Back on Pikes Peak with Sharon

Hello,

Last time I posted was also the last time I ran. After my race injury, I took two weeks off. Well, I did do some rowing sessions and weightlifting sessions, swam for an hour a couple times, and I even did a leg day and bike class. My trail confidence was slowly restored, and moreover, I couldn't stay away from the mountains for much longer!

So on Sunday, I set out with Sharon early on Barr Trail.

Although my desire to get back to the mountains was apparent, I was pretty exhausted on Sunday morning as I did not get enough sleep. Sharon and I opted for just heading up the trail instead of the Incline.

We could soon smell smoke from nearby fires and this poor air quality didn't help my fatigue levels. None the less, I had a great time catching up with Sharon and running into many friendly faces on the trail.

Nearing Barr Camp, Sharon got ahead of me. After setting off again together, she got a lead on me again, which is fantastic as she was having a good day despite air conditions. Sadly though, we didn't get a photo together for this write up, as I didn't think to get one at Camp. But I do have to thank Sharon for inviting me to go with her, as I probably would not have planned a summit if I didn't have someone to go with beforehand!

Above treeline, the smoke became more apparent. The haze to the east was covering the view of Colorado Springs. 

As I got further up the peak, I actually began to feel better. I was even able to jog a few small segments.

Atop the summit you could spot the fires producing the smoke.

At The top I ran into Lindsay! We had seen each other on the trail a few times as well as at Barr Camp briefly. 

We didn't hang out too long on the summit as the storms to the west were beginning to threaten.

My summit bid was just over 5 hours which is not fast for me, but it was a good steady pace for my ankle. My ankle actually feels quite solid now and especially much better after the summit, so I believe this workout was restorative for me. And it was refreshing to be on my home mountain once more. Again I'm very glad that Sharon asked me to go!

See you all next week!