Tramp Stamp

Life goes on. I hit the big 52 on Thursday. I took the day off and went to Boulder, as I often do on my birthday. I don't know why, maybe I feel like I have to go down there and remind myself that I'm glad I live in Fort Collins? I stopped at Union Reservoir in Longmont to take a picture of Longs Peak reflected in the water. Soon it will be time to get back up there on the trails.

I ran several days this week and felt pretty good. I'm not accumulating very many miles. The motivation has been off and on. Once I get a schedule in place, it will help. Just another couple of weeks and I will have that in place, too.

The weather has been so nice, we are finally getting a few 70 degree days. We did some yard work and cleaned up the front garden. It's too early to plant anything as we will get at least one more major snowstorm and many hard frosts before we're safe to plant outside. It's supposed to snow this week. That's a good thing, we need some moisture. It's been so dry since the last snowstorm.

My butt is healing. It finally stopped itching over the last day or two. Honey Boo Boo has a sign hung on her gate to her backyard that says "Dangerous Dog". I am sure the people who own the house love it. Maybe she should have thought of that before she let her dogs run wild.

Nice pic of my 1/2 smiley face tramp stamp surrounded by rash and adhesive-trashed skin. You can see two of the punctures and then the deep canine puncture tunnel makes up the half smile. It's healed up really well. I looked at my jeans and I can see why the one puncture on the right went so deep- the front teeth caught me through the pocket of my jeans, the canine was in the area where it was only a single layer of fabric. I'm lucky I was wearing jeans and not running shorts or tights.

I saw Wheaties Boy today. He's been injured, struggling to come back. We made a pact to start running together on Tuesday nights now that we're on daylight savings time again and we have the light in the evenings. Hopefully this will be the thing that pushes me past the edge of trying to motivate myself. I've been doing pretty well but since the bite I haven't been as motivated.

I launch my new online service, Cancer Harbors, the week of April 4-8. The website will be launched that week. For now it's still the temporary landing page. I'm going to do an online open house, using Twitter, Facebook, the website, email, and other social media.

I'm excited, scared, nervous, relieved, and all kinds of emotions about it. I can't wait to make the switch to marketing though, I have had enough of sitting on my butt for a while!

Keepin' It Sub-G

I've been wanting to get up to the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park all summer and I finally had a day to do it. Forcing myself to wake up early is not too much fun but I happened to wake up at 3 am all by myself, thanks to the hot flashes, so it was the perfect opportunity.

I wanted to get up there before sunrise so I could top out above treeline while the light was good. And it was...

Last week I took 4 days off from running because my legs were so sore and dead. I rode the bike one day and that was it. It was a good call. I ran increasing distances Friday, Saturday and Sunday, took yesterday off, and today I wanted to get a short hill workout in without pushing the pace. It's been raining a lot with thunderstorms in the afternoons but I knew if I got up early enough I could get a good workout on the Longs Peak trails.

I rarely run trails anymore because of my painful, weak ankles. I can't even hike much because of the uneven surfaces, at least not on really technical trails. But I miss it and every year I try to get up to Rocky Mountain National Park to get back on the trails I used to love so much. I can usually tolerate the well-worn trails. But there's one more problem...

I am terrible at altitude. Back in the days when I used to train for the Leadville Trail 100, my running buddies used to call me G.B., short for "Gooney Bird" because every time I got above 13,000 feet I was so hypoxic I would be goofy.

This was the first time I've been above 8,000 feet this year except for one trip to Como at 10,000 feet. And I haven't been running trails. I wanted to do this for the vertical and the scenery, to get an easy run in, with a lot of hiking on the uphills. I started out at 5:15 am and it was just light enough that I didn't need my headlamp.

As I climbed up to treeline, it looked like they did a lot of work on the trails, after last year's flooding. There were a lot more waterbars and steps cut in the trail. Those are harder to run than smooth trail, but I was powerhiking up anyway.

My ankles did well, except for a few places on the downhills where the rocks were loose.

But the goofiness started early, once I got above treeline I was a little lightheaded and nauseated. I took some gels and those helped.

First I went toward Chasm Lake to see if the columbines were out. They are, but not as many as last year at this time. They might be late with the cool, wet spring we've had. There was a huge snow drift just before the bowl below Chasm Lake and I decided to turn around there, since I was goofy and alone, and there was a good 1500 foot slide down to Peacock Lake with a lot of big rocks. I headed back up to the main trail and continued up to Granite Pass.


By the time I got up to Granite Pass at 8 am I was freezing my butt off in the wind and my hands were numb. I didn't think to take my gloves out of my pack, because I was G.B. And by then I couldn't even take my pack off because my hands wouldn't work to unfasten the buckles.

I had considered going up to the Boulderfield but decided to not go any higher, 12,000 was plenty high for me, and it would take me forever in my lightheaded, spaced out state. I knew I needed to stay below the Gooney Bird threshold.










