THE MONEY IS IN THE BANK…don’t cash any in until Saturday! 

Terrific advice on the dreaded taper from my good friend Michelle.  With just five days to go until the start of the Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon doubler weekend I am scared to death.  I won’t lie.  Today is a “rest” day…I’m not a big fan of tapering, it makes me feel lazy and I am sure if I don’t run today or if I only run a few miles that all of the training I have done in the last 6 months will be lost completely.  I know, it’s irrational but I am confident I can name about six others, if not 26 that share the exact same irrationality.  So instead of sitting here obsessing about what I can’t do I’ve decided to make a list to remind myself why I do this in the first place. 

TOP TEN REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD RUN THE TRIPLE CROWN EVERY YEAR

10.  What other series can you say you ran up 10,195 feet in three races or 18,010 feet if you are crazy enough to complete the all three triple crown races as a doubler doing both the ascent and the marathon in one weekend AND that doesn’t even include any of the training runs.

9.  Why wouldn’t you want to spend every Wednesday morning watching the sunrise in Garden of the Gods?

8.  How else will you understand the meaning of Elk to Barr to the top to Barr back to Elk or Bear Creek to High Drive to 666 to Palmer to Section 16 and back?

From the top of Pikes Peak to Falcon Trail...Colorado Springs has some amazingly beautiful trails!

7.  Since often the training runs take over 6 hours in drive time, fidgeting with your gadget time, mill around time, snack time and actual running time you will have no idea what is going on with Snookie in the Jersey Shore, The Bachelorette, Dancing with the Stars, Justin Bieber’s hairstyles or Jerseylicious.  

6.  If you weren’t running on Ruxton Ave. at least once a week it could take you 3-4 months to realize there is a brand new Pedestrian Lane just for the walkers and runners who enjoy the trek to the trail from the Loop and even more so the trek from the trail to a margarita.

5.  You will make some of the most loyal friends.  Guaranteed.

4.  Without a plane flight, hotel bill or cab ride you can take part of the third-oldest marathon and the first marathon completed by a woman.  Making you a part of running history in your very own back yard while standing shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best mountain runners. 

3.  You will no longer have to worry about wearing flip flops to work because your feet will be way to sore to fit into normal work shoes and when your supervisor hears that you have already run 13 miles before 6:30 in the morning, he or she would be a fool to protest.  Bring on the flippy floppies.*  

*unless you have Hoka's and then there is no excuse for sore feet.  :)

2. Mountain runners drink beer as recovery drinks and end runs at local pubs.  Enough said.

The only thing that got me to finish the Elk Park last two miles after 19 miles before was knowing there was cold beer in the cooler.  CHEERS!  Sufferfest is OVER!

1.  You will culminate your triple crown experience on the top of a 14,115ft mountain a little woozy and tired or down Ruxton Ave. lined with cheering spectators as a part of one of the greatest weekends of trail running in the state of Colorado.  Does it get any better?!