Previewing the Summer Roundup course...again

Being the nervous, new-to-racing types that we are, we felt the need to go check out the Summer Roundup Trail Race course again today. It is a well known "fact" that race directors are a rare breed, known for their sadistic ability to underestimate the scope and difficulty of their courses (i.e. Course description - 1000 feet of climbing - Reality of the altimeter and GPS - 1530 feet of climbing - only a 50% difference). Not that we doubt the validity of this for the Triple Crown of Racing folks - these are the people who put on the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon, but we just had to make sure it was going to really hurt and leave us spent - yes and yes!!! For a 7.5 mile course, this has a bit of a bite to it, especially for newbies like us!
However, we are still going to sign up for the race, or in our case, "event" ... we think! We have low expectations for a top 50% finish! ;-)

The climb at the beginning of the race is actually more deceiving. There is a lot of winding through the scrub oak and there are not long stretches of uphill spread out before you to make you cringe. The hardest part of the start is that the climbing begins in earnest no more that 200 yards into the race. We have to figure out a way to properly warm up for that. There is a "gentler" section of climb from about 1.2 miles to 2.1 miles that will sort out some order for those who don't blow up by starting too hard. The tricky part will be avoiding those whose flames are flickering on the single track descent to the road. The sinister climb comes next - High Drive - a steep dirt road that allows only one-way traffic. This climb stretches out before you and provides those who dare to look up an endless view of the pain that lies ahead. The ascent to the turn-around point is close to 600' in a little over a mile, so hold on and try really hard to find a rhythm. The downhill is pretty good although there is a definite need to control the speed on High Drive.

There are also a couple of short, punchy climbs on the way to the finish that require a little reserve in the tank. One of them, which is .5 mile from the finish, starts at 19% grade according to the GPS - ouch!!! Should be fun at least for a test to see where we are with our fitness and skills. We cooled down in the large grassy field by the parking lot with some barefoot walking and stretches. The cool grass felt relaxing to the feet after a good run. It was a great day on the trails (as always) and good times for the memory bank!!!

Ute Valley in the morning

It was a fantastic morning for a trail run. Our mini-heatwave broke a little and we had 60 degrees with a cool breeze early this morning for our run. We were fortunate to run earlier, as we had a thick cloud cover by 11 am that did not break until later in the evening. We have always avoided Ute Valley during the heat of the day anyway as we have seen more rattle snakes there than anywhere else we have been. And because of the heavy traffic this park gets, the snakes are bold and belligerent, not a good combo when startling a venemous reptile! The trails here still have such a rustic charm to them, regardless of the fact that the park is surrounded by residential neighborhoods. It is wonderful to drop in to the valley floor and be surrounded by such pristine terrain that hides the sight - and sounds - of the bordering homes and streets.
Both of us started out feeling a little "off" but were able to burn-in to our run and really enjoy the trails. Being out in a natural surrounding can do wonders for invigorating both your mind and your spirit - that is the beauty of trail running.
On the top rim of the park, you must share your views with some of the local residents. It is worth it, though, to be less than a mile from trails of this quality. We are most fortunate in that regard! A quote for today - remember you cannot buy what you experience on the trails:

"To find something you can enjoy is far better than finding something you can possess." - Glen Holm

Mid-week at Garden of the Gods

Decided to go somewhere we would not normally run in the evening for the post-work run, so we headed over to Garden of the Gods. Steve did not carry a camera, so here are a couple scenery views from the Siamese Twins Arch from a recent visit to the park. It is hard to resist framing Pikes Peak through the keyhole when you get a chance on a sunny day! It was quite warm this evening, in the upper-80's, so we were testing our electrolyte mixtures - they work well. We have not had much heat yet, but both of us struggle with losing a lot of minerals when we sweat. We'll need some tips from the desert runners.
We got in a very nice 6 mile run, traversing the main outer loop of trails in the park. We were quite happy to have very light trail traffic (and no snakes to give us Jello-leg, either!!!) It was a surprising, good-tempo evening for us and we're hoping to better our speeds if we can get a few more races in. We have always heard that racing makes you run better and faster, hope it's true!!