Pikes Peak Ascent Race Report

Last Saturday, this flat lander, mountain/trail running virgin made it (by foot) to the top of Pikes Peak.  My uncle, who lives by the base of it and did the race back in the 80s, had 2 pieces of advice beforehand:  1) The mountain will win, and 2) I will set a PR.

First of all, if I'm going to do this post justice, I have to start by mentioning Jill of Run With Jill fame.  Before I ever made it out to Colorado, the aforementioned Pikes Peak Ascent alumna would make time to talk to me about the Ascent and other running topics.  Then, once I got out there, she met my family for dinner and even picked me up at 5:45am to shuttle me to the starting line so that my wife could sleep in, and more importantly, my little offspring could sleep in too.

Jill and company all smiles early in the morning while picking
 me up for the race.

Jill sure was in good spirits for that early in the morning.  Had I tried to snap a picture of most girls that early in the A.M., I could probably expect to have my camera broken into a thousand pieces over the top of my head.  Talk about dandruff.

We got to the starting line in plenty of time to mull around and chat.  I saw a few of my friends from Wichita who ventured out to run/hike/walk the race, including Hannah.

Jill, myself, and Hannah giddy with excitement.  Don't
we look fruity.

Ready to start.  Can hardly see Pikes Peak with the first
"hill" in the foreground.

The Ascent has 2 waves.  The first one starts a half hour earlier than the second, and has a smaller, faster  field based on qualifying times.   I suppose that was done so that when you're single file on the mountain trail, you're not waiting on other runners as much.  I might be 2 slow 4 Boston, but I wasn't 2 slow for that first wave.  Booyeah!







The Race Course:

In-line perspective

Side Perspective

The first small section of the race was on the road heading up to the mountain.  It seemed pretty tough going for a beginning to a race, but it was a 4.5% average grade afterall.  That was just a warm-up.  Once we got on the mountain, I really started sweating.  Not because I saw what was ahead of me, but it was actually unseasonably warm and the slope had increased to about 13.4% (as per race's website).  I started worrying that I would become dehydrated.  Luckily I was able to cool off as the temps. started to drop with the elevation gain.

Ignoring the glare from the sun, this is looking down
 at the runners going through the Rock Arch.

The middle part of the race is the easiest.  There are about 3 miles where you run through a bit of a valley and hit an aid station or two.  I actually got my pace up to sub 9 minutes for short stretches along there while watching my heart rate drop.



Aid Station.

 

View of the finish, kinda.


The most depressing part of my race came at mile 9.  My Garmin GPS switched itself off after it's memory filled up.  After noticing this, I first was in denial that I had that many previous workouts stored, and wondered if it was the elevation that took out my watch.  Unfortunatly, it was done recording data for the rest of the ascent, but I was able to use it as a heartrate monitor and a pace calculator.  Here are my Garmin's charts up to that point:

 

Points to notice from what Garmin data I did collect:  The first 9 miles took me from 6,000+ feet to 12,000 feet elevation; my heart-rate stayed around 177 bpm the whole time; and if the first 9 miles took 2:30:27, then the final 4.32 miles took 1:37:23, or an average of 22:32 minutes/mile.

Fast forward, the treeline arrives about 10.2 miles into the race at an elevation of 12,000 feet.  I envisioned getting past the treeline being comparable to the scene from 'Total Recall' where Schwarzenegger is on Mars and his eyes bug out of his head after the oxygen gets sucked out into the atmosphere.

This is either a still shot from Total Recall, or it's an edited
pic of Maria Shriver's hands around Arnold's neck after she
found out about his love child.

Turns out being up above the tree line wasn't that bad.  Granted I was slower, but I couldn't perceive that I was at the time.  Actually, I felt an adrenaline rush come on as I got the false impression I was getting close to the end, and because I was still feeling strong.  I started passing racers, and that trend lasted off and on the rest of the way to the summit.

