It's Been Twenty Years: Georgetown to Idaho Springs Report

Wow, I knew it had been a long time. The last time I ran the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon was twenty years ago. It was August 12, 1995 and I scalded my young friend Geoff Lawton in the process. 1:29:24 for me; way behind for him (yeah, I'm still rubbing that one in, Geoff).

Today, adding twenty years added 57 minutes. Yikes (and by the way, "you've come a long way, baby" doesn't work here)!  Maybe it shouldn't have been quite that much. I guess that had I pushed myself a little more I might have knocked off another 2-3 minutes. But se la vie! 

My goals were to break 2 hours and do it without injury or incident. Mission accomplished. The start was the way most are these days, crowded, with a lot of swerving. My first mile was a pedestrian 9:23. Things broke out a bit and the second was right around 9. Then I got in this 8:40 ish groove that lasted until the last two miles. It felt comfortable.

When in the course of running 13.1 miles, the body goes through a myriad of experiences. Most of the time mine felt pretty good. Occasionally some specific area called for attention. A griping knee, a hip, a hamstring. Never at the same time, mind you, always working in close concert with one another so that I never got to feel TOO good.

I passed through the 10K faster than I had run the Bolder Boulder (which isn't saying much at all but I'll still take it). 

The course was different compared to twenty years ago.. More trail and gravel now, but neither was anything close to annoying, so while a bit surprised, it was completely okay with me. The GTIS is a net downhill course. I stress the word NET because there are a decent amount of uphills too. But actually few of the uphills were steep or long and for the most part, they were a nice muscular change from the downhill.

All in all, no complaints. GREAT weather, a nice course and lots of fit, happy people made for an excellent day. A couple of observations, however.
1. You can't run very fast unless you occasionally train fast. I knew this anyway, but today was a reminder. With speed, however, comes potential injury SOOOOO..... we'll introduce that slowly and carefully.
2. While I've lost A LOT of weight in the last four months, I have a long way to go. I began this quest to re-find me at 228.6 pounds, currently at 190.0. I'd say 25 to go. One step (and/or pound) at a time.

Tomorrow we'll see how we feel. I anticipate tights calves, but a little rolling and some light stretching should allow a better run in the morning. Next stop is the Imogene Pass Run 17+ miles from Ouray to Telluride over Imogene Pass (a completely different animal). With five weeks to go, it's time to head for the mountains. See you on the trail.

Run on.

GTIS: Ready or Not! Run Log Week of July 27

Well, the "racing" season begins Saturday at the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon. I carefully place the word racing in quotes as, while I'll will be at a race Saturday, I don't really think we'll do much racing. 

Packet pickup was actually a week ahead of time (I REALLY liked that). It was held at the Runner's Roost in Denver and was as easy as it could possibly be. As you can see, I received lucky number 1360 (not sure if that's a lucky number, but perception is truth, right?). The T shirt was simple, but cool, so all that's left to do is run.

Being a goal-centered individual, yes, I have some goals for the "race." First and foremost (as always) I want to get from Point A to Point B without injury or incident. Beyond that, I have to confess, this is really just a test. I'd like to see what eight weeks of consistent mileage has given me. I don't expect to be fast as I have done nothing in training that would bring about that result. I'm looking to see what my push-it-comfort pace is. If I could run in the 1:50's (yeah, that's a ten minute window), I would be satisfied. Faster than that would be great, slower than that means I chose to not hurt. We'll see. That's the beauty of the race.

The last eight weeks mileage

As for the week of July 27, I logged 90 miles. That's the highest mileage for me in a LOOOONG time. For the month of July, the number was 340 miles, up considerably from the 278 in June. I also lost a pound and a half, down to 191.2. That's a 37 1/2 pound drop since April. About 20-25 more to go....

I had some very nice runs this week. I pretty much stayed in the Cherry Creek State Park all week, but mixed in some things on the Northeast end. As always, the woods were the most pleasurable area. Even there, I tried out a few side trails and reversed direction as often as possible. This week I will cut back to 60ish. Not really any kind of a race-mileage taper, more just don't want very tired legs come Saturday.

After GTIS, it'll be five weeks until the Imogene Pass Run from Ouray to Telluride followed by a trail half marathon in Granby later in September. A couple of races in both October and November (maybe a marathon snuck in there), all culminating with the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K near San Francisco on December 5. Too much fun!

Run on!

