Revisiting The Incline Summer Edition

Last December, y'all who were with me back then may recall that I went with the track team down to Colorado Springs and we ran up the Manitou Incline - the 1-mile, 2200' vertical climb up the side of a mountain. (ran?  haha...um, hiked is a better word).

Last December, I had barely run in 5 months due to that stupid little pain in my foot. I was grossly out of shape, evident at how bad I sucked going up. 

Fast forward 6 months: I got the brilliant idea I needed to go back down and run hike that beast again.  I mean.... if I was in horrible shape in December, let's add an additional 3-months of zero running followed by a couple handfuls of runs since May, mostly on my 0% inclined treadmill - December had nothing on me compared to how poor my fitness had gotten by May (I admit it, I've been a treadmill hog in my return to running....I'm just a little too fearful of the foot copping an attitude when I'm 4 miles from home; trust me when I say I've been there, done that, and hobbling many miles on a screaming heel isn't exactly the most fun I've ever had). 

The group at the start.  Anyone notice one of the Happy Trails duo?

But my foot's been feeling better.  Not perfect, but better.  My son, Brendan, needed some vertical training for his upcoming Mt. Whitney ascent in July.  A client/friend I've been working with is in the same boat as Brendan. And my other son, Ryan, loves the Incline and is always eager for any run.

Seemed like the perfect time to do a little Incline!  I emailed Kathleen and Steve from Happy Trails and thankfully they were free and anxious to go up too, along with about half the state of Colorado and 300,000+ tourists.  Gotta love the tourist who has no clue what they're getting into ;).

I tried to find out exactly how many RR ties there are to the top and best I can find is 2744
That's a LOT of steps.

The Manitou Incline was built as a cable car to carry materials to build pipelines on Pikes Peak. After the pipelines were finished it was turned into a tourist attraction. After a rock slide damaged a section of track in 1990, the Manitou Incline was closed down and the rails removed. Some locals started using it for a tough workout and it has become the most popular hike in the Colorado Springs area since.
I think I literally saw my PT's blood pressure rise a couple hundred points when I told him today I went up that thing.  :)

That's my son, Brendan, hauling up 40 extra lbs with his backpack

View from the top.  Stunning!

My friend/client and I at the summit.  She's going to ROCK Mt. Whitney next month!

The group at the top, sans Ryan, who had some asthma problems and bailed half way up.
That's what he gets for being super fast.

I really had no idea how I'd fare on this thing; I only knew my foot was feeling better, my tanked cardiovascular fitness was sloooooowly climbing out of the pit it's been suffocating in for a year, and it was time to test the waters.  Slow and steady was my approach and that's what I did.  I don't know my overall time this round, I stopped a bit more than I did in December because I was worried Brendan was going to fall backwards with that heavy pack on so I'd hike up a bit and then wait a minute or two for him to catch up (in December, he drug my sorry ass up that thing....but he didn't have half a small human on his back then either).

Amazingly, I felt great.  Really great!!  Yes, I was slow but I wasn't gagging on a lung.  I wasn't gasping for air.  I wasn't sitting on the side of a step in tears, screaming I couldn't make it (thankfully no one in my party was that victim, but I did witness this); I really wish I would have had the foresight to wear my HR monitor because I am certain it wasn't skyrocketing off the charts like it had in December. 

Yet, the real test for my heel was getting down this thing (thus my PT's gasp).  One could go back down this little incline, and a few do, but most op to go down the back side of the Incline and take the Barr Trail down to the bottom, a very nice single track dirt trail, which is the trail that will take you to the top of Pikes Peak (used for the Pikes Peak Marathon race in August).

Barr Trail and 14,011' Pikes Peak in the background (thanks HT for the pic I stole :))

Running downhill forces you on your heel more, and this was concerning (duh).  Add to that, the trail is chalked full of extruding rocks and tree roots - very easy to whack your heel.  It probably wasn't wise to run down, but I told Kathleen I was going to try and the heart-of-gold soul she is got in front of me and I just tried to follow her footsteps, concentrating on mid-foot landing - and trying to not do a face-plant! 

That girl only hits the trails and runs like a gazelle, graceful and floating over the bigger rocks like they didn't even exist.  Me, I mimic more the grace of an elephant and my arms are flailing every which way.

But I made it.  The entire 4 miles down.  Only stopping once to talk to a guy with a "Quad Cities Marathon" t-shirt on (one must talk to anyone from your hometown, right??).

And my heel?  Happy, happy, HAPPY!

Ok, well maybe not 100% pain-free, but the pain I had was minimal and manageable and I ran a heck of a lot faster than I ever thought I could.

When I reached the bottom, my spirit was elated.  SOARING!!

This was exactly the confidence building day I needed!

Kathleen and I chatted for awhile after our run as we waited for the others to make their way down - it was the best conversation I've had with anyone in months.  K, who's been dealing with her own personal health and fitness demons the past few months, felt amazing up the Incline and fully understood how incredible this day felt to me.  She understood how this past year and a half has been nothing but hell for me. ...about reaching the brink of defeat .....

....and driving through on sheer grit and determination.

Like every worthwhile pursuit in life, you just gotta begin by putting one foot in front of the other - and move those feet in the right direction.  Reconnecting with my passion to run, the thing I have loved since I was young, is more than remembering the runner I once was. It is the culmination of who I once was was, who I am now, and who I am becoming.

Reminding me that .....everything is possible.  Thanks, Manitou Incline - I had an amazing day!

Run Strong, Friends!  Happy Summer!!!