regions. I had fretted all day yesterday and all night about what I would wear, what I would carry, and would it be the right combination. It was very difficult deciding what to wear. Many hardcore runners swore all that was needed were shorts, a long-sleeve technical shirt and a wind/rain shell. I chose to use my Scouting experience and survival knowledge to help me decide.
The weather was scheduled for 52 degrees in Manitou Springs at race time (7am) and steady rain while the summit would be in the 30s and snowy until 10am and then turn over to rain with 25MPH winds. I decided to wear my winter tights, my underarmor cold gear shirt and my sleeveless race shirt over that and when needed put on my waterproof/breathable rain shell. I forgot to pack my gloves and ski hat back in good ol' Monroe, so I had to go out and buy them. Since it is normally quite hot in this region, gloves and winter hats were almost impossible to find. I bought some hunting cammoflaged fleece gloves and a totally ugly ski hat that was about the only one I could find. I also decided to wear my micro-pack which I often use for trail running so that I could hold my rain jacket, my ski hat, my gloves, some toilet paper (for emergencies) and my sports nutrition gels.
I ate breakfast by 5am, checked the weather forecast one more time (it really didn't change), and my support team (A.K.A. family) and I were headed for the starting line for a 6:30 drop off.
At race time the rain picked up and it was a steady rain as me and 2,000 of my closest running buddies took off for the summit! Wahoo! It was great to get going after all the stress of the last few days waiting for it to finally come! Since the rain was hard, I started the race with my rain jacket on and never removed it.
I saw my family at the turn from the road we started on to Ruxton Avenue towards the Barr trail and gave a HUGE wave before disappearing up the mountain. From here it was a relative blur for a while... in the early stages of the Barr trail it was like a cattle corral, especially at the switchbacks. Running and passing in these areas was very hard but I was keeping up a good pace that was actually faster than my goal pace. I had hoped, way back when, to finish in 3 hours and 50 minutes but with the nasty weather predictions I had completely given hope for that time and was just hoping to get up to the summit before the cutoff time since if you miss the cutoff you don't even get your race shirt since it says "Pike's Peak Ascent Finisher."
I took my time and ran comfortably in the "W's" which is a 3-mile series of steep switchbacks that is nortorious for crushing overly-eager runners who later bonk in the high altitudes above the treeline.
At the virtual half-way point, Barr Camp, (it's virtual because its not the half-way point in distance but half-way in effort) I was actually about 15 minutes ahead of my split for my goal of 3:50. They say "smart runners know that the race really starts at Barr Camp and really smart runners know that the race starts at the treeline" so I was off to the start of the real race from the treeline at 12,000 feet and then on to the summit. When I neared the treeline, the CO Search and Rescue teams told us that it was pellet sized sleet above us and I decided to switch from my bandana to my ugly ski hat and to get my gloves on. The weather changed fast! It was wicked and the original forecast had changed... instead of changing to rain by 10am, it had actually gotten colder and hail, pellet-sized sleet and thunder snow driven by 25MPH steady winds greeted us.
Some fools were out in shorts, long-sleeved shirts/nylon shells and trash bags pulled over them and they were in real danger. Many were running in shoes meant for road racing and were slipping and falling on the snow and ice. I was never so happy to have listened to my inner voice and prepared. I was wet and chilly but I was also as prepared as anyone, hydrating, eating my gels and in good shape.
The clouds were close in around us and you could only see a few hundred feet away so I guess that was good since I couldn't see how far away the summit still was above me. I hit the 3 miles to go sign and felt good. One guy was in real trouble since he had not brought nourishment and was bonking... since I felt fine I gave him 2 of my GUs to help him out and kept going. I hit the 2 miles to go sign and was getting very cold... my hands were numb and my legs were getting rubbery but I was still making decent time. The ice and snow made it hard to pass people and many were in trances from the cold and could not even respond to your requests to move out of the way. The thunder snow over our heads provided a good motivation to get the heck out of there!
I got to the "16 Golden Steps" which was about 1/3 of a mile from the finish... these 16 steps are actually 32 rocky, steep, nasty switchbacks just before the summit and they break many people. I was pushing forward but I had a line of frozen bodies in front of me moving at a glacially slow pace and it was nearly impossible to pass with steep rocky slopes both above and below the trail so I had to instead resort to motivating the guys to go faster in front of me so I could go faster too. Some appreciated it, some didn't because they were dead men walking. I managed to get by a few of the dead men walking and came across the finish line in 3 hours and 45 minutes! Wow, I never imagined that was possible given the conditions!
I got my finisher medal and my shirt (it's REALLY nice!) and found Jan, Derek and Erica in the fog and sleet. When I got inside I realized that I too was bordeline hypothermic and had started to shake, had no fine motor control in my hands but was just pumped from the experience! Then I was treated to a really cool show of love and support from Jan, Derek and Erica who held up 3 placards which said on one side (when held up together) "Go Dad Go" and "We Are SO Proud" on the other side which really choked me up. They have been SO very supportive in this journey and really propped me up at the end when my confidence was faltering. I am the luckiest Dad and Husband in the world!
I put on my heavy jacket and headed outside to take my obligatory pictures at the summit. I can't vouch for the quality of the pictures however because I was shking so much the signs are probaly blurred and the sleet probably messed up the camera lens but I will post those pictures on the web site in the next few days. You'll notice the PP summit sign is crusted with snow and ice in mid-August.
The van ride down from the summit was an adventure as well! We were stuck for a while until snow plows could clear the ice from the road and I had to split up from my family to get the vans filled to capacity before they could head down. It was slow going and one plow had skidded off the road which held the vans up. Our car was parked at "Devil's Playground" which was 4 miles below the summit. They call it Devil's playground becaused of the way the lightning dances from rock to rock in that area during storms... yikes!
Epilogue...
It turned out that they closed the course and started turning all people back at the treeline about an hour after I passed through that area due to the dangerous conditions up top. 2,000 runners checked in, some bailed out due to the weather and did not even start the race, and only about 750 actually finished the race. I came in 297th, not bad.
I do feel bad, those that were turned back at the treeline (almost 9 miles up the trail) do not get shirts or medals because they did not finish. But we all knew the rules before we started.
Friday, August 15, 2008
The day before the race!
Well my friends, this will be my last blog entry before the race... I'll try to write a quick one after the race just to let you know how it went before we head back to CT.
Today I got a bit of a slap in the face... the weather here has been quite nice and relatively warm the whole time. Though each day there are thunderstorm warnings, the actual storm is brief and has always been in the evening. This weekend is different, it has turned unseasonably cold today and is not supposed to rise above 55 degrees all weekend (Fri-Sun) and there will be continual rain all weekend in Manitou Springs. Pikes Peak summit is scheduled for even worse... tonight (Fri) it will have a low of 30 degrees with 3-5 inches of snow and tomorrow (race day) the high will be 36 with another inch of snow and 15-25 MPH cross winds above the treeline. That is just plain nasty! First I'll get soaked at the lower altitudes and then I'll be running in snow! I didn't quite plan for that so today we went out shopping for extra gear to help my survival chances ;-)
Despite this bad news on weather I actually feel better about the race today and my confidence is returning. I'm at the point now that I know the only way I won't get to the top is if they close the course early (which has happened a few times due to really bad weather at the summit). The real issue now is how to get my family safely up the mountain to see me finish and take the usual pictures at the top.
LiveSTRONG everyone! I'm headed for the summit!
Today I got a bit of a slap in the face... the weather here has been quite nice and relatively warm the whole time. Though each day there are thunderstorm warnings, the actual storm is brief and has always been in the evening. This weekend is different, it has turned unseasonably cold today and is not supposed to rise above 55 degrees all weekend (Fri-Sun) and there will be continual rain all weekend in Manitou Springs. Pikes Peak summit is scheduled for even worse... tonight (Fri) it will have a low of 30 degrees with 3-5 inches of snow and tomorrow (race day) the high will be 36 with another inch of snow and 15-25 MPH cross winds above the treeline. That is just plain nasty! First I'll get soaked at the lower altitudes and then I'll be running in snow! I didn't quite plan for that so today we went out shopping for extra gear to help my survival chances ;-)
Despite this bad news on weather I actually feel better about the race today and my confidence is returning. I'm at the point now that I know the only way I won't get to the top is if they close the course early (which has happened a few times due to really bad weather at the summit). The real issue now is how to get my family safely up the mountain to see me finish and take the usual pictures at the top.
LiveSTRONG everyone! I'm headed for the summit!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The "vacation" portion of our vacation
Yes this vacation definitely revolves around my race up Pike's Peak on the 16th, but its also a family vacation and we have had some really great times that are helping me periodically forget the race. If you aren't interested in our family fun you can pass on this blog entry, I'll understand.
On Saturday we went whitewater rafting on Clear Creek which in the Spring is a hardcore Class V run but in the Summer it is a little less frightening with non-stop Class III and IV rapids. We had a ball! We went over 3 different rapids that dropped up to 8 feet and the rest of the run was also pretty technical and filled with rough water and ice cold mountain water in the face. Our raft was pretty skilled, no one fell out and we did not get perched on a huge rock. Other rafts in our group were no so lucky. Some fell out, and two out of the 4 rafts got stuck really good on rocks in the whitewater. Our guide taught us a new move on the biggest 8' drop called "50/50" (50% of the time you flip the raft on this rapid, 50% of the time you don't) the move was called "train wreck." There is a huge boulder below the drop and many rafts try to steer around it and flip. We instead headed straight for it and at the last minute we all dropped into the middle of the raft as we crashed into the rock (Erica and I were in the front so we would be the casualties if it didn't work). It worked, the raft bounced off the boulder and then we all popped up and started paddling like mad as the raft bounced around the boulder. Quite fun but Erica and I got soaked by the 50 degree water splashing over the front of the raft! What a blast! Unfortunately though Derek said that our Scouting whitewater trips on the Deerfield river in MA will now seem kinda lame compared to this thrill ride :-)
Jan and Erica also went on a horse ride from the Breckenridge Stables the next day while Derek and I went for a run / hike. I get sore riding horses and I didn't want to be sore for the race so Jan took the bullet for me and went riding with Erica (what a great Mom!) Derek and I set off up the Breckenridge slopes, me running and he hiking and we decided we'd meet up as I ran back down. We did but we also decided to hike further up the mountain. It was a really great hike, not because of the views or the exercise but because we could just talk... and there aren't many of those opportunities available anymore for a Dad and a 16-year old. We talked about college, and likes/dislikes, and the fact that he loves the mountains out here so much that he may just consider a college option here in Colorado. Quality time is what family vacations are all about.
We rented Kayaks for an afternoon and went out on Dillon Lake, an alpine lake that is very cold... 37 degrees even in August! It was really fun, we all had our own kayaks and we paddled through an area with many little islands and inlets to explore as well as some passages that were barely 10 inches deep to slip through between islands.
The absolute best excursion though was our zip line adventure. It was a series of zip lines over a canyon west of Vail... 6 lines to be exact totalling more than a half mile of cable runs at over 200 feet above the canyon floor. It was SO fabulous. I'm not a person who likes heights but this didn't bother me a bit. Being hitched to a cable by a harness and a pulley and sailing across a canyon like a bird was so fun! I actually got stuck about 100 feet of the landing zone of the last line due to winds slowing me down and they had to come out and reel me in :-) I got a great video of the last 1,000 foot zip line ride as I flew down the length of the canyon, if you want to see it let me know but I can't post it, it is too large.
It's funny, even when we are relaxing with family time, I'm getting a workout in... there's not much about our vacations that have us just sitting around!
Stay tuned, we may do a mountain bike ride down Pike's Peak from the summit the day after the race!
