Imogene Pass (San Juan Mountains) Have you ever been to a place where you feel 100% content, your ideal world is surrounding you and your mind is saturated with positive thoughts? The mountains bring me vitality, appreciation and optimism. I looked forward to running Imogene Pass for months. I knew the altitude would give me a swift kick in the ass showing me who was boss, however, I anticipated that I would be so engulfed in where I was and what I was experiencing that shortness of breath, a headache or nausea would be overlooked. I arrived in Colorado Springs on Thursday night. I was greeted by JT and his friend Katie at the airport. After retrieving my bags we went to a local pub, which I believe was named Arctic Brewery. We had a drink or two and then headed back to JT's place before walking over to the local dive bar down the street to throw back a few more. Friday morning I was able to get some extra sleep, which was really nice. The combination of altitude, travel and a slight hang over had me feeling quite lethargic. Conveniently, JT recommended an awesome place for breakfast, "Kings Chef." The place is the bomb. I wolfed down a breakfast burrito as thick as my forearm, some French Toast and washed it down with water and some coffee. I am now an official member of the “Clean Plate Club” and have a sticker to prove it. We arrived in Ouray late Friday night after making stops at Moonlight Pizza in Salida and Monarch Pass. We decided to camp both Friday and Saturday nights and our campsite coincidentally was right along the course around the 3 mile mark. As we drove up the jeep road I assessed the incline of the course. In my mind I figured I could run at least the first 3 miles. Saturday morning came rather quickly at 4:45 a.m. Unsurprisingly, I got very little sleep due to the altitude and quite frankly, who gets a great night of sleep before a race? At least I don't. After getting dressed and preparing for the day we loaded up the car and drove into town. We walked over to the local Y to get our bibs and schwag. Following packet pick-up we headed over to the local coffee joint for a bite to eat. I did not get my usual morning coffee as I did not want to dehydrate. I had made a conscious effort during the last 24 hours to drink plenty of water. Around 7:20(7:30 a.m. start) I wandered over to the starting line and positioned myself in the first 1/3 of the pack of approximately 1500 runners. I had been looking for a reprieve from the Texas heat for quite some time. Furthermore, the heat seems to always quickly squeeze the energy out of me. I actually miss the cold weather from when I lived up north in CT and certainly perform exponentially better than when it is warm. Today was perfect in my eyes: the air was fresh, crisp and cool-probably in the low 40’s. The weather forecast called for sunny skies all day and cool temperatures up at the summit while in the 70’s in Telluride. I kept my fingers crossed that the weather predictions were accurate because you never know what the mountains will throw at you. I wore shorts, a long sleeve underneath my Team Traverse t-shirt, a skull cap and my brand spanking new North Face Ultra 104's. Ever since the Montrail Masai's were discontinued I have been in constant search of a trail shoe that works well for me. Even though I broke a racing commandment(never try something new on race day), I figured the worse case scenario is I get bad blisters: been there and done that many times before. The starter sent us off and I just told myself to be smooth, easy and relaxed. The first few miles were fairly easy compared to what would lie ahead. As I ran past our campsite around mile 3, JT and I joked about calling it a day and throwing down some beers. From about mile 3-7 1/2 I had a nice balance of running and power walking. Usually I hate walking uphill-much rather run. However, I knew that in order to avoid blowing up I should walk when I needed to and really listen to my body. When I did walk I walked with attitude and purpose: get to the top of the mountain and have a good time doing it. I remember at one point during the run JT telling me to really enjoy my surroundings. Embracing where I was and what I was doing came naturally to me. At Upper Bird Camp(an aid station at mile 7.65 at 11,235 ft) I began to feel the altitude taking a toll on my muscles and cardiovascular system. From the aid station to the summit it was all about head and heart. I focused on my breathing, specifically exhaling forcefully to get rid of the CO2. Even though the last few miles to the top felt like snail's pace, I knew I would be rewarded immensely once I reached the summit. As I reached the summit I made sure to take in my surroundings and briefly enjoy what I accomplished. JT let me have a swig of PBR. He mentioned my time was around 2:20, but my time was insignificant on this day. 3 weeks prior to Imogene I made the decision to stop wearing a watch when I run. During that time I felt free during my runs and just listened to my body. If I felt good, I would run a little longer. However, if I felt like crap, I would slow down the pace and run for a shorter duration. I enjoyed my runs more frequently. As a result, I decided to run Imogene without a watch. After I refueled at the aid station at 13,114 ft., I took off down the other side of the mountain. The descent was out of control. After 3 miles of pounding the life out of my quads over loose rock, my legs were so shot and wobbly that I was anticipating a debilitating face plant. I have never had to focus that intensely for 7 miles going down hill-what a rush. The new North Face Ultra's were working out really well. I did not have any feet issues and was pleasantly surprised. If my shoes were working out well then my decision making skills were sure to screw things up. Around mile 14 I felt a little pebble jump into my left shoe. I figured I had 3 miles left, so I will just suck it up and take care of it once I finish. Bad decision! With about 2 miles to go I could see the incredible town of Telluride. The town is encapsulated by the mountains in three directions and would even amaze me even more once I hit Main Street. I finished the run in 3:18. My time was certainly overshadowed by the experience. Definitely the most rewarding run I have ever had! After crossing the finish line I took of my shoes and socks and sure enough I had a nice silver dollar blister on the bottom of my left foot. If it were not for being stubborn my feet would have been unscathed, which would have been the first time in years. My quads were annihilated and I knew I would have a difficult time walking the next several days. It took me until Thursday for me not to be terrified of walking down stairs. Aside from my blister and shot quads, I was most happy about the fact that my knees nor hip flexors bothered me. I thought to myself that this could be the run that catapults me forward both mentally and physically. I watched JT and Blos finish shortly after me. We enjoyed some brews while watching the rest of our group and other runners cross the finish line. There is nothing like relaxing in 70 degree sunshine, fresh air while having a Dale’s Pale Ale. Once everyone from our group finished, we took a couple of group photos by the finish line. Then we watched the awards ceremony in the park nearby before heading back to Ouray via school bus. We got back to our campsite where JT convinced me to jump in the low 40 degree creek. I only stayed in for less than a minute-the most clean I have been in 3 days. I should have stayed in there longer to help my muscles recover. In the evening, our group went to "Maggies Kitchen" for a solid burger and then met up for a Ouray HASH. Stops included "Billy Goats Gruff," "Buen Tiempo," "Outlaws," "Ourayle Brew Pub(definitely my favorite)," and "O'Briens Pub." On Monday morning we grabbed a quick bite to eat at the local coffee shop and hit the road back to Colorado Springs. On the way back JT drove along Skyline Dr which is a narrow one lane road that looks out over Canyon City-talk about kick-ass views! JT, Katie and Chum dropped me off at the airport. Needless to say, I was extremely reluctant to leave my little slice of Heaven! Can’t thank JT and Katie enough for their awesome hospitality! Up next, a 100K in Nicaragua in December: Fuego y Agua! -H2 |