It's hard to know exactly what awaits you the first time you do something.  In my case, I was surprised that some of the trail was lined with small pebbles which I would compare the traction with that of sand.  Also, above treeline, there was lots of rock; as in boulders.  Sometimes I couldn't tell what was trail and what was rock.  One of the rockiest sections was what's known as the 16 Golden Stairs.  I would say it's the closest thing to rock climbing I had to do that morning.

The 16 Golden Stairs from above.

Soon after the Golden Stairs, I was crossing the finish line with an official time of 4:07:50.  Despite this being my first run up the Peak, I was pretty disappointed I didn't break 4 hours like I thought I should.  After finishing, I felt like I still had more to give.  Although I was exerting myself, I kinda ended up settling in with the pace of those in front of me instead of setting my own pace.  All this leads me to wonder if I need to go back and try it again.  The competitive side says 'yes'.

On top of the world; or at least on top of Pikes Peak with Colorado Springs in the background.

Final Stats:

• 13.32 miles in 4:07:50
• 7,815' Elevation Gain
• 14,115' Final Elevation
• Average Grade = 11

• Overall Place - 601/1704
• Men's Division - 485/1175
• Age Group - 74/172

I actually decided to purchase my professional photos from the Ascent.  Here are a few:



One of my less flattering photographs.  Some
parts were steep enough, it lessened the burden
by pushing on my thighs.

 After hanging out at the summit for a few minutes, I caught a shuttle bus back down to the starting area where they were handing out finisher shirts, food, and free beer.  I got to hang out with all my friends from Wichita and Colorado, and made a few new ones to boot.  I thought I came away from the race unscathed, but turns out my head of hair is as thin as the oxygen level on the summit, and my scalp got a sunburn.  At least my legs weren't sore the next morning.

I've got to disagree with my uncle on one account...  Since I made it to the top on my own accord within the time limit, the mountain did not win, I did.

Almost Ready To Run Up Pikes Peak.

As I have been mentioning for awhile, I've been trying to get trained up for the 13.32 mile Pikes Peak Ascent which is now about 2 weeks away.  It seems I've always mentioned it more as an afterthought, as part of a post dedicated to other topics.  That means I've been storing up material on the subject, and it's time to let loose.

 

A week and a half ago, I did my long run on the treadmill.  Not because it was a pre-dawn 80º outside and humid, but because I needed some extended time going uphill as only a treadmill can provide in Kansas.  I got in a 14 miler in 3 hours, the last 10 miles of which was at an 11% incline.  Being the curious type that I am, I wondered just how much elevation I gained in those 10 miles.  Being the nerdy type also, I had a story problem to solve.  You remember those math story problems from high school that everyone complained about by saying, "When are we going to use this in real life"?  Well, here it goes:

 

Problem:
Jack and Jill ran up a hill for 10 miles.  If the grade/slope of that hill was 11%, how much elevation did they gain before Jack fell down and broke his crown?

 

Answer #1 for the high school drop outs or mathmatically challenged: 
Jack and Jill ran for a long time, a long way, and are now having problems breathing.

 

Answer #2, break out your geometry and trigonometry textbooks:

 

 

 

 

There.  That was rather easy compared to some of the math I had to do to get my engineering degree, but I'll admit I did have to look up the formula.  Gaining almost 2 miles in elevation was a bit of a confidence booster since I've never raced up a mountain before.  I have a few pics from said run.  The first one is supposed to show me running the 11% incline, but it doesn't really look that hard or steep from the picture...  Judge for yourself:

 

 

 

Not that basements are known for high ceilings, but notice my head looks like it's about to 6" away from it.  Also I have a shelf right next to me.  When I installed it, I wasn't planning on being so high off the ground, so now I have to be careful with my shoulder or I'll bump it.

 

A friend who will also be running hiking Pikes Peak jokingly stated I should get ready for the oxygen deprivation by breathing from a straw.  I got to thinking about it, and decided, why not:

 

 

You may have noticed I'm wearing my Garmin, so before someone has to ask why; it's the only HR monitor I have, and I like to track my heartrate.

