Hall Ranch Trail Run aka My First

The day's original plan was to head up to Leadville for the day to help our buddy Anthony get a feel for the town, the Silver Rush 50 mi course, and of course the altitude. We may live a mile high but Leadville is 2 miles high and you can feel the elevation no matter where you're from! But plans change due to a number of reasons...forgotten obligations, injury, "monsoon" season etc.

Colorado is experiencing some heavy and much needed rain so to avoid a.) being miserable and b.) any possible injury before Anthony's race we opted out of heading up them thar hills and stuck closer to home (and shelter if needed).

Last Saturday we took our daughter on a hike at Hall Ranch near Lyons and thought "boy this would be FUN to run." So bright and early we headed up there again. We met Anthony and his friend and biking enthusiast Nathan who's visiting from California at the trailhead. Hall Ranch is only about a mile from Lyons proper but you really get a sense of being "out there" once you get out of sight of the trail marker for the Nighthawk trail.

Shane's knees have been giving him grief so we did about 10 min of warm up before opening up and running. This being my first true trail run I was not prepared for the inclines. I tried to run as much as I could but there came a point where hiking was as fast as running but with a lot less energy output. I'm told this is normal and you don't wanna blow up half way and have nothing left for the return. It was hard but invigorating! The flats and downhills were amazing albeit on the scary side with mud and loose rocks to navigate. With practice I'll get more confident. Thankfully the boys weren't upset that I was slowing the pace down!

Shane and I got to really try out our new Altra Lone Peaks and they did not disappoint. Perfectly grippy and supportive. The little "mud rudder" on the heel didn't give me any problems but Shane thought it was contributing to a large amount of dirt and debris collecting in his shoes (I had none). All in all we were both really pleased with them and can't wait to break them in more!

It was really nice running with a "bigger" group. I usually run alone or with one other person so running in a pack was a fun new experience. It never ceases to amaze me how good the conversation can be on a long run. The morning was filled with lots of laughter, potty humor, life lessons, and lots and lots of inspiration.

Anthony said he run "any" 50 miler with me that I signed up for so I'm on the hunt for one to do in late summer or autumn next year. With a promise like that, how can I say no?!

Tomorrow is my long run with Lisa. I'm not sure where the wind will blow us, but I'm sure we will love every minute of it!


1h46m
7.26mi
14:41min/mil avg
elev. gain/loss 1264ft