LCW run

From the Wigwam TH, Wigwam, Goose Creek, Hankins Pass, Brookside-McCurdy, McCurdy Park, Refrigerator Gulch, Goose Creek, Wigwam, Wigwam TH.

With Mark O. Started at 5:51 am. We started out pretty easy up Wigwam and Goose Creek. Legs not feeling peppy...still not recovered from Jemez. When we started going down the other side of the pass on Goose Creek, I started feeling soreness in my quads. The downhills were going to be painful again today.

Early on the Wigwam trail, we noted a number of downed trees over the trail. This would become a theme for our day, as Mark and I would end up clearing many trees (10-40 feet long) and branches from the trails throughout the day. Mark started the effort somewhere along the Goose Creek trail. Lots more out there, unfortunately.

Rolled along the Goose Creek trail and then up towards Hankins Pass. Down the other side of Hankins to Brookside-McCurdy. Cruised down that then started the long climb to McCurdy Park. Took a short break about half way up the climb, as both Mark and I were pretty beat. On up to McCurdy Park, then the long downhill to Refrigerator Gulch. This downhill, in particular, had my quads screaming.

Up and down and up and down through Refrigerator Gulch until we finally reached the Goose Creek trail again. Slowly worked our way back over the pass. Here I didn't want to stop to get my full water bottle from my pack. This was stupid, as I got fairly parched. I also started getting a sharp pain above my right knee on the inside through this section. Stopped when we hit flowing water. I dumped several bottle fulls on my aching quads, on my head, shirt, etc. I also had a Gu, S-Cap, and 2 Ibuprofen (for the sharp knee pain). Continued down with 2 bottles in hands, one for drinking, one for pouring on my quads and head.

Continued down Goose Creek, and I tried to keep a jog going, despite my quads. Gradually, the pain in my quads disappeared. I'm sure this was the Ibuprofen kicking in. I didn't expect this and found myself flying down the trail and cruising up the occasional uphill back down to the Wigwam trail.

Mark lucked out through here. Near the bottom of the Goose Creek trail, Mark's camera fell out of his pack without him noticing. He subsequently lost a shoe in a muddy section. Fortunately, some backpackers we had just passed found the camera and hustled after us to ask if it was ours. If Mark hadn't lost his shoe, they probably never would have caught us, and Mark's camera would be gone.

We hit the Wigwam trail with 3.7 miles to go back to the trailhead about 10:15 into the run, and Mark noted that we might be able to finish in under 11 hours. That sounded hard given the way my quads were feeling all day and with some technical downhill ahead.

Turns out my quads were feeling even better at this point. We flew down this descent. I felt unbelievably strong and fresh. At a short, steep uphill, I flat out sprinted up the thing and turned on the jets down the other side. I couldn't believe how well I felt some 35 miles into this run. On some of the smoother trail sections, I'm sure I was running under 7:00 pace (very rare for me). When I hit the final, short climb back up to the trailhead, I waited for Mark for a couple of minutes so that we could finish up together. Very satisfying finish!

So, the Ibuprofen thing is a tough one for me. I immediately wondered what could have been if I had taken some at Jemez when my quads disintegrated (I was actually carrying some but never even thought about taking it). In general, I don't like taking stuff like this. And I'm aware of the issues that some have had with Ibuprofen usage in ultrarunning, so I'm quite wary of using it. Definitely something I'll consider if/when the quads start suffering at Hardrock, though.

Mark's GPS recorded around 36.5 miles. I didn't run a log on my watch, but I did this run in 2005, and my watch recorded around 8500' of gain on that trip.

0:00 - Wigwam TH
10:48:29 - Wigwam TH

StreakBlueB

Bear, South Boulder

From Cragmoor TH, North Shanahan, Fern, Bear; over to South Boulder; down Shadow, "bridge", Mesa, South Shanahan.

Started at 5:40 am. Hiked almost everything going up Bear. Just trying to go easy. Legs didn't feel sore on the ascent but are very tired. Down the west face of Bear and over to South Boulder, still moving slowly with no pep in the legs. Ate a Gu as I started down South Boulder. Originally planned to head over to Green, but I didn't have the time for that this morning. So, headed down Shadow and could hardly manage a run down that. Legs a bit sore still but mostly just fatigue. Actually got light-headed a couple of times coming down so just tried to take things easy. Jogged and hiked my way back to the trailhead. Somewhat frustrating. I'm beat!

