The Pain Chronicles: 2 days on course in Leadville

A friend suggested I name my updates for this weekend the "Pain Chronicles" which I love and so I did, thanks Paul Wehner.

After returning from South Dakota, I've been nervous, even scared at times.  I was extremely apprehensive going into this weekend, but I knew I had to do it sooner rather than later.  While the terrain and weather made the Black Hills course extremely tough for the AD4AP team, my challenges will be altitude and mountain passes.  The sooner I got my ass to two miles above sea level and running/hiking some of these hills, the better.

Annie accompanied me this weekend and is a great training partner for this, other than being my wife and best friend, she is no stranger to altitude and mountain passes having trekked in Nepal on the Annapurna Circuit at elevations twice the height of Leadville or anything I will encounter during the race.  Nothing really phases her either so animals, taking a wrong turn, weather....she just rolls with it, which is perfect.

Saturday, we took a leisurely morning and then headed toward May Queen on the far end of Turquoise Lake stopping at the Timberline Lake Trail Head, no need to run roads...I know what that's like.  The views of the lake are amazing and we started up the Colorado Trail.

We started discussing race strategy and it was clear this little piece of single track trail was going to be moderate to difficult on the way out, but on the return and most likely in the dark very troublesome requiring a good deal of mental acuity and attention (this section is between 76 and 86 miles into the race).  For my BH100 guys, this section resembled that son of bitch trail between Dalton and Elk.  We hit Hagerman Pass Rd (dirt) and then turned left on the 105A 4wd double track...the 105A was studded with boulders, but overall the ascent to Sugar Loaf Pass was pretty good.  We returned down the Colorado Trail from the top for a change of scenery and I quickly appreciated not having to climb it the whole way up or go the whole way down, it was even more steep and technical than the first section.

While ascending to the top of Sugar Loaf I started to get a weird feeling and even more so on my own running back from May Queen to Leadville.  Here's the deal, I can't figure out if seeing almost the entire course from almost any vantage point is a good thing or a bad thing. It's just utterly expansive.  The thought of running 100 miles is daunting enough, but seeing the course splayed out in front of you with mountain tops looming in the backdrop is just absolutely overwhelming.  I ran on.

Annie dropped me off at the May Queen camp ground, I loaded up, changed shoes and set out for the first and last 13.5 miles of the course.  Again, single track, narrow and technical in parts and again probably nothing to worry about in the beginning but it does represent miles 86.5 to 100, mindfulness a must.  Just to get the experience out of the way, I did wipe out once across a small run-off section, dinged my knee pretty badly, but I think it will be okay.  And then the feeling set in again as my gaze wondered across the lake to Sugar Loaf where Annie and I had been a couple hours earlier and again as I rounded the lake and could see the majestic mountain tops lined up to the south....oh boy.  I ran on.

I got lost a couple of times on my way back to Leadville (the course isn't marked yet).  No sweat, I wasn't worried, the course will be marked on race day and I am pretty sure now after re-examining the map where I should have gone and didn't.  I rolled into our pad and felt pretty good overall, day 1 - complete.

Andy (my cousin) was here in Leadville this past weekend racing the Silver Rush 50, it was his 4th 50 mile race this season, what an animal.  He and Melissa stopped by on Saturday to say hello and drop off maps and other race material that will be invaluable in my preparation.  We had a nice chat and it was great to meet Melissa.  We were on the top floor of a converted turn of the century hospital building, condos and lofts.  We'll be here again for the race, thanks to a good friend.  The view is spectacular, in fact you can see the entire course from downtown to Hope Pass (just not the backside of Hope for obvious reasons).  Andy pointed this out and I shared my quandary with him, to see the course or not see the course...it's so expansive and the view is unforgiving when you consider running from point A to point B and back.  I continue to ponder.  So in my pondering of this weekend, I did arrive at the realization of how blessed I am to have the opportunity to preview the course like this and have Andy and others sharing their experiences.  It's a gift to be here this weekend and the upcoming other weekends I will travel here to prepare, I won't squander the gift I've been given.

Sunday brought us to Clear Creek Rd, Winfield and Sheep Gulch trail head for the backside ascent of Hope Pass.  I'll spare the details, but we had a false start and then figured out, yes, we were in the right place.  This will be a relentless assault on the body, mind and spirit on race day for sure. To the right, the 2D picture really doesn't capture the absolute astonishing grade of this trail, we made our way  through the lower trees and aspen groves, which come September will glow yellow, orange and red.

We soon found the treeline and more forgiving switchbacks through rock fields and clearing.

There was an old cabin to the right of the trail with a spectacular view of the valley and opposing mountains.  A great spot to stow away during a massive storm.  We reached the Pass, the temperature dropped, the wind whipped over the pass as if being pushed through a tunnel. Here we are at the top, Leadville is way off in the distance.  The views and acknowledgement that you've made it here on foot, unassisted, to gaze upon the glory that is our gift - the earth, the feeling is inexplicable...you get goose bumps, there is a profound sense of smallness, humility... I ponder at the top of the pass, Annie asks what's wrong...I can't speak it, I can only feel it, I need to get down and assess the reaction I've just had...

..and we descend back to the trail head.  We were very fortunate, given our late start, that we had no weather.  In fact as we were on the pass, the sun came out and heated everything up considerably, yet another consideration for race day.

We packed up late Sunday and headed home.  Two more weeks left in the "Pain Chronicle" which will be like nothing I've done to my body, mind and soul.  I'll have to dig deep, find the discipline to get out there even when my legs feel dead, my spirit seems at it's limit and mind is recoiling...

"When a man stares into the abyss and sees nothing but darkness, this is the time that he finds his character. And it is his character, that keeps him from falling into the abyss."