Thu 8/15 - double, 60 minutes total

AM - 30 minutes very easy jog with strides and drills. Puttered on over to Salida's brand new track and turf field during the 2 hour window in which it's open to the hoi polloi (6-8 AM). Better than no access at all but not by much. Easy jog on track followed by drills and strides on the field. Right hammie still sticking somewhat, but it felt like the drills were helpful. It's the downhill stuff that bothers it the most, so the flat nature of this shakeout was just what was needed. Cool and crisp conditions.

PM - 30 minutes, Red Rock Canyon trails. Back in the Springs after yet another 2 hour drive. Waited as long as practical before starting the run. Right hammie/glute/whatever didn't do so well with the driving, stiff and tight. While it wasn't the first time I've run on these trails, I had conveniently forgotten that the area isn't flat and more specifically is a foothill-gradual slope situation, so the first half of the run was mostly climbing at various gradients before getting it all back. Not the greastest thing for the leg but I needed to do something to loosen it up a bit. Monsoon conditions held off although there were some threatening looking clouds.

Wed 8/14 - double, 80 minutes total

AM - 60 minutes, out and back to Mosca Pass. Woke up amongst the dunes after a less restful night than I was hoping for thanks to the wind picking up around midnight and blowing sand into the tent. Awoke a bit after sunrise but before it had peeked over the mountains, occasion for the following glamour shots:

 hey, there's my tent

 tuning fork junctions far as the eye can see

 bird and beetle tracks

 yesterday afternoon's rain in the mountains reaches the creekbed

After getting everything packed up and hauled out, followed by breakfast, it was well into the morning. Instead of repeating last year's ordeal of a trip to Medano Lake I decided to go with the trail to Mosca Pass which is bite-sized by comparison. While the trail is no joke, climbing 1500' in just over 3.5 miles to 9000' or so, generally the gradient was manageable. The last few minutes did drag on a bit however, before reaching the pass:

Feeling a bit cranky and ready for lunch so the trip back down was done with a more insistent effort and no stopping to enjoy the scenery. Overall about 35 minutes for the trip up and 25 for the return. Hamstring has felt pinched since yesterday afternoon and was bugging me throughout the run to one degree or another. Did some rolling on the lax ball immediately upon finishing, hip rotators and piriformis quite tight of course.

PM - 20 minutes very easy. Shakeout around Salida, the flat part, after a 2 hour drive and nap earlier in the afternoon. Excuse to do some stretching which was most necessary. Hamstring feels like garbage, in the belly as much as the upper insertion. The trip down the trail this morning didn't help it any but still. On a more positive note, first day without monsoon conditions since I've gotten here, hopefully the pattern will continue through the weekend.

Tue 8/13 - AM 60 minutes very easy

Out and back along the Animas river trail. Easy recovery jog before undertaking the long drive to the Dunes. Got started a bit later than I would have liked but still delightfully cool conditions. Full stretch/core afterward, more dinged up from yesterday afternoon's run than I'd anticipated. Hammie is stiff.

Mon 8/12 - double, 1:40 total

AM - 30 minutes very easy. Puttered around the campus of Fort Lewis College looking for a place to do some barefoot jogging and drills and strides. The perfect spot, a broad expanse of manicured athletic fields, was of course closed for maintenance. Ran laps on the infield of the laughably antiquated dirt track instead. Stiff and sore from yesterday of course, the drills helped but only somewhat. Followed this up with a full round of stretching and core work which was the other big priority of the morning.

