This year marks the 6th time I've run/crawled/hiked up Pikes Peak for fun. The infamous 4 hour wall was missed by a little over a minute. It seems like the times I've been close (4:01:08 this year, 4:01:18  two years ago), it was partially a result of really bad leg cramps. I went out pretty fast as I got bogged down in the W's last year while attempting to hold back and save some for the top which I didn't think worked for me. This year my splits to top of W's, No-name and Barr Camp were…

"The hay is in the barn" so they say. I need to have faith that the hard work and miles spent playing in the mountains will pay off tomorrow. There is always that lingering voice of uncertainty that pops up once I step up to the starting line. Regardless of how hard I trained there are always those variables outside the realm of my control that factor in on race day including but not limited to : congestion in the w's, stomach issues, nerves, weather, Aunt Flo's visit, work, and numerous…

Relays are increasingly popular and interesting beasts. Last weekend I ran the Wild West Relay which covered 200 miles from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs. This was my first relay so had no idea what to expect. Vanessa, purple and gold alum, was our fearless team captain and did a great job organizing 10 friends and a couple strangers to run 36 legs. The legs varied from easy to "very hard". I'm not really sure how the…