My Year in Running Summary: 2024 Edition

This is just a brief post to summarize and wrap up all my running in 2024.

I like to do a yearly post like this each year, so here is a link to last year.

My grand total for this year was 1360.8 miles.

This breaks out to 26.1 miles per week. I ran on a total of 173 days this year, meaning each run averaged out to 7.86 miles.

This was a pretty middle-of-the-road year for mileage.

In 2023, I ran a solo 50 mile run, so I'd planned to up the distance to 100k for 2024. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. In fact, my longest runs in 2024 were all around the 20 to 21 mile distance.

In a way, I think my body and mind needed the rest from the ultra distances for a while. I spent this year running casually, and I didn't include speed work like I had in 2023.

Because 2024 was an off year for me, with lower mileage in general, I look forward to participating in more dedicated speed work in 2025.

I also hope that 2025 will finally, finally be my first time to run in the Grand Canyon, which is a lifetime bucket list location for me to visit as a trail runner.

Goals in 2025:

1. A minimum of twice a month dedicated speed sessions

2. A minimum of once a week strength AND flexibility work

3. Finally getting to run in the Grand Canyon

4. Adding to my list of successful 14er summits

 

Outside of those goals, I also look forward to seeing more friends up in the mountains and around town.

The best to everyone in 2025, and let's get out on the trails!

From the early autumn to the icy winter: The last few months of 2024

It's been, once again, quite some time since I've updated.

With the end of the year near, I'd like to do two separate posts - this one for the photos and story, and another simply summarizing the data from the year in running.

It's been quite the last few months. Here is a link to my last post, but to summarize, I spent a portion of the early part of the year in Arizona.

In late September, I returned to Arizona for one more time this year, to stay with my dad. It was great to spend this time with him.

In late October, after I'd returned home to Colorado, my dad passed away at the age of 85. 

We had a conversation before his passing where he had said he didn't think he had much time left, but he wanted me to continue exploring and adventuring and see as much as I could in this world.

In his memory, I share the last few months of my year, beginning where I left off in the last post:

***

Before my folks left town, we had a family picnic at N. Cheyenne Cañon.

It was nice for my kids, who are growing bigger every day it seems, to see their grandparents.

We went to the Labor Day Lift-Off in Colorado Springs and the Balloon Glow at night.

Since I enjoy doing long runs for celebrating most holidays, Pippin and I did our new longest distance ever on Labor Day. We ran up to Lake Moraine, which is on the south slopes of Pikes Peak.

The trail that goes directly to the lake was open and I enjoyed checking that out.

Pippin did so well for his new longest distance, and we had such a perfect day together. The Captain Jack's trail is the perfect grade/ difficulty for on-leash canicross, and we cruised together easily. I felt so in sync with him.

As we were starting out on the Seven Bridges trail, I ran into Doug and he mentioned Bailey was in town.

We got in touch and did a run together a few days later. Their dogs came along too!

It was such a fun time running with three humans and three dogs. Thanks for joining me for this fun one, Bailey & Doug!

***

Before I left for Arizona for the final time this year, I raced the only race I would run this year, the Pony Express.

This year's course was 18 miles, and it was a very challenging day for me. I mentally prepared for the giant uphill in the last two miles, only the last two miles came two miles later than I expected 😂! (The course was listed as 16 miles).

A few days later, we did a family walk up in Idaho Springs to catch some of the classic leaf-peeping colors.

***

I left to Arizona in late September to stay with my father for a few weeks.

When I arrived, I had time for one short desert run.

I went to the Goldfield Mountains, and was pleasantly surprised to find some nice singletrack trails winding through this part of the Tonto National Forest.

I reveled in the classic desert scenery, enjoying the sun rising on the tan, yellow, and orange hues of the Sonoran desert.

My remaining time in Arizona was spent with my dad. I also did short daily pool lap swims before the heat of the day.

My mom returned from her vacation after about three weeks, and Alex drove to pick me up. We would drive back through Las Vegas, spending a few days before heading back home.

***

During our time in Las Vegas, I got the chance to do Turtlehead Peak again. I climbed this mountain last year, and had a blast.

The desert did not disappoint, with whispy clouds accenting the vibrant blue skies.

I wasn't quite as fast as last year on this extremely hot day. But my heat training from earlier in the year helped me out, and I summited Turtlehead for fantastic views of the entire desert valley in all directions.

That evening, we walked the strip and saw the sights and sounds of Las Vegas. There is a new display inside of the Bellagio that is especially intriguing, with a mythical forest scene complete with giant mushrooms, dragonflies, and fairy houses.

***

We got back to Colorado, and Pippin and Mylo were still staying with us, so I continued to train lots of mileage with my canine teammate.

Near the end of October, my dad went to the hospital. Sadly, he would never recover from the illness that landed him there.

