Winter Series 10K+ (6.8 mi)

Jaclyn writes:

The Hell's Hills race was fun and we had beautiful weather for it.  The temperature was in the upper 40s with blue skies and sun.  So, getting dressed for a "winter run" was not a goal this morning.  The race is an intense trail race, which is evident from the title "Hell's Hills" given by the directors.  The first race of the series was at Fox Run Regional Park until last year.  The change in venue was due to a number of canceled races because of icy conditions at Fox Run.  The new venue for Hell's Hills is at Cheyenne Mountain State Park.  Being relatively unfamiliar with the trail systems at the park makes running this race an extra challenge.  I feel pretty clueless about where I am on the course in relationship to the park itself.  But, wearing a Garmin really helped this year, especially because the rolling uphills for the first 3.7ish miles makes you feel like you've been running forever.  The following 3.1ish miles is a strong rolling downhill.  Each time I've run this race, I walk away thinking I should get out to these trails more often.  It's really a beautiful area that reminds me a lot of running the back side of Section 16 or being in Waldo Canyon.  I had forgotten how much of the race is short, intense uphill.  So, I use "rolling uphill" lightly, and there are a few long uphill sections, especially at the 10K+ loop.

Aspen is ready to run!

 I did a few things differently today, which I'm happy I don't regret.  For one, I've been having some patella tracking problems.  I wore a strap below my kneecap, which I have never worn or run with before.  I was impressed with how much it helped, and I'll continue wearing it until I can better strengthen my inner quadriceps.  I was starting to worry that I wouldn't be able to complete our running goals with the pain I've been experiencing, but I'm now confident that I can go on training and racing.  I also wore a new running skirt from Skirtsports, the Gym Girl Ultra.  I've liked this skirt in the past, because it fits well and has shorts underneath.  I was nervous about the new design and that the skirt would ride up, but I didn't have to adjust myself once.  I was on a search for a good pair of shorts, but I think I'll stick with the skirt and probably purchase another.

I also decided to wear my screw shoes today.  I had heard the trail might be icy, and it was a little icy.  It was definitely snowy .  I prefer my screw shoes to Yak Trax because they feel less bulky.  I really don't notice them on any terrain, except when I hear them on paved surfaces.  We followed the directions on Matt Carpenter's website to make these.  Duane doesn't like wearing his, but it might be that the sole of his shoe isn't as good for it or he put screws to far forward and they poke through the shoe.

Screw Shoes

 I had an amazing race.  Last year, I ran this race in 1:23:13.  Now, the course was a little different to avoid an ugly bottleneck at the start, but I completed this race in 1:07:13.  Maybe the difference is a combination of extra weight, an early pregnancy and a different course, but I think it has a lot to do with our current training.  Regardless, I'm having a great start to the year.  I finished as the 31st female (out of 130) and am 7th in my age group.  I might be able to take a couple of places in the flat races, but I most likely won't move up in age group places unless people drop out.  That is the fun of the Winter Series.  You are likely to get an award simply if you are tough enough!  I'm the first runner in the Athena division, which isn't a great surprise.  I've always been pretty fast for my weight.  I need to check my weight, though, to be sure I still make the cut.  I don't really look like an Athena runner, but have always been surprisingly heavy.

Running the stairs at the finish line

Duane writes:

Last year I finished 19th in the race (52:09) and suffered quite a bit throughout the race. I wasn't ready for the hills. They're really aggressive and my conditioning wasn't right. I was nervous at the beginning. At first I had on Yak Traks but I took them off just before the race.

This year, I finished 6th with a time of 47:58. I'm nearly 2 1/2 minutes ahead of anyone else in my age group and if I can stay healthy, and if someone from the top 5 ahead of me either drops out or doesn't run longer distances well, then I could actually finish in the top 3 this year. That would be a first ever for me.

I started this race back in about 19th place and picked up a couple of spots the first mile. I made a couple more moves in the second mile and heading up the first major hill I counted 7 runners who were just ahead and set my sights on moving up all 7 spots.  By the time I finished the first hell hill, I had picked off 5 of the runners, including one guy who had been moving up with the same determination as myself.  The second hell hill is shorter. Really just a couple of switch backs. Right at the top of the second hell hill I took the 6th runner, but just barely.

I'm wearing blue. Far back between two guys, one in black and the other in green

The top of the second hell hill marks the far corner of the hell hill loop (technically the first hill climbs to a small clearing, which up leads the second hill which is a loop that returns to the clearing and then you sprint against the crowd back down the first hell hill) and that's where the real pain begins. The downhill flows smoothly, but in a race like this, you have to push even harder than the climb or you'll lose position quick.

My downhill started on the chase. There was just one runner ahead of me and he was only a few seconds away. He was young and didn't look tired, but i leaned into the chase in any case. Beside, the two guys that I passed on the last hill had to be close behind. I never looked back to check. At the meadow which closed the outer loop I was still tight behind, but I was losing energy. Running down the hell hill and into a flood of runners is probably the most dangerous part of the course. Most every runner knew to stay on their left as we screamed past on their right, but the slooshy snow made a few passings really close calls.  It was great when a number of runners would call behind them to warn about the downhillers.

I passed Jaclyn here. She was close to the top of the hill and I was so proud of her. She looked great. I saw that no one was near me and I was almost out of gas. I started falling further behind the runner in front. A few of the climbers had called out my position to me. They had me at 5th place. By the time I neared the bottom of the hill and turned into the final mile+ to the finish I had accepted that I couldn't catch the runner. But I would be happy with 5th. Then I started to become aware that someone was being encouraged behind me, close enough that I could hear the race supporters pretty clearly. There's a long straight way near the end that sort of circles a huge meadow. It offers about a 300 yard view of the course and a beautiful vista of Colorado Springs. Here I could see that the runner ahead of me was running way ahead now, more than 30 seconds ahead easily.

Worse, I could hear footsteps. At the end of straight away, we entered a winding course through scrub oaks. Multiple times I passed onlookers who were cheering "us" on. The guy behind was so close that the fans cheered us as a single unit. I was trying to find the strength to push him off. When you come into a final stretch like this and you push up on a competitor, if they fight you off, then often you give up and settle into position behind them. I hoped this would be the case, but his push was greater than mine. He zipped past. I had expected it to be the last guy I passed, but it was the second to last, the same guy who had also moved up his position on the first hill. And he was in a sprint. He took me by 4 seconds.

This is the toughest short (10k or less) trail race in the springs. With all do respect to the fall series, I really think this one beats them all. I credit Jaclyn's aggressive training ambition for my time. This is turning out to be the best race season I've ever had.

Tomorrow is a long distance flat run (12.8 miles) and next week a long trail run again. Two weeks until the El Pomar race which has always been my bane in the series. Time to think positive.