Wed 7/16 - double, 1:40 total

AM - 65 minutes easy, Intemann trail. Out and back between Gold Camp Road and Manitou, before the rains rolled in and flooded Manitou again. Not that I got anywhere near the town. Trail was rolling and had some spots of dicey footing, not something I'd want to hammer but holds the interest well during an easy effort.

PM - 35 minutes easy, Cherry Creek path. Started slow and stayed there until the last 2 minutes or so. Hamstrings feeling stiff, probably from all the driving the past two days. Took a long time for the kinks to feel like they'd worked themselves out to any degree.

Tue 7/15 - double, 95 minutes total

AM - 65 minutes, Zapata Falls. Failed miserably at camping last night, having planned on pitching a tent in the dunes as I have twice before in the past. Turns out the calm dry conditions of mid-August are different from the current monsoon pattern, not a lot of rain but plenty of wind. So much that it was impossible to put up the tent, in fact even getting it back in the bag was a big challenge. Figured this out after trudging out there of course, had to head back to the car in gathering darkness and attempt to sleep in there instead. Not so much alas. Awoke feeling sore but less exhausted than I expected. Went for a hike up the dunes before leaving just because I wanted to have some kind of positive experience there:

 stubborn cloud cover meant no stargazing last night

 dunes a bit damp from yesterday's rain

looking for a novel running experience, proceeded down the road a few miles to the Zapata Falls access road. This ended up being better than expected and in fact made up somewhat for last night's tribulations. The access road, about 3.5 miles of steady gradual ascent, was steep enough to present some challenge but not too much of an incline to present issues either up or down. About 40 minutes to climb, then a long break to poke around, and 25 minutes to come back down. At the top a short trail led to the falls which was one of the more unique spots I've seen in Colorado which is saying something. The recent rainfall likely contributed to the falls' high discharge, also the fact that the water is being squeezed through what amounts to a slot canyon. Got rolling a bit on the descent, legs not feeling nearly as sore and tender as yesterday. 

 road actually not that rough, at least for foot traffic

 falls can be heard before they can be seen

 Expecting to bump into Gollum at any moment

 above and to the side of the falls, view of the valley below

 slit in the rocks where the water comes through

 dunefield

 al the water sucked off into irrigation

PM - 30 minutes very easy, Bear Creek park in CO Springs. Much needed shakeout after 3+ hours in the saddle driving back from the dunes. Took a long break in Salida for lunch but still needed to move my legs at least a little bit. Made it through the day surprisingly well considering how little rest I got last night, finally feeling it after dinner though and slept like a rock. 

Mon 7/14 - AM 50 minutes very easy

Salida. Out and back to the top of Tenderfoot hill. Frontside to Spiral Drive, back down via Railroad drive. The hair of the dog after yesterday of course, not that I was going to pass up the opportunity, my only opportunity this year, to do this particular run. Feeling plenty stiff and sore of course. Had some difficulty getting out of bed, got a later start than I would have liked as a result.

 view from the bottom across the rr tracks

 view from the side

 Collegiate Peaks

 Spiral Drive and trails looking straight down from the top

 the Arkansas, looking upstream

and downstream

Sun 7/13 - AM 2 hour trail race

Halfway up and back down the Barr Trail, for the first time in four years. The last time I did this race I fell rather heavily on the Ws and was picking scabs (and pebbles hidden under scabs) for weeks. With certain parts of the trail seeming to be in worse shape since then, it was with some trepidation that I returned. In hindsight it was unwarranted as I made it down without coming close to falling. The performance as a whole was mediocre at best, as it took just over 70 minutes for me to reach the turnaround point, compared to 64 or so the last time. The final half mile of the ascent was even more soul crushing than I thought it would be, felt like it would never get there. Feeling frazzled after the past few days of climbing ladders and doing errands at work, and of course not sleeping near enough including last night which makes for a feeling flat. This wasn't nearly as much of an issue on the descent however. While fairly fed up with the switchbacks by the very bottom of the Ws and the final excruciatingly steep downhill paved stretch, overall the trip down was controlled and incident free. Very tired afterward, would up taking three naps later on in the day at various stages of the trip to Salida.

Sat 7/12 - PM 40 minutes easy

Back to the creek path in Denver. Felt quite rickety and stiff to start after a day of travel and it stayed that way until the very end, like the last minute or two.