Something Local - Something Afar...

Red Rock Canyon / Section 16

 Looking down on Red Rock Canyon from high up on Section 16.

Friday we wanted to continue with our solid block of training for a spring boost.  We figured we would take some down time from running next week to allow the legs to process the race followed up with the block of mileage afterward.  We also wanted to continue to get in some elevation gain on the runs to prepare for some summer runs in the mountains (...if summer ever arrives...)  Docked the mothership at Red Rock Canyon Open Space with the plan to run to the top and connect with Section 16 via the Intemann Trail.

The back side of Section 16 is more power hike than run, but that happens in the mountains as well, so practice is needed.  After the steep section (1000' vert in a bit over a mile), the remainder of the climb to the top of the saddle is quite run-able.  This is the view across the canyon - the tan streaks in the center are the VERY steep switchbacks on upper High Drive.  From the summit, there is a sweet 2.5 mile descent that allows for a maintainable cadence and helps "season" the quads for some good downhill running.  On the descent, you cross Hunters Run, an intermittent brook that comes out of some rocks in the hillside - plenty coming out right now!

Hunters Run

Kathleen on one of the long runouts - Section 16.

Steve on an exposed section of Intemann Trail.

After completing the loop on Section 16, we caught Intemann Trail and started back down to Red Rock Canyon.  The views to the north were outstanding - Garden of the Gods looks tiny on the horizon from this viewpoint.  We completed the outer loop at Red Rock and finished up with 11.25 miles and some tired legs!  With temps hovering in the low 40's, it was much cooler weather than we had in New Mexico and we are really hoping for some of that to start creeping it's way up into Colorado...

Shoes - K Asics 2150 Trail

S - LaSportiva Wildcat

Stats:  11.25 miles, 3300' elevation gain

Boulder - South OSMP Trails

Took Saturday off from running in anticipation of a trip up to Boulder to run with Tim today.  He put out the "bait" a few weeks back with a description of a favorite loop of his which included lots of sweet trails and a little more mellow on the vertical than running Boulder's Skyline Traverse (see photo above), including summits of Green, Bear, and SoBo peaks - we'll save that for another day when we've got more leg!  Just a quick word - Boulder is a cool town and the Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks division has one heck of a trail network.  If you can't find a trail here to suit your fancy, give up...  Our tour guide would be taking us on some fine trails in the southern part of OSMP today.

Kathleen and Tim heading out of Flatirons Vista area.

We started out from Tim's place and made our way over to the Dowdy Draw area, then traversed a hillside over to and then above Highway 93.  This was a nice way to start as the gradual climbs gave us some time to get the legs warmed up.  By the way - notice how awesome the weather was?  Finally!  70ish temps and blue skies, combined with good company and awesome trails = Shangri La.

This is looking out toward Eldorado Canyon, with a distant, snowcapped peak in the center.  Next visit to Boulder will include a voyage back into Eldo with a loop around Walker Ranch, or so our guide promised...

Tim and Steve flogging the trails...

Happy Trails!

We circled south and started west through the Flatirons Vista area on some incredible rocky singletrack trails.  We were making a big loop back up the western side of the lower foothills and then headed north toward our starting point.  The views cannot fully be captured in photos or explained in type - simply put, you need to go run here.  It is somewhat of an interesting contrast for us.  Most of our trails in Colorado Springs are open to bike and foot traffic, and are more toward the smooth side, although we have a fair amount of technical to run.   In contrast, many of the OSMP trails are foot only and are quite rocky, requiring constant attention to foot work - difficult at times with the breath-taking vistas!!

Finishing up - one last view out to the west...

We had a fantastic time today and are very grateful to our accommodating tour guide.  Our run ended up being 14.5 miles and was filled with jawdropping scenery and some high quality trails!   It is always great to run with friends, and we followed it up with some great grub at one of Tim's favorite haunts in downtown Boulder.  Great Day and hope everyone has an awesome week - Happy Trails!

Shoes - K Asics 2150 Trail

S - LaSportiva Wildcat

Stats:  14.5 miles, 2080' elevation gain

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We had intended to somewhat overload the legs this week, in spite of our race last weekend.  With a nice block of 51 trail miles since the Greenland race, and logging nearly 11,000' feet of vertical, we will see how the legs respond as we approach summer season.  Hopefully after a few days of complete rest and repair this week, our fitness will climb up to the next rung on the ladder!  We'll see how it goes...

