Golden Leaf Half Marathon Weekend- Aspen, CO

Man, now that was a weekend. Our non-stop adventures started with driving up to Carbondale late on friday after work which meant we didn't arrive until about 9pm. It was off to bed as we had to rise early to get to Aspen at 7am, park the car, and catch the bus that would take us to the start of the Vasque Golden Leaf Half Marathon in Snowmass Village. The course would start at the base of the ski area and follow the government trail all the way to Aspen. Because the race was open to 1000 entrants and the course is mostly single track, they had us start in waves, 5 minutes apart, to help control congestion. The waves were based on your estimated finish time. Thankfully I was put in an earlier wave as I heard from others in later waves that congestion was pretty bad most of the course. Even in wave 2, there were sections where passing was difficult and you would get stuck behind 6 or 7 runners that were going a little slower than I wanted to go. However there were sections where I was running by myself for a short period. I cherished these moments.
The first 1.5 mile was very steep climbing up Snowmass ski area on wide dirt road and I was able to hold a mix of running and fast hiking. Once this section was over, the single track began. We winded up and down, in and around through aspens, pine trees, open fields, crossed stream beds and three aid stations along the way. The last 2 miles were sort of brutal as we came off the government trail hit asphalt, then cement, some dirt and were completely exposed in the sun most of the way to the finish. It had gotten rather warm by 1030am. So I was definitely ready to be done. Melissa wasn't too far behind me. She had a great run too and even witnessed the girl running in front of her roll and break her ankle. The race finished on the west side of Aspen in a small park with tons of people around, catered food, beer and the best part being the endless raffle of cool stuff including shoes, clothing, backpacks, hydration belts, sleeping bags, gift certificates, etc. We hung around for close to 2 hrs after as they called bib number after bib number to claim prizes. Lots of people had already left and they would call bib until someone came to claim the prize. Needless to say Melissa and I had great chances of winning something which we did. She won a GoLite hydration pack and I won two small handheld Ultimate Directions water bottles. Sweet! We scored on this race! Great run, great food, nice tech Marmot T-shirt, sweet prizes- all for like $40. I would definitely do this race again just for all that stuff along I was not a huge fan of the congested single track and running with 100o other people.
Oh yeah and another great part of the run was seeing some old friends from Boulder who were running the race too, Tara and Adam. I lived with Adam in Boulder and hadn't seen him and Tara for a couple years. Now they are married and are expecting a baby. Exciting news. We ended up having dinner with them in Carbondale and catching up on life.
I took my camera on the run and here are the results:
Mel and I at the start.
Wave 1 kicks it off.
The single track begins.
More leaf covered single track.
This aspen shot was taken while running! Pretty good huh!
Runners through the aspens.
Mel and I hanging out at the finish with Aspen mountain in the background.
Adam, me and Tara at the finish. They both rocked the run and said it was one of the best half marathon they've done.
More finish.

After crashing hard (in bed) Saturday night, Melissa and I got early again Sunday morning, packed up and headed to the Conundrum Hot Springs trailhead just outside of Aspen. We were going to run/hike the 9miles to the Hot Springs, hang out for a while and then head out. This trail is a very very popular place and it was apparent by the very crowded spilling over parking lot. I was hoping the springs were less crowded by the time we got up there as most people would be hiking out on Sunday. (Most people spend a 1-2 days backpacking up to this area.) And we were right. By the time we made it up to the springs, we probably passed 50+ backpackers hiking out and then a couple groups of day hikers headed in. We also passed a park ranger hiking out. I am sure they patrol this area regularly and especially on the busy weekend. The area is considered wilderness which means no bikes, dogs on leash and only certain areas camp fires and camping are allowed plus you need a permit for overnights. It took us three hours to go the almost 9 miles. Most of the trail was runnable with occasional steep sections. We stopped alot to take pictures, enjoy the scenery and rest. The aspen colors were amazing despite lots of leaves already off the trees. Pictures could not even capture the moments.
We got up to the springs and there were a few people in them. There is one big pool and then a smaller pool 50 feet down from the bigger one. We had some snacks and by the time we were ready to get in, there was only one person left soaking. We quickly got in and it was heaven. The water was a perfect temperature, blue skies and a great view down the valley we had just come up. We ended up spending two hours hanging out soaking in the water, chating with people, hydating, and taking more pictures.
It took us just over 2 hrs to get back to the car and very were exhausted. We jumped into the car and drove down the road a bit to get out of the sun and find a place to park near the river. We found a perfect spot to soak out legs in the freezing river. And boy it was freezing. It took me some serious convincing Melissa to stay in the water. It was the longest 15 minutes ever and it took forever to warm up but it was well worth the torture as we both felt our legs recovered better after putting 30 miles on them over the weekend.
After soaking, we headed into Aspen, made some sandwiches, made a gas station stop for some diet coke and then headed up the pass back home. Another late night driving as we didn't leave Aspen until 530pm but well worth it.
The start of the conundrum trail.
Fallen aspens everywhere.
The sun peaking into the valley.



Breaktime. One of many.







The hot springs.
The view from our soaking place.
Enjoying the water.
The big pool.
Heading down valley.




Snack time.




Driving back. Sunset over looking Buena Vista and the Collegiate Peaks.

Thanks Mel for a great weekend!

