Summer Seriers #2 - Panoramic 4M

This is a very low keep run where only 50-100 runners show up for this event.  The Panoramic was originally conceived in the mid 80's as a fund raiser for the planned Olympics Hall of Fame which was to be part of the Jimmy Camp development.  When that fell through, the event was moved to Palmer Park and the Deaf and Blind School was designated as recipients,  The race was a 5 miler in Palmer Park, and was changed to 4 miles when the venue changes to Bear Creek Park in 2000.

This is really a beautiful course, and has a pretty hilly climb for hill training.  The course is mainly on dirt trails in Bear Creek Park, but there is a short distance on a paced entry road and a gravel parking lot.  There are a few decent hills to keep you pushing yourself.  The elevation is around 6,200 feet.

I started off the race well.  I was not ready for the hills and the heat so Kim and I as usual had fun and hammed it up for the camera!

To my surprise I placed thried in my age group! Who would have ever known that I could do that?

 

Here I am with my friend Lisa she got 1st in our age group (30-39) Myself and Kim.

 

"I run in the snow, rain, wind and heat. I run until I cannot run anymore then I run some more. I run thru the blur of tears, the aches and pains and then I keep going. I have more running clothes than some running stores, I know Fartklet does not mean like it sounds. I go to bed at 9pm; I get up early just to do it all over again. Why do I do this? Because I am a runner and that's who I am"

Are you a Muldooniac?

 

It’s was a rainy Wednesday evening, and you can hear laughter coming from the patio of Jose Muldoon’s on South Carefree. It may have been raining and hailing,  but that did stop the runners, joggers and walkers of the Muldooniac Running Club. 

One by one members returned from the 5K or 10K route smiling with pride and wet.  Stefan starts to make his way around the room bringing everyone chips and salsa and taking everyone’s FREE post run beer or house margarita orders.  

I asked Jennifer McDonald what she like most about Jose Muldoon’s Running Club?  She smiled and said,  “I like the friends I have made and continue to make every week.  Even as we get bigger, it feels like we are family.”  This is very true, I have been around since the second week of this club  and I have seen new friendships made and grown as the club grows.

 After asking Kimberly Lindsay what makes her run Jose Muldoon’s Running Club? She said,  “I think the course is great, I like free the beer or margarita that you get after you finish your run, which gives me motivation as I make it up the hill.  What keep me coming back is after 12 runs you get your “beer shirt”.   The group is small enough that you can sit around and talk to your friends and hang out. I find it great that Stefan always remembers your usual order even when you come in on non-running days.”

 Jose Muldoon’s started their run club in the fall of 2011 with just a few runners.  As word got out more runners started to gather and now the club has 250+ registered runners. Running in the club is free, and there is no commitment required.  Participate in twelve 5K’s or ten 10K’s, and you qualify for your free Muldooniac’s technical running shirt.  Both Men’s and Women’s sizes are available.  Wear your Muldooniac shirt to either Jose Muldoon’s location and receive one free beer or house Margarita.

Jose Muldoon’s 5710 S. Carefree Circle, Colorado Springs, CO 80917

719-574-5673

www.josemuldoons.com

RUN LIKE A MULDOONIAC!

St. Mary's Falls

St. Mary's Falls is located off Gold Camp Road in Colorado Springs.  It is to have reported 33 waterfalls leading up to St. Mary's Fall.  The trail is 5.6 miles round trip.  The first half of the trail is pretty easy, the second half of the trail is where you gain some altitude and hit rougher terrain.

To get to the trail head there are two different tunnels that you pass thru.  As you can see this one is only about 100 meters. No head lamp needed here.

Second tunnel, this one is about 1/4 mile. Once you get past the bend, you can see the "light at the end" I don't think you really need a head lamp, but it is helpful.  Inside the walls are jagged, and the way the light bounces off the walls is rather cool.

Before you reach the tail head there is an old closed up rail tunnel. The trail head is just to the right or the rail tunnel. The trail will lead you up and around this around this.

 The trail follows along side a stream. The trail is not heavily traveled so one can get lost in the sound of waterfalls as you hike to St. Mary's. Here is one of the many waterfall that you will see along the trail side.

