Race Report - 2010 Recover From The Holidays 50K

What a way to finish out my first year of ultrarunning. It couldn't have gone better, well, I guess it can always go better but I'd like to close out the year feeling content. And this race certainly gave me the opportunity to feel great about the way I finished out my first year of running ultras.

Training Log - Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Well, this really wasn't a training run. I ended up with a short 3 miles. I had decided to renew my gym membership in anticipation of the New Year and my goal to start properly cross training, again. And since one of my running buddies (Richard) will be receiving his new favorite toy, a wifi treadmill, shortly, I figured I'd get out my dusty Garmin foot pod and head to the gym for a little jog on the dreadmill. I am a bit of a tech junkie, so I am all about tracking everything. Since I've been running outside without hitting the treadmill for over a year, I hadn't used my foot pod at all since I got my new favorite toy (Garmin Forerunner 310XT) six months or so ago. No use for GPS indoors so I wanted to use my firt gen Garmin foot pod to track my mileage. Like I said, I am a tech junkie. I started running at an easy pace and the 310XT displayed the proper pace as well as the distance...or so I thought. I kept increasing the pace slightly over the course of 15 minutes as I was trying to get a quick 4-5 miles in the books. I'm supposed to be tapering for a 50K this weekend, so no need for high mileage or intensity. However, when I looked at my watch I realized that while the current pace was accurate, it showed I had only run half a mile while the treadmill showed close to 2 miles. I guess the foot pod wasn't working as expected, so I headed outside to use the GPS signal on my 310XT to calibrate the foot pod. I completed that task after .5 miles or so. Afterwards, I just called it a night. I might have to do some more research on this problem, if it doesn't work the next time I head to the gym for a run. Of course, that won't happen unless Richard ditches James, Mike and me for his treadmill, but he promised that will only happen below 40 degrees;-)

Training Log - Monday, December 27, 2010

All I can say this morning is "wow"! What an amazing background for our early morning trail run. With all that picture snapping, I was barely able to get my run in and the overall time it took us to run 8 miles this morning shows it. But how can you not take as many pictures as possible. These pictures are the last evidence of a White Christmas in Huntsville, Alabama. None of the true locals I know recalled ever celebrating a white christmas in Huntsville. And it wasn't just a little snow, we actually had upwards of 5 inches, which is quite a lot if you're living in the South. While driving conditions kept us off Monte Sano mountain the last couple of days, we were not going to miss this opportunity to run the mountain in snow and ice. The picture below shows Bluffline Trail heading down from the top of Waterline Trail.

James, Richard and I met up at Richard's house at the bottom of Monte Sano mountain at 6AM so we could catch the snow on the mountain in full daylight once we got there. We ran up to road on Bankhead Parkway and turned into Tollgate Road and onto Old Railroad Bed Trail, heading towards and onto Alms House Trail. James wantes to see what Waterline Trail looked like in these weather conditions, so we had decided to run up Waterline Trail and loop back down the mountain and home afterwards.

The picture above shows the bottom of the waterfall at the upper section of the Waterline Trail. There really wasn't enough rainfall this time prior to the snowfall and low temps to create large sheets of ice, but at least we spotted a couple of icicles;-) The trek up Waterline Trail wasn't as bad or icy as we expected. Hikers had pretty much cleared a path the previous day. It wasn't until we started to climb up next to the waterfall that it got a little more challenging. Once we reached the top, we had a great view of the winter landscape around us. The picture below show James and I at the top of Waterline Trail. It is really difficult to look cool in your winter running gear, especially when your face is covered by a mask;-)

But better warm than fashion conscious, I say. Once we reached the top of Waterline Trail we headed down Bluffline Trail. This section was easily the prettiest trail section we ran today. The snow cover made for some awesome pictures.

Like I said, I spent more time snapping photos than running today. Once we reached Tollgate Trail, we had to slow our pace once more to keep our footing on the icy rocks. I loved every minute of this run today. The picture below shows James and Richard continuing on as I stop again to take pictures.

Training Log - Thursday, December 23, 2010

Today, I decided to take Anya out for a trail run. Since she is training for her first half marathon, I figured I'd take her on a trail run to break up the monotony of her road long runs. However, to prevent injury so close to her big race, I decided to choose a flat trail and there is none better, or flatter for that matter, than the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge trail. This trail runs along the Tennessee River between Huntsville and Decatur. I ran this trail for only the third time, but it is quickly becoming a favorite run of mine. It has a few side trails and jeep roads to venture out on or you can just stay near the river.

