Life I'm a badass mofo. Yes, I am. - Page 4

**Rain Man** · 09:53 PM

I did the Pike's Peak Ascent yesterday. I was very uncertain about it because I hurt my knee three months ago and have only done one ten-mile run since April. But based on what I was reading, you end up walking a lot and I thought, "Hey, even if I'm not in running shape I can walk forever", so with great trepidation I went for it, figuring I could walk it if I had to. I figured I could walk it in 4.5 to 5 hours even with no running. Not quite, and I finished in the bottom ten percent of runners, but hey, I'm proud as heck to have made it.

This is not your normal half-marathon. It's a 13.32 mile race that has only one hill, but the hill is Pike's Peak. You start at 6,300 feet in altitude and the finish line is the summit of Pike's Peak at 14,115 feet. Other than maybe a quarter-mile it's all uphill.

Holy crap, that was hard. It was crowded and had narrow trails, so it was hard to pass, and actually was almost impossible to pass from Miles 2 through 5. I only ran a couple of miles at most in that phase because I was stuck behind walkers, and that turned out to be a huge hidden blessing. If I had been running in those early miles I'd've never made it to the finish line.

After 8 miles I was still on track to beat 4.5 hours and was feeling good. I was even thinking, "Geez, this is kind of overblown." The funny thing too is that you could hear the finish line announcements at about 7 miles since the sound carried down the mountain, so it didn't seem like you were that far off.

And then all of a sudden it got tough.

By the time I hit Mile 10 I was hurting, and it was all I could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I really wasn't in the shape I needed to be in, and once I hit 10,000 feet that became apparent. You're going uphill constantly and getting less oxygen with every breath and it just keeps getting harder. Other people in my pace group were struggling too, and starting around 9 miles I started seeing people stopping to rest and obviously struggling.

Typically, by the time I'm at the 10 mile mark of a run, I'm about a half-hour from finishing. IT TOOK ME OVER TWO HOURS TO GET THOSE LAST THREE MILES. My lord, that was hard. I wish I had a picture of the view up to the finish line, because it was absolutely indescribable looking up at it. You could kind of see the finish line at the top, but it was about 2,000 feet up, and you could see switchback after switchback after switchback above you with people walking.

The last mile was unbelievable. There were a few other guys pacing with me, and in all seriousness we would go about 200 yards, collapse on the rocks and rest, get up, go about 200 yards, drop down again, and so on. I think my last rest stop was about 200 feet feet from the finish line, but I couldn't do it. I had to stop again to rest up for that last 200 feet. Unbelievable. It took me over 45 minutes to make that last mile. I got to the finish line, walked away, and practically started crying with relief.

This was by far the hardest physical thing I've ever done. Coming down, a couple of guys that finished right behind me said that they run sub-4 hours marathons, and it took them more than 6 hours to get up. (They were both lowlanders from the East, and none of us had trained at altitude, which was a mistake. The uphill was hard, but the altitude was the killer - you're getting about 61 percent of the oxygen you'd get at sea level.) I made it in 5:58:37, about a half-hour ahead of the cutoff. The poor folks who took more than 6.5 hours (and there were a fair amount of them) were out of luck because you have to finish before 6.5 hours to get counted as finishing the race.

First few miles - forgot to keep track
1:22 - 4.3 miles done (19 minute pace) 2,500 feet climbed at this point
1:58 - 6.3 miles done (18 minute pace on these 2 miles)
2:16 - 7.3 miles done (18 minute pace on this mile) Another 1,400 feet or so for 3,900 feet
2:46 - 8.3 miles done (30 minute pace on this mile - what the?)
3:17 - 9.3 miles done (31 minute pace on this mile)
3:55 - 10.3 miles done (38 minute pace on this mile) Another 1,800 feet or so for 5,700 feet
4:34 - 11.3 miles done (39 minute pace on this mile)
5:13 - 12.3 miles done (39 minute pace on this mile)
5:58 - 13.3 miles done (45 minute pace on this mile) - Another 2,100 feet up for a total of 7,800 feet

Here are a few links. None come close to describing this thing.

http://fwix.com/coloradosprings/shar...tart_to_finish (The better photos start around Photo 50 unless you like boring pictures of people crossing the finish line.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyUeANHHdac Oddly, this person finished only six places behind me. If he'd started the finish line film 90 seconds earlier I could've heard my name getting called. The first guy whose name you hear was one of the four guys I was walking with at the very end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ3ePjERzWE

http://www.krdo.com/video/24712049/index.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...884547420.html

http://pokingandpeaking.blogspot.com...ak-ascent.html

**the Talking Can** · 08-23-2010, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the good wishes. I had to brag about it, so thanks for putting up with me.

as a lazy bastard, i can say you have the right to brag about that....

WilliamTheIrish · 08-23-2010, 06:37 PM

Kevin, I've run two marathons and 2 dozen half-mara. Countless 10 and 5k's. I always wanted to give that run a shot. More than likely I never will. But congrats to you for sticking that out.