Almost there! Notice that Orion and I are matching, we are both in orange! This is the last .2 miles of the hike, there are a few tight steep switch backs.  This was the steepest part of the whole trail.  There are a few rock steps before you reach the fall.

There she is! St. Mary's Fall! This fall is 181 vertical feet up! Honestly this picture does not do her justice. 

Just right of the fall is a memorial for a fallen climber.  The plaque reads:

In Memory of Eamon Murphy 1948 - 2008
Who fell to his death here on May 24, after solo climbing Stove Mountain above these fall, He was a darling man, loved by all who knew him.

The boots are filled with rocks so that they do not blow away. As I experienced it can get rather windy.

The view of Colorado Springs, is breath taking, you can see the Broadmoor from here.  The elevation at this point is 9,300ft. At this time the sun just happened to be shining down on it.  After a little snack it was time to head back down. 

 

This hike overall was pretty good.  It is labeled as a family friendly hike, but when you gain almost 2,000 feet in about 3 miles, the last 1.6 miles being the steeper of the hike. I don't think is a great from smaller children.  If you can climb Palmer Loop, Section 16, then this should be fairly easy for you. 

 

 

Lat-long GPS coordinates: N 38.77079 and W -104.91893

 

 

~Happy Trails!

 

 

”I run in the snow, rain, wind and heat. I run until I cannot run anymore then I run some more. I run thru the blur of tears, the aches and pains and then I keep going. I have more running clothes than some running stores, I know Fartklet does not mean like it sounds. I go to bed at 9pm; I get up early just to do it all over again. Why do I do this? Because I am a runner and that's who I am"

Black and Blue

If you told me I could not run for a set peroid of time I really wouldn't know what to do with myself.  I love to run, if I can not run I feel lost, like I am missing something.  Running makes me a better person, it helps me think thru tough decisions, it allows me to release all my tensions, sometimes I run until I am completely empty and all I feel is the earth beneath my feet and the wind wrapping their arms around me.

On Sunday I almost took a good digger coming down Barr Trail.  I was able to catch myself and keep going, but the stress that I put on my left knee was more then it could handle.  I am usually pretty cautious when it comes to my knees.  I have already had knee surgery and I really don't want to repeat it. 

I woke up this morning and had noticed that my LT knee was a shade darker then it was the day before.  Feeling a little nervous about the potential of hurting my knee again I thought it would be a good idea to swing into the athletic trainers office and have him take a look at it.  One of the perks of working in  a High School, besides having access to an ice bath whenever I need it.


After a bit of poking, pulling and pushing he told me that I have a bruised patella tendon.  Everything is well intact which I was happy to hear and I thought that was the case.  He told me that I can keep my mileage the where it but I just need to keep an eye on it.  If I start to feel pain then I need to back off on my run.  So basically just baby the thing I should be back to normal in two to three weeks.

I took a picture of my knee this morning and you can see the shade of purple that it has become.

Wow! I really need to get some sun my legs! I have a run tonight at Red Rock Open Spaces which I am looking forward to.  So, I hope my knee can keep up.  Saturday is my first race of the Summer Series, fingers crossed that I am back to my normal self sooner than later!

”I run in the snow, rain, wind and heat. I run until I cannot run anymore then I run some more. I run thru the blur of tears, the aches and pains and then I keep going. I have more running clothes than some running stores, I know Fartklet does not mean like it sounds. I go to bed at 9pm; I get up early just to do it all over again. Why do I do this? Because I am a runner and that's who I am"

Barr Camp

Today my running partner Kim and I made plans to hike to Barr Camp.  Since this was my first time up to Barr Camp, I found it to be an interesting hike.

Kim and I planed to meet at 7am.  We ended up parking together and gearing up at the cars. Very glad I decided to bring my layers.

As you can see it is sunny my Jeep said it was 40 degrees out.  We started out to Barr Camp via the Incline. 

It was a little crowded today even at 7am, but we made our way up.  Today I got to the top in 59 minutes. Kimmy was not to far behind me.  I ran into an old coworker and he took a picture for us, to document our journey.

On the way to Barr Camp after going the extended route. Four miles to go, sounds easy right? Pfh, did I mention that you gain another 1,800 feet in elevation?

