To summarize the end part of September, I spent most of the second week recovering from the 50 miler. 13 days after the 50, I decided to race the Pony Express 15M (which was a new course, 15.5 miles by my GPS).
I then took another easy recovery week, with a casual fall colors adventure run to cap it off.
Workouts were as follows:
- 9/12 - Trail run, 7.6 miles
- 9/14 - Rowing machine, 40 min
- 9/15 - Rowing machine, 45 min & dumbbell curls
- 9/17 - Pony Express trail race, 15.5 miles
- 9/19 - Trail run, 6.0 miles
- 9/21 - Rowing machine, 25 min
- 9/22 - Rowing machine, 50 min
- 9/24 - Trail run, 12.2 miles
- 9/25 - Road run, 6.0 miles
- 9/26 - Rowing machine, 50 min
- 9/27 - Bodyweight dips & side lateral raises
- 9/28 - Front-weighted squats
A little light on the resistance work this time around, but I also did a lot casual and walks and hikes with my family! We also went on the lake with the kids for the first time. Boating up in the high country was fun 😊. Definitely something I'd like more experience with.
I've put on a little weight, which isn't unheard of now that I'm going into the off-season. The tough part is moderating that as winter approaches!
Photos and details 😁:
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Sept 12:
A nice cool day, I was able to get 7.6 miles jog with Pippin.
This wonderful misty weather has kept the parks very green.
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Sept 14:
A casual exploration day with the family, checking out the rock outcroppings near Woodland Park.
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Sept 17:
Today I decided to race the Pony Express!!!
I love this local race, having done it a total of four times now 😃.
I enjoy the vibe of this race. It's a low-key, race-day-registration-only, laid-back kind of atmosphere. The way that a beautiful late-summer trail run should feel!
The course was new for this year, staying completely on the north side of Rampart Reservoir, instead of encircling the whole reservoir. The reason for this was that the old course used the roadbed to cross the dam, and the park wanted to implement a costly permit.
I started out with a quick clip on the downhill from Rainbow Gultch trailhead where the race begins. This part of the race was familiar.
As you follow the north coastline of the Reservoir, you come to an aid station at the base of the climb.
The aid station volunteer said something like a mile to the top, and I was thrilled. This was probably the part of the race where I felt the best.
At the top, you briefly join a Jeep road before rejoining the trail and winding back down to the Reservoir through soft aspens.
The views were so lovely and amazing all throughout the race. I was trying to stay as competitive as possible, but I did pause just long enough to grab a few snapshots.
After getting back to the Reservoir, the race follows back the way it came, meaning the last couple miles are the infamous climb back uphill to the Rainbow Gultch trailhead.
In these last two miles, I lost so much time. My foot was beginning to ache, likely still a niggle from the 50. But I pushed through as best as I could, and ended in a time of 2:46.
For the historical record (aka my own personal reference 😀), these are all my Pony Express race years and times.
- 2023 - 2:46:39 (new course)
- 2018 - 3:09:14
- 2016 - 2:39:42
- 2015 - 2:57:55
Looking back at my old GPS tracks, the old course was about 14.8 miles with 1800 feet of elevation gain; the new course was about 15.5 miles with 2300 feet of elevation gain.
So, I'm pleased with my time for the inaugural year of this course, and I hope it will set a good baseline for this race in future years!
In the evening, we did a family walk up Pulpit Rock.
A lovely way to wrap up a nice day.
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Sept 19:
A 6.0 mile recovery run with the Sunrise Striders at Red Rocks Canyon.
It was fun to hear the war stories from the past race weekend, since the Pikes Peak Ascent & Marathon were this past weekend, in addition to the Pony Express race which I ran.
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Sept 21:
My parents invited us to ride up the Pikes Peak Highway with them!
What a nice and relaxing day to be able to enjoy my favorite summit with my family.
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Sept 22:
We had an opportunity to take the kids canoeing on a small private lake. Sebastian really enjoyed learning how to paddle, and Epifania sunned on a rock in the middle of the water.
The aspens are gradually changing up in the high country.
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Sept 24:
I had time for a shorter adventure "run" today. I am still taking it easy, so this involved a lot of power hiking.
I started out on Seven Bridges and went up to Pipeline Trail. The low-ground foliage is beginning to pop with color.
At the metal sign near Nelson's Camp on the map, I took the trail split to the west and uphill. This is the standard trail up Almagre. I knew I wouldn't have time to get all the way up the summit, but I wanted to get at least to the junction with trail 701.
When I met with this junction, I turned north. I planned to make a loop.
But first, I wanted to catch some views. I took a guess and turned towards a sandy hillside to the east. I climbed a small scree area and came to this rock outcropping.
The climb to the top was not too challenging, and the views it provided were impressive!
I could see the whole North Cheyenne Creek drainage cutting down the mountain, and pale yellow-green aspens dotting the countryside.
This was a serene spot to hang out for a moment before heading down the mountain back to 701 trail, joining 667 and then back down 622 (Seven Bridges).
My total for today was 12.2 miles.
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Sept 27:
While my husband and daughter went to a wrestling match in Broomfield, my son and I had an opportunity to go for a hike in Boulder!
I have always wanted to check out some of the trails near the Flatirons.
As we arrived at the trailhead, the sun was already setting behind the mountains.
I must say I really enjoyed this trail, which was a gentle uphill on a smooth and wide surface.
The vibrant colors of the sunset seemed to be peaking just as we crested the ridge to a small overlook.
From the overlook, we could see all the way down along Hwy 36 and back to Denver. What a neat place for a short evening hike!
We turned our lights on for the downhill. The stars were really showing above the golden autumn fields as we returned to the trailhead. We got a total of almost 4 miles!
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Sept 28:
We made a family trip to Rocky Mountain National Park today!
The evening light played beautifully on the yellowing aspens. The meadows were full of dancing golden grasses.
As we left town, the "usual traffic" appeared: a big bull elk, blocking cars from one direction.
We saw a firey sunset along the road home.
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