Leadville Heavy Half

We decided to take a family vacation to Colorado this year.   We found a great out-of-the-way cabin to rent in Placer Valley.   It was just south of the Continental Divide and Hoosier Pass between Breckenridge and Alma.  The valley’s 10000ft altitude would be a great break from the Midwest heat wave (valley temps were 38 low – 73 high).  We planned to do it all.  Mtn bike, trail run, hike, Jeep trails, trout fishing, horseback riding, white water rafting, eating, exploring, sampling local beers, gold panning, and climbing as many 14ers as we could get in.

"Of all the paths you take in life, Make sure a few of them are dirt" - unknown author - sign found on the foothills of Windy Ridge jeep trail.

Somewhere during the vacation planning stages I ran across a flyer for a trail race in Leadville, CO.  Leadville is the home of several famous races, and the Leadville 100 may be the most famous (infamous?) mtn bike race of them all.  So, on a whim, I registered for the Leadville Heavy Half, a 15.5 mile race up Mosquito Pass. 

 

So after some VERY cool vacation adventures which could make up several blog posts on their own, race day finally came.  With a less busy week or better planning I would not have climbed the 14148 ft Mount Democrat the day before a race, but this was the way it worked out.  I’d be racing on tired legs.

http://www.14ers.com/routemain.php?route=demo1&peak=Mt.+Democrat

Start time was 9am and we left the Placer Valley cabin about 6:30 making sure there was enough time to drive around to Leadville. No direct driving through the mountains, we had to go way North through Frisco to get there. Driving into Leadville you see its mining heritage all around you.

 There is a great story about how the town suffered a devastating economic collapse when the mines closed down.  One of the miners, Ken Chlouber, saved the town by coming up with the Leadville race series and putting the town squarely on the map of every endurance racer.  Link to the GREAT Leadville story:

Dr. Bob Woodward wasn't drunk. "You cannot let people run a hundred miles at this altitude," he railed. "You're going to kill them."
"Good!" Ken shot back. "At least that'll make us famous."

http://www.5280.com/magazine/2005/06/colorados-most-amazing-and-punishing-and-magical-race

Check-in went fast which was a good thing cause I was dying to get to a porta-potty.  After that I made my way to the start line while Lori and the boys parked the Adventure Jeep.   The start line was on pavement in the center of town.  There was a festival atmosphere with lots of bystanders and racers making last minute gear adjustments and bathroom breaks. 

I started second guessing my long sleeve Icebreaker shirt but it was too late to do anything about it now.  So I took a few minutes to look around at the other racers.  A few runners stood out in the crowd:  A barefoot guy was giving advice to other runners about how to begin barefoot running.  A military guy in camo fatigues, combat boots, and a giant rucksack stood near the back, lots of runners with trekking poles, and loads of runners with small hydration packs.

The start was cool.  A guy walked out in front of the start/finish line with a shotgun, aimed up, and fire.  The race was on. 

From the VERY first step we were going up-hill.  Every race has its rabbits that shoot out at the start, but this one had the biggest percentage of careful starters I’ve ever seen.  Most of the group went out on a slow jog, with a large group of walkers tailing behind.  I took this as a sign that this was going to be a very difficult run.  Using the more experienced people around me as a guide, I promptly decided to stick with a slow jog the rest of the way out of town.  I was racing in LEADVILLE !  YES!

Five days earlier when we first arrived at the vacation cabin I carried the first duffel bag from the Adventure Jeep.  The short set of stairs into our cabin almost defeated me and I was gasping by the top of them.  That put some fear into me about this race, altitude was worse than I remembered from the 2009 Colorado Relay. 

Luckily during the rest of the week I got in several runs and rides that proved I was becoming more acclimated by the day.  It appeared that as long as I stayed in my ‘easy’ zone, I could still run and even manage some climbs.  I convinced myself that the race time didn’t matter, it was a vacation race, just for fun.

The paved run through town quickly turned to gravel (still climbing) and went past a couple of abandoned mines.  Rusty sheet metal roofs, dried ancient looking timbers, and trees growing among the empty buildings.  The group of runners was thinning out as everyone found their paces.  I took some walk breaks on the long gravel climb, and talked to a fellow racer who had done this race before.  His advice was to take advantage of the shade wherever you could because “This sun will cook the skin off of you”.  Great!  I didn’t even bring sunscreen.   I took his advice and tried to get in as much shade from the trees as I could.  The day was warming up quickly.

The road narrowed as we made it to the first aid station.  I grabbed a small handful of salty pretzels and a cup of Gatorade.