 

I ran a flat 20 miler last weekend.  It was 75º and humid starting pre-dawn.  By the half marathon mark, my shoes were so full of sweat, I could hear and feel the squish of each stride as they hit the ground.  I would probably not bother to mention this run if not for the fact that I managed to get a nipple bleed even though I applied Body Glide to it before I started the run.  And when stuff starts coming out of my nipples, I tend to find that titilating interesting.

 

Right Nipple Bleed.  I just had to wear a white shirt.
All the sweat helped the blood disperse, so it's
not real obvious in the picture.

Finally, I would like to give 2 Pikes Peak shoutouts:

• First to Jill, who has made herself readily available to me to answer Pikes Peak questions, and who should be running up the mountain that day too, assuming her heel has healed.  I'm looking forward to meeting her in person for the first time.
• Second to my fellow Wichitan Hannah, who is taking time from her ultra training to run Pikes Peak.  I just haven't figured out yet if she is retired from blogging or not.

You Got Questions, I've Got Answers

Thanks to everyone who wrote in wanting to know something about me.  I enjoyed reading and answering all the questions, so without further delay, here are my responses:

XLMIC:
Q:  Have you ever run naked? How far did you go? Was it enjoyable?
A:  Yes, on my treadmill, but not too far.  Not particularly enjoyable as I recall, it was a little distracting.

Q:  Weren't you in that porn film?
A:  Yes, I was all over it.

Q:  Have you ever watched one of "your" films?
A:  Yes, multiple times.

Q:  What barnyard animal is staying at your house?
A:  A Turkey, and not just at, but inside at times.  Long story made short, he doesn't do well in 110º heat, and neither do I.

"Bak Bak Motherfuckers!"

Q:  What was your favorite OTHER sport?
A:  Favorite sport to watch is Pro Football.  Favorite sport to play is either soccer or baskeetball.

Q:  Who got to name the kids?
A:  My wife and I went through some names together, and came to mutual agreements on all 3, but as I recall, I had to convince her of 2 of our kids names.

Chris K:

Q:  Do you really think you are too slow for Boston?

A:  Yes, I know I am, and the BAA lowering the qualifying times didn't help me, but thanks for your confidence in me.  I do have faith that I will qualify someday.

Q:  Who's the boss? You or the Mrs?

A:  I think we do an equal amount of bossing each other around, the only difference is the Mrs. ignores me more than vice versa.

Q:  Do you wish you had an "h" in your name?
A:  It is kinda a pain having to clarify at times my non-common spelling, but at 3 letters instead of 4, it's 25% faster to write.

Q:  How handsome in real life is Jim 50 after 40?
A:  Jim graciously sent in a reply which I'll repost for those who missed it.
Jim: Let me handle this one for you Jon ... CK - I'm not sure words can describe the pure animal magnetism and deep manly musk that this gentleman exudes. He bowls overhand. Dead sexy indeed.


Well said Jim.  I've got one more thing to add.  Jim went down to "The Virgin Islands", now they just call them "The Islands".

Michael:

Q:  Was it difficult going through life with your name or did it help get you chicks?
A:  Not too difficult, I can't really say that it's helped me get laid girls though.  I mean, I never went up to one and said, "Hi, I'm Jon Holmes.  Does that name ring a bell?"  Although, looking back, that might not have been a bad strategy.  If they knew my name then that could've been a sign I was trying to penetrate the right market so to speak.

Q:  Do you have any other major running goals (outside of Boston)?
A:  I haven't really mentioned it on my blog, but I want to run a marathon in all 50 states.

Jim ... 50after40:

(I can appreciate his knowledgeable and thoughtful questions about Wichita)

Q:  Do you wish you had more hills in Wichita to train on?

A:  Yes, this place is as flat as Kate Hudson.

Q:  Have you ever described yourself as a "Shocker"?

A:  Yes, I am a proud Shocker!

Q:  Will Wichita's airline industry ever come back to full strength?
A:  I think it will recover, but some of the jobs are going overseas, and like everything else, the economy has to improve first.

Q:  Do you ever go watch the Wingnuts?
A:  For most of you, the Wingnuts is Wichita's baseball team.  The Wingnuts have only been here a couple seasons, and I haven't seen them play in person.  For one, I'm not a big baseball fan, second they aren't even a minor league farm club.  Wichita used to have minor league farm clubs here.  I'll probably end up going as part of a social outing.