Almost there! Why am I doing squats? I only have another 1.5 miles to go till we get to Barr Camp.

At last! Barr Camp covers 2 acres and has a small house that has snacks and drinks for purchase.  After Kim and I had a snickers bar some water and a trip to the Loo, we headed back down.

I decided that I wanted to climb on top of this rock and pose. I must say that this picture rocks!



”I run in the snow, rain, wind and heat. I run until I cannot run anymore then I run some more. I run thru the blur of tears, the aches and pains and then I keep going. I have more running clothes than some running stores, I know Fartklet does not mean like it sounds. I go to bed at 9pm; I get up early just to do it all over again. Why do I do this? Because I am a runner and that's who I am"

Addictions lead to withdrawls

I made a decision to take a few days of from my running and let my legs heal.  My left shin has been giving me a little trouble when I am running down hill, so I figured a few days off from running would do me some good. 

Like an addict, when you don't feed your addiction you get withdrawals.  All you think about is when you will get your next fix.  So as I am sitting here on the couch, I am getting the antsy feeling and all I can think about is:

When can I run again? I need just a little run, just a little something to get me thru the week.   I could go out for a two mile quickie no one would know

Truth is I WOULD KNOW!  My shin would remind me about a mile in that I should be resting it. If my shin could talk I am sure it would say something along the lines of "hey stupid we need to rest take us home!"

So instead I am surfing around on the net looking at shoes, races, training exercises and then I came across something that looked rather intriguing.  I think this would grab some attention :)

These flashy leave nothing to the eye tights are made by Black Milk and cost $75 plus S&H, but regular running tights rum about the same price.   I noticed on the web sit that when things are sold out they are "gone forever" so I wouldn't want to wait too long. With summer right around the corner, I am not sure how many more times I would be able to wear these, but it sure would be a lot of fun! Perhaps at the next hash or the Denver Marathon!

How about you?  Do you have any "flashy" fun running clothes that make you stand out?  If so what are they?

”I run in the snow, rain, wind and heat. I run until I cannot run anymore then I run some more. I run thru the blur of tears, the aches and pains and then I keep going. I have more running clothes than some running stores, I know Fartklet does not mean like it sounds. I go to bed at 9pm; I get up early just to do it all over again. Why do I do this? Because I am a runner and that's who I am"

Neilson's April Challenge

When I got to the April Neilson Challenge I noticed a slight chill in the air, my car said it was 37 degrees.  Not to bad I forwent the jacket, figured I'd get to hot. I was running a little late so I jogged down to the start like where Kim was waiting for me. While Kim and I were chatting I noticed someone from the Saint Patrick's day run that we took a picture with. I went up and asked

"excuse me but did you wear the green Mohawk wig at the Saint Patrick's Day run?"

Turns out it was. The three of us got to chatting and I found out that he is a regular running in the community and was planning to do the Pikes Peak Ascent.  Kim was thinking of doing this and has tried to talk me in to it, but I don't think I a ready for that, maybe next year.  I already have enough of the docket for the year.

While I was standing around I tried to sync my watch but it was being a stinker and wouldn't connect to the signal so I am unsure of my split times.  When I passed mile marker one I looked up and saw that my 1 mile time was 09:20-something.  Little bit of a shoker, and I felt great!  I had a good rhythm and decided that I would try to pick up the pace and let the trail take my legs.  Here I am coming into my second Mile.

When I came in the finish shoot I was pleasantly surprised that I was seeing 18 minutes!  I kinda wished I had my watch then, I would have tried to push it a little harder. "You can do anything for ten minutes".  As you can see I am thinking hard today. It also looks like my heal strike and posture is getting better.

Could be the new shoes that gave me great times, I did notice that they were not slipping around in the gravel like my brooks usually do.  Who knows?!? It was just a great day for an early run.


”I run in the snow, rain, wind and heat. I run until I cannot run anymore then I run some more. I run thru the blur of tears, the aches and pains and then I keep going. I have more running clothes than some running stores, I know Fartklet does not mean like it sounds. I go to bed at 9pm; I get up early just to do it all over again. Why do I do this? Because I am a runner and that's who I am"