"3" up top on Pikes Peak with Mike, Lindsay, and Matt

Most Pikes Peak trainees, at least those who live in the area, do lots of training up top on the Peak. 

We have a thing we call 3-2-1s, which is where you drive to the Pikes Peak summit, run down 3 miles (to treeline), back up, then down to the 2 miles sign, back up, then down to the 1 mile to go sign and back up. 

I must admit I've never done a full a 3-2-1. The best I've been able to manage for this workout is the "3" portion. 

I try to do the "3" at least once a year to see how I'm doing. Today was my "3" for the season.

Mike was kind enough to drive Lindsay, Matt, and me to the summit this morning. (Thank you Mike!)

Bighorn sheep greeted us near the summit! I was hoping to see them this morning, as that's one of the nice treats of being at 14,000 feet in the early morning. 

Here's Mike running downhill with the sheep in front of him.

I ran downhill quickly but not totally off the hook, taking 42 minutes to reach the "3 miles to go" metal sign. I took a bunch of photos on my way down. On my way back up, I tucked the phone away and focused on my uphill training.

Here are some of the downhill moments: 

This cheeky marmot was chirping fearlessly at me, perhaps trying to tell me to run faster:

And here's Mike passing me going uphill while I'm still heading down.

Of course I stopped briefly for a selfie at the "3 miles to go" sign, rockin the cool sunglasses that Sharon gave me last week!

And Lindsay was just behind me, eventually passing me on the uphill portion (though I tried my hardest to keep her right in front of me!)

The uphill was no easy task for me today! I had to keep focusing on my breathing as best as I could. Matt had set out from the Devil's playground trail, going down Barr a little ways before turning around. He was shouting encouragement from up ahead. I ended up running uphill to the summit in 1 hour and 9 minutes from the "3 miles to go" sign. Not my best time, but far from my worst!

On the way down, it was nice to meet and share a ride with famous trail runner Joe Gray. Isn't it amazing how many elite athletes enjoy this superb training playground of the Pikes Peak region? You never know who you'll run into on the Peak! 

Less than 6 weeks until the Pikes Peak Ascent

It is now peak training season for the Peak! And there are hundreds of runners out on the trails, enjoying the midsummer heat after an extra snowy winter.

On Wednesday, I did a night run at Palmer Park, approaching the park at the last moments of dusk. It was super peaceful and quiet, and I passed only one other trail runner who was also seeking a nighttime jog.

On Friday, my husband and I met up with Felix and we hiked around Prospect Lake at Memorial Park at sunset. Storms over the Rampart Range to the north made for a very picturesque evening. 

And then on Sunday, Sharon and I summited Pikes again! This was our third summit each, two of which we did together. 

The weather was warm and I never needed my long sleeve shirt. And the friendly marmots were busy as ever, chirping at us from all angles in the alpine tundra. Here are some photos from the journey: 

We made the summit in 4 hours and 30 minutes exactly. Although we were 5 minutes slower than our last attempt at this route, we were pretty casual on the way up. It was another gorgeous day with friendship and good conversation. Nothing like spending time in the Colorado high country!

As a bonus, on our way down, we stopped at Crystal Creek Reservoir and got a view of the north face of Pikes, with clouds building for the afternoon showers.

I feel that I'm at a solid place with my training for being about 6 weeks out from race day. I may need to reevaluate my 4 hours goal - it's going to be a stretch for me. I'll be happy with 4:15 or even 4:20 for my time, or at least besting my previous time of 4:24. I'd be thrilled with being under 4 hours, but the truth is that I've been less focused on speed work and more focused on having fun adventures in the mountains. And truthfully, I'm ok with that. For me, the journey really is more fruitful and fulfilling than the destination. 

Pikes Peak summit via Barr Trail on 07/07/2019

Good morning friends,

Yesterday's Pikes summit was so much fun! I started out with Sharon, on the Incline. We took the bailout and continued up Barr trail from there. The day was bright, warm, and refreshing.

Sharon wanted a short day today, so she turned around just before No Name Creek. I forgot to get a photo with her before she headed down the trail, but it was nice to touch base.

Above No Name Creek, I ran into a group of ladies who were headed to Barr Camp at a steady pace. I crashed their group and kept pace with them. As it turns out, Katie, Carrie, and Amy were the same ladies I had seen passing me in the gully on my way up Almagre last week! I must run into them pretty frequently on the trail, as I'm certain I passed by them on the Missing Link trail the day that I ran with Jim.

I'm thankful I had a group to help push me to Barr Camp!

I reached Camp in 2:06 and spent about 5 minutes catching up with Zach before I continued on for the summit.

And then, not far past Barr Camp, Lindsay caught up with me! This run was shaping up to be quite productive, since I had different people to help push me along on each section of the trail. It was also nice to see Adrian for a while, as he turned around at A-frame.

Above treeline, Lindsay dragged me all the way to the 2 to go sign. I finally settled into my high altitude pace above that, continuing at a slow and steady pace.

After the Cirque, we ran into Matt who had his car at Devil's playground and offered us a ride back down the big hill. How wonderful to see so many other runners on such a fine midsummer Sunday at 14,000 feet!

Although we took our time above treeline, and stopped many times to catch up with people we knew, my total summit time was  still 5:08. Not bad for a moderate effort day!

It was so nice to see so many friends. Thanks again to Sharon, Katie, Carrie, Amy, and Lindsay for all running with me along different segments of the trail so I didn't have to be alone for any one portion for very long! And thanks to Matt for the ride down the mountain!

After that, my husband met us at Memorial Park and we hung out for a while and checked out the crafts fair in Manitou. A perfectly nice way to wrap up a long run day on the Peak!

Training update plus Blodgett Peak on a Friday morning

This week my ankle feels so much better than it has in a long time. I've been working with my physical therapist Kiersten and it's really come a long way since my injury last year. 

On Tuesday, first I went hiking with Alex and Felix at Ute Valley Park. We did the 3 mile loop around the Piñon Valley canal and through the park at sunset. What a nice evening hike!

And then after that, I went to the gym with my friend Haanzs! We used the glider for 10 minutes first, which felt like snowshoeing or cross country skiing to me. Then we did a lot of compound and bodyweight exercises: overhead press, plate squats, curls, pushups, pullups, medicine ball twists, and leg raises.

On Thursday, I decided I wanted to do some swimming for cardio, as it was super killer hot outside. Getting in the pool sounded relaxing. But first, I did some bench presses, deadlifts, wrist curls for forearm strength, triangle pushups, and more ab work: declined situps and hanging leg raises. Then I swam for 30 minutes. 

Then today, (Friday), after a morning PT session I wanted to do a run. Our hike on Tuesday at Ute Valley had great views of Blodgett Peak. I decided that I really wanted a climb/scramble instead of just a flat run today. 

I made it to the saddle just below the Blodgett summit in a little more than an hour. Then I climbed out on the flat outcropping to the west of the true summit, so I could get some nice photos. 

Blodgett is such a nice little challenge for a short day. I decided to go back down on the rock field, downclimbing and scrambling. This ended up being the right choice for me. I had a great time scrambling down and enjoying the full body moves required by the boulderfield.

I am really getting more and more confidence with respect to downclimbing steep rocky slopes. I'd like to try another 14er besides Pikes this season. Many 14ers require more scrambling and climbing rather than just hiking, and my training is trending towards that. The primary downside of other 14ers, for me, is the drive time rather than the route or what's required for the summit.