George/Mary Ann Was Right!

It's been one of those weird weeks. Torn. That's what I've been. Torn. Yes/No, Too Old/Just Right. Shoulda/Coulda/Woulda. What's he talking about?

I've been doing two things this week: booking classes for the rest of 2015 and trail running lots of miles while focusing on getting extremely fit. Outside of those things and my wonderful evenings hanging out with my wife, Linda, not much else is happening. In a lot of ways I like that. Keep it simple, right? Well, both of those things have been going so well that the overriding theme of the week, at least in my mind, has been, "Why wasn't I doing these things twenty years ago?"

Twenty years ago, had these activities been squarely on my plate, I could have "been a contender, I coulda been somebody." Well, I was somebody twenty years ago and still am, but maybe you know what I mean. I think it can be difficult in life to find new passions in your, so called, twilight years. There is a part of the brain that says, "you're doing well, you're having a blast, but guess what? You are 63 years old and you can't do this for much longer. You missed your chance."

It's the classic devil-angel confrontation (see picture above).

"George" Eliot - Good Angel

George Eliot said, "It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot, by the way, was really named Mary Ann Evans. George/Mary Ann was an author, probably most famous for the book Silas Marner. Well, George/Mary Ann not only hit the nail on the head, but showed up right on time. It is NEVER too late to become what you might have been, it is NEVER too late to have passion for life, it is NEVER too late to maximize the moment. Take THAT, devil shoulder!

So with George/Mary Ann firmly attached to the winning shoulder, here's what I did this week: I booked five classes for the remainder of 2015 AND four for 2016. I will, by weeks end, run 90+ miles for the seven days, the most in AGES. I have entered my first Ultra Marathon, the North Face Challenge 50K (31+ miles) in December. And...... I feel like I'm just getting started. Busy ass, trail running Rich.

Yeah baby, we're on a roll. And what do you do when you're on a roll?

You keep rolling. 

Somebody stop me!

Actually, don't stop me.

After another great week of running, I'll have to stop myself. After one more. I promise.

At least this week I didn't try to kid myself. I've been working on a backing off a week for a few weeks. Unfortunately, I get to the middle of the week and change my mind. This week I held no such illusions. I planned on running 80 miles from the get-go (does get-go get hyphenated?). Ended with 81. Also nicely set up to have the month log about 310-320 miles.

Nothing overly eventful. Lots of trails in the CCSP. Solid days of easy, and decently paced running AND..... more weight loss. I'm down 37 pounds in 3 1/2 months as I weighed in at 191.8 this morning (Sunday). I can tell the difference (I would hope so), mostly I can feel the difference. The goal is 167 by November 6 (I weighed 167 on my 40th birthday almost 24 years ago). After that, who knows, I might get so thin that if I turn sideways and stick out my tongue, I'll look like a zipper.

I've also carved out a bit of a race schedule for the remainder of the year (with some additions to come). Here it is:

August 8             Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
September 12     Imogene Pass Run  (17+ miles)
October 4            Hot Chocolate Run in Denver (15K 9.3 miles)
October 18          Denver Half Marathon (OR run the full as a long run)
November ??      Some Marathon somewhere
November 26      Denver Wash Park Turkey Trot (4 miles)
December 5        North Face Challenge San Francisco (50 K  31.9 miles)

Also began reading The Ultra Mindset by Travis Macy. Not bad. Cool stories and so far (halfway through) some good life/running lessons. Once completed, I'm moving on to Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultra Running in preparation for the North Face 50K, my first Ultra.

Also discovered and enjoying www.gingerrunner.com. Great shoe and gear reviews, cool interviews and some awesome short films, mostly about ultra running.

And of course, what would the week be without an awesome Kilian Jornet video. So, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHmZ1xQ-qEI&feature=youtu.be

Feeling very focused about pretty much everything at this point. Ready to knock out another great week. How about you?

Run on.

Five in a Row, but Who's Counting? Run Log Week of July 13 "O" Week (no not you Oprah)

Last nine weeks since hammy recovery.

As a youngster, I learned how to do math by calculating batting averages, earned run averages and other extremely important baseball statistics. "Baseball is a game of numbers," they said. And I suppose they're right. But running, obsessive running, is as much so or more. Mileage, PRs, heart rates, all a part of the daily running routine. In honor of the numbers, I submit 70, 75, 70, 74, 73: the mileage for the last five weeks.