I went down toward Boulder Brook but stopped before treeline, when I found a spot that wasn't quite so windy, just below some rock knobs. I took some photos and sat down to drink some water, put clothes on, have another gel.














On the way back up I felt great. It took me less time to climb back up to Granite Pass than it took to come down. I was freezing though. Once I got over the pass and descended a few hundred feet, the sun was intense, and I started to hot flash, absolutely pouring sweat like it was 110 degrees, except it was no more than 60 degrees up there. I stopped again to take off most of my layers. I was running but it was an awkward stride, because I was lightheaded and didn't have the best balance on those rocks.

I finally started to feel sub-gooney again when I got back in the trees and it was much easier to run without rolling on the rocks and twisting my screaming ankles. Finally made it back to the trailhead by 10 am and drove back home. It was only 11 miles, 3400 feet each of gain and descent, but just what I needed. My quads didn't feel like jello, either, so maybe I'm finally getting used to the vertical.

It was a good change of scenery and refreshing for my mind, too. Later this week I'll be at the opposite extreme in Death Valley. But first, a few more runs. Tomorrrow night I'll be speaking at Runners' Roost in Fort Collins, showing my Badwater Double slideshow and talking about ultras.

All the sore spots have pretty much gone away. My hip feels fine now, and my left knee is almost normal. I'm hoping to get a good 35 miler in on Thursday before my road trip starts. I'll have the opportunity to rest up a bit during the Badwater trip since I won't have much time to run, and when I get home, I can hit it hard for the final 7 weeks or so before the taper. This summer is going to fly by. Like a Gooney Bird.

More pictures below:


Hidden columbines.

Peacock Lake and Columbine Falls.

Looking east toward Twin Sisters.

Looking northeast toward the Mummy range.

Rock Knobs below Granite Pass.

Approaching Granite Pass from the east.

Peaceful Morning at Chasm Lake

At 4:30 am I knew I needed to take advantage of the day. I tried to go to bed early last night but couldn't fall asleep and was up until past 11 pm. I set my alarm for 4:30 so I'd get up in time to get to the Longs Peak Trailhead before the whole world arrived.

I almost fell back to sleep when the alarm went off, but I did make myself get up. It only took an hour to get from my house to the trailhead. Just before I turned off highway 7 to the Longs Peak road, there was this huge elk that crossed the road. I pulled over and took a few pictures.

I started out walking on the trail, I needed to figure out right away if my hamstring was even going to tolerate it. But there was not a peep out of the hamstring or the groin, and I began to jog the flat sections, being careful on the steep parts to not overstride.

When I got to the junction of the Chasm Lake/Granite Pass trail I decided to go to Chasm Lake, because there was less vertical involved, and I didn't want to overdo it.

I took a ton of pictures on the way up, the morning was cloudy, but the sun came out enough that the light was constantly changing, I wished I had been able to drag myself up earlier and catch the sunrise.

I continued along the trail to Chasm Lake and at one point I could see the waterfall between Chasm and Peacock Lakes, and so far there were plenty of wildflowers, but nothing breathtaking. Suddenly I turned a corner and there was a whole hillside full of freshly blooming columbines!

Fortunately there were not a lot of people out this morning, I needed the peace more than anything. There was one loud and obnoxious group of young boys below Chasm Lake but once I got to the lake I couldn't hear them anymore. I had the lake to myself. When I got to the end of the trail before the final climb up to the lake, which is slightly more technical than running, but slightly less technical than bouldering, that was the challenge for my body. Once I felt my groin and a couple of times I felt the hamstring as I climbed up the rocks, gripping small ledges with my hands. But it was nothing that lasted, it was just an awareness of these vulnerable places in my body.

I think it was a total of 8 miles and maybe 2400 feet of climb and the same of descent. Not much, but enough to challenge my flatland-acclimatized body. The hardest part of the whole thing was whenever I get on rocky stretches of trail and something causes my ankle to twist, causing eversion of my ankle, I am in serious pain. And it happens a lot on trails. That peroneal tendon injury is still there, but at least I don't feel it on the flats and running smooth surfaces anymore, but rocky trails kill me. Just a small twist is excruciating. I wonder if that's a permanent thing or if I can rehab it further. I hate to think my trail running days or even hiking days are over.

I was out for about 4 hours and I took a gazillion pictures.

This weekend it seems like everyone is at Badwater, Hardrock, or Vol State. This was my wimpy attempt to have my own little adventure run, a measly 8 miles, before I go back to work Monday for a week of way too many hours and who knows what chaos will ensue with the new computer system, which goes live tomorrow.

I'm feeling better about things psychologically. I've done a lot of talking with trusted friends and colleagues the past few weeks. As one of my nurse friends pointed out, there is a lot of physical, mental, and spiritual abuse that goes on in nursing. It's something you have to come to grips with if you're going to stay in the profession, and decide what you're willing and not willing to tolerate. And that's really what I've been struggling with. Right now it's more in the spiritual realm for me, though 12 hour shifts make it feel physically abusive to my body and definitely aggravate all the other factors.

