Start/stop Boulder City Limits sign, which is basically exactly the old Busstop. Goddamn that was very unpleasant, especially Lyons to Boulder at the end.
Splits:
36 corner, 29:15
lyons bridge, 34:35
peak2peak, 1:45
allenspark, 2:03:45
longs peak driveway, 2:26:10
Bustop to LPTH: 2:34-flat
Left TH: 2:40
1:37:47 up, 44:51 down
(goblin, 13:40; bridge, 18:10; treeline, 28:20; trail, 48:55; MLW, 1:00:15; base cables, 1:25; top cables, 1:26:45; SUMMIT, 1:37:47
top cables, 5:15; bottom cables, 6:30; MLW, 18:20; trail, 21:30ish; treeline, 31:30ish; bridge, 36:05; TH, 44:51.)
back at TH: 5:02:38 for a 2:22:38 roundtrip.
back on bike, 5:09
allenspark, 5:31
peak2peak, 5:45
lyons bridge, 6:14:45
36 corner, 6:19
LPTH to Bustop, 1:46:36
Bustop, 6:55:36.
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Woke up tired again but decided I wouldn't make any decisions about my day until I had coffee. I dunno why I decided to do this, actually. I think I figured if I didn't feel good at least I would get a Longs summit in.
Worked hard on the bike ride up. I've always been disappointed in my biking to the LPTH, so hoped I had some time to make up there. It went well, but it was hard work! Aaron LaVanchy pulled over a few miles up SSV to say hey; I felt bad that I couldn't stop, but it was still motivating to see a friendly face.
Transition was ok. I'd hit a gel at the Peak to Peak and scarfed a bar while I changed shoes. Also finished my second liter of water. I knew the trailhead hydrant wouldn't be on so I hauled four fucking bottles up the hill. Ugh. Big bummer there. That's an extra 4lbs! (I would normally take just two bottles for the first bike leg.)
Right away I could tell the extra effort on the bike had taken a bit of a toll, but I was hoping I'd warm up into the run. Didn't really. Just kinda chugged along doing my best (dipped a flask of water from upper Jim Grove). The weather was perfect with no wind and some cloud cover. Even got some rain and graupel for a few minutes on Jim's Grove. Also didn't feel the smoke at all. Things really took a nosedive the last 1000'---I'm just not acclimated any more after not getting up high since July 11, damn achilles---and reaalllly slowed down above the cables. Very disappointing as I'd thought that sub-1:30 on the way up was actually a pretty reasonable expectation. Guess not. I almost gave up so many times those last 1000' thinking I'd just jog it in and soft-pedal home, but I didn't pause a single second on the summit and by time I got back down to the cables I had decided to at least keep trying hard. Unfortunately, I overshot the top of the cables a bit, losing about 30sec I'd guess. No biggie. The run down was a blast mostly because I haven't run hard downhill in a long long time. Like since the TdF 2018 I'd say. I was pleasantly surprised to sneak in under 45min for the descent, getting pretty darn close to my best descent on the mountain, esp given that cables overshot. Good to know the old man's still got it a little bit. I lost my sunglasses somewhere on the descent. Bummer. I spent about 10sec looking for them once I realized they were gone, but then kept rocking.
Transition was ok again, hit a gel and some more water. I could tell I was worked but I'd dipped another flask at upper Jim's Grove on the way down so thought I'd be ok with a bottle and a half of water to get me home. Actually, I was pretty nauseous from treeline to the trailhead. Just running hard and getting dehydrated I guess.
The bike was ok for a while, but I could tell right away that my tires had lost some air while I was on the mountain, so on the climb up to Allenspark I pulled over and spent 3min pumping them back up. Bummer. But worth it, I think. The hair dryer headwind down to Lyons was brutal. I always forget how much that headwind sucks when you're trying to go fast.
I alllllmost stopped at the spigot in Lyons for water, but I was like, eh, it's 30min I'll be fine. Oh jesus christ. I was not fine. Lyons to Boulder was absolutely brutal. Very very unpleasant. I felt like I was going soooo slow and any time I got out of the saddle on the uphills I felt like I was damn near going over the edge. Spent the whole way back on 36 just trying not to blow up so as to preserve the sub-7hr. I was really close to blowing up. Felt terrible.
I pulled into Lucky's Market on the way home to buy and consume a bunch of liquids and as I was slumped over in the shade, chugging/tryna not pass out two different people asked if I was ok. I was not. That was a really tough effort. Ouch.
I guess I'm happy to take 10min off my time from two years ago and go sub-7 but I think my potential on this is really 6:40-ish. That Longs uphill today was just shameful. Redeemed myself on the downhill, but I'm quite disappointed in my ascent time, considering I was over 15min faster back in early July with snow. Also, those 3min pumping my tires. Dammit. Plus the extra weight carrying extra water to the TH and the massive dehydration on the bike back. Simply having the TH hydrant on probably would've saved 5min. So it goes, no effort is ever perfect, but it's sure fun trying! Until it's not. Ooof, still feeling those last miles from Lyons.