Pikes Peak Summit

This passed Sunday Chris and I both had the day off and decided to put hiking to the top Pikes Peak under our belt. We got up somewhat early to get a good start on the heat, and the possibility of getting hit with a storm. We decided to take the Barr Trail route to the top. We got to the trail head around 7:30 am and were greeted with this nice little sign.

Eight hours to the top?! What the hell am I getting into! Right from the start you are climbing some pretty steep switchbacks. This part was actually pretty crowded with people who were running down the trail towards the parking lot. The entire way up this had us puzzled. The people running down didn't look exactly like experienced trail runners and the trail was far from not being technical. We found out later that there is a group that will run up another trail, called the Incline, that is much shorter but steep and then connect to Barr Trail and run down. As we got higher the congestion got thinner. We still saw a decent number of people coming down the trail, but not too many that were heading our direction. This could be why:

Barr Trail elevation (taken from www.mymarathonpace.com)

As you can see, it's not easy! The trail head elevation is at about 6300 feet of elevation and the top of Pikes Peak is at 14,115 feet. As the sign said earlier, about 7300 feet of climbing! To add to that, this is the the course elevation for the infamous Pikes Peak Marathon. People actually RUN this. (Which, I will most likely be added to that list of people one day! hehe) We even passed a guy multiple times who ran to the top and back TWICE! The trail is definitely tough. It is literally going up the entire way. (Crazy thought, right?!) At about half way up the trail is Barr Camp. It is a small camp that provides shelter for those who want to do the trip in two days, or just want to hike in and camp for a night and then head back. We stopped here to eat a little snack, use the restroom and rest our legs. At this point we were at  10,200 feet elevation. 

The host at Barr Camp welcomed us and told us about the camp. She also told us that however long it took us to get to the camp, we should take that time and add one hour to get the time it would take us to get from there to the top. For us that would be 2 hours and 15 minutes + 1 hour = 3 hours and 15 minutes to the top. Of course, having the competitive nature that we do, we decided we would not be a statistic and would make it to the top faster than 3 hours and 15 minutes. 

After Barr Camp, the trail becomes a little more steep  for the next three or four miles. It was my favorite part of the hike, though. The trail winds through a very wooded area until you get to tree line. Once you are to tree line, the real challenge begins. The trail is at it's steepest  and you are walking through switch back after switch back. The trail gets very loose and there are a lot of bigger rocks you have to maneuver through.  The final climb is actually called The 16 Golden Steps. Its the last set of switch backs you have to hike until you reach the top. At this point I really started to feel the affects of the altitude. My breathing actually felt okay, but my movements were getting very slow and our pace slowed down quite a bit.[ Maybe the camp host was going to be right!] The wind was also blowing pretty hard and we had to put on a warm layer. Some of the loose gravel and sand would pelt your legs and leave a nice little sting.  We were still pushing pretty hard though and it felt like we were never going to actually reach the top! I even said to Chris that I was convinced that they had played a trick on us and that we were just going in circles. (haha)  

Part of the 16 Golden Steps

The Cirque sign that you see marked in this picture is where the rock is a sheer drop off down 1500 feet to a pit that was made by glaciers. I got a good picture of the rocks jetting up, but was sure as hell not going to get close enough to actually look down! 

You can just get a glimpse of Lake Moraine in the background. 

Alas, they did not play a trick on us and we did actually reach the top! Just to give you an idea of how tough the last climb was, from the sign that said 2 miles to go it took us 45 minutes. That's a 23:30 miles pace! Although we slowed a considerable amount, we managed to beat the predicted 3 hours and 15 minutes from Barr Camp to the top. We made it in 2 hours and 30 minutes and total time of 4 hours and 45 minutes!

As you crest the top you have this feeling of accomplishment and excitement that you just hiked 12.6 miles to the top of a 14,000ft mountain. However, some of that is taken away when you see the gobs of people that either drove or took the train to the top. You lose that time where you get to look out, take a quiet moment to yourself and really take in what you just did. When Chris and I climbed to the top of Yosemite Falls there was only one other guy who was at the top, who also hiked. We stood their in silence enjoying the view. Here, you are distracted by those who are commenting on how cold they are (maybe you shouldn't have worn a tank top and sandals at 14,000ft!), a crying baby or the guy who is puffing on his cigarette. 

I was happy to reach the top and take a little break. My legs were screaming at me and so was my stomach We stopped in the cafe/gift shop and ate our home made PB&J, refilled our hydration packs and took a quick look around before escaping the crowds to head back down. The hike down to tree line was no easier going down, than it was going up. Well, that is not entirely true. We were moving at a quicker pace but it was still a tough two miles to go down. Once we got to tree line, we at least had some shielding from the sun by all of the trees. The rest of the hike felt like a long waiting game to the parking lot. Our legs were starting to get pretty trashed. However, one look out at the view and you are instantly reminded of how amazing this trip really is. 

I would still recommend to anyone that they, at least once, hike to the top of Pikes Peak. (notice is said "hike"!) It was well worth the long day, the sunburn (Yes, MOM, I used sunscreen) and the very sore legs! 

The Rock arch

Getting close to tree line!

Part of the trail with Pikes Peak in the background

Just above tree line!

One of the many good views!

Quick Cliff Bar and photo opp 

View on the hike down. 

Until next time! :)

The Good, The Bad, The Pretty

Since my last post, I have had some life changing events come about.  April and May have been somewhat of a whirlwind, to say the least. I have received the absolute worst news of my life; but also a very exciting opportunity.