Coy Martinez:

Q:  Do you think that barefoot running / minimalist running is just a fad and that it'll go away? Would you ever run barefoot?

A:  I don't see it staying as popular as it is right now, but a lot of people swear by minimalist running, and I think there will always be a market out there for it.  I'm too scared of stepping on something sharp to run barefoot, but I've been wanting to try a minimalist shoe like the Vibram 5 finger.

Jill:

Q:  What's next after Pikes Peak?

A:  It will be about time for a fall marathon, but probably just the one in my hometown.  My travel budget is shot for the year.

Q:  Do you think Pikes Peak is going to be the most rewarding race you've ever done?

A:  I actually think it might.  There are more factors/challenges at play than a normal marathon.  The greater the challenge, the greater the reward.

Q:  Do you think you'll reach a point where racing won't hold the same value to you as it does right now?
A:  Good question.  I'm sure one day that will happen, but it will probably take old age or debilitating injury to do it.

Q:  What's your blog name going to be when you make it to Boston?
A:  I really like my blog name.  I'm not sure I'll want to part with it.  Now the way Boston is set up, I might qualify, but never get in cause the faster times get priority, hence, I will still be 2 Slow 4 Boston on a technicality.

Q:  When you qualify for Boston, will you actually GO to Boston to run?
A:  Yes, it will be a priority to travel there and run and experience it.

Q:  Finally, will you wait for my sorry butt at the top of PP?
A:  I would like to do nothing more, however I doubt I'll be in charge that day.  My family will have already been waiting for me for 4 hours by the time I make it to the top, and the PP website says we should get off the mountain as quickly as possible for both congestion and health reasons.

Fair Weather Runner:

Q:  Who is your FAVORITE Wichita runner?

A:  That's a loaded question.  I know Hannah reads my blog on occasion, not to mention a few others, so it would be unfair to single someone out.  Maybe if you and Hannah were to get in a ring and mud wrestle while I ref, I could come to a conclusion.

Nelly:

Q:  How did you meet Mrs. 2Slow?

A:  I met her on an internet dating site.  Back in 1997, that was kind of a new way to do it.

Q:  What is your strength routine?

A:  Lift as much weight as I can.  Actually, I don't really have a set routine, but I do try and hit the weights about 5 days/week while at the gym.  My main exercises include lunges with dumbbells, leg extensions, ab crunches, and back extensions.  I do several sets of each while increasing the weight for each set.

Q:  Have you had any other injuries besides runners knee?

A:  I got a couple discs out of alignment in my lower back, so I spend a lot of time lifting and stretching trying to prevent it from bothering me.  Also, several years ago, I was tapering for a marathon when I came down with a kidney stone.  I had minor surgery 2 weeks prior to the race, but still ran a pretty good time.

Peter:

Q:  When is your BQ?

A:  I wish I knew.

 

Pikes Peak Training Week
7/25	5	3 x 1mi intervals 7:00 pace
7/26	3	Treadmill 12% incline 13:20 pace
7/27	8	6 miles on track @ 8:45, 2 miles 11% incline @ 13:20 pace
7/28	8	5 miles on track @ 7:45, 3 miles 11% incline @ 13:20 pace
7/29	4	9 min/mi on track, 1 mile on 12% incline @ 15:00 pace
7/30	20	penciled in for 20 road run tomorrow morning
TOTAL	48

Q & A. It's My Turn

My friend Nelly (The Shoutout King) handed this baton to me, so now it's my turn to step up to the plate and field some questions.  As this 2 week old tradition goes, no question is off limits.  If you can think it, I can answer it.  Ask me a funny question, maybe I can give a funny (yet truthful) answer.

Do you want to know:

• What barnyard animal has been staying in our house?
• How I met Mrs. 2Slow?
• Have I ever ran naked?
• How many miles I've logged in a year/lifetime?
• What is my homeopathic cure for sinus infections?

