Tues - AM: 7.5 miles intervals. Met Jane's group on a very cold morning. With the ground covered in snow and ice and the thermometer reading 5 degrees, this one was just about stretching the legs and busting the holiday rust. Workout was cemetery 2x800, 2xmile, 2x800. Splits: 3:00, 2:49, 5:34, 5:33, 2:49, 2:46. 15 min w-u/c-d on either side.
PM: 7 miles (1,900') easy. Soderberg - Rock - Wathan - Spring Creek - Falls - home long. Felt super smooth aerobically, but sore in the usual places physically. Inch of snow over top of some good stretches of ice, interspersed with dirt and packed snow. Perfect conditions for old school Yaktrax, which people love to hate, but I quite like. In these conditions they are way better than a spiked traction device which are just annoying in mixed conditions.
Weds: 7 miles (1,900') easy. Soderberg - Rock - Wathan - Spring Creek - Falls - home long. Most of the snow from two days ago is essentially gone with the slightly warmer temps. Legs were heavy, but heart and lungs good.
Thurs - AM: 11 miles (1,500') hill tempo. HTH5MO&B. Felt like I went ten rounds with Tyson out there this morning. The wind was swirling like crazy and was highly unpredictable. Rounding the last east-side dam, a massive gust picked up a bunch of gravel and raked us like we'd just been shot in the face by Dick Cheney. That one stopped me and Scott in our tracks and had us whimpering and assuming the crouching position. I think that's the worst I've seen it up there on the ridge. But at least it wasn't too cold. Not surprisingly, performance coming back suffered, despite a pretty hard effort. 39:26 out, 31:26 back (7:00, 6:19, 6:28, 6:17, 5:19). One mile c-d.
PM: 7.5 miles easy with the FCTR crowd at Pineridge.
Fri: 7 miles (1,900') easy. Soderberg - Rock - Wathan - Spring Creek - Falls - home long. Tired of this wind, but as long as the mild temps stick around, I'll take it I guess.
Sat: 3 miles (1,600') hike. Alexander Mtn with Ryan.
Sun: 23.5 miles (3,500') long. Milner Mtn (6,881'), Bobcat Ridge, point 7,124' with Mike H.
Total: 76.5 miles (11,300')
A friend of mine pointed me in the direction of a website called Lists of John the other day. It's an invaluable resource for those into the fine art of peakbaggery, and while I'd visited it before I'd never really perused it fully. Aforementioned friend offered up a link to the 255 ranked peaks in Larimer County (where I reside), the simple act of which finds me getting a little obsessed.
Many of these 'peaks' are peaks in name only. To be ranked, a peak has to have a minimum of 300 feet of climb (or prominence) on any route from a higher peak (or sea level), a rule that means such elegant summits as Arthurs Rock and Comanche Peak are not ranked, but some random hillside above Horsetooth Reservoir is.
This all means that I find myself plotting to hike or run up totally unworthy hillsides simply to check off another ranked Larimer peak. By extension, however, this new-found obsession has also given me a much keener eye for the skyline around me. I see a peak that previously had been just another rise in the endless swell of rises that surround us here in Colorado and I want to know if it's named, what its prominence is and how I'm going to get up it.
I think I've become more familiar with the geography and topography of Larimer County in the last two weeks than I have in the last five years. And that's a good thing. I find myself plotting new routes and getting excited about totally random 8,000 foot peaks.
Anyway, enough of my peakbaggery babble.
What else? Well, we've recently secured a sponsorship from the fine folks at Cornerstone Mortgage Company (my own personal lender and all-around supporter of the Fort Collins running community) for the Quad Rock 50 in May, which now means that we're able to offer up a modest prize purse for the 50 mile race, in addition to some nice product prizes for age group winners (Pearl Izumi shoes for sure in the 50 and hopefully in the 25 too). We're also working on some really neat ideas for finishers' awards and hope to have an announcement on that soon.
I'm also excited about a new flavor of EFS Liquid Shot that Robert over at First Endurance has been working on. I sampled the Kona Mocha, as it will be called, on Sunday during my long run and really enjoyed it. Like all EFS Liquid Shot, the non-viscous nature of the gel means that it goes down easy, but best of all I really think they nailed the flavoring. The blend between coffee and chocolate doesn't leave that cloyingly sweet taste in your mouth; it just tastes good. I think this one is going to be popular. The planned launch date is March, I believe, so I'm really hoping that we'll have some to distribute at the Quad Rock in May.