Imogene Pass Run 2010

This past weekend marked my fourth year participating in the Imogene Pass Run (17 miles over a rough jeep road pass from Ouray to Telluride- 10 miles up and 7 down with the summit reaching 13,114 feet). However this number is nothing compared to my mom's 15th consecutive year running it! They even announced this feet upon her finishing the run. It is always a fun weekend hanging out in this beautiful part of the state. We made the long drive down to Ouray on Friday (the day before the race) making a few stops along the way which included the yummy Firebrand deli in Gunnison. With stops included, the drive too seven hours! Arriving into Ouray about 5, we quickly settled into our hotel room which was only 50 feet from the start of the race. Nice! Then it was off to pick up race packets and wander the town before getting any early dinner at The Outlaw. I ran into a familiar face at the packet pick up. It was my friend Lee who I met during several training runs on Pikes Peak over the last few years. First of all he is 77 years old and going strong. He has done the Pikes Peak Marathon several years, the Mt Evans Ascent and this is his first attempt at Imogene Pass. He lives in Centennial and would come down to the Springs once a week to train on Pikes Peak where I seeming ran into him often. He is an inspiration to all and it was great to see him. By the way, he ended up making a 75+ course record during this year's Imogene run finishing in 5:26:11.
Race morning quickly approached. The air was quite brisk with totally clear skies (mid forties) on race morning and deciding on clothing to wear was difficult. It was supposed to warm up to the 60's. The Ouray side of the pass is always chilly going up as it is in the shade most of the way but the Telluride side is usually warm and in the sun all the way. There was zero percent chance of rain. I ended up wearing shorts, t-shirt with arm warmers, a light wind jacket, and gloves. I kept everything on until about 1 1/2 mile from the summit when we actually got into the sun and there wasn't much wind. It was chilly enough going up that my quads were numb most of the way but I was still glad to have shorts on as the 7 miles down into Telluride were warm! The summit weather was awesome as I didn't even need my jacket, no wind, clear skies.
This run is always more of a have fun, enjoy the outdoors, and your fellow runners than a competition. I felt pretty good going up but didn't push it too hard and was able to take pictures along the way. A majority of the first 5 1/2 miles is runnable with a few steep parts but past that it gets rather steep and running becomes more difficult. You will find most people hike these parts including myself. I arrived at the Upper Camp Bird aid station (11,235 feet) which is 7.6 miles into the race in a respectable time compared to my past races (about 1:45). As I am taking in the view, drinking water, and eating some snacks, John surprises me with a slap on the back and just keeps on going! After beating me during the Pikes Peak marathon, he is very anxious to beat me once again. At that point, he was definitely on pace for a personal best at this run. It was a third year running it! He was doing awesome.
After a few pictures, I left the aid station and made my way up the last 2.4 miles which are very very steep as you climb almost 2,000 feet. The summit is in sight. It didn't take me too long to catch John, pass him and then keep ahead of him to the summit. He keep a great pace and ended up just over a minute behind me to the summit. My summit time was 2:36:55 which is about 3 minutes off my PR. I spent quite a bit of time at the summit, taking pictures, watching runners, taking in the view, drinking hot chicken broth and filling water! John quickly left the summit as he wanted to get a good time and I waited a little longer at the top hoping Melissa (my running partner and her debut at Imogene) would be summiting soon! She did and was only 10 minutes behind! Awesome! So of course more pictures were taken and I helped her replenish water and then we headed down together. I probably spent about 15 minutes at the top but it only felt like 5. It is always hard for me to leave the summit. But, it was nice to have someone to run the down of this course with as it is very very technical with lots of loose scree and loose rocks and steep. It takes great concentration to ensure you stay upright and because of this we could barely make conversation to each other on the way down because we were so focused. The 7 miles down took about 60 minutes and we both finished in 3:50 (11 minutes off my PR). We were surprised to find out John also finished in 3:50 (if you count the seconds, he was 30 seconds ahead of us). He finished 9 minutes faster than last year and a PR. Apparently, he didn't feel great on the down, was low on calories and had to slow to eat his sandwich. As a result, we had almost caught up to him.
My mom and her running partner Jo Anne (who also has done the race for several years) finished strong. It was my mom's first race back from knee surgery. She felt really strong going up but had to take the downhill easy,walking most of it as ordered by her orthopedic surgeon. Jo Anne had been fighting a flu like illness and so she struggled on the up. In the end, they both finished strong together.
The followed pictures better describe the race!
Jo Anne and my mom outside the hotel headed to the start!
The fab five right before the start- Melissa, Me, Jo, my mom and John peaking through behind us.
Mom and I before headed to the start line.
The up
Jo and my mom taking it all in!
And it gets steeper. Probably 6 miles in.
Upper Camp Bird aid station-7.6 miles. You can see the summit in the background.
Jo making her way up.
Looking back at what we came up. Not quite to the summit!
Getting closer. Probably 1.5 mile to summit. John is just 50 feet in front of me.
The summit. Lots of people cheering us on. The volunteers are awesome.
Looking down from the summit!
Runners just getting to the summit!
Melissa and I at the summit!
John and I at the summit!
Looking down the Telluride side!
My mom coming through the Social Tunnel about 3 miles from the finish!
Some of the steeper sections coming down.
Looking back up from were we came from. Almost into Telluride.
My mom just less than 1/4 mile from the finish!
Mel and I finishing in sync!
Mel, John and I waiting for my Mom and Jo at the finish. My dad and Charlie (Jo's husband) were cheering us on the finish.
My mom and Jo finishing!
Yummy peaches!
My parents and I in Telluride.
Celebrating at the Ouray Brewery.
More celebrating with mexican food and margaritas.

It was another successful race weekend. I love visiting that part of the state and cannot wait for next year!