This past weekend is one I will always remember

On Saturday I had the honor to be asked to be a guide up the incline for a young woman who is visually impaired. I have done the incline a few times, and was happy to do it.

I have to say while we were hiking up the incline it was one of the most inspiring and motivational things I have experienced in a long time. The young lady pushed through like a pro and the support and kind words we received from others was astounding. I have never seen so many complete strangers, cheer people on like they did on Saturday.

Phil, my mighty marmot running teammate, was also a guide, and we worked together to get her to the top successfully. You never realize how many steps and uneven surfaces there are until you have to call out every step of the way to make sure, our athlete made it to the top.

Before we reached the top Phil said the last 20 steps we should run to get the full “incline experience.” She grabbed my arm and we ran the last 20 or so steps. The cheers and applause we received at the top was amazing, and even though everyone was tired the smiles on our faces could not have been any bigger.

Getting to the top was not to bad, but going down Barr Trail was a different challenge. The uneven surface and gravel were added obstacles, but we made it down all in one piece, learning from the new challenges we worked through to get down.

And I guess Phil my running teammate wasn’t sick of me yet, because he let me follow him up Pikes Peak for the first time. I am not sure that I ever mentioned this before, but I have never hiked a 14er let alone run one. So we ran/ fast hiked my first 14er and Phil was a great guide. Pointing out the aid stations and giving me advice and tips every step of the way.  For my first 14er I am happy to report that I made it under the cut off time for the Ascent, helping me better gauge what my time will be on race day.

After running the full course, I have a better idea of what race day will be like.  I felt the first four miles and the last three miles were the most challenging for me.

This weekend I hope to get to the top of Pikes Peak and run a few miles up and down to get some more altitude training in. 

I cannot believe how fast this summer has gone, and how close the race is getting, but I am trying my best to be ready for it because this is the hardest half marathon I have ever trained for.