At the end of every marathon I've run .... that feeling...that most incredible combination of joy and accomplishment .... I smiled wider than ever, felt exhilarated with joy that for some reason summoned tears into my eyes. It's the most incredible feeling I've had in all my life. And I wouldn't trade those two moments for any others in my life.

Congrats that you got to feel that feeling. And for finishing. You are a badass.

FAX · 08-23-2010, 06:40 PM

I walked about a mile today. In the heat. Without a parasol. Non-stop.

FAX

Sweet Daddy Hate · 08-23-2010, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAX

I walked about a mile today. In the heat. Without a parasol. Non-stop.

FAX

Ghastly, Sir!

stlchiefs · 08-23-2010, 08:18 PM

Congrats man. I know we talked about this last year and you actually went through with it. My friends on the the other hand bailed and I ended up not doing it. Props to you!

RJ · 08-23-2010, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.A.Chieffan

i watched about 5 minutes of a marathon on tv once

How long did you train before you tried that?

stevieray · 08-23-2010, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAX

I walked about a mile today. In the heat. Without a parasol. Non-stop.

FAX

my youngest was in Nash this past weekend for a paramore concert....she said it was really hot...you da man.

RJ · 08-23-2010, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAX

I walked about a mile today. In the heat. Without a parasol. Non-stop.

FAX

Did passers-by make mock of your parasol?

RJ · 08-23-2010, 08:23 PM

Congrats, Rain Man. You should feel damn proud of that.

RJ · 08-23-2010, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJ

Did passers-by make mock of your parasol?

Oh, you did it without a parasol.

Did passers-by make mock of your not being properly accessorized?

stevieray · 08-23-2010, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJ

Oh, you did it without a parasol.

Did passers-by make mock of your not being properly accessorized?

"I do beleive good sir, you are ill- equipped to handle the violent rays of the sun on this fine summer day.."

(think kevin spacey in midnight of the garden of good and evil)

**Rain Man** · 08-19-2011, 05:38 PM

Okay, headed up to do this race again. Let's see if I can beat 5:58.

As a bit of trivia, the rules state that you will be disqualified if you carry supplemental oxygen. Seriously.

burt · 08-19-2011, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Okay, headed up to do this race again. Let's see if I can beat 5:58.

As a bit of trivia, the rules state that you will be disqualified if you carry supplemental oxygen. Seriously.

and I would be disqualified

Dr. Johnny Fever · 08-19-2011, 09:16 PM

Rain Man you're like the hot girl who is also nice and has a good personality and a masters degree in 4 different things and makes a mill a year and gives half of it to charity and saves wounded animals and nurses them back to health and volunteers at a soup kitchen on major holidays and has all geeky guy friends because she doesn't like douchebags and sings at church and reads to classrooms of kindergartners and only dates normal guys because again... she doesn't like douchebags... and doesn't think she's that pretty even though she is and doesn't find me creepy at all but rather charming a cute.

We aren't worthy.

Hammock Parties · 08-19-2011, 09:47 PM

Yeah, but he missed his pick in the Sandbox league.