Anya and I decided to run along the river out and back for two hours, which would end up being around 10 miles. It was a perfect day for a run, a little on the cold side (30 degrees) but the sky was clear and there was no wind to speak of. I actually ended up dressing to warmly, unable to shed any layers later in the run. My winter running jacket clearly needs to stay in the closet unless the temps are in the low teens. It ended up being a great run and I can't wait to do it again.

Training Log - Wednesday, December 22, 2010

I woke up at 3:15 AM this morning unable to go back to sleep, so I went ahead and got ready for my 5:30AM run with James, Richard and Ed. We decided to run an out & back from Research Park to Rainbow Mountain and its trail loop. When we got to the bottom of Rainbow Mountain it was still dark. It also had been raining quite a bit overnight so we decided not to run the Rainbow Mountain trail loop but instead turn around for a nice 9 mile run. James had overslept, so he joined us at the bottom of the mountain only to have to turn around once we got back to their office so he could get his car. We all really enjoyed this run realizing that 50 degree temperatures would be a thing of the past for months to come.

Training Log - Tuesday, December 21, 2010

I went for a short 5 miler this evening around my old favorite running loop around UAHuntsville. The temps were really mild around the mid 50s and I figured I'd enjoy them, especially considering that it was the official start of winter today. I am sure these types of temps won't be around much longer. My favorite running partner Anya is getting ready to run her first half marathon very soon and I figured I'd join her on some of her training runs leading into her big race. I can use the mileage anyway as I am trying to ramp it up leading into my 100 mile trail race in February in Huntsville, Texas. While I have been running ultra races very frequently over the course of the year, my training mileage has not been quite what I'd like it to be. I need to get back into the 50-75 mile per week range much more consistently.

Training Log - Monday, December 20, 2010

It was 5 AM and 25 degrees outside when I got up to get ready to start the week with a flat road run. James and Richard cme over to my house to run a new street route, also known as "Richard's Adventure Run"...according to Richard anyway. We took off at 5:30 AM and headed down Jack Coleman to turn left on Holmes Ave and Jordan Lane towards Drake Ave, where we turned left again. Richard had worked out a route that would lead us past Parkway Place Mall and through downtown before reconnecting with Holmes Ave to head back to my house.

We kept an easy pace throughout, allowing me to check out the different characters roaming the streets in the early morning. Aside from the occasional person on his or her early morning commute to work on foot or on their bicycle, there was one individual who had either started to party hard really early or he was still partying from the previous night. We actually had to leave the sidewalk and run on the road for a moment as he literally used the entire width of the sidewalk to "walk". I probably wobbled just as much as this gentleman when I crossed the finish line at my very first ultra just a year ago...obviously for different reasons;-)

Training Log - Saturday, December 18, 2010

I got up at 5:30 AM and picked up Richard. We drove up the mountain to meet James and his buddy Ed at the hikers' parking lot to go for a 17 mile trail run. Ed was a trail virgin and we were all wondering how he would handle running the first half of the Mountain Mist 50K course. He is actually registered for the race and today was literally the first time he went for a trail run.

To my surpirse, Ed handled it really well. I, on the other hand, was struggling a bit today. It appears my groin strain from a previous run is still a bit of an issue, so I had to back off little towards the end of the run. We ended up running about 17 miles in pretty cold temps around freezing. I opted for three layers on top (half zip base layer, short sleeve tech shirt and wind breaker) and compression shorts covered by running tights at the bottom. We also needed a headlamp for the first 30 minutes of the run as it was still dark around 6:15 AM when we took off. We ran a little over three hours and I was spent after finishing up. I think I need to learn to back off during training runs and training races, keeping my eyes on the big prize (or race, to be more exact).

Training Log - Wednesday, December 15, 2010

4:30 AM...the alarm goes off...way too early. It's dark and cold...very cold. I started texting Richard, James and Mike to see if anyone else was feeling gloomy, lazy or whatever else you wanna call not wanting to get out of bed on a cold winter morning. Anyway, it appeared everyone was awake and asking themselves the same question. After a few minutes I was awake...no point in looking for excuses any longer so I got ready, had my cup of coffee and a half a bottle of Propel and headed over to Richard's house.

Mike had already arrived. We all jumped into my car and headed up the mountain. The forecast was predicting snow, sleet and ice rain, but not until later this morning so we figured we'd be ok to drive up to the state park for a quick loop on our favorite trails. When we arrived at the hiker's parking lot, it was still very much dark and the ground was covered by patches of snow. The ground was frozen solid for the entire run with some patches of ice thrown in for fun.

