Kathleen soaking the sun on Dakota Trail
With fantastic sunshine and heinous 50+ mph wind gusts on Saturday, we decided to stay close to some shelter and get in some time on the trails at the Garden of the Gods. I braved the wind (brave or stupid, not sure) and ran from home to the Garden and met Kathleen there. With a general tailwind heading down, I knew the return trip could be sketchy... It was, however, one of the better days for photos we have had in a while!
Some of the local bighorns were out munching
Nice textures in this view
Looking down from the Palmer Trail
Niobrara Trail with nice views over the shoulder
I didn't necessarily buy them for this kind of run, but what the heck - I ran in my new blinding-white Saucony Mirage shoes and they performed quite well on the trails considering they are a lightweight road trainer. If I like them, I'll do some sort of review in the near future as they are a minimal heel-to-toe drop at only 4mm differential. Nothing seemed weird and cushion was great, so we'll see...
Everything is sunny except the Peak
Blue skies and singletrack...
... and more singletrack!!
Cannot run out of views at Garden of the Gods!!!
(no caption needed...)
Kathleen and Tammy...
...Cruising through the trees
We had a nice surprise when we ran into Tammy out on the trails. Considering this is basically her (& her Hubby) "backyard" trails, it is weird that we have never run into them before now when running here. She was out for her long run trail marathon prep, so she did a couple small loops with Kathleen and I peeled off toward home.
Historic Blair Bridge on the way home
While the wind was everything I expected and more on the way home, it was manageable for the most part. The gusts were the worst part - at times I was running in place when it was a headwind, and then there were moments of running sprint pace up hill with the tailwind. It was a nice long run though, and the sunshine was awesome. I ended up at 15 miles for the round trip with 2000' climbing. Post soon to follow about today's run - another good one!!!
Shoes - K Saucony Xodus
S Saucony Mirage
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I have been trying out some McDavid True Compression Recovery Pants after the last 5 runs I have done. Our friend Tim is their flagship endurance athlete and has been quite emphatic about the recovery virtues of their product. So far, I would have to say that wearing these for about an hour after the run is about the equivalent of a cold soak - minus the teeth chattering, shivering, and hours of hypothermia! One of the things I have also noticed is that the tight keeps your muscles warm for an extended period post-run, which allows for multiple stretching sessions without the worry of over stretching cold muscles. I definitely think they work well for recovery, and now I am going to pick up a pair of their True Compression leg sleeves to use during the run. More to come on that...
10 comments:
Nice! Look at those trails... Can you guys adopt me?
You got some wonderful shots yesterday! The wind was wicked. I ran on Santa Fe trail and I thought I was going to be blown off course!
Gorgeous!
And while I don't think I'd look very good in those men's compression pants, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on the leg sleeves!
Oh, look at those bighorns! And the picture of the Palmer Trail and Niobrara Trail. Oh my! They are just stunning! Looks like an awesome run. What a great way to get 15 miles in! It was windy here last weekend but this weekend "just" the snow.
So great to "run" into you guys! All of your pics turned out fabulous.. such a beautiful day, but yes ~~ the wind was brutal at times! I actually had one of those moments when a gust came up and it made my right foot blow into my left ankle! Crazy! But, the BEST was, like I told you.. the wind literally "blowing" me up hill!! Woohoo!! I'll take that! :)
Again.. great seeing you guys!!
Those are so not my horses. They are my neighbors. I like horses behind fences away from me!
Wow - looks like amazing running. Especially since I can't feel the wind through the computer screen. :)
Never got tired of viewing your views of the Garden of the Gods. recovery benefits minus hypothermia? Wow! Must have some!!
That's a great set of photos! I especially like "Cannot run out of views at Garden of the Gods!!!" and "Looking down from the Palmer Trail". I gotta check those trails out some time.
Wow! Bighorns! We have them around here ( in the local So Cal mountains) but they are pretty much relegated to the highest elevations and spend most of their time blending in too well to be seen. Nice photo!
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