08-22-2010, 09:40 PM
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $-532449 VARSITY	I'm a badass mofo. Yes, I am. I did the Pike's Peak Ascent yesterday. I was very uncertain about it because I hurt my knee three months ago and have only done one ten-mile run since April. But based on what I was reading, you end up walking a lot and I thought, "Hey, even if I'm not in running shape I can walk forever", so with great trepidation I went for it, figuring I could walk it if I had to. I figured I could walk it in 4.5 to 5 hours even with no running. Not quite, and I finished in the bottom ten percent of runners, but hey, I'm proud as heck to have made it. This is not your normal half-marathon. It's a 13.32 mile race that has only one hill, but the hill is Pike's Peak. You start at 6,300 feet in altitude and the finish line is the summit of Pike's Peak at 14,115 feet. Other than maybe a quarter-mile it's all uphill. Holy crap, that was hard. It was crowded and had narrow trails, so it was hard to pass, and actually was almost impossible to pass from Miles 2 through 5. I only ran a couple of miles at most in that phase because I was stuck behind walkers, and that turned out to be a huge hidden blessing. If I had been running in those early miles I'd've never made it to the finish line. After 8 miles I was still on track to beat 4.5 hours and was feeling good. I was even thinking, "Geez, this is kind of overblown." The funny thing too is that you could hear the finish line announcements at about 7 miles since the sound carried down the mountain, so it didn't seem like you were that far off. And then all of a sudden it got tough. By the time I hit Mile 10 I was hurting, and it was all I could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I really wasn't in the shape I needed to be in, and once I hit 10,000 feet that became apparent. You're going uphill constantly and getting less oxygen with every breath and it just keeps getting harder. Other people in my pace group were struggling too, and starting around 9 miles I started seeing people stopping to rest and obviously struggling. Typically, by the time I'm at the 10 mile mark of a run, I'm about a half-hour from finishing. IT TOOK ME OVER TWO HOURS TO GET THOSE LAST THREE MILES. My lord, that was hard. I wish I had a picture of the view up to the finish line, because it was absolutely indescribable looking up at it. You could kind of see the finish line at the top, but it was about 2,000 feet up, and you could see switchback after switchback after switchback above you with people walking. The last mile was unbelievable. There were a few other guys pacing with me, and in all seriousness we would go about 200 yards, collapse on the rocks and rest, get up, go about 200 yards, drop down again, and so on. I think my last rest stop was about 200 feet feet from the finish line, but I couldn't do it. I had to stop again to rest up for that last 200 feet. Unbelievable. It took me over 45 minutes to make that last mile. I got to the finish line, walked away, and practically started crying with relief. This was by far the hardest physical thing I've ever done. Coming down, a couple of guys that finished right behind me said that they run sub-4 hours marathons, and it took them more than 6 hours to get up. (They were both lowlanders from the East, and none of us had trained at altitude, which was a mistake. The uphill was hard, but the altitude was the killer - you're getting about 61 percent of the oxygen you'd get at sea level.) I made it in 5:58:37, about a half-hour ahead of the cutoff. The poor folks who took more than 6.5 hours (and there were a fair amount of them) were out of luck because you have to finish before 6.5 hours to get counted as finishing the race. First few miles - forgot to keep track 1:22 - 4.3 miles done (19 minute pace) 2,500 feet climbed at this point 1:58 - 6.3 miles done (18 minute pace on these 2 miles) 2:16 - 7.3 miles done (18 minute pace on this mile) Another 1,400 feet or so for 3,900 feet 2:46 - 8.3 miles done (30 minute pace on this mile - what the?) 3:17 - 9.3 miles done (31 minute pace on this mile) 3:55 - 10.3 miles done (38 minute pace on this mile) Another 1,800 feet or so for 5,700 feet 4:34 - 11.3 miles done (39 minute pace on this mile) 5:13 - 12.3 miles done (39 minute pace on this mile) 5:58 - 13.3 miles done (45 minute pace on this mile) - Another 2,100 feet up for a total of 7,800 feet Here are a few links. None come close to describing this thing. http://fwix.com/coloradosprings/shar...tart_to_finish (The better photos start around Photo 50 unless you like boring pictures of people crossing the finish line.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyUeANHHdac Oddly, this person finished only six places behind me. If he'd started the finish line film 90 seconds earlier I could've heard my name getting called. The first guy whose name you hear was one of the four guys I was walking with at the very end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ3ePjERzWE http://www.krdo.com/video/24712049/index.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...884547420.html http://pokingandpeaking.blogspot.com...ak-ascent.html Last edited by Rain Man; 08-22-2010 at 09:53 PM..
Posts: 145,332

08-23-2010, 06:37 PM	#47
WilliamTheIrish Champion Golfer Of The Year Join Date: Aug 2001 Casino cash: $2610607	Kevin, I've run two marathons and 2 dozen half-mara. Countless 10 and 5k's. I always wanted to give that run a shot. More than likely I never will. But congrats to you for sticking that out. At the end of every marathon I've run .... that feeling...that most incredible combination of joy and accomplishment .... I smiled wider than ever, felt exhilarated with joy that for some reason summoned tears into my eyes. It's the most incredible feeling I've had in all my life. And I wouldn't trade those two moments for any others in my life. Congrats that you got to feel that feeling. And for finishing. You are a badass.
Posts: 35,754

08-23-2010, 06:40 PM	#48
FAX testing ... 1, 2, 3 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tennessee Casino cash: $6753759	I walked about a mile today. In the heat. Without a parasol. Non-stop. FAX
Posts: 44,492

08-23-2010, 08:18 PM	#50
stlchiefs Veteran Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: St. Loser, MO Casino cash: $10005674	Congrats man. I know we talked about this last year and you actually went through with it. My friends on the the other hand bailed and I ended up not doing it. Props to you!
Posts: 4,160

08-23-2010, 08:23 PM	#54
RJ Supporter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: In a shotgun shack Casino cash: $9895202	Congrats, Rain Man. You should feel damn proud of that.
Posts: 14,937

08-19-2011, 05:38 PM	#57
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $-532449 VARSITY	Okay, headed up to do this race again. Let's see if I can beat 5:58. As a bit of trivia, the rules state that you will be disqualified if you carry supplemental oxygen. Seriously. __________________ Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history.
Posts: 145,332

08-19-2011, 09:16 PM	#59
Dr. Johnny Fever stax of wax Join Date: Feb 2004 Casino cash: $10004900	Rain Man you're like the hot girl who is also nice and has a good personality and a masters degree in 4 different things and makes a mill a year and gives half of it to charity and saves wounded animals and nurses them back to health and volunteers at a soup kitchen on major holidays and has all geeky guy friends because she doesn't like douchebags and sings at church and reads to classrooms of kindergartners and only dates normal guys because again... she doesn't like douchebags... and doesn't think she's that pretty even though she is and doesn't find me creepy at all but rather charming a cute. We aren't worthy.
Posts: 34,865

08-19-2011, 09:47 PM	#60
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $950478	Yeah, but he missed his pick in the Sandbox league. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 296,917