0:00 - Cragmoor TH
16:46 - crossing Mesa
1:01:57 - Bear
1:16:35 - South Boulder
2:17:00 - Cragmoor TH

StreakOrangeB

Green x 2

From Gregory TH, Gregory, Ranger, West Ridge, Green; down Greenman, Saddle Rock, Amphitheater. Repeat.

Started at 5:28 am. Been meaning to start doing two laps some mornings. Finally got up early enough to do so. Although, I don't think this did my quads any favors in the recovery department. They're still quite sore from Jemez. Wanted to go at a fairly easy pace that I felt I could sustain for a while. I think I succeeded at that. Upped the effort slightly on the second lap since I was only doing the two laps. Grabbed a water bottle and granola bar from the car between the laps.

0:00 - Gregory TH
22:13 - Gregory/Ranger
49:56 - Ranger/West Ridge
54:50 - Green summit
1:22:06 - Gregory TH
1:22:48 - Gregory TH
1:44:23 (21:35) - Gregory/Ranger
2:10:38 (47:50) - Ranger/West Ridge
2:15:21 (52:33) - Green summit
2:41:36 - Gregory TH

StreakOrangeB

Green

From Gregory TH, Amph, Saddle Rock, Greenman, Green; down the same.

Started at 6:46 am. First trip up Green this year with no snow on the trail! Yeah! Quads are still beat up from Jemez, so I was just out for an easy hike. As I approached the 1st/2nd Flatiron trail junction, I saw Tony K running up the trail ahead. He had obviously come down that trail to the Saddle Rock trail. Shortly beyond, saw Terri H coming down. Jogging from the Saddle Rock/Greenman junction to the spring, Tony came up from behind and passed me (he was off exploring). We chatted for a minute or so until he moved on. Reverted to hiking until the final few switchbacks where I upped the effort with a little running. Not too spry on the downhill with the aching quads.

0:00 - Gregory TH
10:54 - Amph/Saddle Rock
28:50 - Saddle Rock/Greenman
47:08 - Green summit
49:50 - started down
1:18:07 - Gregory TH

StreakOrangeB

Cerro del Aire

Wanted to shake out the legs a bit on the drive home from Los Alamos. Pulled off at the Wind Mountain Public Access north of Tres Piedras and drove dirt roads for a few miles, through a couple of gates, then parked at a junction near a small pond. Hiked up a road for maybe a quarter mile before heading off into the trees more directly toward the summit. Great views from the top. Lots of mountains visible that I'd like to come back and climb.

About an hour roundtrip. 600+ feet of gain.

MountainMasochistA

Jemez 50 Mile

12:14:42 (I started my stopwatch late and had 12:14:30)

Suunto log summary through 12 hours:

11000 up (+27), 10920 down (-39), 7 laps, 12:00

Marshall Mesa Lollipop

From Marshall Mesa TH, Coal Seam, across 93, Community Ditch, Doudy Draw up the hill, Flatirons Vista North, across 93, Greenbelt Plateau, connector, west on Community Ditch, Coal Seam, Marshall Mesa TH.

Started at 6:24 am. Nice cool morning. Tried to take it easy but found myself working hard a few times.

0:00 - Marshall Mesa TH
31:00 - Doudy Draw/Spring Brook
53:34 - Greenbelt Plateau TH
1:13:51 - Marshall Mesa TH

MountainMasochistA

Marshall Mesa to home

From Marshall Mesa TH, Coal Seam, east on Community Ditch, connector, Greenbelt Plateau, High Plains, Coalton, home.

Started at 5:48 pm.

0:00 - Marshall Mesa TH
22:19 - Greenbelt Plateau/High Plains
44:42 - High Plains/Coalton
1:11:41 - home

Sanitas hiking with Anya

Lori went up Sanitas while I hiked with Anya (Mia was at her dance class). Hiked up the South Ridge past the initial steep stuff, then turned left on a trail down to a rocky outcrop overlooking Sunshine Canyon. Anya did amazingly well, hiking all the way up this on her own (with some hand holding). She basically had to scramble up many of the big steps. She walked down much of it on her own, but I carried her for a few sections so we could get down to meet Lori.

Green

From Gregory TH, Amph, Saddle Rock, Greenman, Green; down the same.

Started at 6:38 am. Crazy how much harder the 9:57 up Amph felt compared to last night's 8:13. Trail conditions were much better than yesterday (cool morning, less slush) despite some more fresh snow on the upper part of the mountain (maybe an inch). Much better time up Greenman compared to yesterday. Pushed near the top to sneak under 50 again. Also much better time on the down, which felt easier than yesterday.