PM - 70 minutes, Animas Mountain trail. Not quite the terrain I was expecting but all I needed to to was look at a map to see the mountain itself is a tilted mesa, with the trail switchbacking steeply to the top then gradually grinding up to the north end before coming back down. I was expecting a bit more flat up top, of which there was just about none. Compared to the climbing yesterday it was a cakewalk though, with scenery just as ridiculous. The descent was tiring of course but again not as rubbery-legged by the end as yesterday.

 the road goes straight, the river doesn't

 their defense mechanism is to stay perfectly still and hope you don't notice them

 even steeper drop off than it looks

Sun 8/11 - AM 95 minutes

Portland loop/Upper Cascade Falls, Ouray. A classic case of having to earn spectacular views. Not at all sure how my legs would feel, esp. calves, after the race yesterday. More stiff than sore though, and still usable for what I had in mind which was a good deal of steep climbing. The Portland loop trail was relatively mild not counting the fact that it starts at somewhere around 8000' and rises 1000' to its highest point. A slog but spread out over enough distance that it was manageable. What nearly crushed my soul was the trail to the falls and Chief Ouray Mine, which involved climbing another thousand feet in maybe a mile or so. Viciously steep switchbacks coming one after the other. Not ashamed to say there were more than a few walking breaks as I didn't have the mojo to even attempt running the steepest bits after the first 6-8 minutes of climbing this thing. The views got better and better, not that I was in a mood to notice. Eventually reached the falls, a picturesque and potentially dangerous spot for sure, and took a decent break there before heading on to the bunkhouse of the mine. This was the most precariously and ridiculously situated structure I've ever actually set foot in in my life, perched on the side of a steep mountain as it is. Whatever they were mining must have been worth a great deal to justify lugging all the materials up the trail, near as I can tell there's no other way save a helicopter drop to get it there. I didn't realize until after looking up info on the mine that the actual mine building was just a short ways down the trail from the bunkhouse, which I mistakenly though was the end of the line. Bit of a bummer there but I was ready to get back regardless. Took many breaks on this run as it was. The descent, while not the nightmare I was anticipating, predictably turned my quads to jelly. Didn't do much of anything in the way of stretching afterward either, as it was on to Durango via the "Million Dollar Highway," the first few miles of which were some of the most terrifying driving I've ever done in my life. Pictures:

 Ouray from just below the Portland loop trailhead

 another ho-hum morning in the mountains

 part of the way up the switchbacks on the trail to the falls, hwy. 550 way way down below

 looking down the falls from the trail crossing

 looking up the falls from the trail crossing

 decades worth of graffiti on every surface

 exterior of the bunkhouse

view from the trail between the bunkhouse and the falls

Sat 8/10 - 95 minutes incl. half-marathon

Mt. Sneffels half marathon, Ouray to Ridgway. Not looking to set the world on fire, more like survive what I had a feeling would be a less than pleasant experience between the elevation of the course (start 7800' or so, finish 7000') and the tight right piriformis/glute/hamstring. Also felt like I was still wiping the crust from my eyes on the starting line, neither the time nor inclination to do much of a warmup quite frankly. The first 2.5 miles which go back and forth up and down the streets of Ouray did nothing to assuage this. To sum up the course went up (on a tilted road no less) for 3/4 mile or so, then a 180 turn around back down the same stretch, then turn around again and back up (level road this time, not quite as steep either), then gently down, then steep short up, then steep longer downhill before finally settling into the gradual descent that marked most of the rest of the course. First two miles each a sparkling 6:26, felt much much harder than that of course. From there I settled into a rhythm that was sustainable if not comfortable. Remaining mile splits were between 5:55 and 6:25, with the 12th mile being an outlier at 6:41. And that was the mile I decisively passed and pulled away from a guy who left me soon after 2 miles and at one point was so far ahead of me I couldn't see him. I figured the numbers would be nothing to write home about but was hoping the gradual downhill would make it possible to go a little faster than I did, although I had a feeling in my gut that breaking 80 minutes would be a tall order given my lack of specific fitness and underlying fatigue. Very concerned going in about the potential for booty lock given the downhill course, it did feel pretty bad by 3 or 4 miles but more or less stabilized after that. Quite stiff afterward but that would be the case on almost any half marathon course given the way it's been bothering me. In fact I was expecting to be unable to walk in the aftermath of the race but this wasn't the case thankfully. Tiredness underscored by the fact I fell asleep on the shuttle bus taking us back to the start area. Overall an interesting experience, able to claim the second money slot as well so worth my while in that respect if nothing else.