Co-worker, "You know you can drive up that right."
Dave, "That would be a lot easier wouldn't it."
Co-worker, "Yep."
I am excited and maybe a little scared... not that a mountain really cares. I did in fact register for the Pikes Peak Ascent yesterday. According to their website, Ascent Wave 2's (the slower wave, I didn't qualify for the fast wave) 865 spots filled in 1 hour 7 minutes. They still need to confirm my qualifications (that I did a half marathon in under 2:30), but once that is complete I willl be all set to knock off a couple of things off the list. Pikes Peak Ascent as an event is on the list, as is climbing a 14,000 ft mountain. If I don't get up a 14,000 foot peak before August 16, I will just have to kill two items off the list with one "run." Pikes Peak's summit is at the elevation of 14,115'.
I will post more info on this as my training continues, but the more I read about it, the more I get a little "concerned" with what I am getting into.
From their website:
The Pikes Peak Ascent® will redefine what you call running. Sure, they start out like a lot of races on Any Street, USA. But your first left turn will have you turning in the direction of up! During the next 10 miles, as you gain almost 6,000 vertical feet, your legs, lungs, heart and mind will be worn to a ragged nothingness. But it won’t be until your last three miles, with still over 2,000' of vertical to go, that you will realize where the it got its moniker—America’s Ultimate Challenge.
There’s a reason trees don’t bother growing above 12,000' on Pikes Peak. They can’t! Makes one wonder if trees are smarter than runners. Above treeline most runners take 30 minutes or more, some much more, just to cover a mile. What little air remains can’t satisfy the endless stream of zombies hoping only to survive their next step—a death march right out of a scene from Dawn of the Dead. Adding insult to injury, it might start to snow!
Great.
Well I have decided I need to keep challanging myself, this should be a good start.
I got the night off of working out. Joined my good friend Meghan Robb for dinner. Meghan is getting back into triathlons after a few years off. A natural swimmer, she is considering ESCAPE FROM THE ROCK Triathlon this summer. Could be a really cool event!
3 comments:
Congrats and good luck! Some flatlanders actually do amazing well in this race. I met a couple women from Kansas last time, and they had to do all their hill training on treadmills. It must have worked though, as they finished only a half hour or so after me.
And yes, it may snow! When I did it in 2005, it was raining/sleeting/snowing for the last 1-2 miles. I went in, got changed, and when I came back out it was a full-on snow storm! They ended up having to close the road for a few hours, it got so bad, so we were all trapped up there in the visitor center until they could run the shuttles down again. It took me 4 1/2 hours to "run" up the Peak from Manitou, and took over 5 hours to get back down to town! That was an unusually bad year though...
I find it terrifying more than dumb, but if the 'mountain' you made me and sara 'run' at pat's wedding was indicative, you'll do fine. If it wasn't indicative, I think my underwater running idea has merit.
wow....I was going to ask if you have to add insult to injury and run back down the mountain after getting to the top but it looks like 'fonk' has answered my question that you at least get a shuttle down. I think I would have to be air lifted. This race makes my silly little half ironman look lame. Good luck with training!
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