We got a reprieve from climbing between the first and second aid station.  The trail leveled out and made a shallow descent into a valley.   I started running again over this section, but could only manage a slow jog.  The altitude, previous climb, and (now) much warmer temps were taking their toll.  I could hear the second aid station before I could see it.  Everyone in Leadville must have showed up.  Bells ringing, people yelling, lots of signs and spectators on both sides of the trail.  I grabbed another cup of Gatorade and a gel pack.  It was Espresso Gu.  That sounded terrible but I needed something.  I squeezed it down without tasting it, thank God.

I jogged out of the aid station and turned onto the Mosquito Pass trail.  I passed two runners squatting in a creek dunking hats and bandanas in the cold water.  It looked like a pretty good idea, but I wasn’t that hot yet.  About 100 yards later I was wishing I had done it.

Mosquito Pass is the highest open mountain pass in the United States.  The top is 13,185 feet above sea level. This is higher than many of the mountain peaks in Colorado and only 815 feet away from being on par with some of the 14,000 foot peaks that people climb within the state.  I never saw a Mosquito during the race, so I googled to find out how the pass got its name:

There once was a town partway up the pass called Mosquito. It was named in a strange way. It seems the miners could not decide on a name so they closed the ledger and went home to think about it. When they next met, the secretary opened the ledger and found a smashed mosquito in the blank spot they had left for the town’s name. They all agreed they should call the town Mosquito.

The trail immediately got rockier and steeper, I had to start taking walk breaks again.  By the time I got above tree-line, I was done running altogether.

The good part is all the other  racers were also walking now.  A rare runner would come by,  and I would try to say ‘nice job’ or ‘looking good’.  But mostly I was walking and gasping.  Runners were also coming back down the pass at this time.  The course was an out-n-back so it was expected.  I did my best (and succeeded, I think) in getting out of the way and yielding the best line through the rocky trail for the fast guys coming down.  They were there to win or PR.  I was just there for vacation fun.  The last couple of switchbacks were squarely in the Death March zone.  Just keep going, don’t stop, almost there, you’ve been tougher places before….lots of internal dialogue.

I was so relieved when the last switchback turned into the top of the pass.  I had planned a quick turn around, but it stretched into a couple of minutes as I peed off the top of the world, re-filled my water bottle, ate a fig newton and handful of salty pretzals and a final cup of Gatorade.  The view was AMAZING!   I took a long look around to make sure I could remember how majestic this was before heading back down.

There was this tombstone on top and also this crazy stagecoach sign:

Before I got down through the first set of switchbacks I saw the barefoot guy working his way up through the rocks.  I could tell by the way he was moving that he was footsore, but still getting it done.  I also saw the guy in military gear with the giant rucksack.  He passed me coming down, moving so fast I can’t fathom how he didn’t break a leg or roll an ankle in those big loose rocks.

I stayed in a slow and careful jog.  I picked careful lines through the rocks and other runners still coming up the whole way back to that crowded aid station.  The crown was still there cheering like mad.  I ate another Gu pack and cup of Gatorade.  I was dreading the earlier downhill between the aid stations that would now be an uphill.  I ran up to it, then broke, and walked the entire thing.  Luckily this was about where the trees started again , so I was able to pick out some bits of shade to run in.  I could feel sunburn starting on my neck and face. (A day later I also discovered my lips were also burned bad enough to get blisters on them.)

After the final aid station it was downhill all the way to the finish.  I started running and told myself I wasn’t going to walk again until after the finish.  There were only two runners near me now, and it looked like they had made the same decision.  So we ran.

The gravel turned to pavement and before long I was looking down the long street into the center of town.  A little boy in a front yard called out, ”Almost there!”

I ran hard with everything I had.  No particular reason why.  I knew my time was terrible, but you just can’t finish a race with anything left.  I was so tired by then it probably looked like an agonizing shuffle to onlookers.  I could hear the announcer call out the name and city of the girl in front of me, and it was only a few seconds later I heard: “Chuck Vohsen, from O’Fallon, MO!” 

The finish was cool. They pulled a ribbon across the finish line for everyone to run through, then a volunteer hung medal around my neck, while another volunteer untangled the timing chip from my shoelaces.

I was soaking up the post-race atmosphere when I heard the announcer saying something about free beer.  I asked around and found the free beer tent.   Each racer got two, so I picked out two I’ve never tried before.   A 'Dales Pale Ale' and an 'Old Chubb'.  Haha, gotta love the name, and it’s 8% ALC.  Both are brewed in CO.

