der Besuch von Theresa
My roommate from my senior year at BU and one of my best friends, Theresa, has been traveling around the Western US since graduating in May. I was really pumped that she was able to spend some time in Denver before she returns home to Crailsheim, Germany for good on July 17th. It was a busy week, lots of hiking and driving, and one of the biggest weeks of training I've ever had. Fortunately Theresa is far from the sedentary type (she's run a 4:30 1500m), so it all worked out fine. We got in several bike rides together and I think now Theresa is hooked =)
Our first stop was to The Incline in Manitou Springs. I'd read an article in the Post about it a month or two ago and was lured by the tales of Apolo Ohno. What the article failed to mention is that The Incline is actually on private property and is technically illegal to climb. It passes through 3 separate properties. The lady at the visitor's center hesitated to give us directions there (although it's not exactly hard to figure out..you can see it from anywhere in town). So many people do it though that you won't get arrested for trespassing, but if you get hurt it's all on you.
The 1.5 mile former cog-railway took us a blazing 50 minutes to climb. People can do it in under 20. I can't see myself ever attempting it again, and if I do it will be at the same pedestrian pace.
Friday we were ready for hike #2, and headed out early to Mt. Yale. I had been up toward Mt. Yale before (once on a run from the Denny Creek TH to Mollie's camp in Buena Vista, and a second time trying to summit but turning back pretty early b/c of an ominous sky and tuckered legs..it was the day after my only tri last year), but had no idea that the climb got so steep toward the top. Steepness is fine going up, but coming down it is entirely unpleasant. Gulliver impressed the other hikers though, and aside from a few marmot-chasing incidents, stayed right with us off-leash. We were within 20m of the summit when Gull started crying -- he couldn't get past some big rocks and was stranded (the top of Yale is all big rocks). We turned back and I started our painful decent. Despite an evening shake-out run, the next day my legs felt the same as they had after Boston. I could barely walk down the stairs. Not good.
Sore legs go away though, and it was worth it without question =)
Can't wait to head to Crailsheim next summer for their annual triathlon!
Our first stop was to The Incline in Manitou Springs. I'd read an article in the Post about it a month or two ago and was lured by the tales of Apolo Ohno. What the article failed to mention is that The Incline is actually on private property and is technically illegal to climb. It passes through 3 separate properties. The lady at the visitor's center hesitated to give us directions there (although it's not exactly hard to figure out..you can see it from anywhere in town). So many people do it though that you won't get arrested for trespassing, but if you get hurt it's all on you.
The 1.5 mile former cog-railway took us a blazing 50 minutes to climb. People can do it in under 20. I can't see myself ever attempting it again, and if I do it will be at the same pedestrian pace.
Friday we were ready for hike #2, and headed out early to Mt. Yale. I had been up toward Mt. Yale before (once on a run from the Denny Creek TH to Mollie's camp in Buena Vista, and a second time trying to summit but turning back pretty early b/c of an ominous sky and tuckered legs..it was the day after my only tri last year), but had no idea that the climb got so steep toward the top. Steepness is fine going up, but coming down it is entirely unpleasant. Gulliver impressed the other hikers though, and aside from a few marmot-chasing incidents, stayed right with us off-leash. We were within 20m of the summit when Gull started crying -- he couldn't get past some big rocks and was stranded (the top of Yale is all big rocks). We turned back and I started our painful decent. Despite an evening shake-out run, the next day my legs felt the same as they had after Boston. I could barely walk down the stairs. Not good.
Sore legs go away though, and it was worth it without question =)
Can't wait to head to Crailsheim next summer for their annual triathlon!
posted by Amy at
3:05 PM
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