Some walking in KC waiting for train change, and spent 2 hours at a GREAT vegan restaurant called Cafe Seed just a mile from the train station. but pretty much a rest day.
Run through the pinon/juniper canon country on the reservoir trail. Very stony and continuous up and down, a tough run. I guess it really does take a month to acclimatize to the altitude.
biking20:00 [2]
last ride into town, with bike suitcase for train. Somebody offered me a ride, but I was already loaded up,
While i was packing, I was thinking that i wished i had someone to talk to about all the adventures I've had out here...and at that moment the phone rang, and it was a friend who wanted to do just that (until my phone minutes expired - in the past they have sent a renewal warning - not this time)....and that reminded me how cool it is that there are people who share the same interests. Like all of us on ap. Wouldn't we go insane if all we had to talk to were RV'ers, nice people but people who just don't get it at all? So here's to you all - you are a special bunch and I am grateful you're there.
Thank goodness most of this was downhill, no legs left at all. the valley with the dirt road that cut off the highway right angle leg was so green peaceful and beautiful and completely deserted until i got close to the highway. The highway got to be a grind, especially since there was a tiny shoulder, even though the traffic was relatively light to moderate.
Then there were the three big hills where the highway veers away from the water and the state park at its edge. Ugh - just ground it out.
5 -6 mile climb out of cucharas to cucharas past at 10% grade or so, then long downhills interspersed with short uphills, then a 4 mile or so long uphill on a very cobbly dirt road up to purgatoire campground
hiking4:00:00
day was still young so intending to climb mt. maxwell looked for 4wd road i recalled reading about that led to final climb. couldn't find it so climbed up very steep wooded hillside till i intersected the road, then above tree line much more gradual angle than spanish peak over tundra to rocky gendarme that looked intimidating and exposed until i got right up on it, and found it was easy.
things up here look steeper, farther away and more exposed than they really are, but I was pretty tired so i skipped the final ridge and steep rocky climb and headed back.
I could see tommorow's return route to trinidad from up here, the valley with the highway and the other valley with the dirt road that cut it off at a diagonal, and Fisher Mountain beyond Trinidad at least 40 miles away. Wow!
Rest day in which I got my tire pumped up. Asked where to get tire pumped, they said 'La Veta' 11 miles further away. Stuck out thumb got ride in two minutes with pilot who regaled me with story of his life.
No pump for sale in La Veta, no presta adapters. Started asking everyone i met, man at art gallery said racers out of town, but try b and b down the block. Wonderful older lady at B and B said, I know a woman who is a bike rider, lives in Cuchara (where I just came from)...So stuck out my thumb, got a ride within 2 minutes from a really nice retired english school teacher, and met up with super nice biker lady who pumped up my tire, sold me a cool pump from her tandem, and advised me to always carry a presta/shrader adapter. DUH!
camped overnight at cordoba pass, 11,000+, then next morning hiked/jogged to West Spanish Peak, then started climbing at a methodical hiking pace (45 degree or whatever it was?. Was thinking of turning back but then saw that clouds were moving away, and grade was levelling off. Told myslef I would climb till 10 am, got to top at 9:30 feeling pretty good. Great views of Blanca massif to nw, 20 miles long dikes of stone cliffs snaking thu country side to north, more mountains to west, and the hill and canyon country i had ridden thru to east and southeast. Just an amazing place.
Felt strong on top but took almost as long going down as up as my legs turned to rubber.
biking45:00 [2]
downhill on dirt road to near cucharas pass (10,000) to set up camp. Started raining and raining and raining....turns out none of my gear really is any good, and i was shivering and just getting wetter and wetter. So decided to gather everything and just pedal, to keep warm. Pulled my bike out of the woods and rear tire was flat. Ran with bike to Cucharas Pass, and tried to change tube. Valve stem of new tube broke off and the pump was not working, felt like it had bubble gum in it.
hiking1:15:00 [2]
So...made the decision to run/walk downhill with bike in the 'wrong' direction to town of Cucharas 5-6 miles away where I remembered reading that they had b & b, motels, etc.
Seemed to take forever, kept passing houses with lights on, but no commercial activity. Only 2 cars passed me the whole time - all these roads are quite low traffic. I was hurting, but...was downhill, and misting instead of raining! Finally saw some kind of enclave, that had a hotel/motel. Everything dried out the first night, but ending up staying a second night....
rode 50 or so miles back from trinidad state park to cordaba pass, more route finding 'exploration' about 7000'elev gain. got to high point of last ride, was walking bike again now and then to rest, but then strated hyperventilating and rode up last steep piece with renewed energy. loggin it as 5, because when you are breathing 120 breaths a minute how can it not be 5?:)
woke up at 1 am as the neighbors were finally winding down their animated conversation oblivious to the fact that the entire rest of the campground had been hushed since 10 pm
running50:00 [3]
same trail run as before, still huffing and puffing but did some shorter intervals on the flat portions that felt kind of back to form
biking50:00 [2]
back to town, to the bike shop on the other side of town for a new wheel and brake pads. Want to have confidence in the equipment for tomorrow in the mountains.
