Running this trial on the Colorado National Monument has been a weekly occurrence every summer for the past 2 years. It is by far the most challenging run I have ever done, no matter how many times I run it, it remains so. I think it is more mentally and physically grueling than any of my long runs because for a solid 30+ minutes my legs burn deep, and my lungs gasp for air. While the final miles when running 10 or 12 are difficult and I feel tired- legs heavy, I never feel this intense fire in my arss and legs.
The distance is somewhat debatable, on the official site it says it is 1.75 miles one way, but my running GPS says it is closer to 2 miles. In that 2 miles it gains 700 feet in elevation and classified as "steep".
Once reaching the top of the trail the downhill is a welcome reprieve for my burning muscles. By the time we reach the bottom again, the pain is almost forgotten, and since we are tough {or suckers for punishment} we turn around and run it again.
My first year of running this I was able to run the first two uphill miles all the way with out stopping after 3 or 4 weeks, and by the end of the summer I was able to run it both times. Last year, I don't know what happened but I really sucked, and it took forever before I could run it all the way one time. I am happy to report that on the 2nd week this year I ran to the top BOTH times, I ran the entire 8 miles non stop! Yahoo!
Learned: The feeling of accomplishment I get from this run is unbelievable. There is nothing like accomplishing something when your brain says you can't.
No comments:
Post a Comment