On Saturday we went whitewater rafting on Clear Creek which in the Spring is a hardcore Class V run but in the Summer it is a little less frightening with non-stop Class III and IV rapids. We had a ball! We went over 3 different rapids that dropped up to 8 feet and the rest of the run was also pretty technical and filled with rough water and ice cold mountain water in the face. Our raft was pretty skilled, no one fell out and we did not get perched on a huge rock. Other rafts in our group were no so lucky. Some fell out, and two out of the 4 rafts got stuck really good on rocks in the whitewater. Our guide taught us a new move on the biggest 8' drop called "50/50" (50% of the time you flip the raft on this rapid, 50% of the time you don't) the move was called "train wreck." There is a huge boulder below the drop and many rafts try to steer around it and flip. We instead headed straight for it and at the last minute we all dropped into the middle of the raft as we crashed into the rock (Erica and I were in the front so we would be the casualties if it didn't work). It worked, the raft bounced off the boulder and then we all popped up and started paddling like mad as the raft bounced around the boulder. Quite fun but Erica and I got soaked by the 50 degree water splashing over the front of the raft! What a blast! Unfortunately though Derek said that our Scouting whitewater trips on the Deerfield river in MA will now seem kinda lame compared to this thrill ride :-)
Jan and Erica also went on a horse ride from the Breckenridge Stables the next day while Derek and I went for a run / hike. I get sore riding horses and I didn't want to be sore for the race so Jan took the bullet for me and went riding with Erica (what a great Mom!) Derek and I set off up the Breckenridge slopes, me running and he hiking and we decided we'd meet up as I ran back down. We did but we also decided to hike further up the mountain. It was a really great hike, not because of the views or the exercise but because we could just talk... and there aren't many of those opportunities available anymore for a Dad and a 16-year old. We talked about college, and likes/dislikes, and the fact that he loves the mountains out here so much that he may just consider a college option here in Colorado. Quality time is what family vacations are all about.
We rented Kayaks for an afternoon and went out on Dillon Lake, an alpine lake that is very cold... 37 degrees even in August! It was really fun, we all had our own kayaks and we paddled through an area with many little islands and inlets to explore as well as some passages that were barely 10 inches deep to slip through between islands.
The absolute best excursion though was our zip line adventure. It was a series of zip lines over a canyon west of Vail... 6 lines to be exact totalling more than a half mile of cable runs at over 200 feet above the canyon floor. It was SO fabulous. I'm not a person who likes heights but this didn't bother me a bit. Being hitched to a cable by a harness and a pulley and sailing across a canyon like a bird was so fun! I actually got stuck about 100 feet of the landing zone of the last line due to winds slowing me down and they had to come out and reel me in :-) I got a great video of the last 1,000 foot zip line ride as I flew down the length of the canyon, if you want to see it let me know but I can't post it, it is too large.
It's funny, even when we are relaxing with family time, I'm getting a workout in... there's not much about our vacations that have us just sitting around!
Stay tuned, we may do a mountain bike ride down Pike's Peak from the summit the day after the race!
The final workouts
I'm about at the end of my long road to the Pike's Peak Ascent. This week I have performed my last few "real" workouts and now am in coast mode to the big day.
Breckenridge was a great place to spend the better part of a week before the race since it sits at 9,700 feet above sea level, which gave me some much needed time acclimating to the altitude. I have spent a few days at 6,500, a few days at 5,200 and a bunch of days at 9,500 to 14,000 feet. I'm not acclimated but I hope am in better shape than if I just showed up out here to run the race from good ol' Monroe at about 75 feet. I actually feel the altitude more when relaxing than when running or doing my strength training.
I wabbled between very diverse feelings all week... first I feel like I will never be in better shape to run this race, I've trained so hard that I should be able to turn in a respectable time; second I am wracked with feelings of inadequacy and fear that I will collapse under the stress of such a long, steep race in rarified air. I dwell a whole lot on what could go wrong and think about it all the time right now which at times takes away from the fun we are having on vacation (more on that later).
My training has actually been encouraging... I ran (and walked briskly) up to 10,800 feet on the ski slopes of Breckenridge Tuesday for about 4.5 miles and felt pretty good though the steep hill sections really hurt my lungs and that's why I walked at times. I ran about 3.5 miles Sunday at Breckenridge including a cruise around town and then up the ski slopes to about 10,100 feet and felt strong as well as maintaining a pace of about 10 minute miles which is way faster than my goal pace for the race and at altitude to boot. I did some work on a treadmill in the resort two different nights where I felt very strong and ran at a 13.5% incline (as steep as the steepest 3-mile section averages on PP) at faster than goal pace at 9,700 feet so that too was good and encouraging. Today I did about 5 easy miles... the whole first half was all downhill and the second half was all uphill at about 9,600 feet and at a very good 8:20 per mile pace (my goal pace for PP is about 20:00 to finish under 4 hours).
So given all that positive training and I should feel great right now right? Nope. I have never been so nervous about a race... I have never second guessed myself so much about my abilities... I have never taken on such a physically tough challenge; and now it has become totally mental. I now have to get my PMA (positive mental attitude) back!
