Almost every runner I know, whether they’re training for the Pikes Peak Ascent or Marathon or not, has already been on the incline or Barr trail this year.  Challenging trail runs, it seems, are a quintessential part of any runner’s routine.  Any runner, perhaps, other than me.

I haven’t seen the top of Pikes Peak for three years. I probably haven’t seen the top of the incline for just as long.

I could blame my inertia on the emotional toll of the fires in our…

A few posts ago, I talked about how things inexplicably fell apart every time I ran in the Garden of the Gods 10 Miler. When I was diagnosed with bronchitis a week before the race, several friends asked if I was still planning to run. My attitude was this: “I might run, I might walk, but I will finish. At least this year, the falling apart will have an explanation.”

I took almost the whole week off running, and when I showed up on race day, the most inexplicable thing of all happened:…