THE BAD NEWS:
On April 13Th, as I am sitting in my hotel room, my family surprisingly shows up there to tell me that my older sister, Megan, had suddenly passed away. It was only 3 days after her 27Th birthday. There is no way to describe, at that very instant, the feeling(s) that took over me. Dread. Sickness. Guilt. Shock. In situations like these you  hear so often: "I don't know what I would do." And they are absolutely right. You don't know what to do. You don't know what to think. You don't know what to say. You don't know how to react. You almost want to laugh because it's so unexpected that your first instinct says it's a joke. But it wasn't a joke. It was real. The most real thing I have ever felt. You go through your young life thinking that a break up with the boy that you thought was "the one", or a friend moving away, or losing a pet is the most sadness you will ever feel. And although all of those do hurt and are never easy, it is a completely different feeling to lose a sibling. It penetrates right down to your core and in every bone in your body. And I think it is even safe to say that being a parent and losing a daughter hurts 100 times worse than losing a sibling.
I MISS YOU, MEGAN. I LOVE YOU.

THE GOOD NEWS:

With my sister's passing being only two weeks out from my marathon, it was hard to decide whether to run it or not. I had no appetite and was really having a hard time getting any sleep. This affected me wanting to even go out and get a run in. I did my best, pushed through my last hard workout (10 X Yasso's) and decided to do it. I still wanted to break 3 hours but told myself that if I was going to do this race, I needed to be OK with whatever happens race day.

On race morning I could definitely tell that I was a little off mentally. I was really anxious and a little irritated before the race. I then made the BIGGEST ROOKIE mistake: I forgot my D-Tag. I realized this as I was toeing the line and panic rushed over me. I couldn't believe it. All the work I had done, the last two weeks of struggle and now I forget my chip?! I sprinted back to the Elite Area only to find they had already sent my bag to the finish line. This is when I really start freak out. I get back to the line and tell the official, who just brushed me off. Another official comes up, and by that time Coach Dad had arrived and he too is yelling to the officials about my tag. The second official said it was alright and that they will track me because of my bib number (which was F1). I calmed a little but still wasn't convinced (I eventually asked my cyclist to double check for me!). At this point, I really had no choice though. I would run the race and deal with it later. The gun goes off and I start. My first few miles were WAY too fast due to a downhill start. This threw me off and I never really settled into a rhythm. I would hit a 6:45 then down to 6:35 and back to a 6:50 then back to a 6:38. I felt as if I was holding a steady rhythm but every mile brought a surprise split. I was still feeling pretty strong and just tried to do my best at holding a pace. I went through the half around 1:26 and change. I was feeling good through about mile 17, when I started up a hill and got a huge wave of nausea. I knew then it was going to be a rough 9 miles. And it was! The temperature started to get high and the humidity was really getting thick. I think it was somewhere in the mid-80s with 65-70% humidity when I finished. Looking back I don't think I drank enough water in the first half of the race to prepare for the second. It didn't help that the last miles were almost entirely in the sun also. Only a small section where we went through a spectatorless park, did I finally get a little relief from the blaze. At mile 21 or 22 I really hit the wall. Actually, crashed into the wall. My pace dropped somewhere to around 7:30s to 7:40s and I stuck there until the finish. As I crested the hill at about 25.5 and made the left turn down towards the finish, I could see people finishing their half-marathons and all the spectators awaiting our arrival. It was what I needed to really give me a final push to the finish. I think I even dropped my pace back down to sub 7:00(Ha!). As I cross mile 26, I could see that the clock was right around 2:59:xx. One of my goals was to qualify for Elite Development in the Chicago Marathon, which meant I had to run under 3:01 to do so. Right past mile 26, Coach Dad, his fiance and her daughter were there waiting and cheering my on. I hit whatever gear I had left and gave it all into the finish (my last .2 was 1:25!). I finished just barely making the qualifying time by running 3:00:56. It was a small PR, but still a PR. Especially on a VERY hilly and hot course. Although I missed breaking the three hour mark (AGAIN!), I placed the highest I ever had in a marathon placing 12Th overall and  finishing the 3rd woman. I even got a little chunk of the prize purse!

Coming down the final stretch!

Coach Dad and I post race. 

(He ran the half-marathon a week after running the London Marathon!)

Her initials barely hung on, as did I!

Coach Dad and I after the awards ceremony.

 THE PRETTY:

 So, to get to that exciting opportunity I had. I moved back to California in 2011 after living in Wyoming for about a year. While I was there, I frequently visited Colorado and LOVED it. I have wanted move to Colorado since then and now officially have! My boyfriend, Chris, and I decided to move to Colorado Springs to better our training. We are both young and have no major commitments and decided: Why the hell not!? The altitude here is right around 6,300 ft and there are more trails than one can imagine! Can you say more red blood cells!?

Gorgeous.  

From the trail head at Red Rock Open Space.

Hello, Pikes Peak! 

Just leaving the grocery store :)

 I am really excited about the move. We had some major difficulties getting out here, but that is a story for later. I am glad to finally be here and have met some great people already (Hi Caroline and Clayton!). I do miss my family and friends back home in good ol' California! Running has been a bit of a struggle because 1.) you are either gasping for oxygen or 2.) going straight up. Usually it's a combo of both for me. It is getting better and I am feeling my strength developing already.

I don't have any races planned in the near future (until Chicago) and am out of things to report. So, until next time!

Happy trails!