I separate Runner Rich from Jogger Rich when my mileage gets into the 50's and 60's. Once the 70 threshold is crossed, I become Serious Rich. For others the numbers are completely different and they were much different for me forty years ago. But for now, at the ripe young age of 63, I'll take five straight weeks of more than ten miles a day and take it with a smidgeon of pride. Mostly, it means not sick, not injured, probably losing weight, highly motivated.

S Burma Trail

This week opened with a few runs at home and then OFF TO SEA LEVEL! I love the occasional journey to sea level (this time North of the Bay in Vallejo and Benicia) as I get to experience how the people who can breathe easily get to do it. Normally if I hit the GPS switch on my watch during an easy run (which does not happen very often), I'll see 10-10:30 pace. On Wednesday afternoon's run to the Benicia State Park, I casually glanced down and captured a look at 9:10 pace and could not hear myself breathe. 

"I LIKE oxygen," I said to no one in particular. And so the O week began.

The highlight of O week, thus far, was Friday. Based on the suggestion of my Brother-in-law, Blane, I headed for the hills. He said, "You might want to try Annadel State Park. It's a runners paradise. 5000 acres. Redwood and Oak forests. Plenty of climbing." So, I met him at the Annadel State Park in Santa Rosa. He was right on all counts.

Elevation according to the park map

Blane rode his mountain bike, I ran. There were sections that were open wide trails, smooth as they could be, and sections that were downright CRAGGY (my favorite trail word), and everything in between. Lots of rocks, lots of hills, 1700 feet of climbing. Mostly, there was oxygen. The four mile climb just past the midpoint, while I would not say I smoked it, I ran it well and never spent time struggling for air. "I LIKE oxygen," I said to four deer. 

The hills were fun, the scenery was wonderful and a good time was had by all (or at least by me). In all, just a hair under fourteen miles, run comfortably.

Upon arriving back at the ranch, I decided to throw in another five miles so that Linda wouldn't have to run alone. Nineteen for the day. Not too shabby. AND...... it convinced me of two things: 1) that it is here, in the Bay area, where I will tackle my first Ultra Marathon later this year. More on that another time, and 2) I LIKE oxygen.

The numbers look good. I'm loving my runs. And three more days to soak up the O!

Run on!

So Much Inspiration. Log Week of July 6

Kilian Jornet winning the Hardrock 100

It's such a good thing (sometimes) to be connected to/on social media. The escape, escape from my own unexciting life, can be interesting and often inspiring. This was the case this week as much of my weekend was spent glued to the computer screen following two great events: The Hardrock 100 and the final days of Scott Jurek's run up the Appalachian Trail.

Hardrock marked the return of the incomparable Kilian Jornet to Colorado for what is annually one of the toughest ultra marathons in the world. In 2014, he made "easy" work of the field and the terrain to set a new course record by an hour. This year, fresh of a record setting victory at the Mount Marathon in Seward, Alaska, Kilian ran and hiked to another course record, again by nearly an hour (it should be mentioned here that the Hardrock course is run in opposite directions every year, so actually, there are TWO course records).

Kilian is a marvel. He wins races all over the world, sets FKT's (Fastest Known Times) on Summits in every continent, and remains grounded in his simple love for moving in the mountains. A world class mountaineer, skier and runner, he seems capable of almost anything and is limited only by the restrictions within his imagination (and he has a BIG

Anna Frost overcomes

imagination). A short bio of Kilian can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q71lsMLTi9s. His website www.summitsofmylife.com is sure to amaze and inspire anyone visiting.

The Hardrock women's race was exciting as defending champion Darcy Piceu and New Zealander Anna Frost ran together, traded leads, had good and bad patches, with Frost emerging the victor.

Mountain and trail running attracts runners of all kinds. Tracksters and marathoners move up, slow folks move in but the culture of the mountains and trails seems to breed one thing: good people. At the Hardrock awards ceremony, the T Shirt of 10 time finisher Billy Simpson said it all, "Train hard & Be Nice." Can we pass those out in Washington DC?

Scott Jurek celebrates

Sunday afternoon was spent hitting refresh hoping to catch the moment when Boulder's Scott Jurek would finally hit the peak of Mt. Katahdin in Maine ending his record attempt of the Appalachian Trail. Yep, the AT. 2189 miles long and Jurek would average just over 47 miles a day. He would fight everything a runner can imagine from exhaustion, to injury, to sickness only to keep moving until the goal was accomplished. Amazing.