I found the girl with the sign I had seen on the way up and HAD to get a picture with her:

What a great day.  Now I want to do more of the Leadville Race Series. 

http://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/page/show/309878-home

Side note:  After I returned home and got around to checking the race results,  I found something interesting.  I raced with Ken Chlouber!  None other than the inventor of the Leadville race series, and savior of the town.  Ken is 73 yrs old and still knocking out tough trail races.  Awesome!

Cool Ken C. Quotes:

"You're better than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can!"

"We'll tell you when to start and we'll tell you when to stop. In between, don't think, just keep running."

“Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone.” 

Random Photos I like from the Race:

****Photo Credits: Lori Vohsen and Zazoosh**** 

Favorite Things - Gear Review

By: Robin Rongey with Chuck's Comments in Red

Every year Oprah has a favorite things show, so Chuck and I thought, we are ROCK Racing, so why shouldn’t we have a favorite things Post. We lean somewhat towards gear when we talk about our favorite things, but we do stray a bit. So let’s just say this is a Favorite Things – Gear Review. We hope you find this interesting and that you may even want to try some or our Favorite Things out.

Trek Top Fuel

One of my favorite mountain bikes is the Trek Top Fuel, I know that it is the age of 29er, but there is still a place in my heart for the old school 26er. My TF rides smooth, shifts so well that I hardly even here a chain click, it is super maneuverable and the front shock lockout on the handlebar is a feature I can hardly live without. It’s kind of like upgrading in a car, once you have the extra’s you never want to live without them again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking my Superfly, it has its place in my heart, but my true love will always be my Top Fuel.

Trek Superfly

So Robin still likes 26” bikes. Not me. I’m sold all the way on 29ers. And the top of the line 29er is my Trek Superfly. It is light, fast, and maneuverable. It climbs any hill I point it at. It’s tough too. All that talk about carbon frames not handling crash damage is wrong. I’ve crashed it several times and the only damage so far has been a bent hanger and a crushed rear derailer. I can ride this bike for hours and hours, it is hard to believe it can be this comfortable on top of the speed and toughness. I have only made a few mods over the year I’ve owned it. A wheel and tire upgrade and a carbon handlebar, just improving on perfection.

Ice Breaker Everything

I can’t even begin to tell you which of my Ice Breaker gear I like best. I might say the base layer, the bike shorts, the running shorts or the socks, but then I would be lying because I can’t live without the running shirt, bike jersey, hat or gloves. Still I can’t say they are all my favorite, because I wear my IB casual v-neck t-shirt every time it is clean. The Marino Wool is so soft and doesn’t itch at all, and if I were to see this gear on the street, I would not even know it was wool. This is not your old school wool, but your new high tech wool, that is warm in the winter and cool in the summer, while wicking away sweat and never feeling wet and slimy. There is nothing I would rather workout and race in than my Ice Breaker gear.

She is right on about IB. My favorites are the 200 base layer and the bike shorts.

Honey Stinger

Waffles, Waffles, Waffles, that is all I have to say, I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, add a little ice cream in-between two waffles and you have dessert. I still love my Rocket Chocolate and everything else Honey Stinger, but Waffles are by far my go to food, anytime, anywhere.

The waffles are amazing. They came out with some new flavors this year. I wasn’t sure about the strawberry flavor when I first saw it, but after I tried it, I like it too. Not a fan of the vanilla though.

Ultimate Direction Water Bottle

When we decided to do a post on our favorite things, I started thinking about which gear I use the most. Socks, Shoes? Yeah I use those a lot, like everytime I run, but I switch off between road and trail shoes. My Ultimate Direction hand held water bottle goes with me everywhere. We are always told to buy new shoes every 400 miles or so. This bottle has outlasted multiple shoe trades. I can’t even begin to guess the mileage this bottle has on it. 2000m, 3000m, or more, and still going strong. The 20 oz BPA-free polyethylene molded bottle fits my hand perfect and the adjustable strap with the small pocket keeps it all secure. But the best part of the bottle is the leak proof Kicker valve. All this mileage and still no leaks.

Hardnutz Helmets

Unfortunately, a helmet is something you don’t always want to use, but you have to. I never ride without one, no matter how hot it is. Here’s the thing, I don’t mind wearing my Hardnutz Rock Hard helmet because it is so breathable and comfortable, and because of that I have to sometime reach up to make sure I have it on. Besides that, it is a really cool looking helmet, with a marbleized stone look to it, which makes it the perfect helmet for ROCK Racing.

