Y-Couloir, Pikes Peak

What a great time climbing the Y-couloir up Pikes Peak last Saturday (4/26)- Great conditioning and training at altitude!  

Up at 12:30pm Friday night, out the door of the hotel at 1am, to arrive at the TH by 1:45am.  It was a rather warm morning with little to no wind below treeline. We started hiking briefly at 2am. The first few hours of hiking were simply on a tail, with the main focus on gaining the ridge. Once above treeline, the winds picked up, and we made a 'layer' stop to put on the gear we needed.

A short 1.5 miles of hiking on the road, and then we dropped down into Bottomless Pit. 

Looking back at Bottomless Pit (and the ridge we came down)

We took the direct route up the Y-Couloir. The snow was great, though a bit 'bulletproof' as we call it in some places. I had to really kick and dig in with the toe of my crampon for some steps.

Headed up the couloir

Summited at approximately 11:30am to be greeted by some nasty winds up top. We hurried in the gift shop there and refueled/rested up. After you have been going 9 1/2 hours, its funny how you simply just want to sit, and not think, drink, eat, talk, laugh, etc. We were pretty much physically and mentally tired! 

I am feeling the effects of getting little to no sleep Friday night/Saturday morning now, but I would rather have the experience than a few hours of sleep anyday! 

Physically, I felt great the whole climb. I'm going to keep on keepin' on with my trail running, as it is helping greatly in preparing for Mt. Kilimanjaro! 

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” -- Thomas Jefferson 

Putting in the Miles

I am a trail runner. Put me on a road and I will pout and not talk the whole run. If I cannot make it out to the trails, I'll hop on my treadmill. Most of the front range trails offer some great tracks and vertical, and I am very thankful for every single minute I get to spend on them.

My weekly mileage averages about 40 miles a week. I'll probably increase to 50-60 here come end of April! I aim for about five miles 3-4 days a week, or as my current schedule allows. I'll throw in some weights and plyometrics when I can as well. Along with my base 5-mile runs, I also do 1-2 long runs per week. I usually plan my long runs on Friday, a.k.a. my 'free' day. It usually takes me anywhere from 4-7 hours to complete one of these runs. What is a 'long run'? Yep. You guessed it. It's a long run! Actual mileage varies per person, but a good mileage for me is anywhere from 20-30 miles (one run). Long runs are essential to endurance training, and are considered the most important run of your week. I could slack on any of my other runs, and do ok. But when it comes to the famous (and very well known amongst ultra runners ) long run, slacking here will cause major un-preparedness here come race day!

I am looking forward to representing Territory Run Co. here in Colorado. This is an up-and-coming business and community of trail runners based in Portland, Oregon. I will be taking their shirt and logo up every 14er I climb here in Colorado, as well as up to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro!
http://www.territoryrun.co

I have a few races and couloir climbs coming up here in the next few months. I'm exited to get to combine my love for writing with my outdoor experiences! Run on! 

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” -- Thomas Jefferson 

Front Range Trails

I spend a lot of time on 470. I'm pretty sure I could tell you every exit on that highway! Between where I live, work, attend college, and run, I spend my fair amount of time in the car. A 30 minute drive is considered short for me! However, all of the time spent getting to the trails is 100% worth it in my book. I've run a fair amount of the front range trails as I try and not run the same trails over and over again. These are just a few of my favorites-

Green Mountain (aka William F. Hayden Park)-

http://alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/green-mountain

I run up, down, over, and around this mountain a lot! It has its steep parts, but for the most part the trails here are long, rolling, single track trails. Perfect for zoning out and laying down the miles. My mileage averages about 8-15 miles on these trails.

Dakota Ridge- 

http://alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/dakota-ridge-trail

If you want to practice technical foot placement, this would be the trail! Varying terrain and rocks keep you light on your toes and fast with your feet. There are a few parts on this trail where if you have enough speed built up, you can bounce from rock to rock, never placing a foot on the ground! (one part is pictured). I usually do my shorter 3-6 miles runs on this trail. 

View from the top-one of my dogs, Brodie, climbs Morrison as well! 

Mt. Morrison- 

http://www.summitpost.org/mount-morrison/790630

This is where I go to practice my power hiking and sharpen my foot-placement technique. Compared to some trails, you could say this one goes 'straight up' with hardly any switchbacks. Some of the best vertical the front range has to offer in my opinion! Standing at 7,884 ft, you gain 1,634 ft. in 2.5 miles, making this 5 miles RT (round trip). My PR (personal record) is 45 minutes up, 30 minutes down. There is some scrambling towards the top! 

The list could go on!

North and South Table

White Ranch Park

Mt. Falcon

Alderfer/Three Sisters

Corwina Park

Lair O'Bear Park

Elk Meadows/Bergen Peak

Matthew Winters

Deer Creek Canyon

Centennial Cone

Meyer Ranch

Windy Saddle

Chief Mountain……

Needless to say, I have my hands full whenever it comes to planning my runs/mileage/variation of trails!

Looking forward to warmer weather, muddy trails, and many more miles! 

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” -- Thomas Jefferson