Then, from the stories of the amazing, to the story of my running week. Well, for the fourth straight week, I ran 70+ miles. My longest run was a trail run Sunday of 13. As always, most of my time was spent in the Cherry Creek State Park. The CCSP is a wonderful place in the South end of the Denver Metro area surrounding the Cherry Creek Reservoir. It is a refuge of the country in the middle of the urban sprawl which the Front Range has become. I consider it a blessing.

This next week will be spent primarily at sea level. One of two things could happen: an easy recovery week, or some take-advantage-of-the-oxygen mileage week. Hopefully a run up Mt Tamalpais will be included either way.

Four short weeks until the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon and four more after that until the Imogene Pass Run. Excited, but much training left to do, and pounds to shed. Down to 195.6 which is a drop of 33 since the beginning of April. I would like to be at 185 by Georgetown and 175 by Imogene. Then will see where it goes.

Run on!

La Sportiva Vail Hill Climb; Week of June 29

We closed the book on the first half of the year this week. All in all, it was a consistent week where I had hoped to back off the mileage some. Didn't happen. Still logged 70, but a pretty easy seventy. Spent the first four days in the Cherry Creek State Park for my runs. 7 on Monday, 11 Tuesday, 8 Wednesday and 13 on Thursday.

At days end on Tuesday, not only was the month up at 278 miles, but the six month total was 1023. While I had hoped to be around 1250 for the first half, I can't complain as I missed three + weeks with my hamstring problem and ran poorly in January and February with my "ain't got no motivation" problem.

Friday I ran early and then headed to the mountains to go fishing with my youngest son, Ryan. Mid-fishing I decided to sneak in a nice trail run along the South Platte River and break in my new Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes. Both experiences were excellent.

The Speedcross 3 is a fairly lightweight, aggressively treaded but surprisingly cushioned trail shoe. My feet took to them quite well with no "break-in" effects, so I immediately decided they'd be okay for Sunday's Vail Hill Climb.

Saturday I thought about an easy day, but couldn't bring myself to running 4 or 5 miles just to rest for a "race" that I wasn't really racing. So, I ran 10.

Sunday, I was up at 4 am and off to Vail. As nice as it might have been to spend the night before in a cushy Vail hotel, I kind of like the jump in the car, drive two hours and race thing. It reminded me a little of college racing (that's by the way, where that similarity ended). I arrived in Vail without incident, picked up my number and headed for Lionshead as that would be the way off the mountain post race.

It never ceases to amaze me how "race mode" sets in when you slap a number on a shirt. Old feelings nestle their way into this old body and I'd swear I was 18 again. Warm up was an easy two, some light stretching (as Rob DeCastella once said, "do they give gold medals for that?") and a couple of strides. Nothing fancy or particularly effective, but accomplished just the same. 

At 8 am sharp, the guy yelled GO and about 400 of us set off to climb Vail Mountain. The first mile was a combo of town and the transition to the hill. They made a big deal out of some course alterations, but having never run the old course, it meant nothing to me. I ticked through the first mile near the back quarter of the pack around 13 minutes.

I had three goals coming into the day. 1) I wanted to make it to the top, 2) I wanted to run the whole way (no power walking or even non-power walking) and 3) place in my age group. Two of my goals died by halfway. It was obvious very quickly  that there were some skinny, fast mountain goat dudes taking off from the start. Goal 3, gone.

I ran comfortably through 2 1/2 miles, heart rate staying steady in the 157-162 range and then a steep-ass section hit. My watch went from estimating my pace at 14:50 ish to 17 AND everyone around me was walking and PASSING ME. Goal 2, gone. I walked on three other occasions when it seemed walking was faster than the shuffle jog I was using up the hill. Oh well.

After roughly 5 miles, I could look up a few switchbacks and see people finishing. I had two thoughts: 1) I thought this was 7.5 miles so they must be tricking us up there and 2) God, I hope they're not tricking us up there. Turns out no trick. Final distance about 10K (6.2 miles). I shot a video as I finished (seemed like the right thing to do at the time), said hi and thanks to a few people I had run with from time to time, and headed down to the car to change for a little cooldown run, and hoped to beat the Independence Day weekend traffic.

