Aaron Atwood's Page

Maybe I've finally recovered, maybe I'm lazy - either way, I'm just getting to my race report for the Pikes Peak Ascent. The 13+ miles and 7K feet of elevation gain kicked my tail. I had lofty delusions (I mean goals).

Heading into it, I got psyched up into thinking I could peek at 3:30. I had know idea. I do know that this in itself is an indicator of much growth in my running this season. I went from just wanting to finish when I signed up for the race to having goals...…

I was reminded of a journalistic technique some wise old editor tried to teach me back when I was a pup writing for newspapers and magazines: zoom in, zoom out. Changing the focus on a story gives readers a different perspective. As I was finishing a short run to the top of the W's yesterday, I stood there looking out at the Garden of the Gods far below. Then I looked at the granite boulder right in front of me. Both were beautiful in different ways. The contrasting sandstone of the Gardent…

Ran up to the top of Pikes Peak last weekend. Took about 4:30. My goal is a sub 4 hour trek. It's looking tough right now. My new friend Howard says, "Think of the Ascent as the world's toughest 5K."

What? "5K?" I asked shocked.

"Yep, but it takes about 10 miles to get to the starting line (treeline)," he said slyly.

Well, if I walk to treeline at about a 20 minute mile... that's 3 hours and 20 minutes. I just have the run the last three miles…

I've heard you can ride the Pikes Peak Cog Railway up to Mountain View, hike about a mile and be on Barr Trail. That sounds alot easier to me than running all the way to A Frame just to get some altitude training in. So I thought I'd investigate. My half baked plan is to ride up late in the day, run to the top and hitch hike down to Manitou. With this little scheme in mind, I called the Cog Railway operator to discuss my ride options. This conversation ensued: 

Me: I'd like…