In a way, the next few weeks were just blurred. I did continue working and running, but every day fell into the next so quickly.

A large amount of snow fell in early November, and we got our fill of snowmen, snowballs, and runs through deep powder.

Then, after the storms had passed, on a clear and warm day in mid-November, we buried my father.

I will forever miss sharing my adventures with him, but I am so glad for the time that I was able to spend with him - both earlier this year, and throughout my life.

***

As the end of November loomed, I still had Pippin. I was so thankful for his presence on my daily meditative runs.

I planned a long one with him, and we made it to the overlook on Rampart Range Road - a really successful day, over 20 miles.

I knew I might not have him too much longer, as Mylo was finally in the process of finding a place to live in the Denver area.

Our 20-mile day to the overlook and back was the easiest 20 miler I've ever run.

***

In early December, we went to the Parade of Lights in Denver.

Then, Mylo moved to Aurora, finally finding a place to live so he didn't have to commute from the Springs in the winter. And with him went Pippin - I was on my own for runs from now on!

So I planned a solo long run in the North Cheyenne Cañon area, and set out on a warm day.

However, on the Pipeline trail far into the forest, the trail became a complete mess of slush. There were feet and feet of snowdrifts under some sections of trail, and a crusty, icy top that I broke through with each step.

It wasn't long before my feet completely froze, and I began to get stressed out.

I called Alex and he rescued me, driving all the way up Old Stage road to pick me up where it meets 379. Even getting through this section of road on foot was nearly impossible, but I made it to Old Stage and made it out of this adventure without any frostbite.

Nonetheless, I found that the conditions in the mountains this year are terrible, even with gear and preparation, and I'm glad I abandoned my long run attempt before any permanent damage. I couldn't help but feel that I would have turned around before I got in too deep if I'd had Pippin - but without him, I didn't take full measure of how I was feeling and pushed too far.

***

I'd have a chance for redemption, however, because about a month after he left, Pippin was coming back for Christmas!

While Mylo went out of state, we got to watch Pippin, and I took advantage of our few days together to head back to Rampart, which has much better conditions than N. Cheyenne Cañon this winter.

This time, we made it to a small trail called Grassy Saddle which is past mile marker 9 on the road.

We got a total over 18 miles, and Pippin was glad to have a visit. I'm glad I will still be able to see my training buddy occasionally! As summer comes around, maybe I'll even be able to take him on some fourteeners.

Pippin went back home to Aurora, and I felt more comfortable that he knows he'll still be able see me - I didn't want him to feel like I abandoned him, after all our many runs together.

On the last day of the year, Dionne invited me to do a short morning jog with her. It was really nice to catch up, and end the year on a positive note. And to look forward to more runs with friends in 2025!

***

As the end of the year approached, I reflected back on how much had happened in just the last few months.

The end of the year was full of sadness, but also full of hope and love. I appreciate and all the things I have been able to do with my family and friends this year. Even in the difficult moments, there is so much to be thankful for in this world.

Canicross through the seasons: From an icy spring to a full summer, fading into autumn

I haven't had much time for updating the blog, but Pippin will be moving away to Denver soon, so I figured I'd jot down some of our adventures that I haven't yet shared.

***

Before I left for Arizona the first time, which I posted about a few months ago, Pippin and I did Blodgett Peak as a canicross.

I wouldn't recommend it, as it was extremely washed out and scree-filled (as it always is.) It did make it difficult with Pippin on lead. But we still had a good day and got some great views.

***

For our next spring adventure, I took Pippin to the Rampart Range on the Winding Stairs trail.

The day was misty and icy, and the frost stuck to all the trees and shrubs in amazing fractal patterns.

It was almost like the frost was protecting the trees, insulating the tips of branches in small, spiky blankets.

***

After our Winding Stairs adventure, I spent about three weeks in the Phoenix area. Upon returning to Colorado, many of the higher elevation trails had melted out quite a bit, so I decided to attempt a Mt. Rosa summit with Pippin, starting from N. Cheyenne Cañon.

The trail was fairly clear of snow all the way to the saddle, where the trees begin to get small and shrubby as the treeline approaches.

But the snowdrifts at the saddle were several feet deep, and the icy, crunchy conditions made the trail nearly impassible from this point on.

So Pippin and I climbed upon a small outcrop near the saddle and got some views before heading down.

The streams were flowing heavily and I knew the snowmelt would allow us to attempt Mt. Rosa again soon.

***

For Memorial Day, I decided to do a shorter version of one of my favorite loop runs. I opted not to take Pippin for this one, as it might have been too long and hot for him.

Clocking in at 21 miles, it was a little shorter than the 30-mile loop I did about a year ago, but still passed by many of my favorite places.

My absolute favorite pond, which reflects Mt. Rosa in the distance, was in perfect spring condition.