Richard came up with a loop a little different from our usual routes. We headed down the North Loop trail and turned onto the Kieth trail before reconnecting with the North Loop trail again to finish out the run. While I do feel a little sorry for the guy, I can't bring this topic up for one of our running crew and then fail to do so when another fellow runner experiences the same fate...and in miserably cold and unwelcoming conditions. Today it was Mike's turn to loose a sock. Sorry, buddy.

Anyway, after getting our heart rates to climb in unisom with the trail, we arrived at the top of the North Loop trail and headed back to my car. While I was reluctant to get out of the house intitially, once again I was so glad I did as it was another enjoyable run on the local trails. We ended up with 5.5 miles at an easy pace.

Race Report - 2010 Nicholas Wilson Memorial Tashka 50K Trail Run

The Tashka Trail ultra was held for only the second time this year after having its inaugural running last year. It is a two loop trail race around beautiful Lake Lurleen in the aptly named Lake Lurleen State Park (duh!) just outside Coker near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Race directors Mike Higgins and Walt White picked a fantastic spot for a trail ultra. For me, this race was a tale of two halves. It resulted in not one but two firsts for me in ultra running. Coming off a new 50K PR just three weeks ago, I clearly overestimated my abilities when I toed the starting line. More about all that later in this race report.

Pre-Race
It took a couple of text messages (close to ten, I think) to convince Richard to squeeze another ultra into our schedule. I just could not resist entering an ultra so close to home that I had read about on another ultra race website less than a week ago and I wanted Richard to partake in the fun, too, even if it took a little convincing;-) We decided to drive to Coker, Alabama the morning of the race rather than spending the night in a hotel. That meant getting up at 2:50 AM to drive down there in time for the race. After picking up Richard at 3:30 AM, we made our way to Lake Lurleen State Park in less than 3 hours including a couple of pit stops. We arrived in time to pick up our race packets, admire our newly acquired swag (see picture above) and put on our trail shoes. We got to the starting line just in time.

The Race - First Half
The race start was signaled with "Jingle Bells" (bells that were actually jingling, not the song;-) at 7 AM sharp. At this time, both the 25K and the 50K starters took off. The 5 mile race start was scheduled for 7:15AM. After doing some preliminary race research about the actual course elevation, which required some serious math (actually, guess work would be a more appropriate description) and looking at the results from the inaugural 2009 race, I set a couple of goals for myself. First, I would try to finish in the top ten for the first time in an ultra race (this goal was purely based on my evaluation of last year's results and ranking myself in comparison to last year's participants' rankings on a handy website called Ultra Signup). Second, if the course was as "flat" as I figured it could be, I would also attempt to shoot for a 5 hour finish. Looking at my previous results, the second goal was the loftier of the two, but I was going to try anyway.

With these goals in mind, I lined up in the second row. I was focusing on my pace with the goal of completing 6 miles for every hour and I was well on pace for the first 6 miles. Actually, I completed the first 6 miles in 57 minutes and if you think that was too fast, you are correct. It was way too fast as there was no way I would be able to maintain this pace. As expected I completed 12 miles in almost 2 hours flat, which meant I really slowed down on this section, but I was still on track overall. As I was following a group of runners for almost the entire first loop, I kept wondering if all of them were running the 50K or if all or at least some of them were running the 25K. I have the tendency to get sucked in with runners in front of me. Even though I knew the runners around me could potentially be in the 25K race, which meant that their pace would be much faster than mine to begin with, I stayed with them.

When I came around the corner and saw the finish line for the 25K runners as well as the halfway mark for us 50K runners, I checked my time...2 hours 30 minutes. If I continued this pace I would finish in 5 hours. Of course that would only be true if I had the ability to maintain this pace for another 25K. Had the course been flat, I might have had a 1:100 chance of doing so. It was not...

The Race - Second Half
While the course did not cross any mountains or dip into valleys, it did have its share of challenges in form of continuously rolling hills, a handful of switchbacks and a couple of very short but steep climbs. When I arrived at the halfway mark aid station at the South Trailhead and checked my time, I quickly realized that there was no way for me to finish in 5 hours. Although I had been feeling great for the entire distance so far, I was getting tired quickly. I had skipped a couple of aid stations and really didn't feel like eating. The pacer I'd been running really caused me not to be as hungry as usual. I had stuck to my schedule of one SCap per hour and one gel per hour, but I didn't eat anything else. I also was not able to check my fluid intake as usual. Not being familiar with the exact distances between aid stations, I was struggling just a little in calculating my appropriate amount of fluid intake. I did stay hydrated, but I wasn't as confident as usual that I was doing it as well as I should.

