210 days until the 2012 Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run...
This is known as "Powerline", appropriately named as you will note the electrical wired poles lined from the bottom to the top of Sugarloaf Pass. This is the view where you will come down from the top near mile 20 and climb from the bottom near mile 80. You can run down it in less than 15 minutes but plan on climbing for an hour on the way back. The elevation at the top of Sugarloaf Pass is 11,300 feet and it is the second most difficult climb in the race, although the climb takes place nearly 25 miles after descending Hope Pass. One must be careful on the descent as running it too quickly can trash the quadricep muscles, increase your chance for injury, and risk the danger of going forward in a dangerous somersault. I remember running down it in 2005 and actually zigzagging back and forth to slow myself down. The climb back up has four false summits - which is why racers are advised to look at their watch instead of what they think they see as the top. Another peril of Powerline is the risk of attracting lightning during thunderstorms.
Today was a great day. We ran 26.4 miles in cold temperatures and through some sidewalks that hadn't been plowed yet. We started at 4:30 a.m. this morning - Rick and I were joined by Aaron Maurer, Chad Uhde, Katie Gaffney, and Chrt Johnston during different parts of today's workout. The run went well. Our legs began to tire toward the end but we hung in there and finished strong. Mentally we had to stay tough because we knew that we will be running a marathon tomorrow as well.
Some people have remarked that the training we are doing is incredible - from running a marathon in the snow at freezing temperatures to running back to back marathons. It feels good to have the admiration of others and I find it to be motivating. On the other hand, when I think about Leadville, how hard it is, how long it is, and all the difficult challenges that face the runners, running a marathon in the snow or running back to back marathons on consecutive days isn't that big of a deal, nor should it be. I realize the workouts are tough but if I start complaining or feeling like I'm doing more than enough, I will be in very big trouble when it comes time to run Leadville.
Until my next post, have a great day! DIG DEEP!
This is known as "Powerline", appropriately named as you will note the electrical wired poles lined from the bottom to the top of Sugarloaf Pass. This is the view where you will come down from the top near mile 20 and climb from the bottom near mile 80. You can run down it in less than 15 minutes but plan on climbing for an hour on the way back. The elevation at the top of Sugarloaf Pass is 11,300 feet and it is the second most difficult climb in the race, although the climb takes place nearly 25 miles after descending Hope Pass. One must be careful on the descent as running it too quickly can trash the quadricep muscles, increase your chance for injury, and risk the danger of going forward in a dangerous somersault. I remember running down it in 2005 and actually zigzagging back and forth to slow myself down. The climb back up has four false summits - which is why racers are advised to look at their watch instead of what they think they see as the top. Another peril of Powerline is the risk of attracting lightning during thunderstorms.
Today was a great day. We ran 26.4 miles in cold temperatures and through some sidewalks that hadn't been plowed yet. We started at 4:30 a.m. this morning - Rick and I were joined by Aaron Maurer, Chad Uhde, Katie Gaffney, and Chrt Johnston during different parts of today's workout. The run went well. Our legs began to tire toward the end but we hung in there and finished strong. Mentally we had to stay tough because we knew that we will be running a marathon tomorrow as well.
Some people have remarked that the training we are doing is incredible - from running a marathon in the snow at freezing temperatures to running back to back marathons. It feels good to have the admiration of others and I find it to be motivating. On the other hand, when I think about Leadville, how hard it is, how long it is, and all the difficult challenges that face the runners, running a marathon in the snow or running back to back marathons on consecutive days isn't that big of a deal, nor should it be. I realize the workouts are tough but if I start complaining or feeling like I'm doing more than enough, I will be in very big trouble when it comes time to run Leadville.
Until my next post, have a great day! DIG DEEP!
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