Every once in a while, I run 30 miles to remind myself why I don't run 30 miles more often.

Hello!

I'm so glad I got this one done.

First of all, the totals: 30.11 miles with 2570 feet elevation gain.

I don't usually post exact time and details of my runs and such. I feel that most of my runs are mountain adventures that are for my own experience, and I'm not necessarily going for a specific time. 

This "flat" run was different. I think this is the fastest 30 miler I've ever run (and I've done a few, over the years. Something about that distance seems so pleasant to me for some weird reason that I still haven't figured out. 🙃)

For me, 12:19 minutes per mile is a fast time for 30 miles! I realize I'm a turtle 🐢, but I was happy that most of my faster splits were in the second half of my run.

First the data dump:

My fastest mile was mile 30. I guess I was excited to get done!

Also, I was going up and down the hill at Palmer Park at the very end of my run, so my slowest mile was 28, during the last big climb.

Now the story of the run:

There might not be quite as much of a story for a "flat" one like this. I started out early (predawn!) And I headed for Palmer Park first. Miles 1 & 2 were climbing up the mesa, then I descended Lazyland Road and used the pedestrian interchange at Austin Bluffs and Union to get on the UCCS side of the street so I could safely ascend the next big hill in my day, along Austin Bluffs. 

I ran through campus to the west, connecting from Clyde Way to the shops at N. Nevada (over by Costco.) There is a pedestrian tunnel that goes under Nevada and connects directly to the Pikes Peak Greenway, which would be the remainder of my route.

I ran north on the Greenway until it became the New Santa Fe Trail (same trail, it just changes names.)

I ran into the Air Force Academy just as twilight was beginning. It was so nice to watch the sun come up on the trail.

Everything was fresh because it had rained just before my run, but surprisingly the trail wasn't muddy at all! There were a few entirely avoidable puddles.

I kept going past S. Gate Blvd and tackled the hills. I made it onto the big, long flat stretch just before N. Gate Blvd before my phone dinged 15 miles. I took a panorama of the mountains at sunrise with alpenglow from my turn-around location.

Cool clouds at sunrise on the Air Force Academy (New Santa Fe Trail.)

I tried not to take *too* many photos, since I was trying to keep a consistent pace. At the time I'd turned around, my average pace was 12:28 minutes per mile, and I had decided that I would be happy with anything faster than 13 minutes per mile. Naturally I was happy as seconds dropped off the average pace each mile.

Between mile 17.5 and 18, I hit a low point. I was on the phone with my husband who had called to check in on how I was doing. I told him that I was ready for him to come pick me up, but he knew that I was just fine and told me to keep going. I know if I'd pushed the matter, he would have come to get me, but he wanted me to attain my goal, and wasn't going to let me get away with taking the easy way out for no real reason (no injury, no other issue.)

Most runs of significant difficulty tend to have a low point, but it is possible to recover from these low points with experience and proper fueling. In my case, I took some electrolyte salt and I felt better as I continued.

In fact, I was still quite tired, but somehow my average pace per mile was getting faster by a few seconds each mile. I couldn't figure out HOW this was happening, but it put me into a more positive mindset.

I enjoyed the views of the mountains ⛰ with the sun coming up on them. I did pause long enough to snap a shot of Blodgett Peak and the canyon to the north.

Blodgett Peak is the high point on the left side of the photo.

I was glad when I got back to the Costco and the connector trail to UCCS around mile 23. I was beginning to cramp up, so I took a few minutes' stop here. I treated it like an aid station in a race and sat on a bench, stretching out my ankles, calves, and hamstrings. I got some extra calories in and some water. 

Since I was doing an out-and-back route today, I still had my two climbs that I'd done at the start of the day: Austin Bluffs and Palmer Park.

The Austin Bluffs climb went well overall. I actually got down to 12:15 average pace as I approached the Union intersection.

However, the climb back up the Palmer Park mesa was going to be more difficult. I ascended Lazyland Road, but I had to slow down and walk a few short sections. My slowest mile of the day (mile 28) was here. I had previously mentally conceded that I'd probably lose a little bit of time here, so I didn't let it bother me. Instead, I got up to the top of Palmer and enjoyed the fast descent that followed.

Clouds were already beginning to build over Pikes Peak, with the threat of scattered thunderstorms as early as noon.

Clouds building over Pikes Peak as I descended the road in Palmer Park.

That was half the reason I'd started so ridiculously early this morning. The second half of the reason was that my husband and I had agreed to help a friend move at 10 am, so I had to be done, showered and ready! (Yes, moving stuff after running 30 miles - stupid or brave?)

I got out of the park and descended the last hill on the way to my house, setting an 11-minute mile in mile 30!

I was glad that I'd stuck this one out! It was challenging for sure. By mile 29, I was wondering how anyone EVER ran more than that. But I'd done it. ✔ My longest distance since the pandemic began, and first time exceeding the official marathon mark in over a year.

And I was additionally pleased that I'd had nearly 2600 feet of elevation gain on a "flat" run. 

Since this week was "flat" and "fast," maybe next week I'll get to go back to the mountains, especially with the weather improving! 😀 

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I know this isn't as interesting as a typical adventure, but I needed the confidence boost that this run gave me.