Morning at the Barr

Nope, not that kind of bar. While Jen and the kids went to church this morning, I found an hour and 45 minutes to go and run. I snuck over to the Barr Trail and got about 4 miles up and 4 miles down. For those that do not know, Barr Trail is the main hiking trail from Manitou Springs, CO to the summit of Pikes Peak. It has an AVERAGE grade of 11% for 13 total miles, and it can be one of the most humbling experiences a runner can experience. The views were gorgeous.

The round trip from my car came out to 8.6 miles, but the workout really translates to more than an 8 mile run, as the elevation is brutal at the base of this trail. Going up I am usually happy to average 15 minute miles, and today was no exception. There was a nice layer of soft snow that made the running a bit tricky in areas, but for the most part traction was great and the scenery was outstanding. Some pics below.

One note from the amazing file, Ian Sharman just won the Rocky Raccoon 100 mile trail race in Texas yesterday in a time of 12:44:33. For those slow with math, that is an average of 7:38 per mile for 100 miles... sick.

Lovely self portrait from about 8500 feet.

Good view of the trail.

This is actually looking over town, just can't really see it...