Breckenridge was a great place to spend the better part of a week before the race since it sits at 9,700 feet above sea level, which gave me some much needed time acclimating to the altitude. I have spent a few days at 6,500, a few days at 5,200 and a bunch of days at 9,500 to 14,000 feet. I'm not acclimated but I hope am in better shape than if I just showed up out here to run the race from good ol' Monroe at about 75 feet. I actually feel the altitude more when relaxing than when running or doing my strength training.
I wabbled between very diverse feelings all week... first I feel like I will never be in better shape to run this race, I've trained so hard that I should be able to turn in a respectable time; second I am wracked with feelings of inadequacy and fear that I will collapse under the stress of such a long, steep race in rarified air. I dwell a whole lot on what could go wrong and think about it all the time right now which at times takes away from the fun we are having on vacation (more on that later).
My training has actually been encouraging... I ran (and walked briskly) up to 10,800 feet on the ski slopes of Breckenridge Tuesday for about 4.5 miles and felt pretty good though the steep hill sections really hurt my lungs and that's why I walked at times. I ran about 3.5 miles Sunday at Breckenridge including a cruise around town and then up the ski slopes to about 10,100 feet and felt strong as well as maintaining a pace of about 10 minute miles which is way faster than my goal pace for the race and at altitude to boot. I did some work on a treadmill in the resort two different nights where I felt very strong and ran at a 13.5% incline (as steep as the steepest 3-mile section averages on PP) at faster than goal pace at 9,700 feet so that too was good and encouraging. Today I did about 5 easy miles... the whole first half was all downhill and the second half was all uphill at about 9,600 feet and at a very good 8:20 per mile pace (my goal pace for PP is about 20:00 to finish under 4 hours).
So given all that positive training and I should feel great right now right? Nope. I have never been so nervous about a race... I have never second guessed myself so much about my abilities... I have never taken on such a physically tough challenge; and now it has become totally mental. I now have to get my PMA (positive mental attitude) back!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Hiking Barr Trail to Pike's Peak to scout it out
Last Thursday morning we got up and drove to the Barr Trail trail head. We parked the car and bought our tickets for the ride down from the summit on the Cog Railroad. Our plans were to start at the 6,800 foot trailhead and hike to the Barr Camp at 10,200 feet 6.5 miles up the trail on day one. Day two we would climb another 4,000 feet of altitude over 6 miles to the summit and take the cog railroad back down. The cog railroad station at the base is only about 1/4 mile from the trail head.
We set off up the trail knowing that heavy rain storms were coming in late in the afternoon so we needed to be crisp and make it to the camp on time. It was sunny and warm. We quickly learned why "the Ws" as they call them is the single hardest section of the race. It is 3 miles on constant switchbacks up a very steep "foothill" of Pikes Peak. We came out of the Ws and entered a more reasonable section that was heavily forrested with pine and aspen groves. We decided to sit down and have lunch as it started to rain. We put our rain gear on, had our meals and headed on up the trail but I was nervous that the nasty thunder storms predicted would come over the mountain before we could get to the camp. We talked about what our point of no return would be so we could decide if we should turn back for safety reasons. The rain subsided luckily and we continued on up to the cabin which was a welcome sight.
Barr Camp is a cool little cabin with a sitting room area and a bunk house with just a row of bunks separated by nothing... just mattress pad to mattress pad. No heat, no electricity, no running water. They had gas lights inside and we could filter water outside at Cabin Creek. It was really nice to sit back and talk to the other hikers camping in the site for the rest of the afternoon and evening. We met Yvonne and Matt Carpenter there while Matt is training for the race as well. Matt is the God of this race, he owns just about every record for it including the all-time fastest time up the mountain in 2 hours and 8 minutes. The caretakers of the camp made dinner for us all and we enjoyed spaghetti and home-baked "switch back bread" that was delicious! We turned in early so that we could be on the trail early the next morning. Our hosts again treated us all to "Pikes Peak Power Pancackes" the next morning before we set off.