First a quick stop at the Salomon store to thank them for the Speedcross recommendation (and by the way, they were awesome shoes), then on the road. An hour and forty minutes to Vail, three hours and forty-five home. Really sucked. All in all, as mentioned, ended the week with 70 miles, the third week in a row at 70 or more.

So, lessons learned: 1) I had no problem whatsoever with the altitude. I was extremely happy about that. Imogene will be a little higher, but we'll deal with that later. 2) I've lost about 30 pounds in the last three months and it is CLEAR that I need to lose the next 30 before there will be any serious race results. Fat guys cannot climb, 3) it's still fun to throw on the bib and run the race.

No ill after effects today (Monday), but may still back off a bit this week. Or maybe not.

Run on.

Ankle Magnet: Log Week of June 22

Ankle Magnet

If you look at it, it's not a big deal. When I was younger and ran faster, it happened more often. In fact, I don't think I've had it happen in, gosh, maybe ten years. Unfortunately, it's back: the ankle magnet is back.

The initial occurrence (and it only takes ONE) was on Friday's long run on the East/West Regional trail in Douglas County. I was moving down a fairly steep decline and without warning my right foot, instead of smoothly passing through as it has millions of times before, decided to clip/bang/smash my left ankle bone. Ouch! But ouch was only the beginning.

Many experienced, and not as experienced runners, know what happens next. The ankle, in some masochistic manner begins to act as a magnet, constantly drawing the foot back to the scene of the crime. It returns without warning, but for at least a couple of days, it always returns. Bang - ouch; bang - ouch, bang - ouch. 

East/West Trail

On Saturday's run, the attraction between ankle and foot was considerably strong. Sunday, a bit less. This morning, none. I hope this phenomenon is over (at least for another ten years).

Nonetheless ankle magnet was one of the few negatives in a very good training week. After a poor start to the week (8 miles Monday, 6 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8 on Thursday), I found that I felt good and just wanted to RUN!

Friday was sixteen on the aforementioned East/West trail. It was a challenging run featuring the three H's: heat, humidity and hills. The first thirteen were downright easy followed by the big hill in mile fourteen. Feeling good, I decided to push the hill and did so rather nicely. Unfortunately, that pretty much did me in for the final two. 

Saturday, I ran twice. Nine easy ones in the AM and another four in the evening. All of a sudden my week was taking a mileage upswing. It would all depend on how I was feeling Sunday morning.

Being the smart guy I am, I decided to run a bit earlier. We've had a bit of heat lately, following a month and a half of rain, so early is good. I left the house ready to conquer the loop around the Cherry Creek Reservoir with the temperature reading a nice 59 degrees. 14 miles later, it was up to 78. Yikes! Other than the heat, I actually felt pretty good. Good enough, in fact, that I went another four with my wife, Linda, in the evening. 18 for the day. AND....... 75 for the week. The most in quite some time.

Another milestone was hit on Sunday. After three months of no soda and a mildly regulated diet, I finally cracked 200. I began this journey weighing 228.6 and now dropped to 199.2. Halfway there!

This coming week I expect to back off a bit, something in the 50-60 range. Planning either a long run over the weekend (I'm thinking Magnolia Road in Boulder) OR running the La Sportiva Vail Hill Climb on Sunday. Either way..... fun.

Run on!

Nothing Special: Just miles Week of June 15

I wish there were something cool or unique to report from this past week. I mean, I suppose it's good that I got in 70 miles. Mostly though, it was just a week of run, run, run. Work, work, work.

The day's mileage went 6, 14, 11, 9, 7, 12, 11 = 70. Ran a couple times in Colorado Springs, but they were runs on the Pikes Peak Greenway, not anything cool like the Barr Trail up Pikes Peak or the Garden of the Gods.

Don't get me wrong, no complaints here. The steady day after day repetition of running creates fitness. Fitness without injury is a beautiful thing. I suppose one could complain about putting only a little money in the bank everyday. After a while, though, you look and those little, consistent deposits transform into MONEY.

So, consider my deposit for the week being 70 miles, with more to come. First withdrawal from the account in just a little over six weeks.

Run on (and on).

PNS: A Nipple Problem Runner's Log June 8-14

You didn't really think you were

getting a nipple pic, did you?

After living through bad hamstrings and falling off ladders, I was anticipating a nice, safe 60+ mile week. It began, just that way. I felt pretty good the first four days racking up a not so impressive 29 miles. Then Friday hit.

