Big Friday Run

The Big Friday run this week was out to Edgemont via Bread Express and the dirt shoulder of Florida Road.  I should have ran around Edgemont, but ran through it to Rim Ridge road, which is really singletrack, not road.  The lower part was dry, but the upper was a disaster as the packed down snow that has gone through a melt/freeze cycle that turned it into an ice skating rink with a 30-degree incline.  I sat on my heels and slide down, but still almost tipped over.

Then in was on the paved road that goes over to Elmores corner, but I turned at the county road that eventually runs into Horse Gulch road.  This was perfect for running, and I took that back all the way into town.  Back up Gueglein/South College and a nice 14-mile loop.

It is so cool to have what seems like limitless option right out the front door.   The Element has only been driven one time since the trip down to Otero/Cedro in November, and the Escape has not left the city limits since then either.  I've only left town via my feet or Moots cross bike.  Cool huh?

People are riding singletrack here in town, and I've seen a few mountain bikers out.  I've debated giving it a try, but it is best right now to continue the long running.  Forcing a mountain bike ride now either means expending gasoline, wasting drive time, or if in town doing repeated routes, out-and backs, and you are still subject to intermittent mud bogs.  The cross riding is another story, and it has a serious pull to me right now - but I know better (or at least I pretend to) as it is very easy to get burned out on riding by May piling the miles up on lonely dirt roads all winter.

I got an invite to head down to Chama for an xc-ski race, but it looks like this year I may not ski once if conditions continue.  However, I did get wind of the Sneffels Half-Loop Race in March, and wow, this sounds amazing!  I made the decision last season to forgo a pursuit of Randonee skiing, and this years conditions only reinforced that - but it looks like they open this course to classic nordic skiers as well.  Although the 35-miles, 6600-ft of climbing sounds epic - I'm not sure the 9k of descent on classic nordic skis is too smart of a decision.  I'm sure I've attempted dumber thing though.  You can bet the farm on that one.