Colorado Running...and Mountain Biking...and Hiking

I think we finally wore ourselves out. It's Thursday, our sixth full day in Colorado Springs, and we are spending the afternoon doing...not much.

My week here began with a run from our Airbnb into Garden of the Gods and back. It was just four miles, but it gave me a taste of not being able to catch my breath. My starting point was 6,500 feet. The weather was quite cold that day--29 degrees until around 1:00 when the sun finally started to peak out. I ran at that time, and was completely overdressed! I did not expect the sun to be so intense and warm. I ended up peeling off my layers and even my ear band. I should mention that I had some GI distress. I am not sure if it had to do with adjusting to the elevation or just eating too many nuts and dried fruits. Overall, my pace was fairly close to what it would be at home; it just felt a lot harder. Anyway, we spent the afternoon with a walk in Garden of the Gods, and then we tried out our first brewery, Trinity, which has fairly extensive vegan options!

A chilly afternoon at Trinity

The next day, we drove a few miles southwest to ride and run in Red Rock Canyon Open Space. John chose his route on the mountain bike, and I ran six miles and gained nearly 1,000 feet in elevation. I made the decision Saturday to give myself some time to acclimate to running at elevation before attempting my 20-mile run. Once again, I was overdressed. It was only in the 50s, but I ended up running with my shirt tied around my waste. Again, I felt the elevation and my pace was definitely slower with the climbs. Afterwards, we had lunch at Moxie, a vegan restaurant. It was pretty disappointing. I was still a little queasy, so I ordered a sweet potato chili soup, which was good, and some tempura Brussel Sprouts. These were really good, but I was wary of them being deep fried and my stomach being sensitive. John got a house-made beet burger and it just wasn't very good. We then paid our tourist dues in Old Colorado City, where we bought an agave sculpture for the yard. After dropping it off at the Airbnb, we went ten minutes away to Manitou Springs to continue our tourist time there. We stopped at Manitou Brewery and enjoyed the sunshine as we walked the main street. We rounded the day out with vegan wings at Trinity.

Monday is normally a mountain bike riding day for me, so John and I headed out to Ute Valley for a ride. It was awesome! John took it easy on me, knowing what was in store for me tomorrow, so we rode for just over an hour. I struggled a little with jelly legs and being nervous on unfamiliar terrain, but once I calmed down, I had a great time. After the ride, we ate bagels and grapes for lunch before touring the Air Force Academy, being especially impressed by the light through stain-glassed windows in the chapel there. We also noticed a trail.

Ute Valley is a great trail with some pretty technical challenges.

The chapel at the Air Force Academy

The stained glass makes the inside glow.

I chose Tuesday for my 20-miler and enjoyed the run on the New Santa Fe Trail, a rail-trail that started at 7,200 feet near the town of Monument and ended at 6,400 in Colorado Springs. There was nothing technical, and while it was mostly downhill, there were some ups and downs the last seven miles. At first, I was able to breathe like I normally do, one breath in for three steps and one breath out for three steps. After about a mile, I resorted to two steps per breath. Even though the trail was easy and gently downhill, I felt the elevation in my lungs. My mile pace was about 9:36, which is OK for a flattish trail.

It was a piece of cake until around mile 18, when I had reached the end of the trail but still needed a couple more miles. Most of my first ten miles were under ten minutes, but later when the trail started undulating (and I started to fatigue), my paced slowed. I averaged 10:36. The local running shop advised me to run for the time it usually takes me to do 20 miles. On Chuckanut Mountain near my home in Washington state, that would be four hours. I was pleased to run at elevation and finish in 3:30. I had about an hour to stretch and rest with my feet above my head while John finished his mountain bike ride on the Falcon Trail, a 13.1-mile mountain bike trail inside the grounds of the Air Force Academy. It was the trail we noticed the day before. Once John picked me up, we drove a couple miles to Trinity for lunch. After lunch we toured the Olympic Training Center. We were quite impressed by the access the athletes have to nutrition experts, sports medicine, and specialized equipment. One thing we learned there was their mantra of "live high, train low." Not sure how you could do that unless you were an Olympic athlete and had access to their climate and elevation controlled training room. We ended the day at Swirl in Manitou Springs where I tried a Colorado wine that I really liked.

I get ready to start my 20-mile run on the New Santa Fe Trail. It was super chilly in the morning, but once I got into the sun, I warmed right up!

As I head out, John snaps a picture before heading to his ride at the Academy.

We wrap up our tour with a surround screen, go-USA video at the Olympic Training Center.

For my recovery day, Wednesday, I began with what was supposed to be a six-mile run in Garden of the Gods. A little misjudgment of my whereabouts and a rush to meet John at Starbucks at the end of my run meant I ran a little longer (7.3 miles) and a little hard than I meant to (an 8:48 mile at the end). By this time, the elevation was less noticeable. After breakfast, my "recovery" day continued with a bike ride at Palmer Park, which was wildly fun! Next came a hike up to 7,400 feet at Seven Falls. We finished the day at IvyWild Elementary, a 1916 building converted into Bristol Brewery. Even the Principal's Office is a place of "libation for trouble makers." By the end of the day, I was utterly exhausted.

Pike's Peak is always in view, especially here at the top of Palmer Park. Great trail network!

I descend one of 289 stairs at Seven Falls.

Thursday, I only ran three miles in Garden of the Gods, exploring some of the trails from parking lot #2. After a hot shower, I got ready for our zipline tour, which, alas, was cancelled due to high winds. Instead, we rode up the road in the Air Force Academy to 7,200 feet and then caught the Falcon Trail so I could experience the wonderful downhill ride John did a few days ago. While my legs were truly spent at this point, the elevation no longer seemed to bother me. After the ride was lunch at Bambino's Urban Pizzeria, where we had the Vegan Veg pizza. Really good! Now we are relaxing outside in the sunshine and breeze in the pines at our Airbnb. We leave tomorrow morning for Fruita, CO, for another bike ride!

 Highlights of the bike ride on the Falcon Trail

Vegan pizza! It was our favorite meal of the trip!

It's been an excellent spring break!

Somehow, I lost this post on Google+. It's from Saturday, April 7:

We arrived in Colorado Springs, elevation 6,085 feet, last night. John drove starting on Wednesday and I flew yesterday afternoon. It was 19 degrees here last night, and now, at 1:00 pm, it’s still not above freezing. The weather is supposed to warm up tomorrow to 69, so I didn’t really bring winter running clothes. I can layer enough to make it work, though.

As I’ve been waiting for it to warm up a little, I’ve been reading about running at 6,000+ feet. About 25 percent of people will experience moderate altitude sickness at this elevation. Being physically fit decreases those chances but exercise increases them. Hydration is key, with experts recommending drinking more than you normally would.

I have decided to alter my original plan of running six miles today and 20 tomorrow. Instead, I am going to run four today and six tomorrow. I’ll wait until Tuesday to run 20. I should be somewhat adjusted by then, but it will still be harder than sea level to 1,600 feet.

The sun has finally peaked out, which means warmer temperatures so I’d better get changed and run!