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| Runners at the start of a TransRockies Run stage. (Photo from transrockiesrun.com) |
I've written about it before, but last year was a doozy of a year for running after having a great 100K in March to having to deal with a minor ankle injury and then a more significant shoulder injury and two surgeries. I'm happy to share that all that is behind me and my running has been strong of late. Close friend and a trailrunning beast, Roxanne, put together a training schedule for me about five months ago and I have followed it closely. You can see from the graphic where a year ago I was barely running, if running is was what you call hobbling the few times I attempted to get out there last July and August. Now, I've cracked 200+ miles for the last several months.
In June, the Chattanooga Stage Races were a good indicator of how I was doing and those races went really well. I've done plenty of hill climbing in my training, even doing repeats on Kennesaw Mountain and Stone Mountain. I know those won't compare to what's waiting for me in Colorado, but it's the best a busy dad can do to be prepared with out going up to north Georgia for some Appalachian foothills running. I can't do much about the altitude other than get there a few days early and hope to acclimate as best as possible. So going into TransRockies my confidence is up and I'm looking forward to a stellar week.
I'm also looking forward to spending time with Mike and we have a plan to knock out a double 14'er the weekend before the race. We both hiked Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive a few summers ago and we're glad to add to that list. Here's what our week will look like:
Friday, August 9: Arrive in Denver
Saturday, August 10: Hike Mt. Greys (14,278 ft.) and Mt. Torreys (14,275 ft.); spend the night in Breckenridge
Sunday, August 11: Take race shuttle to Buena Vista
Monday, August 12: Hang out in Buena Vista and pick up race packet
Tuesday, August 13: Stage 1 Buena Vista to Railroad Bridge, 20.9 miles, 2,500 ft. elevation gain
Wednesday, August 14: Stage 2 Vicksburg to Twin Lakes, 13.3 miles, 3,250 ft. elevation gain
Thursday, August 15: Stage 3 Leadville to Nova Guides at Camp Hale, 24.2 miles, 2,800 ft. elevation gain
Friday, August 16: Stage 4 Nova Guides at Camp Hale to Red Cliff, 14.1 miles, 2,900 ft. elevation gain
Saturday, August 17: Stage 5 Red Cliff to Vail, 23.6 miles, 4,200 ft. elevation gain
Sunday, August 18: Stage 6 Vail to Beaver Creek, 20.9 miles, 4,900 feet elevation gain
Monday, August 19: Return to Atlanta
What a week and a half, huh? You can find more details including route maps and elevation charts here. I'm particularly looking forward to stage two when we get to go over the infamous Hope's Pass at around 12,500 feet. In fact, we'll be between 7,000 feet and 12,000 feet for the entire race. I am also looking forward to stage five as I understand that it is the most beautiful of the six stages.There you have it six days of trail running in the Rockies. Mike and I are set for an incredible journey. We're each signed up as six day solo runners, but we still had shirts made up as Team Los Guapos. It should be quite the adventure.
I have to take this opportunity and thank my wife for her support over the last year. I'm off trail running in the mountains for a week while she stays in Atlanta. I'll have to make it up some how. I'd also like to thank Salomon Running for providing me with a couple of pairs of Salomon Sense Mantras. The shoes are great and I'll be posting a full shoe review here soon.
I'm going to try to blog from the race every day too if internet access allows, so plan to visit back and check my blog. You can always follow me on Twitter at @aReyoUiN too.
