The Ascent looks even farther away from here, atop Spruce Mountain just north of Palmer Lake. As mentioned before, this is one of my favorite places to run (5.3 mile loop) and this is just one of the great views this trail provides. This vantage spot is called Windy Point, with Mt. Herman in the foreground and Pikes Peak behind. This visit to Spruce (5/18) brought my log for the week to a whopping 22 miles.

After reading the blogs of some of my teammates on the PikesPeakSports.us Triple Crown Runners, I’m thinking I’d better up my mileage.

Exceptionally good weather in March made for a good early start to training for the Pikes Peak Triple Crown. Not that I’m a fair weather runner but I’m pretty much a fair weather runner. As long as you’re going to be out for a length of time it’s nice to have sunny and dry right? The very next day after I registered for the Triple Crown I was laid off from my job. I took it as an omen, a sign from the Mountain Top Gods (MTG, perhaps you’ve seen their logo). Like a peal of thunder rolling down from the summit I heard the message “Go Forth and Train.” Actually I misunderstood at first, thought I heard “Go Take the Train,” as in “that’s a more sensible way to haul yer old carcass up this mountain.” I recently told a non-running friend who has known me since high school about this endeavor that I’m on, told him the only one I was really competing against was “Father Time.” He wryly replied “Yeah, well, my money’s on Father Time.” Yeah, that’s the kind of friends I have. And I love ‘em all. I don’t suspect any of them will be descending on Colorado Springs from around the country to witness any leg of this pursuit. So if anyone else out there wants to cheer me on with a “Go Beagle, you old dog!” please feel free.