I had decided to head out into a very light sprinkle. The weather dudes and dudettes claimed that this light sprinkle would depart quickly and leave me with sunny skies and a lovely little run. Being naive, I headed out the door unprepared to face the adversity that was soon to come my way.

I confess. I have a nipple problem. Yes, it's true: a nipple problem. How could nipples be a problem you ask? Well, mine never seem to flatten out. And especially when I run, they like to stick themselves right out there like headlights guiding the way. When I run long, Body Glide and I care for them and there is seldom a problem. But in the rain, with no protection; Houston, we have a nipple problem. Protruding Nipple Syndrome: PNS.

Two miles into the run, the skies changed. The sun which was previously attempting to break through, went on a see ya later break. The skies opened up with a steady stream of the PNS sufferers worst nightmare: precipitation.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE running in the rain. In Michigan, there was nothing better than a hot August day and a steady rain during the afternoon run. In my later years, however and with the onset of PNS, I must go out of my way to prepare ahead of time. Most often, I wait for the rain to ease. Today it was too late. 

By five miles it was perfectly clear that the chafing was getting to be too much.  And as any sufferer from PNS can attest, once the discomfort has hit, the damage has been done. This damage, characteristically stays around for 3-5 days, depending on further runs. The problem here was that I had miles to run including a long run in the hills set for Sunday.

We finished with 11 on both Friday and Saturday. Then ran 14 on the Mesa Trail Sunday. A steady dose of Body Glide, Vaseline and Band Aids has minimized the discomfort, but the problem needs a remedy.

I realize that several things could have been done differently. First, I could have greased up before the rainy run. NEVER trust the weather people has always been my motto (if the rest of us were that consistently incorrect at our jobs, we'd most surely fired). In fact, greasing up should probably be a daily ritual. Second, I could have waited for it to stop. Well, it didn't stop and when you want to run, you want to run. Last, I could have removed my shirt and stopped the irritation and alleviated the PNS issue. Sorry, no way I was unleashing THAT visual to the world. Call it ego, call it preventive non-humiliation, my shirt is best left ON!

In the end, I logged 65 miles this week, the most for any week during this year. My legs feel good (like they're getting used to the mileage) and my spirits are soaring like the hawk. Eight weeks until the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half. Just got to get those nipples under control.

Run on.

Imogene Pass Run and the Woods Call: June 1 - 7

Somehow I ran 50 miles this week. I'm not completely sure how. After the ladder incident (I guess falling off of a ladder counts as an incident) and then moving boxes, furniture and everything for my Brother, there wasn't a single day in which I didn't feel injured. Nonetheless, it is complete.

The only real highlight was Thursday. I meant to run an easy four in the Cherry Creek State Park, but somehow, just kept going.

It was one of those runs where you (I) just get in a zone, of sorts. I never felt awesome, never felt lousy. For the most part, I don't remember feeling. I just ran. Before I knew it, I was entering the woods. Once there, I never pass up the chance to play with the several loops contained within. 

The woods in the Cherry Creek State Park are the closest thing to a real escape from the urban jungle that currently is (and probably forever will be), the Denver Metro area. There is really only three and a half trails, a total of maybe three miles, but I could just keep going and going once I enter. 

Sometimes there are hikers, walkers and the occasional runner. More often than not, I am alone winding my way around the wooded path of seclusion. I absolutely love it. The run, by the way, ended up being ten miles. In my log, I called it "cleansing."

I suppose the other highlight of the week was right at the beginning: on Monday, I got into the Imogene Pass Run in September. Registration opened at 6 am (no sweat for me as I RARELY sleep past 5:30). Last year it sold out in 58 minutes, so I was ready. Others complained online (mostly on the race's Facebook page), about terrible experiences,

duplicate entries, being cut off. I can't complain. I was on at 6:02, off by 6:08 and registered. According to my confirmation, I will be #559 (and proud of it).

I've had a plethora of friends run Imogene, but I never have. It's 17+ miles from Ouray (7811 feet altitude) to Telluride (8820') over Imogene Pass (13,114'). You could call it a bucket list thing. Mostly I just got the Imogene bug and it spread to actual registration. Hopefully that bug will spread to completion. Preparation will include lots of miles, bunches of hills and some peak running, probably commencing this weekend with Bear Peak near Boulder.

So that's it. Looking for a healthy, happy 62-65 mile week. We'll see you on the other side,

Run on.