Nike Cycling Jacket

This has to be the single most used item I have. I received this jacket as a Christmas gift about four years ago and let me tell you, I have used it to no end. It is great when it’s super cold outside, I wear a base layer and a jersey under it. When the temps fall between 30-40 degrees, I wear it with just a base layer under it. This jacket has been washed about a 1000 times and still looks as good as it did on day one out of the package. It is warm, yet breathable and although it is not advertised as wind proof, it sure does a great job blocking the wind. Unless I get too fat to fit in it, this jacket will be a staple in my winter wardrobe, at least until it falls apart.

XX2i Sunglasses

These glasses are not only cool looking and make the ROCK Racing girls look hot, (the guys are something other than hot) but they are also functional, comfortable and crystal clear. I love the styling of the USA frame, not as much for racing as for just wearing around, I wear mine everywhere. For workouts though, nothing can beat the France frame. What I like about the France frame is that it has an open bottom that lets air circulate and my glasses don’t fog. Another great feature of the XX2i is the ease of swapping lens, I can pop out the clear lens and put in the yellow lens, in just seconds and that is all the time I have while out on the trail. With adventure racing you are out day and night, you need to be able to have glasses that adapt easily to the changing light and these glasses do. As far as safety goes, let me tell you this, in my last race, I was smacked hard in the face by a thorn branch, my eyes had no injuries and my glasses didn’t even have a scratch, I feel good knowing that these glasses can hold up under all conditions and protect my eyes. Oh, and I have to say that the white pro athlete version of the glasses, not only make me look cool, but I swear when I have them on I race faster, I’m not sure if I’m faster because I think I look cool or if it’s the crystal clear lens paired with no fear of injury, but whatever it is.. Fast is always good.

Quik Trip (QT) Soda

I am a diehard Diet Coke aholic and have even had to make new years resolutions to force me into cutting back on my diet coke consumption in past years. I have a new twist to my diet coke issues now, it’s called QT build your own soda fountain. Not only can I have my diet coke, but I get it with my own twist. I have profected the mix. You need the perfect amount of ice, followed by the perfect amount of cherry and then topped off with the diet coke. Very few people know the formula, but lucky for you I am going to show you how to make the perfect cherry diet coke. I should probably patent this mix and sell it, but for ROCK Racing readers, I will give it to you for free.

Doris, ROCK Racing’s favorite lunch lady

Have you ever eaten somewhere and became attached to one of the employees, well Robin and Chuck have. Her name is Doris and she makes lunch very entertaining. First she has a personality that some people may not get, but we do. She seems a little gruff when you first meet her and if you ask her how the food is, she will say “shitty” and if you ask her how she is, she will say “shitty”. Oh, but she makes the best home cooked meal around, meatloaf to die for, and chicken fried steak, smothered in gravy. She even puts out some really good peach cobbler once in a while and if by chance you get her to take a liking to you, she will make sure you get some. So if you ever get to St Louis, head down Lindbergh, about 2 miles from the St Louis International airport and stop in at Mattingly’s for lunch, I know you will enjoy it.

Andy Gibbs, ROCK Racings favorite bike Wrench at our favorite Bike Shop

If you are ever in the Edwardsville, IL area, you have to head over to the Cyclery and check in with the #1 bike mechanic of all time. Not only is he a top rated mechanic, but he is also a certified coach and bike fit technician and to top it off, he is an expert mountain biker. Andy has setup the fit of our bikes to perfection and also fixed them every time we crash them. He always explains everything he does and shows us how to do repairs on the trails. As a bonus, he gives up great training tips. Don’t miss out, if you’re in the area, stop in and see Andy! Be sure to check out the Cyclery too, it’s our favorite bike shop and I know they will have anything you need on hand.



And if you are in need of a new bike, you won’t find a guy that knows more about the components that come spec’d out on all the models they carry. There are a ton of decisions to make on a new bike and you want the best to help make them. Plus you might score big time and get the chance to buy Andy’s ‘last year’ race bike with all the perfect upgrades like Lori did!

Pere Marquette Trail Run 2011

Ahhhhh, December, we all know what that means, time for the Pere Marquette trail run. You could not be a slacker if you wanted to run the race this year, the race filled in just over 6 hours. Good thing for me I entered at 5 am and got in. The way things are going, next year, I will need to be at the computer at midnight when registration opens. Funny, you would think being the Vice President of the Metro Tri Club, I would have an automatic in, but not true, I have to give it my best shot and try to get in before it closes just like everyone else. If I didn’t get in, I guess I could threaten the president, Mike Wever, or something, but he is a tough cookie when it comes to this stuff, so threatening may not work. I think the next time I can get a photo of him looking really bad, I will just keep it as my ticket in, just in case I don’t make the cut one year.