In the meantime, and possible question material, here's my latest Pikes Peak training log:

Pikes Peak Training Log
7/18	5	4 miles of 3 - 12% incline, variable pace
7/19	5	3 of the miles ranged from 3 - 12% incline
7/20	7	3 mile warm-up, last 4 miles @ 10% incline, 13:20 pace
7/21	10	flat, 8 min/mi
7/22	4	flat, 9 min/mi recovery run
7/23	14	4 mi warm-up, 10 miles @ 11% incline, 13:20 pace
TOTAL	45

Normally 45 miles/week would barely make the grade for me.  However, I have to keep telling myself that most of those miles were done on a slope of over 10%, and running 4.5 mph just doesn't add up as fast as running 7 or 8 mph.  The 14 miler took me 3 hours to do, and has given my a bit of confidence for PP as my taper time is nearing.

Toto, I Don't Think I'm In Kansas Anymore

Forgetting the fact that I got in the family minivan last Friday and hit the road for about 16 hours, the first clue I had that I'm no longer in Kansas was the high temps here in the 70s or 80s.  In contrast, Kansas right now has to have a thunderstorm for the mercury not to top out above 100º.  My next clue was that there are lakes all around me.  Kansas, no so much.  My friends, I have made it to the land of 10,000 lakes, otherwise known as Minnesota.  My family is spending the week at a resort on a lake with my parents, and my brother's family.

This vacation isn't fitting in real well with my training for Pikes Peak next month since there are no incline treadmills, weight machines, or stair steppers in sight to get me ready for the trek up the side of a mountain.  However, I do have some extra time on my side since I don't have to go into work.  Also a plus is that this is a real vacation where I can relax in the lake or by a campfire and not have to run around to tourist traps all day following an itinerary.  What I'm trying to say is I'm lazy and plan on drinking a lot I won't need to take another vacation to recover from this vacation, and I'm still be able to get my run on.

We're staying at a resort called Sunset Beach for obvious reasons.

After the sun goes down and we put the little ones (and the old ones) to bed, us thirty-somethings can sit around the campfire, drink a few adult beverages, swat some mosquitoes, unwind, and bring up topics like peeing in the shower.  Apparently, my wife has never thought peeing in the shower was an option, and was surprised to find out I have done it.  You would think she would know me better by now.

I'm happy to say I've been getting a full 8 hours sleep at night for a change.  By the time I get up, eat a bite, and hit the road, it is about 9:00a.  In Kansas, the heat would be beating on me like Casey Anthony by that time.  Here, it's been in the upper 50s or low 60s, and I can finish 10+ mile runs without being dehydrated.  My daily runs take me by several lakes.

Big Pine Lake (the one we stayed on)

Nitche Lake

Don't know the name of this lake, but I thought the cows added
something to the picture.

Having the extra time and some cooler weather, was a good combination for my running routine.  I wasn't going so much for speed this week as I was for the extra mileage.  As a bonus, it is also a lot hillier here than back home, thus making my runs harder in a good way.

Minnesota Mileage
7/10	11	8.5 min/mi
7/11	9.5	8.75 min/mi
7/12	13.1	9 min/mi
7/13	0
7/14	12	8.9 min/mi
7/15	16	9.75 min/mi
TOTAL	61.6

Now that the running formalities are out of the way, I'll post a few family vacation pics:

My wife and kids raced turtles in a weekly event sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce.  First turtle to the
outside of the circle wins the heat.  I was rooting against our turtles because winning the heat would mean having
to wait around for at least an hour for a semifinal.

My oldest boy, Colter, caught his first fish, and his uncle tried to get him to kiss it.

For those who like wildlife, we had chipmunks running around camp.

My adventurous wife taking her chances in water outside of a pool.
I will not comment on the lack of contrast between her and the raft, but
I'm sure it's my fault for not knowing how to take a picture.

Minnesota's state bird, the Mosquito.

Lunchtime with 2Slow's mom and brother.

My 4 year old, Hayden

We will be heading back to Kansas Saturday where I will have no guilt about my workouts here, but I will have to man up and hit the inclines and stairs hard next week.