With her husband deployed to Afghanistan, Clare Bar turned to running to keep herself centered, to make life seem more normal.

"It kept my spirits up," said Bar, 25, a first lieutenant in the Air Force. "Running is something that has always connected us. It was something we could talk about. It made it feel like he wasn't so far away."

When Dan Bar, also a first lieutenant, was deployed earlier this year, Clare picked up her pace. She had a purpose in her stride, covering her regular route on the windy high plains that surround Schriever Air Force Base.

"Running is something I could do for myself," she said. "It was a way to make the best of the time Dan was gone. I focused on it more than when he was around."

That effort has shown up this fall. Bar won the overall women's title in the Pikes Peak Road Runners' Fall Series on Sunday, Nov. 11.
Bar finished second in the first Fall Series Race, the 6K soaker that included a dash through Monument Creek. She won at Bear Creek Park (4.5 miles), then ran while she was sick and placed fourth at Ute Valley Park (5.5 miles). On Sunday, she won again on a technical single track course in Palmer Park. Her total time for the four races was 2:49:23. Kayli Tabares, 13, was second in 2:53:45.

That effort has earned her recognition as the Runners Roost Runner of the Month for October. She also wins a new pair of Mizuno shoes. The Runner of the Month program is the combined effort of Runners Roost, Mizuno and PikesPeakSports.us.

Dan and Clare were senior cadets at the Air Force Academy when they met. Dan was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Their common interest in running was the catalyst for bigger things.

They were married in Manitou Springs two years ago. They still love to run on the trails that twist around the foothills above Manitou.

"Running is something I've always enjoyed," she said. "I like I how I feel, especially afterward, but even when I'm doing it. It's the endorphin high."

At the last Fall Series race, Clare struggled with flu-like symptoms over a tough single track course. But the finish was sweet. Dan was there, his six-month deployment had ended. She stood close to him and looked forward to better health and stronger runs.

"Leading the overall, that was the only thing that pushed me in that last race," she said. "Otherwise, I would have thrown in the towel."

Bar Grew up in Green Bay - yeah, she's a Packers fan - and ran track and cross country in high school. Though she clocked a 3:03:47 in the Pikes Peak Ascent in August, and would like to break three hours, she has other plans. She and Dan would like to move home to Wisconsin and start a family. And continue running, of course.

"When I don't run I don't feel like myself," she said. "It's a necessity."