So on Saturday, 7/19 I ran up the Barr Trail for the first time in a long while...just a couple of miles due to time restrictions but enough to inform me that I am woefully under-prepared for the Ascent. Let me just say that I'm glad they keep a light on all night at the visitors' center so I'll be able to find my way to the finish. I was thinking of incorporating some of teammate Sean O'Day's suggested Lactate Threshold training into my regimen but I think I'm lactate intolerant. Besides I don't really have a regimen...that would be too disciplined. For anyone doing the Ascent for the first time, I highly recommend reading the Pikes Peak Marathon book authored by Harald Fricker. It's an entertaining and very worthwhile read. Here's how you can find it:

http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/order.htm

Of course, after reading it you may have even more doubts about your sanity but always remember, you're not alone. Far from it.