Weekly Run Log - July 10-16, 2011

07/10/2011: Actually stayed on the Hardrock race course though I didn't know it! I ran along the lower trail to Arrastra Gulch, then turned the sharp right onto the climbing road. After a short steep climb one passes the first old steel tower holding up an old mining tram system. <100' feet after the tower I went straight. It started to go downhill then slowly up to the crossing of Arrastra Creek (there were pieces of piping around like the description said). I was not sure this was the race course so I turned around. I was right though and should have crossed! I went back to the tower and continued up the road (marked as a pack trail on the quads) to the Legal Tender Mine, then turned around. Forgot to mention that I started at OB's trailer. 0:33 total to sharp right and ascent to Arrastra Basin but 0:26 probably from Hardrock start. 1:34, 7.3 miles, 900' vert

Kamm Traverse. Looking toward Porcupine Creek and Putnam.

 Looking up toward Grant-Swamp Pass from Island Lake Basin.

 Joel Zucker's Memorial on Grant-Swamp Pass.

 Island Lake from Grant-Swamp.

Looking down Swamp Creek to Chapman and up to Oscar's Pass on the Ridgeline.

07/12/2011: Ran the section of the Hardrock Hundred race route including the Kamm Traverse to a short section of Ice Lake Trail, then up to Island Lake Basin and topping out at Grant-Swamp Pass. This was another beautiful section of the run with a very dramatic pass to ascend. At the top was Joel Zucker's plaque, a nice place to stop, take in the views and take some pictures. I could see all the way down to the Chapman AS site and up to Oscar's Pass. Many of the sections I walked because they were too steep to efficiently run. Near the top of the pass the trail went straight up loose 35 degree scree with mud in it. I ran up from the start of Kamm Traverse where it intersects with the South Mineral Creek Road to the top of Grant-Swamp in 1:20. I ran back in 0:47. For future reference the HRH route continues on the S. Mineral Creek road for 0.2 miles or so before descending down to the Mineral Creek Crossing and ascending up Porcupine Creek. The cruxes of this section that I ran will be in catching the junctions with the Ice Lake Trail. One is only on the Ice Lake Trail for one real switchback and one broad corner traversing around a hump. 2:07, 6.5 miles, 2,000' vert.

Looking up toward Red Mountain Pass.

The ledge running.

Beautiful singletrack up Bear Creek Canyon.

07/14/2011: Today was another Hardrock recon day. Started by running down to the green gate in the Hardrock course description from the tunnel on 550. Then I ran the meat of the run up the Bear Creek Trail to trail 242, then up to Oh Point on Engineer. From the course description it appears to be 7.7 miles one-way but I probably got a little extra. The Bear Creek Trail will go into my list of best quality runs! What made it so classic was that there were four distinct sections on this run: The lower switchbacks, the ledge running, the meadow traversing, and the wide open basin running. These sections together made for a run with lots of character.

Stream crossing up South Fork Bear Creek.

South Fork Bear Creek Basin. Trail 242 runs up to Engineer Pass and Oh Point.

The things to take note of for future attempts at Hardrock: 

The trail description should read like this for the section between the tunnel and the gate: descend from the parking lot down to the old Mears grade. Take a right onto this (there really isn't any other choice). Stay on it for several hundred feet then drop right down a steep singletrack trail to the river's edge. Contour the river for several hundred feet then climb up a steep, faint singletrack trail to the Mears grade again. Stay on this for a several hundred feet and drop right down another steep trail to the dam road. Take a right and head past the Ice Park Trail about a half mile to the green gate.

So far the other sections have been more accurate.

Splits to remember 0:19 from tunnel to green gate (with routefinding), 0:16 back to tunnel, 1:40 from tunnel to 242, 0:44 on 242 to Oh Point, 0:43 from Oh to 242, 0:54 from 242 to tunnel again. 4:48 total elapsed time, 15.4 miles, 5,000' vert.

07/16/2011: Ran the Turquoise Lake Trail from the dam to the pavement of May Queen and back. A good run! 2:17, 12.0+ miles, 400' vert maybe. Hard to tell.

Weekly Summary: 41.2 miles, 9,400' vert. Hardrock Course Reconned: 17%

Post Hardrock 2011

So all that planning and preparing came to fruition and now I have run an Aid Station from beginning to end! I am excited to say that it was a success. Many folks have thanked me for the amazing aid station including the runners, the Aid Station Coordinator and the Run Director. It was great to be a part of this event. Hopefully someday I will be in a position to be able to run it myself.

There was a fair amount of confusion early in the day but once the aid station was set up, it ran pretty smoothly. All it took was the preparation of the foods and letting the volunteers know their jobs. Now that I have seen the process I will be able to create a more effective aid station with several ideas that I would like to put in place for the next running: emailing the volunteers with a better idea of the jobs (with definitions) and taking requests to do certain jobs in response, an earlier start, taking into account the direction of course and guessing at the runners' needs better.