hiked up from about 9600', skirted laterally around mountain a so that mountain b became visible, then returned and continued up to where trail met trail from pass, and then up almost to tree line, where the pines where twisted powerful sinews of bark and wood made strong with their ongoing battle with the cold wind. as was i.
enough for the day, time for rest and recharging for the next trip out.
no pedaling for perhaps the first 15 miles, then very easy riding except for 1 minor pass - ouch. would have been faster if i had not had a pinch flat 10 miles from 'home' and had trouble getting enough air into the tire with the handpump. Nailed the route, this will be it if i make it back i try to crest the pass/summit etc. such beautiful back country - hardly any traffic at all except for the occasional natural gas company truck going to fill up w/ gas, water down the dirt/gravel roads, check on some valve, whatever - their wells are everywhere - an industrial plant embedded in a nature preserve.
ride up to mountain pass. left at 6 am planning to ride highway to closer mountain, but pickup calvacade on way to natural gas plant shunted me to plan b, the back dirt roads - the MOTHER LODE. Beautiful.
I didn't realize until the next day that it was almost all uphill all the way, put in maybe 50 miles fully loaded and unacclimatized, including an 8mile unintended route finding detour, and towards the end it went really up and i was back in familiar territory: grinding at the highest gear and finally having to stop and walk just to rest the legs. But then I made it to the trailhead, and it was alll worth it. set up camp, got rained on a bit in the bivy sack, a little worry about bear and then joined my fellows lying all around me: slept like a log!
trail run along reservoir edge in state park, about 7 miles of rocky trail with lots of up and down thru pinon pine and juniper
after the run I wanted to get back in my tent and curl up a bit, but a truck pulled up, unloaded grass cutting equipment and they went at it. I wouldn't have even noticed there was anything to cut, but the ranger told me if they don't do it they get lots of complaints. So I erode off to to town to hang out at the public libaray.
the pinon pine scrub itself is pretty open and has no weeds. Each tree drops its needles in a neat cirlce around its base, and it stays put apparently because there is not a lot of rain. It looks like some supernatural force mulched the woods.
yoga15:00 [1]
biking45:00 [3]
into town - took tour of historic buildings and garden, the around camp to stretch legs and look around (and escape the heat and mosquitoes - great motivators for getting the heck out of dodge)
from railroad station where I assembled my bike, with the providential help of a bike mechanic who happened to be nearby and figured out the cabling, with all my gear including the bike box bungeed to the top of the saddlebags. Only three miles or so, but after a long all night train ride, fully loaded that big hill at the end felt....well, really big.
then back to town to buy more food, and back to the campground.
first one to guess where i am gets a special prize.
easy recovery run in Wilmore. I've been looking at the local denizens of the park for my inspiration. Saturdays long run was a 'goose' apiration run, because of the extreme grace and efficiency of the birds in flight, while today was a 'duck' run, because of their ability to take it easy and be content in their movements.
slow at first, hills first half hour, then more uptempo, finished fast but was hard pressed to go the whole 75 minutes. I expect I'll be doing some longer runs in the near future so right now the quality is more important to me than the quantity.
biking15:00 [2]
leisurely back from metro station where i had stashed my stuff.
pick up new ritchey breakaway steel cross bike at shop.
being carless on an easy day sometimes requires some scheming: ride olc bike to metro station, hide helmet and shoes in bushes, lock bike in metros rack (hope its still there when i come back but its a beater), take bus to shop and ride new bike back from shop. at the end of tommorows long run, i'll swing by the metro station, get the helmet and shoes out of the bushes, and ride the old bike home.
3 x 400 @ 1:23, 2 x 300 @ 1:03, 2 x 200 @ 38. 3 min. rest down to about 2:15 rest.
All I know is I saw a video of 'elite' runners training speedwork, and couldnt wait to get out and do some early the next morning even though the club meeting kept going later and later and later
Thought I'd rather do short intervals in the upcoming forecasted heat (more self-provided breeze?) so did the tempo today. Felt strong, even though (because?) the legs felt sore. 2 miles at a hair over 7 minutes per, 2 1/2 minutes rest, then another mile just under 7 minutes.
yoga20:00 [1]
biking15:00 [2]
running15:00 [2]
had my bicycle lock key on the wrong ring, so had an impromptu walk to the post office from the nursing home, then ran most of the way home.
was going to be a rest day, but with really hot weather coming, thought I'd try something different and shift everything forward (did I mention i really don't like this hot weather?)
biking1:00:00 [2]
recovery ride on river des peres trail and carondolet park loops