AM – JV put up the bat signal for Green last night. It had been a bit since I had hit a bigger hill and so I took him up on the offer, but warned I’d be slow (and I was). This was Jeff’s 98th summit of Green this year and my 21st.
The lower stretches of Green were clear of any sort of snow or ice, so traction was not necessary. On the upper end however (heading up via Greenman, at the talus fields and above in particular), things were socked in with compacted ice. JV had his microspikes and a need to get back to his family so I urged him to move on while I carefully picked my spot – looking for small squares of dirt, rock or roots to connect with rather than zero friction ice.
It was great to get back on the hill and work the climbing legs a bit. I am clearly out of touch with that some. The ice didn’t make the task any quicker. If I am going to do this regularly, I am going to need to stud up some shoes or invest in some spikes or hagnails or whatever. Always good to yap with Jeff – and although nobody will believe it we don’t just talk about running. This AM we talked about running and how wonderful our wives are and how damn lucky we are.
On the way in, I saw something similar to this (not my picture, but essentially what I saw on the rail line that runs through Broomfield as I was driving out to Green pre dawn.)
I admire your tenacity to run on that stuff, it scares me way too much. Maybe if I had some studded shoes or the YakTracks ? I guess if I'd just stop being afraid, I'd get to enjoy the amazing views you have instead of Cherry Creek bike path! :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE that you feel blessed to have your wife! LOVE IT!
No, you talked about porn.
ReplyDeleteWe talked about how awesome our wives are, activities with our kids, shoe traction, Penn State, compression gear, strange dreams and a little bit of running sprinkled in.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see you this morning George, sorry to have to split so soon... Glad you made it off of the mountain in one piece.
I'm kind of impressed by how much you're already running so soon after your first 100. You're awfully resilient.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, in case you're bored, I've added to the blog chorus. In case you're bored and want to read yet another 100-mile report.
http://gnarlyirishmountainrunner.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-first-100-part-1-pinhoti-100-mile.html
(Car salesman style:) "So, what do I have to do to get you into a new pair of Kahtoola Microspikes today?"
ReplyDeleteHands down one of the best pieces of gear ever.
My "extensive" 3-day trial with compression gear (aside from briefs) says dudes with a lot of muscle bulk (aka "biker thighs" and "mountain calves") should wear them. That's a recovery/maintenance view, not a performance view. Maybe in an ultra event the performance benefit might kick in.
Can't believe you're running that terrain on ice sans traction. It's good to have a great wife - definitely with ya on that!!
ReplyDeleteJill - thanks! Studded (screw) shoes would work fine on it actually. It would just be a scratchy run on the lower stretches.
ReplyDeleteBrandon - well ... we did talk ab out you a bit, so ...
Jeff - you forgot to mention that we talked about, uh ... never mind. As always, great seeing and chatting with you.
Kieran - subscribed my man. I was pretty worked for a few days post the 100, but I have bounced back pretty well. And frankly, I am still bouncing back. There are still some things way under there that I think I can feel from the 100 (or maybe I am just thinking about it more). But they get a little better every day.
Mtnrunner2 - dropped the Xmas hint on the spikes. That should cover it.
Happytrails - well, I was hardly running.
I know some folks look at the wife comment and roll their eyes. I roll my eyes because I know that I was lucky to marry way over my head. And probably more lucky that she does not think that.