Celebrate the 4th on the Trails!

We tried to come up with a creative route to include the Section 16 loop on Saturday without having to finish uphill. So we started out at the main trailhead for Red Rock Canyon Open Space and headed up onto the rim to catch the Section 16 connector to Intemann Trail. At the first connection point on Intemann to Section 16, we had to decide whether to climb the brutal side or the "runnable" side of the loop. Since we were already 700' of climbing up the brutal side, we figured we could power hike most of it and enjoy a looooooong runout back to the trailhead on Gold Camp. The Section 16 loop has 1800' raw climb from either side. The side we took does it in just under 2 miles - you do the math. Here is the view about a mile into the climb up Section 16, already well above Red Rock and a fair amount of work still to do!
Once onto the big saddle on Section 16, you have this view across the canyon of High Drive's harsh switchbacks, starting from the lower right and then snaking up the canyon wall. We ran these a couple weeks back after dropping through Bear Creek Canyon. After having this view, it is no wonder they hurt so bad! It was quite a nice morning but the clouds were coming in oh so early from the west - time to get a move on because there is still some real estate to cover.

From the top of Section 16, the reward for the harsh climb is almost 4 miles of descending to the parking area on Gold Camp road. Then we got to climb back up the start of the loop to the Intemann Cutoff and back across to the Red Rock connector. From the high point on Intemann, this is the view north, high above Red Rock, looking out onto the Garden of the Gods.

Back down onto the rim, Kathleen is definitely ready for the descent to Red Rock Canyon trailhead.

One last view from the top of the canyon before heading down!

Steve cruises down the Roundup trail, finishing the day strong but tired! We had a great run, although it got a bit warm for all the climbing. Hope everyone enjoyed Independence Day - Happy Trails!

Stats:
Shoes - Asics Gel Trabuco
Distance - 12 miles
Elevation gain - 3400'

Warm w/ a Relapse...But a good ending!

Thursday Night Sneak

With temperatures in the 70's this week and a wee bit more daylight, I ventured over to Garden of the Gods Thursday evening after work. Kathleen was in the midst of a relapse of her crud, so it was solo again :-( It isn't quite light long enough for a run of any length after driving across town, but I don't want to burn out my stash at Palmer Park. A nice view from just west of the "big" rocks, with the sun starting to trim behind Pikes Peak.
I was not out long but got to push a little "carbon" off the legs from last weekend's racing. The onset of cramping toward the end of the race left a bit of lactic sludge hanging out in the muscles, so it was good to push a bit through before the weekend. This is a shot coming off the Niobrara trail with some good rays still to be caught!
Surprise - it's green! It seems that it was just cold and snowing (probably because it was) and we went straight to warm and green - nice. Heading back to the trailhead and slim on daylight.
With the sun setting behind the Sleeping Giant, it was time to call it a day. It was nice to get a little blood going and squeeze in a sweet evening at the Garden!

Who exactly invited La Nina?

Speaking of relapse, what's up with the weather??? So, for the past 9 weekends, we have had - 1) a cold front move through, and 2) some form of precipitation. Saturday would hold true to that pattern. They claim it to be a La Nina (who invited the little girl anyway???!!!) pattern that is repeating after each 5 day block - those 5 day blocks have conveniently been M - F! Saturday dawned with fog, drizzle, and a cold wind. Though the clouds temporarily broke a few times, they did not exit noticeably until about 6 PM. It seemed to be a bit better south, so I took off for Red Rock Open Space. I have not run there in a while anyway, so it was a good fit. There was a bit of sun when I arrived - here is the view to the north looking over Garden of the Gods.
I started out by climbing up to the top ridge to access the Section 16 connector and make my way over to the Intemann Trail. There was a nice break in the clouds over the city and there appeared to be fog continuing farther east.

From Intemann trail, there are great views down into Red Rock Canyon.