The second day we were running against a tight schedule... we had to catch a specific train at the top because we were forced to buy round trip tickets at the bottom for a specific round trip and tickets are non-refundable and non-transferrable. That means that if you miss your train you lose all your money and the tickets ain't cheap! Our second day was tougher yet staring at 10,200 feet. The trail wasn't really steep in the forest but the footing was hard. There were large step-ups over the many, many water bars and it saps your quad strength. We finally came to the A-frame (lean-to) at the treeline which was a big milestone because it meant we had 3.5 miles to go to the summit. Above treeline we know had no protection from the weather. It was beautiful, we had clouds BELOW us covering the valleys and some threatening clouds above us. The going was now slow, it was all switchbacks from here on as we ascended the worlds largest rock pile. We enjoyed a gormet lunch of fruit and spam, summer sausage and cheese on crackers :-) Plenty of carbs and energy from the starch, fat and sugar for the final push.
Rain came on us fast and before we knew we were in a rain squall with no cover. We pulled out our full rain suits and by the time we got them on, the rain had subsided (figures). From the 2 mile to go sign it was hard going, from the 1 mile sign it was really hard but when we hit the sign for the "16 Golden Steps" it was sheer torture! The steps are 32 very short and steep switchbacks with huge rocks and big step ups that tear apart any positive mental attitude you have left. We celebrated in a tired sort of way at the summit but rain was coming in and the temp was dropping so our only focus was to get on the train and get off the mountain to rest.
I hiked up the mountain with a pack without any issues but I am now having a very difficult time visualizing how I will run up it, not only in a single day but in 4 hours as I hope to do. It's all so daunting. I'm aguably in the best shape of my life but I'm not sure it's good enough. I will have to find some new motivation before next Saturday at 7:30am mountain time.
What I can say is I have never been more proud of my family. They all have humored me and hiked lengths and heights that we have never done before in our lives. Jan and Erica, who do not have the hiking experience of Derek and I, were phenominal! Tired yes, but willing to cry uncle, not a chance! I have such an awesome family! I'll get my pictures posted to the web site tomorrow night hopefully.
LiveSTRONG my friends... I am Running for Other People's Lives!
We set off up the trail knowing that heavy rain storms were coming in late in the afternoon so we needed to be crisp and make it to the camp on time. It was sunny and warm. We quickly learned why "the Ws" as they call them is the single hardest section of the race. It is 3 miles on constant switchbacks up a very steep "foothill" of Pikes Peak. We came out of the Ws and entered a more reasonable section that was heavily forrested with pine and aspen groves. We decided to sit down and have lunch as it started to rain. We put our rain gear on, had our meals and headed on up the trail but I was nervous that the nasty thunder storms predicted would come over the mountain before we could get to the camp. We talked about what our point of no return would be so we could decide if we should turn back for safety reasons. The rain subsided luckily and we continued on up to the cabin which was a welcome sight.
Barr Camp is a cool little cabin with a sitting room area and a bunk house with just a row of bunks separated by nothing... just mattress pad to mattress pad. No heat, no electricity, no running water. They had gas lights inside and we could filter water outside at Cabin Creek. It was really nice to sit back and talk to the other hikers camping in the site for the rest of the afternoon and evening. We met Yvonne and Matt Carpenter there while Matt is training for the race as well. Matt is the God of this race, he owns just about every record for it including the all-time fastest time up the mountain in 2 hours and 8 minutes. The caretakers of the camp made dinner for us all and we enjoyed spaghetti and home-baked "switch back bread" that was delicious! We turned in early so that we could be on the trail early the next morning. Our hosts again treated us all to "Pikes Peak Power Pancackes" the next morning before we set off.
The second day we were running against a tight schedule... we had to catch a specific train at the top because we were forced to buy round trip tickets at the bottom for a specific round trip and tickets are non-refundable and non-transferrable. That means that if you miss your train you lose all your money and the tickets ain't cheap! Our second day was tougher yet staring at 10,200 feet. The trail wasn't really steep in the forest but the footing was hard. There were large step-ups over the many, many water bars and it saps your quad strength. We finally came to the A-frame (lean-to) at the treeline which was a big milestone because it meant we had 3.5 miles to go to the summit. Above treeline we know had no protection from the weather. It was beautiful, we had clouds BELOW us covering the valleys and some threatening clouds above us. The going was now slow, it was all switchbacks from here on as we ascended the worlds largest rock pile. We enjoyed a gormet lunch of fruit and spam, summer sausage and cheese on crackers :-) Plenty of carbs and energy from the starch, fat and sugar for the final push.