And now my Larimer peak completion list (seven non-ranked, so 231 ranked boys to go!):
# of Larimer County peaks completed: 31
| Name | Elevation | Prominence | Counties | Quadrangle |
| Hagues Peak | 13,560' | 2,420' | Larimer | Trail Ridge |
| Ypsilon Mountain | 13,514' | 1,116' | Larimer | Trail Ridge |
| Fairchild Mountain | 13,502' | 922' | Larimer | Trail Ridge |
| Mummy Mountain | 13,425' | 485' | Larimer | Estes Park |
| McHenrys Peak | 13,327' | 907' | Grand & Larimer | McHenrys Peak |
| Taylor Peak | 13,153' | 413' | Grand & Larimer | McHenrys Peak |
| Chiquita, Mount | 13,069' | 283' | Larimer | Trail Ridge |
| Hallett Peak | 12,713' | 733' | Grand & Larimer | McHenrys Peak |
| Comanche Peak | 12,709' | 209' | Larimer | Comanche Peak |
| Dunraven, Mount | 12,571' | 231' | Larimer | Estes Park |
| Otis Peak | 12,486' | 426' | Larimer | McHenrys Peak |
| Chapin, Mount | 12,454' | 434' | Larimer | Trail Ridge |
| Flattop Mountain | 12,324' | 24' | Grand & Larimer | McHenrys Peak |
| Stormy Peaks | 12,148' | 488' | Larimer | Pingree Park |
| Dickinson, Mount | 11,831' | 171' | Larimer | Estes Park |
| Twin Sisters Peak East | 11,428' | 2,298' | Larimer | Longs Peak |
| Twin Sisters Peak West | 11,413' | 73' | Larimer | Longs Peak |
| Twin Sisters Mountain | 11,384' | 364' | Larimer | Longs Peak |
| Signal Mountain | 11,262' | 802' | Larimer | Pingree Park |
| Lookout Mountain | 10,626' | 406' | Larimer | Crystal Mountain |
| West White Pine Mountain | 10,305' | 1,445' | Larimer | Crystal Mountain |
| Deer Mountain | 10,013' | 1,073' | Larimer | Estes Park |
| Crosier Mountain | 9,250' | 1,270' | Larimer | Glen Haven |
| Sheep Mountain | 8,450' | 1,108' | Larimer | Drake |
| Palisade Mountain | 8,264' | 1,084' | Larimer | Drake |
| McConnel, Mount | 8,020' | 520' | Larimer | Big Narrows |
| Greyrock Mountain | 7,613' | 753' | Larimer | Poudre Park |
| Horsetooth Mountain | 7,255' | 595' | Larimer | Horsetooth Reservoir |
| Alexander Mountain | 7,105' | 605' | Larimer | Drake |
| Arthurs Rock | 6,780' | 80' | Larimer | Horsetooth Reservoir |
| Milner Mountain | 6,881' | 1,119' | Larimer | Masonville |
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I can't believe you've not climbed your namesake peak yet!
ReplyDeleteI was just talking to Mike about that this weekend. He informs me that while Hagues is the highest in Larimer, Clark has the highest prominence in the county. I need to get up in the Rawahs this summer. Failed in 2011, despite my best intentions.
ReplyDeleteDude, you are killing my work productivity with that site. Killing me!
ReplyDeleteLooks like the next Reservoir Ridge social run will need to add a summit tag. Great website!
ReplyDeleteI did veer off and up Reservoir Ridge today -- there's a summit marker (from 1960) up there! Surely the "list" influenced an extra 5 minutes of time.
ReplyDeleteAnd that made #39! ;)
It kind of feels like what people say about geocaching: cool to go to ones that are nearby, or to inspire new routes to hit some on the list...but only the obsessed will go for all of them. I'm not going to do that, but I'll help support your obsession!
I'd go back to Clark Pk for sure, and would like to hit nearby Cameron as well.
I am going to have to check the list for Broomfield County.
ReplyDeleteOk, done.
"shot in the face by Dick Cheney" might be the best blog quote of 2012 thus far.
Fair warning, I'm going for an (irrelevant) Alexander FKT today!
ReplyDeleteOkay, but I'm not sure who has the FKT or if anyone cares, but be sure to get the correct summit. We built a nice cairn for you, so that should help.
ReplyDeleteI see Scott Jaime used this new Mocha in his latest race (3:58 @ Calico 50K). You probably already know this but Krupicka also looks to be running Zegama in May.
ReplyDeleteMan, the playground of peaks you get to train on is incredible.
FotT: Yeah Zegama looks like an absolute classic. Super stoked to be able to run it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links Clarkie. Great stuff. Also, you guys are putting in some solid work for the Quad Rock...first year event and it already looks amazing. Some french lady took that new banner pic of you? The eyes don't lie my friend..
ReplyDeleteA camp German actually...
ReplyDeleteHave to agree with Joe - sounds like the quad rock is going to be a great event! Looks to be filling up nicely as well. Will be nice to have a good 50 in the Front Range.
ReplyDeletegreat blog nick . one of my favorites . cheers !!
ReplyDeleteWell, whoever has the Alexander FKT, it is safe for now. Cool spot though, not bad for our backyard.
ReplyDeleteYou get impaled by much cacti? That slope is infested. Time?
ReplyDeleteWrong gully on the first go, two hands full of cactus and then I had to save Dakota from certain death (or was it the other way around...I don't remember). First DNF of the year.
ReplyDeleteI'm the anonymous and aforementioned friend that linked up the listsofjohn...I just wanted everyone to know that it was me!
ReplyDeleteHey Anonymous, your anonymity was noted this morning, but you already knew that.
ReplyDelete@Aaron: "Took the wrong gulley" is one of my favourite all-time excuses to my wife for when I return late from some excursion. And it's usually true!
ReplyDelete