So once I was in, I started some hard core hill training with my friend Jenny, she was kicking my butt and making me run hills when I really didn’t want to.

Jenny on the rock steps

My goal was to try and run not a PR, but something close to one. I really wanted to run a 1:24, I have run this course in 1:19 before, but I knew I wasn’t in good enough shape to pull that off this year. Along with the hill work we were doing once a week, I started running the PM course every couple weeks. My first training run was 1:33, then a few weeks later, another 1:33, then a 1:30 and my 4th time on the course a 1:27. I was feeling good and was pretty confident that I could make my goal of 1:24 if the conditions were right.

Well the best laid plans never seem to work out, the week after I ran the 1:27 I broke my tailbone by sliding down a muddy hill and hitting a rock. Yeah I know, it’s pretty frustrating to be on target for a goal and then get injured. Even though I had hopes of making it back injury free before the race, once again, I was wrong. I really hate to admit that I was wrong and some doctor who doesn’t even run was right, but in this case I have too.

So when PM came around I was still nursing the tailbone, but I didn’t want to miss the race for two reasons, first because I love the race and I just don’t want to miss it and second because to win the coveted Godzilla of the year award, I needed to finish PM. I didn’t have to finish fast, I just had to finish.

Race day came and I picked up Russ, a new Team Godzilla member and we headed out to PM. Russ was going to take picture during the race and checkout the course to see if he wanted to do it next year. (see all Russ’s picture here) I had to get to the lodge early because I was distributing vest before the race.

Robin and Krystal

Giving out vest is a great job because everyone gets one, so I got to see just about everyone I know, when they picked up their vest. It was really kind of fun, and of course I heard butt jokes from everyone. I’m actually the butt of all jokes now.

Mark S got me this shirt for Christmas

The gang handing out vest

It was time for the race to start, so I headed out to the starting line with Keith and Chuck, who were both working the vest distribution with me and racing also.

Keith in Motion

Chuck on the rock steps

Of course, they were in much earlier waves than I was in. I was in wave 13, I have never in my life been in a wave greater than 7. In fact, earlier in the week when I found out that I was in wave 13, my pride was hurt and my spirit was broken. I went as far as too yell at Mike Wever, who sets up the waves. I said “Mike, I know I have a broken tailbone and will be slow, but come on, WAVE 13”. He was very apologetic and said, he didn’t know how that happened, we figured it out, the previous year I ran with a friend who was injured and didn’t want to run alone so we just ran it for fun and the time was pretty darn slow, that brought my average down and that’s how I ended up in wave 13. Mike did offer to put me in wave 1, but I declined. I thought it would be better to be in wave 13 and be able to pass people then to be passed the entire run.

I still like Mike even after he put me in WAVE 13

The race started and before I knew it, Mike was calling for wave 13 and off I went, I was actually up front in my group and didn’t really get passed by very many people, I even passed some people in earlier waves. My tailbone was hurting pretty bad on the uphills, yeah I know, everything seems to be an uphill at PM, but I was not stopping, I just wanted to run the race and cross the finish line on my own two feet. I did walk a couple times, but mostly because the runners in front of me were walking and there was no way around them. Of course, that was not the issue on the rock steps, I walked those because if I didn’t I would have had a heart attack. And wouldn’t you know it, the rock stairs is where Russ and Patrick were standing with the cameras. I yelled no taking pictures of me walking, but you know that is just what they did.


Just before the end of the race, I saw Jim D on trail and he yelled “how’s your butt” I said it was going to finish the race and just then a girl behind me said “are you Robin”, I said yes, we had never met, but I had two registration transfers that I sold to her and now the reason she knew who I was, was because of my butt. See didn’t I tell you how funny the whole tailbone thing has become.

I soon crossed the finish line to the cheering of friends and strangers, it had been the perfect day and the best possible run for me. There is nothing I would have rather been doing than racing PM on this beautiful December day surrounded by such great friends.

After the race I stood around talking to friends. I saw Wendy D, she had a great race even with a bum ankle that she had injured badly just recently and she like me, was just happy to be out running.

Wendy

Since Russ was at the finish line taking photos, it was like having my own personal photographer, he snapped photos of me and many of my friends, while we told race stories and No they aren’t like fish stories, I really did do that triple lindy and land on my feet then jump over a deer crossing the trail, while eating a Honey Stinger waffle and getting a drink from my Ultimate Direction water bottle.

The Gang Hanging out

Mike, Robin, Bill, Chuck

Robin and Kate G

Robin and Mike A

Robin and Mike H