Beaver Brook Trail Redux

It's a hike so nice, we did it twice...

Date:  May 13, 2012, Happy Mother's Day!

Climbing Party:  Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Kelsey Breen, Scarlet, Ellie
Elevation Gain: 3,423'
Distance:  9.15 miles RT (normally 8 miles)

Hike Time:  4:28
Difficulty:  Moderate
Hiking Calculator Score: 25

Once again the weather in Allenspark was not looking favorable.  All week we had planned on keeping an eye on the weather up there in hopes that we'd be able to make a run at Chasm Lake.  The night before we were set to leave, it was pouring rain and all of Colorado was getting some much needed rain.  As the rain continued to fall, and the beers continued to come, reality was setting in...this weekend was going to be a WASH!  What was nearby that would offer some duration, some gain, and some great views?  Beaver Brook Trail.

The Beaver Brook Trail is a one way hike starting at the Chief Hosa exit (exit 253) off of I-70 and finishing at the Windy Saddle pull off on the Lookout Mountain Road.  The best way to do this hike is to drop a car off at the Windy Saddle park, and drive over to the Chief Hosa exit on Lookout's backside. Start on the Chief Hosa side and head towards the Windy Saddle.

The first few miles of this trail are a descent from the parking lot.  You will encounter the Braille Trail on the first section, and immediately cross over a stream and you are on your way!  Follow the blazes (B/B) which are nice as they count down your mileage every half mile starting at (8.0, 7.5, 7.0, etc).  You lose nearly 1,000 vertical feet in the first 2 miles, but don't get too giddy because you gain all of it back (and then some) in the third mile.  The actual gain of the 3rd mile is 1200'.  Once you get to the top of mile three, the rest of the hike is gravy, man.  It's all downhill to the Windy Saddle, unless you stop for lunch and mistakenly head back in the opposite direction. Which we did...for almost 6/10 of a mile.  Ugh.  No one was happy about hiking back to where we just had lunch. Mental fail.  Anywho, from mile three to Windy Saddle, the scenery constantly changes, and is for the most part in a forest setting, away from the sun.  We even saw four elk! It's a hike that requires some planning, but definitely fun, and certainly a challenge, especially when you backtrack...

Snackstop on Beaver Brook with the restless K9 units

Time for Mudd!

Funny thing happened the other day when I woke up...I had this card on my night-stand!  What a great surprise from Amanda!  I hadn't planned on doing this race-but was ecstatic when I woke up and found out I had been entered!  Thank you A:)

A few days after the Bolder Boulder is the Tough Mudder.  This race will be starting in Beaver Creek, CO at an elevation of 8100' and is looking to be quite the kick in the pants.  Here is the info on the course:

Length: 10 miles

Base Elevation:  8,100'

Summit Elevation:  11,400

Total Elevation Change:  4,250'

Racers: 5,000

Along the course are a few obstacles as well.  Cargo nets, wall climbs, swamps, hauling logs, greased monkey bars, live wires, oh my!  

Here is the link to the website:

http://toughmudder.com/

Oktimetotrain.

Makin' Change

I'm not talking about the meatballs the Red Sox pitching staff has been giving up this season, rather life scheduling changes.  For the last year or so, my schedule seemed to change every week.  Getting in a workout or an activity depended on the weekly schedule which came out every Thursday.  If you are a planner, or like to plan, this lifestyle might cause you to pull your hair out!  Luckily, my schedule will be changing starting on Friday, and I will be a 9-5er, a weekend warrior if you will.  Saturdays and Sundays OFF!  One thing I'm pretty excited about is the chance to plan out a new fitness schedule.  This time around, I'd like to go cardio heavy and focus on intervals.

Amanda and I did the Take 5 in the Park 5 mile road race over the weekend in Colorado Springs, which was probably the most scenic run we have EVER done.  Breathtaking.  Literally.  One of the hills in the middle of the course was pretty long and I think it could have been handled better if I had done more interval and cardio beforehand.

At work, they offered a free trial membership at the Colorado Athletic Club for a month, and a bunch of the guys in my department took advantage.  It's good to have people there to keep the motivation strong at all times in the weight room and outside on runs or hikes.  Here is the proposed schedule:

Monday:  Insanity warmup, upper front workout
Tuesday:  3mi run outdoors, pace interval every .25 mile
Wednesday:  Rowing machine warmup, shoulder/back exercises
Thursday: 4mi run outdoors
Friday:  Insanity warmup, upper front workout, jump rope
Saturday:  Cross Train/OFF
Sunday:  Cross Train/OFF

The weekends will now be maximized outdoors, and cross training will include anything from bike rides to yoga, to hiking to long runs, to whatever the day calls for!  I'd like to leave open flexibility on the off days for recovery and the outdoors:)