0:00 - Gregory TH
9:57 - Amph/Saddle Rock
27:33 - Saddle Rock/Greenman
49:55 - Green summit
51:58 - started down
1:19:36 - Gregory TH

StreakBlueB

Green

From Gregory TH, Amph, Saddle Rock, Greenman, Green; down the same.

Started at 4:57 pm. Felt strong from the start (night and day compared to my morning starts) but didn't really feel like going hard as I knew there was still a lot of snow higher up. Also still considering the Friday night TT so didn't want to spend it today. Sort of fartlek-ed my way through the first 15 minutes since I was feeling so good. The 8:13 up Amph (pretty fast for me) actually felt pretty casual. Was really wishing for dry conditions and to have JV pace me to a PR. Eventually, this turned into a slush-fest. Wet and sloppy and slow. Pushed a bit near the top just to get in under 50. Running down was quite a chore in the sloppy conditions.

0:00 - Gregory TH
8:13 - Amph/Saddle Rock
25:20 - Saddle Rock/Greenman
49:47 - Green summit
52:01 - started down
1:27:52 - Gregory TH

StreakBlueB

Green

From Gregory TH, Amph, Saddle Rock, Greenman, Green; down the same.

Started at 6:54 am. Another snow storm overnight. I had to park at the pull-off below the Gregory TH as the gate was closed (the gate was open and the road plowed when I got down). Anywhere from 0 to 12 inches of snow on the trails (probably more like 6-8 inches of actual snowfall, but some spots end up deeper, and some sheltered sections end up with less). Lots of trees/branches hanging over lower Amph, a few more higher up. Above Greenman spring, there was an ice crust atop the snow. Initially, it wasn't a big deal, even though I was wearing shorts. But eventually, it started getting pretty painful, and I noticed that I was leaving some blood behind. The last few minutes to the top were miserable. Coming down, though, was excruciating. At times, I didn't even want to move. Tried lifting my feet back or up rather than moving forward into the crust, but that only helped a little. Eventually, the crust wasn't such a big deal, and I was able to jog down making better time. Sick of the snow!

0:00 - bottom of Gregory road
2:11 - Gregory TH
12:22 - Amph/Saddle Rock
33:12 - Saddle Rock/Greenman
1:04:32 - Green summit
1:38:18 - Gregory TH
1:39:36 - bottom of Gregory road

StreakBlueB

Green

From Gregory TH, Amph, Saddle Rock, Greenman, Green; down the same.

Started at 6:36 am. Took it easy today. Cleaned up lots of rocks and branches on the up and down.

0:00 - Gregory TH
10:14 - Amph/Saddle Rock
28:14 - Saddle Rock/Greenman
49:16 - Green summit
1:26:02 - Gregory TH

MountainMasochistA

Lake Valley jog

Jogging with Lori, Mia biking. Niblick, Golf Club, Pebble Beach, stopped to play at the park for about 10 minutes, sidewalk to Spy Glass, across the dam, stopped to play at the lake for about 10 minutes, Ace, Niblick. Maybe 2 miles.

MountainMasochistA

Green, South Boulder, Backside

From Gregory TH, Amph, Saddle Rock, Greenman, Green; down West Ridge, Green-Bear, Bear Canyon; south on Mesa, "Bridge" over to Shadow, Shadow, South Boulder; down west ridge of South Boulder to Walker, up to Ethel Harrold TH, Pika Rd, Flagstaff Rd, Long Canyon, Gregory Canyon.

Started at 6:04 am. With Bill W and Mark O. Met Mark at Bear Canyon/Mesa.

6410 up (+38), 6340 down (-48), 4 laps, 5:06

0:00 - Gregory TH
10:16 - Amph/Saddle Rock
28:50 - Saddle Rock/Greenman
49:58 - Green summit
1:01:42 - Green-Bear/Bear West Ridge
2:00:03 - "Bridge"/Shadow
2:35:38 - top of Shadow
2:44:52 - South Boulder summit
4:35:24 - Flagstaff Rd/Green West Ridge
5:05:46 - Gregory TH

StreakBlueB

Green

From Gregory TH, Amph, Saddle Rock, Greenman, Green; down the same.

Started at 7:01 am. Just wanted to go easy today. Fresh snow on the trails this morning, up to an inch or so.

