The scary thing is it just might happen

But it won't be for a while yet. Last year, towards the end of the summer, my friend Sonya and her boy rode their mountain bikes from Boulder over Rollins Pass to Winter Park. It's a long way, but they seemed to manage ok.

Well, that got me to thinking, I want to run longer races this summer (the Leadville Heavy Half, Pikes Peak, and the Golden Leaf among them), so why not throw an epic run in there somewhere?

That's right, I want to run from Boulder to Winter Park. This would start at my house in Boulder, at an elevation of approximately 5400 feet above sea level. On the way, I would head up through Nederland (8500 feet) and up into Indian Peaks Wilderness over the continental divide (12,250 feet, more or less). And down the other side to end up in Winter Park (9500 feet).

I'm not sure of the exact route yet. I would prefer not to take the same route the bikers did, as there was a lot of road involved. I'd prefer to stay on the trails whenever possible, which might make the route even longer than the 45 miles I'm estimating right now. We shall see.

I have friends who are willing to, in their words, "sit at the brewery and wait for" me to get there, and drive me back (after what I'm certain would be a large dinner). I also have a friend who, since she's planning to run an Ultra later in the month, would run this with me.

The scary part is it might just happen, and it's up to me to 1) train enough so that it's possible and 2) organized so we don't die . . .

A few Pics

Here are a few pics from the recent crazy weather. Wednesday, I went running in another, albeit brief, snow squall. I had to take off my sunglasses for that one. The snow was so wet and sticky that by the time I got home there was a good 1/2" of snow stuck to the lenses. Later that night, full of a bit too much restless energy, due in part to an annoying takehome exam, I opted to go for another run. At that point, it was icy but, aside from a close call with a snowplow, slightly worrisome, I managed ok. 3 miles in 18 minutes. I'm in better shape than I thought.


This one was from last Thursday. I had already shoveled the deck once. This was 12PM.



By later the afternoon, as you can see, the snow was a bit deeper.


The next day, the flatirons looked quite impressive in the sunlight.

And today, weather's in the fifties, and there's a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. Sounds like the perfect day for a run, followed by a relaxing Friday Happy Hour.