Ready To Roll

Here's a view of Pike's Peak high along Rampart Range Road near Woodland Park in Colorado...this is fairly close to where yours truely will be spending the next week. I'm headed out tomorrow morning with a group from our church for a challenging trip of rock climbing (rappels, belays, leading and crack climbing) and mountain camping. We did the same last summer, even setting up our own zipline from the top of one mountain ridge down across a boulder-strewn basin, and climbing the unique rocky spire of Chimney Rock. It's really quite a trip. There's also nothing like waking up next to a 100ft cliff where you can look out and see Pikes Peak in the near distance.

This year will involve much of the exact same adventure, though I'm thinking it may be somewhat cooler than we'll expect. I notice we may have a cold front passing through the area over the next few days, so I've been packing smarter in my hopes to better prepare for cooler temps and mountain rain. We should be adequately prepared though, with an array of tents and backcountry gear at our disposal. Of course, packing two vehicles full of this camping and rope gear, as well as everything else six people bring, is quite the other challenge. All in all, this should be a good trip together.

In anticipation of my training hiatus, I've banked up a few long runs in the past week to help increase my stamina and endurance. Not only that but it will hopefully stave off any desire for a high-altitude trail run, as the remote area we'll be in really isn't very conducive to a solitary runner's safety. But I'll be back next week, ready to pick up the marathon training schedule once more...only 80 days until NYC.

See ya'll soon!