July

Wilson Peak.  View from the cabin we rented.  Not bad!

July was pretty awesome.  I didn't crank out as many miles as I had planned but the quality of runs I had were amazing.  I crossed two items off my list of running goals with completing the 10 Mile Range and the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop.  I also had my best race today running the Silver Rush 50 in 9:47.  I squeezed in putting our house on the market, getting an offer, accepting an offer and taking a family vacation in Telluride.  Not a bad month!

Peaks 3 and 4

The 10 Mile Range represents the 12 peaks that stretch from Frisco to Breckenridge.  Mt Royal, Victoria and Peaks 1-10 are tagged on the route.  Check out my trip report.
http://thereisgoldinthemhills.blogspot.com/2014/07/10-mile-range.html

I had a pretty nice taper after the 10 Mile Range before Silver Rush.  Silver Rush 50 is a 47.5 mile course with 7,546 feet of vertical gain.  The course is an out and back with 4 distinct climbs between 9,890 and 12,046 feet.  My goal was to break 10 hours but to be honest I didn't have any idea how I would do.  As we lined up I was pretty emotionless.  I knew I had a long day ahead but I didn't feel excited or even that fresh.

SJ had given some advice to me a while back to be consistent throughout the race.  I have a tendency to push hard for the first half and suffer the second half.  I decided I would try to run steady throughout.  I started feeling good around mile 8 but I held back my enthusiasm and kept a steady pace.  I fueled well throughout but as I got to the turnaround I was starting to feel a little low and I had a big climb out of the aid station.  I ate some watermelon and salt at the aid station and felt pretty good and I gained strength as the climb continued.

Above the clouds at Silver Rush

I felt great on the decent as well.  I was feeling good and I told myself I wanted to keep feeling this way so I kept eating ahead of my typical schedule.  It paid off.  I was able to get to the top of the next climb feeling pretty good.  As I defended the final 10 miles my stomach started to turn as the heat of the day started to take its toll.  It was nearly impossible to get food in but I continued to push.  I probably could have trimmed another 20 minutes off my time had I been stronger during the last 7 miles but I managed this low point pretty well and finished with a time I was thrilled with.

It is the best race I have ever run in terms of race management.  I fueled pretty well.  My hydration was good.  My lows weren't that low and I extended my highs.  I am very happy with my finish.

scramble to summit of Wilson peak

I took 3 days off after the race before running 9 consecutive days.  That is a pretty good stretch for me.  We went on vacation in Telluride.  It was our first time there and it is such an amazing place.  The mountains are spectacular and the town is very cool.  My time there has me considering Dakota's race as my priority next year.

During my time there I was able to sneak away from the family one morning to climb Wilson Peak.  Wilson Peak is one of Colorado's 14ers and is a lot of fun.

Finally, a group of us set off for Pawnee-Buchanan Loop.  This is a 27 mile run that racks up over 7k of climb through the Indian Peaks.  It is considered on the Colorado's iconic loops.  It didn't disappoint. The wild flowers were amazing and the mountains are spectacular.  There are many large waterfalls along the route as well which is pretty cool as well.

I'm hoping to knock out a 2-3 new 14ers in August.  My main focus August is to pace Tim F for the back 50 at Leadville.  This will be my first time pacing and I'm really excited.

The pics below are from the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop.