This is about 5 miles in, looking over at my destination of Bear and South Boulder Peaks, after clearing the half-mile ascent of Green Mountain:
Looking back from South Boulder Peak at mile 8.5-ish. My car was back in town behind Green on the left, and my moderate breakfast and one bottle of water was proving to be ridiculously insufficient, so the return trip was going to be interesting:
There was a bright, icy sheen on the Indian Peaks, in this case, the shoulder of South Arapaho:
I managed to hold off fatigue by resting and hiking uphill as needed. I also took Ranger down (more runnable, I think), bypassing a second ascent of Green.
Every year as I start to do longer runs in the hills, I manage to get in over my head and underestimate my hydration and nutrition needs. It's time to bust out the water filter. And a few more gels. The Sawyer Mini is super light and great for filling bottles from streams, and this time of year, there's plenty of water flowing in these hills. I really have no excuse for my predicament.
Funny thing is, aside from thirst and hunger, one of the things going through my mind during this run was related to parking: there were new signs north of Chautauqua where I always park, covered up with black trash bags and duct tape before the big reveal. A while back there was a public request for comments about the plans as the city decided how to "manage" parking in the area (which typically means how to charge for something that used to be free). One of the questions they asked was about a 2-hour time limit, and I was definitely opposed to that. I was sort of freaking out, because I rarely spend less than 2 hours here, and I doubt other runners, endurance athletes, climbers and long hikers do either ("Please downclimb from your Flatiron and add more payment into the meter"). When I got home I checked online and while the hourly cost was $2.50, which is steep, but there was no time limit. And I believe the zone was only one block north of the park. Phew.
As I was packing up to drive home, I noticed a father and son prepping a bike in the garage, finishing up by closing the garage door, and walking into the house. For whatever reason, the garage door reopened and the light was on, exposing everything within. After a few minutes I knocked on their door and let them know what had happened, and wished them a pleasant evening. I wonder if they think of the parking plan near their home. I would think it would not work in their favor, increasing turnover and the number of vehicles moving in and out. It will impact adjacent areas that don't charge for parking, because now people will park there to a greater degree.
Distance was 16.23 miles, time 5:20:15 (moving 4:53:11), avg. pace 19:44, moving pace 18:04, max pace 7:42 min/mi, elevation gain/loss 5,508 feet.
Funny thing. The next time I parked near Chautauqua, there appeared to be residents heading for a community meeting after the parking policy when into effect. I overheard a homeowner say "the only effect I see is people park in front of my house now" (I'm assuming he lives right outside the new paid parking zone). Exactly as I said.
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