I am NOT ready for the Pikes Peak Ascent – OMG Dave and I were in Leadville this weekend for some fun to include high altitude training – I guess. Saturday’s run started the way the Leadville 100 trail race did for Dave in 2014 running from town towards Turquoise Lake. I had paced this section for him in 2014 and our friend Susie Howery in 2015. I recounted both of their last few hours of that insane race during this Saturday run. I had picked this section to pace them both so that I could use my encouraging words to keep them moving to the end verses my lack of hill climbing skill over Hope Pass. Did I mention hill climbing---- today Dave took me up a section from Transrockies from a few years back. It was a good solid hour UP. I thought about how’d there would be no shame in walking most of the Ascent as I was walking much of the steep hills today. I yelled way up to Dave – Do you think Simon could actually run this section? He assured me he could. Unreal. (See Dave way ahead – this is my typical view – this photo does not do the actual slope up justice) It really felt like the incline without stairs near the top, which was a bit of a slide coming back down. I was grateful that we did not see any mountain lions as I assure you they would be very cozy in this isolated section of the Colorado Wilderness. We saw no deer which only further panics my concern over mountain lions. The views were breathtaking which did lesson the blow of UP UP and then DOWN DOWN. Mount Massive with Turquoise Lake below surrounded by the beautiful blue Colorado blue sky. I have work to do…… I’d sure like to run more of the Ascent than I ran today……..