As I refilled my bottle, my mind started wandering and wondering how to proceed from here on out. I quickly decided to fall back on my secondary goal of completing the distance in just under 5 hours 30 minutes. Not knowing where I was in the field, I figured that would still give me a shot at finishing top ten (this guess was purely based on last year's results). However, as I took off running, I just did not feel the same anymore. The spring was gone from my step and I felt deflated for some reason. My heart rate was fine but I felt out of breath. I was about 2 miles into the second loop and realized that there was no one around to have idle conversations with. When I'm in a slump talking to fellow runners usually helps me find my rhythm back. I figured that I would soon see other runners as they would slowly but surely catch up to me. My pace had slowed significantly, by almost 3 minutes per mile. I was thinking to myself that this was even worse than by crash in my very first ultra just a little over a year ago. However, this time there was no one around to keep me going or to take my mind off it. Instead, I had to dig myself out of the hole I had fallen into.

I fell back onto my old tactic of "running from aid station to aid station", which was just a little sad being that they were only about 3 miles apart. But I needed something to get me going. What happened next really didn't help. As I looked across the beautiful lake I could see the finish area in the distance. I knew I still had about 10 miles to go when I heard the echo from the finish line race announcer proclaiming "and here comes the winner of the 50K in a time of 3 hours and 59 minutes". No joke, during the brief time I could see the finish area across the lake and hear the echoes of the crowd rippling over the water, the winner of the race was announced over the bullhorn. That really didn't do anything for my mental state. I started to do other calculations in my head as I slowly continued to move forward..."now it should only be another 2 hours before I'm done...not even a half marathon...just another 10K...I might still be able to finish in five and a half hours", etc. I am sure most of you have had these types of conversations with yourself at some point in your ultra running adventures. As the miles and minutes slowly ticked by, I waited for someone to pass me, but no one did. It was strange. Finally, with 5 miles to go another runner passed me...let me rephrase that, he smoked me...flew by me...made me feel like I was literally walking...yes, that's how fast he went by...a "now you see me, now you don't" kinda moment. Very humbling...no, actually embarrassing is probably the better term at that time. Sure, after the race I felt truly humbled, but during the race I just felt stupid.

As I was approaching the final aid station before the finish line, an out and back aid station at the North Trailhead, I was welcomed by the cheering and clapping of the volunteers. Knowing that I only had about 2.5 miles left to the finish kept me moving, but their encouragement meant so much more than that knowledge. However, this aid station also left me with the only regret of this entire race: Since I couldn't really stomach any food other than orange slices since starting my second loop, I missed out on the already world famous hot potato logs. As my running buddy Richard confirmed, they were to absolutely incredible.

As I was readying myself for the final leg of this race and the two short but steep climbs during this stretch of the race, the encouragement of the aid station volunteers got really loud again. This time it was for a lady runner that now appeared on the trail. She must have been a local because the crowd got really loud;-) It was at this point that I decided that I had to try to push one last time to try to finish strong. I am sure most of you assume that I didn't want to get "chicked", but honestly, I really didn't want to get passed by anyone with just over 2 miles remaining in the race. I had not seen a fellow runner over the last 2 hours or so and that little pride I had left at this stage did not want to get passed now. (The guy passing me at mile 25 was the exception, of course. I was convinced that he had to have been the winner of the 50k race going for an extra lap, lapping me in the process; he was just that fast when he passed me. As I found out later, he was just a fellow runner with a much better sense of pacing than me.)

I started to pick up the pace ever so slightly. I was ready to finish this thing. I knew there was not much left and I would still be able to put a respectable time on the board, at least from my personal perspective. I power walked the last two climbs and tried to push the pace on the downhill. As I was descending down the trail for the last time before being spilled out onto the final road section, I managed to turn my ankle just as I was entering the road. That figures. I had stubbed my toes a couple of times during the second loop as I was dragging my legs behind, but I did manage not to fall once. The trail was deceptively technical with its many roots hidden by the fall leaves. But it was mostly runable terrain.

