15.4 miles with Bob in Eldo State Park and sneaking Bob into Walker. He had never been there before. Good climbing as we got over 3k of vert on the distance. Conversation covered recent track results, recent ultra results, being a nice guy, being a prick, what each of our chances are at Leadville, various friends of ours, various folks who are not friends of ours, and what time the bus leaves. Oh, and how I went through 4 20 ounce hand helds before getting back to the car and Bob only had just emptied his 40 ounce pack about when we got to the car.
Shadow Canyon in the distance.
Bob in the distance.
Not far from the Leadman’s house.
Nearly stepped on this guy/gal. I am guessing it was 4 or 5 feet long.
Nice preview by Justin on the Mount Marathon race this weekend.
Buzzed JZ over to Flatirons Running tonight as he needed some shoes for summer training. Perfect shop for us to go to because Greg is there and Greg is JZ’s HS XC coach.
I picked myself a pair of these.
If I like them they may become my go to shoe for Pb.
I also picked up this text. Coincidentally as JZ and I were walking out of the shop, Lize was there.
And of course Lize was a wonderfully nice and articulate person. Good to finally meet her and chat for a few minutes.
Challenger. That is a good name for a shoe. Got a story for you about Challengers...
ReplyDeleteAround 31 years ago, I came home from school one day and saw my Old Man visually upset and he said he had bad news. I blurted out, "Did something happen to the space shuttle?" I have no idea how I knew that because we were not told at school. I was right. The Challenger had exploded above Florida. We sat on the steps and I cried.
Three years later, my Old Man and I was sitting around our tiny kitchen table in our dilapidated $7000 shack we called home. It was the dead of winter in Ohio and dreary with freezing rain. We were drying our socks from our morning 9 miler to the Burger King for Hot Chocolate and back. Out of the blue, he declared he would start a track team for kids in our town. To kick things off he would hold a track meet on our local bumpy cinder oval. Our town was not known much for athletics except football. Sure, we were runners, but how many other "idiots" could there be out there wanting to run in circles with us. That first year about 50 local kids joined the team and hundreds of kids from OH, PA and WV attended the big meet. He called his team the Challengers.
28 Years later, the team is still going strong. One of his lasting legacies. With donations from the team and other fundraising efforts, our town even erected a memorial to the 7 brave astronauts who died aboard the Challenger.
The Old Man's spirit still roams the Sawatch Range as his ashes blow from peak to peak. I felt his presence when I came along that east flank of Elbert in my first ultra. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I felt adrenaline course through me. As you head north from Twin Lakes you will tear through those quaking aspens. A cool breeze will come down from the heights and the leaves will shimmer like waves. That's him, guaranteeing safe passage. Soon you will be cruising the Halfmoon Road. Only 35 miles to go. The Challengers are a good omen.
Jer - I just read your comment aloud to my wife.
DeleteI look forward to sharing some steps with his spirit.
So our local little shoe man on Main St displayed a table full of discounted shoes. I have picked up a number of shoes off this table in the past but this trip in caught my eye. A pair of Hoka, the Clifton, marked down to $89.oo AND IN MY SIZE. Here on the western slope of Colorado host a town by the name of Clifton and its known as the Meth Capital of Beirut. I looked beyond the name and wore the shoe around the store until Mr Sales Guy walks up and says," Those shoe are for ultra athletes only." Maybe thats true BUT why would you say it??
DeleteI meant to only comment about your beautiful Colorado photos, saw your new shoes, and then read this amazing Challenger story. The space shuttle shook me up way back when, still bothers me to this day, and I can't wait to meander my way around the Sawatch Range.
Stay Strong, Think Of Others, And Big Hugs
I'd say if you want to run in track spikes, sandals, Hokas or high heels ... I don't care. Run in what works for you. The Hokas are great for road, track, trail, ultras ... consider the feedback from local sales man as the feed back of one. There is only one feedback that really matters when it comes to selecting the shoes: you and what works for your feet.
DeleteAnd if he won't sell them to you, someone else will.
And by the way, what is an ultra athlete? And how does he judge that for shoes? Someone who runs 26.3? Or four hours? Or a 100 miles? Or 3 miles on the mountain marathon in Seward? What if you want to hike in those sneakers for 50 miles over a week?
Totally!! And in a sales position, why wouldn't you just stick with positive affirmations???
DeleteTraining on Empty is a great read.
ReplyDeleteCertainly enjoying it so far ScottyD
DeleteVery cool you ran into Lize. I will have to find that book.
ReplyDeleteI've been wearing the Challengers for a couple months now, including Bighorn - LOVE them (though I got two huge blisters on my forefeet, but I think that's from all the water and mud crossings).
Hello Jill, by any chance are you wearing a thigh fit or loose?? Also, the shoe threw me off a bit with the wide base. Do you ever feel as if your about to roll an ankle at any point during the Bighorn?? What socks have you experimented with?? These are some of my questions as Hoka's are still foreign to me but I am way interested. Thanx 4 your time and feed back. Cheers
DeleteJill / The Padre - the Challenger does seem to have a less rigid upper than many other shoes. That is probably a plus to as many people as it is a minus.
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