I am looking forward to next year already in whatever form it takes. Here's to next year at the Hardrock!

Weekly Run Log - July 03-09, 2011

07/03/2011: Ran up Cataract Gulch on the Hardrock race route. Splits weren't very exact but I think I ran 1:45 to the junction with the CDT/CT and 1:15 back down. The other :15 or so minutes was spent on a wild goose chase to where the CT/CDT cross the stream in the drainage south of Half Peak (The head of Pole Creek). 3:16, 11.0 miles, 2,600' vert.

07/09/2011: Went out to run the start of the counter clockwise Hardrock while I was waiting for runners to finish. I wanted to check it out while the course was still torn up from 140 runners running across it. It was not as torn up as I thought it was going to be. The start is a low traversing singletrack trail that rolls al the way to Arrastra Gulch. At Arrastra I got confused with the race course and was grown off by the large amount of vehicular traffic traversing back by Legal Tender Mine and continued up to about 10,700' where the road crosses Blair Creek. I turned around and descended at this point and halfway down the steep section of trail I was met by a Honda Accord with a teenage driver rallying up the road really well I thought. He stopped and asked me in the middle of a twenty degree steep section of 4WD road I the road got any worse ahead. I laughed! 1:53, 7.0 miles, 1,700' vert.

Weekly Summary: 18.0 miles, 4,300' vert.

Sherman Aid Station Captain at Hardrock

We'll I have been in Silverton for several days now and the Hardrock Buzz is starting to float around town. I arrived in time to join in the Fourth of July festivities in town including a great parade, watching the Durango and Silverton Fire Departments douse each other with water, and eating rhubarb pie at the field at the north end of town. Now that the zoo has somewhat left the folks who are running the Hardrock stand out like sore thumbs even more. It is amazing being amongst the runners and there are a few big names out and about. Dakota Jones just served me coffee at the Mobius Cafe where he is a Barrista. He is the favorite according to Karl Meltzer's odds. Karl himself will be here and he put himself third on his list.

So now it is two days to the start of the race and when it all comes together for the Sherman Aid Station. There are some things that need to be taken care of still but they will work themselves out (I hope).

Things have been more expensive than I thought here. Being a dirtbag in Silverton is just not possible. I spent 20 bucks on dinner last night. For some weird reason I didn't bother to load up on food before coming to town. I also didn't bother to research the Outward Bound situation here. There is one small trailer and nowhere to park. This means I might as well not spend time there but to see Jon and Julia. Unfortunately, they are busy. If I do this again next year I will want to have more money saved aside and just go with it. I should also check out some campsites out of town.

The last few nights I spent parking on the streets of Silverton. But I feel it is only a matter of time until the police come knocking on my window. I can't pull out my stove to cook foods so I have been living off of Wheat Thins and restaurant food. I don't know if I will be able to stay here after the race. It is just too expensive.

Weekly Run Log - June 26-July 02, 2011

06/26/2011: Ran Mosquito Pass for the first time this year. I had a little snow to wade through on two ofthe switchbacks but otherwise it was clear! I took several pictures on the way up which slowed me down but I was also able to run the entire distance. If it was because I stopped to take the pictures I don't know but I was hydrated thanks to seeing Brenden and Peter at the trailhead. A lot of fun and beautiful weather. Felt great on the legs as well! The time and distance are also longer due to forgetting to put sunblock on and turning around to come back and get it. 2:07, 8.0 miles, 2,150' vert.

06/27/2011: Had an awesome run on the Turquoise Lake Trail. :30 out and back at a fast pace. I think it was because I ran Mosquito Pass yesterday that running the flat smooth singletrack felt so effortless. What a day! 1:01, 6.5 miles, 150' vert.

06/29/2011: A big day. Mt. Sherman by way of Mosquito Pass Road to Evans Summit, under Dyer's Northeast face, up Gemini's minor peak and over to Sherman's Summit. Then ran back. I ran a that I could but there was more talus than I thought and the ridge between Evans and Dyer was Third and a little Fourth Class. The talus and ridge turned out to be a big time suck. The original plan was to run Dyer as well but time was not on my side as I got a late start (10:20, my fault) and buildup was happening. The clouds spit at me a little while I was on the technical ridge but the sun was out on my descent down Mosquito Pass Road.

For the most part I felt fine. I was definitely feeling those two beers I had last night as I climbed the switchbacks on Mosquito Pass Rd. But once I hit the ridge there was just good ol' fashioned running pains: joint issues that traveled around and muscular pain. 4:38, 14.0 miles , 4,000' vert.

07/02/2011: Leadville Marathon Day. Ran up CR3 to "Resurrection" aid station. Untimed, 8.2 miles, 1,000' vert.


Weekly Summary: 36.7 miles, 7,300' of climb.


Finally feeling good and back to a mileage that is increasing weekly. Let's hope it continues.