The Finish
As I saw the finish line around the bend, I picked up the pace once more. I crossed the finish line at 5 hours 40 minutes and thirteen seconds. While I did crash badly during the second half of the race, I did manage that top ten finish (tenth overall) that I had set as a lofty goal before the race. I did not accomplish my original time goal, but how could I not be satisfied with a top ten finish? As I "collapsed" at the finish line to catch my breath before filling out my race card, Richard tapped my shoulder from behind. When he completed his first loop, he had decided that he would not wait for that hamburger for another 2-3 hours and instead opted to call it a day at the 25K distance and to enjoy the great food provided at the finish area right away. Having accomplished one of my goals at this race and having enjoyed the experience and the course, I am definitely going to be back next year to get that 5 hour finish I was striving for unsuccessfully this year. While this was a small race, I am sure this thing will reach its capacity in the near future. Thanks very much to the RDs for putting on a great event on an excellent course, with awesome volunteers, great food, and fantastic swag. I will be sporting that Tashka 50K beanie for all my upcoming ultras during the winter season;-)

Training Log - Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Temperature dropped yet again for the coldest morning run to date. James, Mike and I met at their office at 5:30 AM and decided that the cold called for a shorter tempo run today. We just didn't want to be out there long. We chose the Research Park to Madison Square Mall loop we hadn't run in a while. We started out slow until Mike and James started to set the pace, slightly faster than ususal. I kept my eyes off my Garmin and just tugged in behind them, mostly trying to stay warm.

As we made our way around the mall our pace continued to increase, but I kept going. I felt it but it felt good to go a little faster than usual. After mile 5,my lungs started to burn a little, but I couldn't slow down now. I had started to take the lead in our little running group and I didn't really want anyone to pass me. Mike continued to stay close, trying to make up time he lost retying his shoes. While this was "just" a training run, we often take the opportunity to push each other just a little bit. I guess there's a little bit of competitiveness in all of us...and especially me;-) When we finally finished the run, my lungs were on fire, my heart as racing and I even dryheaved a little. It was definitely a worthy training run

When I got home and uploaded my Garmin data, I realized we had run negative splits literally for every mile we ran. I definitely need to incorporate these types of tempo or speed runs more regularly into my training schedule. Oh yeah, I just registered for another local ultra I just found out about last weekend, the Tashka Trail 50K near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Should be fun.

Training Log - Monday, December 6, 2010

Nice, the coldest morning of the year, yet. On the schedule, our usual trail run from Five Points up to Monte Sano Mountain and back, basically a trail run straight up the mountain (on Tollgate Trail, Cold Springs Trail, State Park Ranger Station) and back down the mountain for a run close to 10 miles out & back.

We all met up at Richard's house at 5:15 AM, well most of us, Richard, James and I. Mike was stuck behind a train. When Mike finally arrived, we took off on our usual route. Richard had to turn around early and once we got to the to the Land Trust parking lot on Bankhead Parkway, we started picking up the pace a little, for no apparent reason. And once we got going,we really didn't slow down much. Instead, we ended up pushing down the mountain on the way back as well. The result was a time almost 15 minutes faster than our previous best. Once I got in my car, I realized that an actual sheet of ice had formed inside the bandana I was wearing around my neck to keep the wind out. Thankfully, we were all well prepared for a cold run. I was wearing three layers (one too many), long CW-X running tights, fleece gloves and hat as well as a neoprene half mask covering my nose and mouth. I had no problems with the cold at all. I was actually a little too hot. So, bring it on Father Frost! I am ready!

Race Report - 2010 Over The River And Through The Woods 5 Miler

The weather was perfect for a race this morning. Upper 40s and a slight overcast. While the forecast predicted rain for the afternoon, I would encounter a light occasional drizzle during the race. I kept going back and forth between gear choices for the race and finally opted for a long sleeve tech shirt, shorts and a cap.

The "Over The River And Through The Woods 5 Mile Race" was held for the first time this year to celebrate and officially open the Flint River Greenway in the Hays Nature Preserve. Huntsville mayor Tommy Battle was in attendance to officially open the Greenway before the start of the race. The race start was conveniently scheduled for 9 AM, which meant I was able to sleep in until 7 AM;-) Being the first running of this race, attendance was rather small, with around 80 runners toeing the startline at 9 AM. After a short speech and a quick blast with the horn, we took off.