Rain came on us fast and before we knew we were in a rain squall with no cover. We pulled out our full rain suits and by the time we got them on, the rain had subsided (figures). From the 2 mile to go sign it was hard going, from the 1 mile sign it was really hard but when we hit the sign for the "16 Golden Steps" it was sheer torture! The steps are 32 very short and steep switchbacks with huge rocks and big step ups that tear apart any positive mental attitude you have left. We celebrated in a tired sort of way at the summit but rain was coming in and the temp was dropping so our only focus was to get on the train and get off the mountain to rest.
I hiked up the mountain with a pack without any issues but I am now having a very difficult time visualizing how I will run up it, not only in a single day but in 4 hours as I hope to do. It's all so daunting. I'm aguably in the best shape of my life but I'm not sure it's good enough. I will have to find some new motivation before next Saturday at 7:30am mountain time.
What I can say is I have never been more proud of my family. They all have humored me and hiked lengths and heights that we have never done before in our lives. Jan and Erica, who do not have the hiking experience of Derek and I, were phenominal! Tired yes, but willing to cry uncle, not a chance! I have such an awesome family! I'll get my pictures posted to the web site tomorrow night hopefully.
LiveSTRONG my friends... I am Running for Other People's Lives!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Hello from Colorado!
We've been here in CO now for 4 days. In that time I have run The Incline and climbed Pike's Peak with a 40 lb pack on my back for some training and 411. What I can say after these first 4 days is that I am hugely intimidated and have no idea how I will find it in me to actually RUN up Pike's Peak in less than 4 hours.
When we arrived on Wednesday we drove over to Manitou Springs from our hotel before the rain came in that evening so that I could run up The Incline. For those who didn't read my earlier blog entry, the Incline is an abandoned incline railway route up the side of Mt Manitou. It used to run a car up what was considered the steepest incline railway in the world at a 45 degree incline. It is .9 miles in length and gains 2,000 feet in altitude in that short time. I ran it once and my legs were burning and my lungs were searing in the altitude at the top of 8,500 feet. I ran up it in just under 30 minutes which I think is respectable... the unofficial record is about 17 minutes. Olympic athletes from the US training center in Colorado Springs run it all the time for their training and they say it takes up to a week to recover from the workout since it is so hard on the body. I didn't know that but was glad to find that out because I was planning on running it again next Thursday when I got back into Manitou Springs for the race on Saturday. I'll post pictures from both the bottom and the top that I took that day... it is downright scary lokking down it from the top! As I was decending I tripped and almost fell down it forwards which would have been disasterous. Instead I sat back and landed on my butt just adding a few more scrapes to my already beaten up and bruised legs from many weeks of trail running :-)
I have decided to break this blog entry up since I felt it was rather long. There is now a new entry in here for our scouting mission up Pikes Peak so I know what insanity I'm in for :-(
When we arrived on Wednesday we drove over to Manitou Springs from our hotel before the rain came in that evening so that I could run up The Incline. For those who didn't read my earlier blog entry, the Incline is an abandoned incline railway route up the side of Mt Manitou. It used to run a car up what was considered the steepest incline railway in the world at a 45 degree incline. It is .9 miles in length and gains 2,000 feet in altitude in that short time. I ran it once and my legs were burning and my lungs were searing in the altitude at the top of 8,500 feet. I ran up it in just under 30 minutes which I think is respectable... the unofficial record is about 17 minutes. Olympic athletes from the US training center in Colorado Springs run it all the time for their training and they say it takes up to a week to recover from the workout since it is so hard on the body. I didn't know that but was glad to find that out because I was planning on running it again next Thursday when I got back into Manitou Springs for the race on Saturday. I'll post pictures from both the bottom and the top that I took that day... it is downright scary lokking down it from the top! As I was decending I tripped and almost fell down it forwards which would have been disasterous. Instead I sat back and landed on my butt just adding a few more scrapes to my already beaten up and bruised legs from many weeks of trail running :-)
I have decided to break this blog entry up since I felt it was rather long. There is now a new entry in here for our scouting mission up Pikes Peak so I know what insanity I'm in for :-(
Monday, August 4, 2008
Under 2 weeks to go!