And my friend Chris who has been my nursing mentor since the day I started, reminded me that it's good practice to let go on a daily basis.

I need some balance back, and I think I needed more of a break from running than I gave myself. Jumping into June with 2 marathons, even as easy training runs, was not the best idea. I can tell because I am enjoying the little forced break from running, I have not been obsessed at all with maintaining fitness at an intense level. One more week of extra time at work, and then I can recover and move on with my own stuff.

Maybe all the little aches and pains will disappear then.

Hangs With Marmots

The Hewlett Gulch fire has filled the Fort Collins area with smoke off and on for the past few days. When I woke up this morning it was smoky again, with about 1/2 mile visibility in town. Time to get out of town for a run. I've been wanting to go up Longs Peak, not to climb it, but to get on the trail and do some high altitude trail running. Since my longest trail run so far was less than 6 miles, I didn't need to do too much more, but I wanted to get a decent workout in, and I needed some vertical. This was perfect.

I drove up to the Longs Peak trailhead, and the air is a bit hazy up in Estes, especially looking back toward Loveland, but it's a lot clearer than the Fort. It's been a while since I've been on trails and above 10,000 feet. I didn't have too ambitious of an agenda. Just up and back to the Boulderfield, if it was passable, without too much deep snow, postholing and slipping would not be so good. I didn't even know how my legs would respond to a 3000+ foot climb and descent, each in about 5 miles, less than 2 weeks out of my 100+.

Going up the trail, I hit my first patch of snow near the Goblin sign, about a mile from the trailhead. Hmm. I kept going, there weren't too many people out and the parking lot was empty. I wondered what I would find. As it turned out most of the trail was in great shape, runnable and dry. There were quite a few big soft deep snowbanks in the upper trees before you hit treeline and come out in the exposed tundra below Chasm Lake. Once I hit that, there was almost no snow to deal with. I only postholed once all day, which was amazing since the snow was so deep and soft.

The trail looked clear past Chasm, and I headed up toward Granite Pass and the Boulderfield. It was slow going, I wasn't pushing hard at all, and taking lots of pictures along the way. it was a little windy but not too cold. I stopped to put my fleece shirt and gloves on once I made the turn past the pass and started heading up the last few switchbacks to the lower Boulderfield. I decided that once I hit the Boulderfield I would choose a spot to stop and turn around, the footing gets worse the closer you get to the Keyhole, and I didn't want to stress my ankle too much. I twisted it good a couple of times and I felt it, but I only felt it when I twisted it, not afterwards, so that was good.

I didn't feel too lightheaded above 12,000 feet this time. I was able to run all of the flat strecthes and the not-so steep uphills without getting too winded. That surprised me most of all.

I found a nice rock in the lower Boulderfield, took some pictures, ate a peanut butter and jelly Lara bar, and then started down. The clouds were moving in and it looked like rain. I hope it would rain, that fire needs something to keep it from spreading.

About 10 minutes after I started down the trail, I ran into a familiar-looking runner coming up the trail toward me. It took me a minute to figure it out and then I realized it was Reid Delman, who puts on several trail/adventure races around the region, such as Desert Rats, 24 Hours of Boulder, Moab, Laramie, etc.,and the Spring Trailrunning Festival in Fruita each year. I haven't seen him or run any of his races in so long since I had to avoid trails. We talked for a while then each went on our way. He was doing the same thing as me, to the Boulderfield and back.

I stopped for more pictures on the way back to the trailhead. This pair of marmots hanging out on a rock stayed there and I got my iPhone ready to take their picture. But by the time I snapped the picture, the male had mounted the female and they were busy making baby marmots. Fortunately I didn't catch that in my photo. I took off to leave them to their marmot business.

On the way down there was this group of 4 older people, well into their 70s at least, I had passed them at the beginning of my run near the trailhead. They were still coming up and approaching Chasm Lake, and I was on my way down. The man leading the group saw me and said, "Oh, no, not one of THOSE." The dreaded trail runner. I wished them a nice hike and kept going.

Once I passed most of the snow I picked up the pace and ran hard down the last mile or so, trying to not worry about rocks, since the lower trail is in such good shape. It took me over 3 hours to do the run but I was taking my time. I got at least 10 miles in, with +/- 3200 feet of vertical gain and descent. I guess I'll find out in the next two days if that is enough to make me sore these days. I hope not.

Driving down Big Thompson Canyon it looked like rain. it smelled a lot less like smoke when I got back to town. The flowers in the front yard are opening up and it's getting more colorful out there every day. We need rain!

Tomorrow, I meet Ed and Dale for our Double Mick planning session and Rocket Run in Boulder. I hope there's less smoke by tomorrow. It's supposed to rain!