Friday 040811

PM – Afternoon opened up and so I took advantage of the calendar and headed to Chautauqua.  I had already planned a run with Footfeathers, but it seemed like I’d be able to get a lap on Green in before hooking up with him.  I could tell almost in the first few steps – no, scratch that, I could tell when I woke up this AM – that I did not feel the best.  But, eh – whatever – I had the time, so I was going to make what I could of it. 

After the short warm up over to Gregory Canyon, I landed on the Front Route (Amp, Saddle, Greenman) – it is the shortest and quickest, but apparently for me, not by much.  I hit the summit in 38 flat, after feeling flat and perhaps a bit heavy for the run up.  Even though the vertical is the same as the middle route (which might actually have a tad more because of the drop in the trail on the lower section of Greenman), it is over a mile shorter. Being only five minutes faster (today) on this route than what I was last week … well, it shows the work I need to do on the steeper stuff.  Sure, today was not a stellar performance day anyway (compare 38 to 34 last summer) but I can feel how less effective I am on this sort of stuff.  I intend to hit all the routes regularly, but this one is probably one of the more challenging ones for me.  I debate if it gives a different stimulus that is worth the effort, or if I’d be better served using that training budget on a route like middle Green or the Gregory Ranger route.

Any case, met Footfeathers after this and frankly I was put a fork in me done.  I elected initially to not tell him of my first lap effort, and just apologized that I was not feeling great.  He was fine with it, but given I was moving at glacier speeds on the Elliot Stairs (we took Gregory Ranger up), I ‘fessed up at the summit.  I contemplated for a moment bailing on the longer Bear Canyon return, but zipped up the get it done suit and figured I count this effort as the week’s long run.  I was fine on the down, but as soon as we hit any of the bumps on the Mesa heading north, even easy efforts sent me over the line.  Whew … better to get this work in now I guess versus the next “A” month.

Tim – sorry man.  That was crappy of me to subvert our run that way.  I thought it would not be as such, but I ain’t quite there yet.

15 miles. 5180 vertical.  2 Green summits, bringing my year total to 7 (not counting the Scout hike).  About 3 hours.  I will use the KML data to augment the Front Route FKT links.

Wednesday 052709 Green Mountain - “classic” route

• Met up with the BTR’er at 0530 this AM.  I was up at four so it was no challenge for me to get to this run (as it would typically be at this hour).  I am going to look to get some of this early and done stuff banked this summer as the kidders get out of school.   Photos courtesy (again) of JP.
• I started at Chautauaqua, while the group was meeting up at the Gregory Canyon trailhead (a half mile to the west).  I prefer parking at Chautauaqua as it is a bit more travelled and (I think) less likely to have break ins.  I also think that Boulder County has started charging non county residents for use of the Gregory Canyon lot (and I now live in Broomfield County).   Met up with a croo of about a dozen or so, including Ryan Cooper, JP, Bronwyn M.   After a little discussion, we decided to head up Green Mountain via Saddle, Amphitheater, Greenman, and then come down Ranger, Gregory.   So here  are the stats on that route (starting at Chautauqua).
  • ~6 miles RT
  • summit is at 2.6 miles
  • 5685 elevation start, 8085 summit (2400 feet of climbing) for an average grade of 17% as per the GPS.  According to the Alterra, the climb was 2520 feet, with the summit at 8182.
  • Steepest part of the run is between the Gregory lot and Summit Rock, with grade averaging 22.8%.  This is about 1.1 miles.  You get a reprieve after that with the grade dropping to 16.1% on average to the summit. The easiest part of the run is Chautauaqua part, which is about a kilometer, and averages a little more than a 6 percent grade (and most of that coming in one steep climb)
  • The drop down Ranger is to the Gregory Canyon Ranger cottage is a about 1.4 miles, and a good drop at 17%.  Things level out a bit after that in Gregory but Gregory Canyon serves as a good test of rocky footwork.  As the length of the run is a little longer on the way back, the average descent is "only” about 13%.
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• The pace was casual, and so I caught up with Ryan, JP.  I decided that no matter what the pace dropped to, I’d keep doing a running cadence (even though walking below 3.5 mph for me is probably more aerobically efficient).  RT was in 80 minutes, with a good number of breaks to let folks catch up, enjoy the sunrise.
• More Bolder Boulder news … today was my first day back in my office since the race on Monday.  I always struggle, sound like an ungrateful idiot because folks say things like this.  “I looked up your time in the Bolder Boulder and wow – you ran it so fast!  You must be really happy with your time.” Rather than belabor them with my mental baggage of how my time was not that fast (if the conversation really digresses, they hear about the 26:22 WR), I try to find out how the race went for them, and what they liked about it, did not like about it.   Here’s the truth: most folks who are not runners don’t care about your time, they care about how you feel about your performance.  They get confused if you run a time that is beyond their comprehension and then are disappointed with it.  I’d say that this is not true within the circles of runners, but that ain’t necessarily true either (the 3:20 marathoner does not necessarily empathize with Brian Sell being pissed that he ran a 2:16).  However, this is common:  people relate to what it takes to prepare, execute, sacrifice and become something greater than themselves.  Not everyone does that in running … but some do.   So I poke at that folks … to see what is there, what they are in it for, what they want.  There are lots of great reasons to run other than chasing times …
• A couple of little challenges  out there.  A few of us are thinking of meeting at Chautauqua tomorrow night for a TT up Green.   Drop me a note if you are interested in the details.   Also got into a bit of a back and forth on this AM’s run if the Fern Canyon (from the post past the Slab) to the saddle post could be done under 10.  I was told NO WAY.  I am 100 percent confident I have done it in about 10, and that Elliott has gone well under 10.  I know I did it – at least once – in not top shape and with some poorer conditions, in 12:30
• PM – 5 easy miles.  39 minutes