With the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon only a few weeks away, I craved some high altitude training and some longer days on the trails.  Moreover, my birthday was fast-approaching, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate!  To kick-start my 31^st, my husband, Michael, and I woke up at 4:30am and drove into Manitou. We loaded up our running packs with fluids, snack and some emergency gear, and took off running. At Barr Camp, we were both feeling strong and decided to push on to A-Frame, being mindful that I needed to get home by 11am to shower and head to work for an meeting. Along our run, we encountered a few awesome hikers and runners, the most notable being a party with 3 kids under 8 years of age (so cool!) and a group from out-of-state who sang happy birthday to me near tree-line!  It was a pretty rad 18 mile jaunt, with about 5,300 feet of gain.

The next evening, Michael and I loaded up his truck with camping and climbing gear and drove to the White River National Forrest, near Minturn, CO. We got a few hours of shut-eye, before an early morning rise to climb Mount of Holy Cross via the North Ridge. With the sun illuminating our path, we quickly blazed up the trail. The summit of Holy Cross (14,005 ft) was absolutely breath-taking, both literally and figuratively.  After polishing off some bakery-style, oatmeal-raisin cookies we descended down the ridge.  By this point, the sun was out in full-force baking us as we made our way back to the trailhead. I consumed at least 80 ounces of water during the 12 miles and 5,600 ft of gain, but was drenched in sweat.

I felt okay on the mountain, yet I found myself fighting a massive dehydration headache that evening! Although the headache wrecked my night, it was a great reminder to ensure that I am consuming enough water and electrolytes, especially at high elevation.  I need to be sure to do so on PPM race day, especially given how I almost overheated near the finish line in 2014. I recall having to sit in the tented area with countless sandwich bags of ice strategically placed all over my head and neck. I felt absolutely awful until my body re-calibrated back to a normal temperature.

The morning after our Holy Cross hike I awoke with only a mild head fog. I made sure to get enough fluids and calories in me, before we set-off into the mountains again. We decided to explore the Gore Range, and, man, were we super glad for it! We started by hiking to Deluge Lake, using a well-maintained but steep trail off I-70 near Vail. For the first mile or so, Michael and I were frustrated by the echoes of vehicles barreling down the highway. But as soon as we crested the ridge, we were surprised to find a majestic playground!  There were wildflowers in every color, a rushing river and a clear alpine lake all encompassed in a mountain amphitheater. There were huge peaks in every direction, and we choose to navigate our way up Grand Traverse Peak.  From Grand Traverse we could see endless fun ridge lines; Due to a late start that morning and fairly fatigued bodies, we called it and descended back to the car despite the desire to adventure in that area for days. We added another 12-13 miles and 4,500 ft of gain in the books!

It has been an exciting and challenging  few days of training in the mountains ! I’m hoping to do more high-altitude escapades like this before the Pikes Peak Marathon! It’s also time to dial-in the nutrition piece, and determine what I want to rely on for fuel come race day!!!!  Until next time, my friends:

Run Happy, Explore Often, Conquer Your Fears, and Bask in Your Accomplishments!