I am now officially nervous about what I have undertaken! It is Tuesday, August 5th and this is the last real week of workouts I have before the run itself. As much as I have prepared, I have a fear that I have not prepared nearly as much as I need to for this run and I won't really understand that fully until next Saturday. I have a speed workout today and then tomorrow is a fun workout when I arrive in Colorado Springs... I am running the "Incline." If you never heard of it, check out this link: http://www.stevegarufi.com/manitouincline.htm it is a 1 mile set of stairs up the side of Mt Manitou and it gains 2,000 feet of altitude in that 1 mile. Olympians from the Olympic Training center in Colorado Springs frequent it and it is supposedly one of the most brutal workouts you can imagine so it'll be a fun hill workout in the last week before my taper :-)
At this time I have raised over $3,200 which is well more than I had originally set as my goal so I want to thank every one of you who has contributed to my journey! For those who are still hoping to contribute, I will be happy to accept contributions through the end of August but I have officially sent my shirt off to the printer so I cannot add any more memorials to it. You can send a check or use PayPal from my web site... the address for checks can be found on my web site as well.
Today has been crazy! I have been running around while finishing all of my work (I do have to make a living still) and doing con calls while driving and walking through EMS. I spent hours last night creating the iron-ons for my final shirt and trimming them so that my shirt still was able to breathe properly and then this morning while ironing them on before work found out that a defective iron on was in the mix and it ruined my shirt! My saintly wife Jan ran out today and bought more iron-ons, and a trimming knife since I was out of both and I'll have to redo one last emergency shirt tonight before we leave for the airport.
You may be asking yourself... "If Scott just sent his shirts to the professional printer, why is he making another one by hand?" That is an excellent question! The answer is, because of Mr Murphy! He always has a way of messing up my plans and if I didn't make one by hand then either the printer would have a major issue that could not be resolved while I am away, or FedEx would lose the shirts after the printer ships them to my hotel in CO or the hotel refuses the shipment or the hotel loses them or FedEx ruins the package... you get the picture. I am hand carrying my emergency shirt with me! The printer is printing a sleeveless and a long sleeve for me and shirts for all of my crew (A.K.A. family) too.
I will be adding blog entries while I am in CO but it will be whenever I have internet access. I will also be adding pictures to my web site when I can. Hopefully we'll get some great pictures while hiking up Pike's Peak this Thu and Fri and camping on its upper slopes.
God bless you all for supporting my journey and taking interest in an old man's crazy adventure! I will write as often as I can so stay tuned for more news!
At this time I have raised over $3,200 which is well more than I had originally set as my goal so I want to thank every one of you who has contributed to my journey! For those who are still hoping to contribute, I will be happy to accept contributions through the end of August but I have officially sent my shirt off to the printer so I cannot add any more memorials to it. You can send a check or use PayPal from my web site... the address for checks can be found on my web site as well.
Today has been crazy! I have been running around while finishing all of my work (I do have to make a living still) and doing con calls while driving and walking through EMS. I spent hours last night creating the iron-ons for my final shirt and trimming them so that my shirt still was able to breathe properly and then this morning while ironing them on before work found out that a defective iron on was in the mix and it ruined my shirt! My saintly wife Jan ran out today and bought more iron-ons, and a trimming knife since I was out of both and I'll have to redo one last emergency shirt tonight before we leave for the airport.
You may be asking yourself... "If Scott just sent his shirts to the professional printer, why is he making another one by hand?" That is an excellent question! The answer is, because of Mr Murphy! He always has a way of messing up my plans and if I didn't make one by hand then either the printer would have a major issue that could not be resolved while I am away, or FedEx would lose the shirts after the printer ships them to my hotel in CO or the hotel refuses the shipment or the hotel loses them or FedEx ruins the package... you get the picture. I am hand carrying my emergency shirt with me! The printer is printing a sleeveless and a long sleeve for me and shirts for all of my crew (A.K.A. family) too.
I will be adding blog entries while I am in CO but it will be whenever I have internet access. I will also be adding pictures to my web site when I can. Hopefully we'll get some great pictures while hiking up Pike's Peak this Thu and Fri and camping on its upper slopes.
God bless you all for supporting my journey and taking interest in an old man's crazy adventure! I will write as often as I can so stay tuned for more news!
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