As I headed out onto Intemann trail toward Manitou, I was running just below a cloud formation and it got somewhat cold for a bit. The 50 degree temp was not very comforting with the strong upslope winds. I am going to have to do some time with this section of trail because it always kicks my butt. It is a string of sharp ups and downs with some technical running thrown in and, for some reason, I have trouble pacing it well.
As I was heading back down into Red Rock, I had a great view of the old quarry, and the swanky Cedar Heights area in the distance, high above town. The wind was kicking a bit more and I was looking to wind down and start heading in for the day.
Before I finished though, I got my first "rubber-leg" treatment of the year - you know the feeling as the adrenaline hits everything EXCEPT your legs?!?! While not poisonous, this bull snake is still intimidating enough to startle you and has obviously had some good meals early season. I'm guessing he was a good 4 to 4.5 feet long and nearly 3" diameter in that section under his head. So I let him have his space and cruised in to the trailhead to finish a nice day on the trail. I was able to get in about 10 miles and enjoy the gray day!

Back to the Garden...and the SUN!

Sunday was one of those days - crisp, blue, cloudless skies and low 70's made for a great morning to hit the trails back at the Garden of the Gods. Good Morning Pikes Peak! And guess what...
... recognize this person??? After several MIA reports were filed and Dr's fiddled with a plethora of crap, er medicine, that hasn't worked, Kathleen hit the trails with me today for a while. It was only her second "meaningful" run in six weeks. What an awesome day to get back at it! This photo is just as we're getting started on the Dakota trail, with Cathedral Rock poking out in the background.
More action on the Dakota Trail - didn't even have to find a post to prop the camera for this one - woohoo!
Still running! I was sooooooo glad Kathleen got to run today. She was able to get in about 5.5 miles, and although she coughed a bit, she actually had a real nice run.
The BIG ONES - as seen from the north: l-r, North Gateway, South Gateway, Cathedral Rock, and Sleeping Giant. The Garden was basking in the sun today and the park was packed!
Out on the backside of the Sleeping Giant, I paused to allow a fence post to take my picture - how kind! (Plus I was a bit hot on the climb and needed a breather - going from 50 to 75 takes an adjustment!)
What a view - it is no wonder this is the most visited attraction in the Pikes Peak region - approximately 1.7 million per year. (Glad they weren't all on the trail today!!!)
Some of the local "residents" were out on the trails today - this group of desert bighorns was not too concerned about me running by. I stopped to watch for a minute and saw about 15 sheep on the hillside. Only one bothered to look up the whole time I was standing there.
Out on my last loop of the day atop the Ute Trail, I had a much clearer view of Red Rock Canyon than was available yesterday. Perfect day for a run, with a bit over 10 miles of fantastic trail - it was warm enough that I even took my first ice bath of the year to chase off the remainder of the kinks from Greenland - brrrrr! Happy Trails and have a great week!

Shoes, as always for Steve, Asics Gel Trabuco
K- Montrail Odyssey

Palmer - Section 16 - Intemann Trail Loop

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! We dug out all of our local trail books and came up with some new routes we are pretty excited to try. Today's was one of those routes and it's a keeper! We started up High Drive following a group of 10 hearty mountain bikers. Part of that group was 2001 Women's Mountain Bike World Champion, Alison Dunlap, one of our locals. We ended up passing the mountain bikers as we entered the Palmer - Section 16 singletrack (they were waiting for a couple of stragglers).

Steve heading up and up. This side of the loop starts with a long but very runnable (albeit somewhat slowly) climb.

The snow provided really good traction today.

The vistas were really pretty. Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't too great for showing the beauty in the pics.

Now we get some reward for the climb - a little descending is in order! Most of the descent is quite steep, though, and more technical, with lots of rocks and roots, than the climb we came up. We figured we descended about 1100 feet in 1.25 miles.

We found the trail that connects with Red Rock Canyon. There are so many trails that can be linked together in this area! And close to home . . . Bonus!

The sun started to peek out periodically late in the run . The red rocks of Garden of the Gods rise up in the distance.

Down some steps on the Intemann Trail with some glorious sun peeking through!

Back at the trailhead, with the sun still smiling. So are we! Lots of fun. The Garmin recorded 10 miles and 3130 feet of climbing. We should get stronger with regular runs like this - that's our goal! It was an awesome loop with the potential to link it with many other trails nearby - we are eyeing connecting most of this route with Jones Park/Bear Creek for a 15 mile very high quality run. Much longer routes are possible. With some good effort, the possibilities are almost endless. We've got some work to do to get stronger so we can see and savor everything available! Living and loving life . . .

Shoes: S - Asics Gel Trabuco
K - Asics Gel Trabuco