I started out just a little too fast, running the first mile in around 6:40 minute pace. My goal was not not try to race too hard but to stay just under 7 minute per mile pace. I haven't been doing any speedwork lately, so there was really no good reason to try to push for a PR. Instead, I wanted to try to stay relaxed and keep a good steady pace. With a little help from an unofficial pacer, I managed to keep the pace. Kathy, thanks for letting me run with you for most of the race. I don't think I would have been able to maintain a steady pace otherwise.

At the 4 mile marker, I still felt pretty good. I decided to try to pick up the pace a little bit, trying to ensure a sub 7 minute pace for the race. I even managed to pick off one more runner with half a mile to go to finish eleventh overall. I am usually too spent to pass anyone on the final stretches of short distance races. This was a fun race and I am sure it will just keep growing from year to year. Hopefully, the city will continue its commitment to expand and extend the already existing greenway system. Events like this race are certainly a great way to promote and utilize their existence.

Training Log - Friday, December 3, 2010

Another freezing morning. The weatherman describes temps in the high 30s, but it was definitely the low 30s when I stepped out of the door. My car's windshield was frozen inside and out. When I finally made my way to the usual meeting spot at James, Richard and Mike's office, everyone was already waiting, ready to get going. While Mike was still out (work? sick? not sure, I am getting mixed information from my running crew), James brought along another runner and an ultra virgin, Ed, who joined us and who happens to train for his first ultra marathon, the Mountain Mist 50K here in Huntsville, Alabama on January 22, 2011 (Ed, you better get some trail running under your belt before Mountain Mist;-) The three of us opted to run mostly roads today, heading through Research Park and towards Bridge Street Mall and Target on the weay back for an easy 8 miles or so. Half way into the run, James and Rich thought it'd be a great idea to run down an escalator the wrong way. It definitely got my mind refocussed. Would have been too embarrassing to fall during a little challenge like that;-)

I had almost run out of warm running clothes, so I ended up running in my Brooks winter running jacket with a short sleeve tech shirt underneath and running tights, gloves and a running cap (I had run out of all my winter running hats). It kept me toasty enough and it didn't really warm up by the time we finished up our run.

Training Log - Thursday, December 2, 2010

I decided to keep my running streak going and ended up getting a quick 4.5 miles in around UAH. Richard came by my house at 6PM and we left from there. I made sure I bundled up as it was already rather cold, maybe upper 30s. As soon as the sun goes down, temperatures have been dropping dramatically in the last month or so. Winter is fast approaching, even in the South. I ended up overdressing, wearing one too many layers, but I figured I'd rather be hot than cold, especially for a shorter run like the one we did. Richard's knee kept acting up. All systems are go for me right now with one little exception...the left (and sometimes the right) achilles tendon stays somewhat sore. It's not really a bad pain, jsut more like a slight twinge that stays in the background. I do want to get rid of it before February and Rocky Raccoon 100. Little twinges turn into major desasters during those distances.

Training Log - Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Once again I awoke before my alarm went off. Looking out the window, I really would've rather gone back to bed for another couple of hours. The temps were in the high 20s and the raods were wet. It just didn't look inviting outside. Anyway, I pulled out some long running pants, gloves and a hat as well as a short sleeve underarmor type shirt, a long half zip running shirt and a running jacket. All bundled up I drove over to Richard, Mike, and James' office for an 11 mile run. When I got to their office only James was ready to go. Richard and Mike used work as an excuse not to go;-) James and I took off at 5:30am going our usual route towards Rainbow Mountain. James and Mike had found an interesting looking path on Google Earth and James was set on figuring out exactly what this path was all about. On our outbound leg, James and I headed straight for Rainbow Mountain, heading up and around the mountain loop. We were really booking it today, running all the way up the mountain without any walking or hiking breaks, which is pretty hard to do on those trails. On our way back, we turned left on Explorer Boulevard so we could pursue James' hunt for knowledge;-) When we arrived at the suspected entrance to the "new" trail, we noticed that a large construction site was located right at the suspected trail. As we entered the area, we realized that they were actually building a park at the site and that the "DNA" strand or helix shaped trail was a gravel trail running the length of about half a mile. It was surrounded by an asphalt road that was being built for park visitors and ran around the trail like a racing oval. Amazingly, Google Earth imagery was already showing this artifical trail that was still under construction. As we were running the asphalt loop, James and I started to wonder how long it would be until someone started marking the road for distances to do speedwork or intervals. I'm sure it won't be long;-) Considering all the exploring and trail running involved in today's loop, our actual running time was actually pretty impressive compared to our usual times, especially the section heading up the Rainbow Mountain trail loop.