0:00 - Gregory TH
11:24 - Amph/Saddle Rock
32:21 - Saddle Rock/Greenman
58:20 - Green summit
1:27:15 - Gregory TH

StreakOrangeB

South Boulder (PR), Bear

From South Mesa TH. Mesa, Towhee, Shadow, South Boulder; over to Bear; down Fern, upper North Shanahan, Mesa, Big Bluestem, Mesa.

Started at 5:59 am. Started out easy. But the effort has to increase to keep running on Towhee and up to the start of Shadow Canyon. Tried to keep it as comfortable as possible and still be running. Upped the effort entering the canyon, hiking fast and running a number of short, less steep sections. Didn't really stop on South Boulder and continued over to Bear, scrambling up the west face. Couldn't find any rhythm going down Fern. So steep, so technical, legs were tired. Down on the Mesa, ran the "Death Stairs" (always hard), then eased off until I hit the Mesa again below Bluestem. Worked pretty hard there, including sprinting all out from the wooden bridge to the finish. Fun run.

PR up South Boulder by 57 seconds. Previous PR was 58:29 on 7/14/03.

0:00 - South Mesa TH
16:02 - Towhee/Shadow
24:14 - Shadow/"Bridge"
50:46 - top of Shadow
57:32 - South Boulder (PR!)
1:08:36 - Bear
1:29:59 - North Shanahan/Mesa
1:39:14 - Mesa/Big Bluestem
1:47:18 - Big Bluestem/Mesa
1:52:19 - South Mesa TH

StreakOrangeB

Green (PR)

From Gregory TH, Amph, Saddle Rock, Greenman, Green; down West Ridge, Ranger, Gregory.

Started at 6:43 am. Always feel sluggish in the morning starting up Amphitheater, but I knew I was going to go hard this morning. Legs felt much better than yesterday but still not totally fresh. Hiked the majority of the ascent, but threw in some jogging on the less steep sections. Still a number of snowy spots up high, and it was cold this morning, so these were rock hard, and I slipped a number of times. I definitely think I could improve on this time under ideal trail conditions and either with some warm-up or starting later in the day.

PR by 44 seconds. Previous PR was 41:08 on 3/2/10.

0:00 - Gregory TH
8:32 - Amph/Saddle Rock
23:07 - Saddle Rock/Greenman
40:24 - Green summit (PR!)
45:23 - started down
1:11:01 - Gregory TH

StreakOrangeB

Green

From Gregory TH, Amph, Saddle Rock, Greenman, Green; down the same.

Started at 6:18 am. Was going to do South Boulder, but I didn't want to deal with the outrageous winds this morning so changed plans en route. Legs felt tired from the start. I guess that was from running hard down South Boulder on Sunday. Caught up to Kreighton B and Olan Y (who were taking it easy) a bit above the talus section. Chatted with them for the rest of the ascent. John O and another guy were waiting on Kreighton and Olan on the summit. Kraig K came up shortly after we arrived. They all headed down Ranger, and I headed down Greenman solo.

0:00 - Gregory TH
9:56 - Amph/Saddle Rock
27:01 - Saddle Rock/Greenman
48:05 - Green summit
51:21 - started down
1:15:51 - Gregory TH

StreakOrangeB

South Boulder

From South Mesa TH. Mesa, Towhee, Shadow, South Boulder; down the same.

Started at 2:20 pm. A few minutes into this, I was feeling pretty good and decided to go hard. On Towhee, I felt I was going faster than on 4/22 (when I hit Towhee/Shadow in 15:43). Then I ran into Keith and Beth B so stopped to chat with them. Didn't stop my watch, but based on my time at Towhee/Shadow, I'd guess that I was talking to them for ten minutes or more. Anyway, pretty satisfying time for me up South Boulder. Worked pretty hard on the down but not all out.

0:00 - South Mesa TH
25:42 - Towhee/Shadow
33:14 - Shadow/"Bridge"
1:01:48 - top of Shadow
1:08:59 - South Boulder
1:11:45 - started down
1:46:33 - South Mesa TH

StreakOrangeB

Green

From Gregory TH, Amph, Saddle Rock, Greenman, Green; down the same.

Started at 3:01 pm. Tired from driving home yesterday (got home at 12:30 am). Not very motivated today starting this run. Started out going really easy, but gradually picked things up.

0:00 - Gregory TH
9:06 - Amph/Saddle Rock
23:56 - Saddle Rock/Greenman
41:58 - Green summit
50:59 - started down
1:15:22 - Gregory TH

StreakOrangeB