As I descended the gradual downhill on the road, bright green aspens greeted me. The large rock face known as Devil's Slide had a smooth trickle of water flowing down.

As I ran down the road, I enjoyed looking at all the dramatic outcroppings of Pikes Peak granite - the Old Gods of the mountains, watching over me.

***

In early June, we did a family hike up to the Devil's Head Fire Tower.

This popular hike features amazing views of the Rampart Range and distant Pikes Peak.

In previous seasons, we have seen clusters of ladybugs at the summit, but the day we went was too cool and windy, and no ladybugs were to be found.

***

I was about to head back to the Valley of the Sun for another week or two. But first, I took Pippin back to the Winding Stairs trail, where we'd been in April before I left for Arizona the first time.

This time, spring was in full swing in the Rampart Range!

New bright green growth was at the tip of every tree branch. I thought back to mine and Pippin's last adventure here, and it occurred to me that the frosty pinnacles we'd seen could have been protecting the new growth.

We had a long and amazing adventure, including a few miles of rough scrambling when I reached a dead end on road 323 and had to navigate through the woods to find road 322 so we could return to Palmer Lake. Pippin did great.

***

I left for Arizona again. I did a lot of heat training in the week and half I spent there this time, including runs in 105 degree heat by the Tempe Town Lake.

I also summited Camelback Mountain, which is a popular place for athletes to gather in the Phoenix Metro area.

Both the popularity and the steepness of Camelback Mountain reminded me of the Manitou Incline.

***

After returning to Colorado again, I began my summer training in earnest.

I summited Pikes Peak for the first time this year, attaining the summit in 4 hours and 16 minutes - a time I'm proud of!

***

Since the summer was heating up nicely and the high country was in full bloom, I decided to take Pippin back to Mt. Rosa.

We had a fantastic day and made the summit easily this time.

And on top of the summit, there we found the huge clusters of ladybugs!

There were Colorado wildflowers all along the trail, popping in every color and hue.

At the summit, I met some folks who had come up the other way, from Frosty's Park. One of the hikers was actually a professional photographer, and took the best picture of me with Pippin!

***

It was soon after our Mt. Rosa summit day that I found out Mylo (Pippin's owner) will be moving to Denver. Mylo was my roommate a year ago, but since I'd trained Pippin for canicross while he lived with me, I continued to pick him up for runs, as they lived fairly close.

But soon, it will be a lot longer drive to get Pippin. With this knowledge, I increased my runs with Pippin while I still could.

I took him on many runs at Section 16 and Red Rocks Canyon, and up on High Drive, as well as Palmer Park and other closer runs.

Then I planned a long day with him, and took him on a run I'd been wanting to do with him for a long time: Almagre Mountain.

We had an amazing adventure, and he did so well.

We made it up to the saddle where you can see over to the Pikes Peak South Slopes and the reservoirs below.

We descended the road 379A instead of the steep trail we came up, and Pippin and I were in sync. He took to the trail like it was his mission. But boy, he was worn out after this adventure, which was over 18 miles (his longest outing yet!)

***

It's now nearing the end of August, and I still have Pippin - in fact, he has come to stay with me again for a little bit, while Mylo finds a place to live in Denver and finalizes his job transfer.

It's now getting cool earlier in the evenings, as the sun recedes behind the mountains.

I set out with Pippin on a cool evening a couple days ago, ascending from the base of High Drive. I figured we would do the Mt. Buckhorn loop.

The trees at the base of High Drive are beginning to hint at autumn.

Both Pippin and I felt so good in the cool evening air that I decided we could do a little extra mileage.

But the darkness set in while I was on the rough downhill trail, and I had to slow down so as not to fall down into the canyon. Pippin, naturally, did great. He helped me safely descend the Seven Bridges trail in the fading twilight.

When we made it back to Gold Camp Road, we were able to run again. We made it through the nighttime closure gate at the bottom of the park with 5 minutes to spare (although I think we probably could have gotten around it on foot.) We were able to wish the nice, elderly park ranger a good night.

What an adventure! This part-nighttime jog really helped me increase my confidence, but also reminded me that autumn is coming to the mountains. The sun sets early in the valleys.

***

I've had the blessing of being able to run with Pippin, my canicross teammate, for nearly two years now. And I'll still make sure to plan adventures with him (Fourteeners maybe?!), but they will be much less frequent once he's settled in Denver. I'll have to convince Mylo to take a week ski vacation in the winter so I can borrow Pippin and run with him in the snow.

This season has been well-rounded. We have set out and accomplished many of the big runs I had planned on, and revisited favorite locations.

Reflecting on what a season it's been: this summer has come and gone so quickly. As my mom (and her mom before her) would say, that's the way life is. You look back, and it's all gone by in a flash.