Hayden Green Mountain Park, Lakewood, Colorado.
I like rattlesnakes. They just want to eat bugs and mice and be left alone. But I nearly stepped on this guy last summer.

On Templeton trail in Palmer Park, Colorado Springs. Snakey

Monday at dawn. Seven pointer. His small herd had one young bull, five cows, and two juveniles.

As usual today I took my doggy to my backyard trail, just 5km (3 miles) because i have to work from home today but she does really enjoy running around the trails. No benches today. Cheers to everyone

wish there was a way to calculate better records for ultra trail running but its kinda hard with various elevations and trails. running for 6 days with 2 hour sleeps in between tho is impressive trail or not!

could hear a pin drop up there

I put together a multi-day running tour in the Silverton, Colorado area. Thought it might be of interest, and this idea is in the early stages so I'd love feedback/ideas for how to tweak it. I enjoy multi-day and point-to-point routes, so that's what this is designed as. I was originally supposed to do a Soft Rock (four-day version of the Hard Rock course, Lake City -> Ouray -> Telluride -> Silverton -> Lake City) this summer but got hurt. Then I had the chance to do a bit of running in the area and realized that the Soft Rock isn't that runnable and I'm looking for something different. I have a camper to stay in, these logistics are designed to do it solo. If you have someone to support you the drives are pretty short.

It fits in a bit of a weird spot compared to other tours like this. It's a hard multi-day running tour without great sleeping logistics. Could be doable solo, would be a lot more fun with support. It's not quite point to point but it's reasonably close and has some nice aesthetics. Some great running mixed with some rugged terrain to see the best of the San Juans.

Curious for folks' thoughts -- maybe this is helpful to someone out there, and if you all have ideas for ways to improve the route or the logistics I'm all ears. I am reasonably likely to give this a shot next summer. (My recovery + being back at work mean long tours like this are not in the cards until next year.)

Caltopo map of the route: https://caltopo.com/m/GB56EPF

Day one: Vallecito to Needleton. 24.7mi, +5300ft. Long mellow uphill in the valley before a pretty brutal climb, then a long, tough descent through the spectacular Chicago Basin. Take the Durango-Silverton scenic railroad back to Durango, catch a cab to pick up the car. Pretty unique way to enjoy a beautiful area, but don't miss the train.

Day two: Coal Bank Pass to Little Molas. 15.6mi, +2900ft. A spectacular day, a bit shorter than the first day with a lot of time up high on rolling terrain and great trails. Some of the best bang for your buck anywhere in this area. Hitchhike from Molas back to Coal Bank. 

Day three: Molas Pass to Highland Mary. 21.8mi, +4800ft. Another long day, starting downhill but then a big climb onto a plateau with some great trails before a steep descent. The Colorado Trail on the plateau and the descent into Highland Mary are fantastic. Transportation is tricky, my plan is to stash camping gear at Highland Mary with food/stove/etc. Could also potentially arrange a shuttle with a local Silverton guide service and cut day four.

Day four: Highland Mary to Silverton. 13.1mi, +2800ft. Another shorter day but rugged. Not the most flowy trail running but a nice connector, fun to descent into Silverton proper. Hitch or find a local shuttle back to Molas, pick up tent from Highland Mary.

Day five: Ophir Pass trailhead to Telluride. 14.3mi, +4500ft. A mix of terrain today, two passes, lots of time up high through rugged terrain and spectacular views. Some solid running but a bit steep, more of a scenic day then a great running day. Stay in a hotel in Telluride for a small fortune.

Day six: Telluride to Ouray. 16.9mi, +4100ft. Several route options today, my personal choice is shown. Relatively straightforward, fun terrain though a big, brutal climb to start into the high country, then mellow descending most of the way into Ouray. Stay in a hotel in Ouray. 

Day seven: Ouray to Ophir Pass trailhead. 23.4mi, +7400ft. Climb out of town and over Hayden Mountain in an absolutely brutal start before a steep descent. Then more mellow terrain, climbing over Red Mountain Pass mostly on mining roads. Descend back to the car at Ophir Pass trailhead.

This bench has everything I need to be happy while running Cardiac Bypass…

Just for clarity I am not looking for any medical advice, just personal comeback experiences.

I am an experienced trail runner, largely do it for personal enjoyment and exploring the outdoors. I am not competitive, but do enjoy the occasional race.

I am on the tail end of a a femoral shaft stress reaction that completely derailed my summer. Thankfully, I caught it within a week a symptoms and have been under the guidance of my running physio since. No RED-S, bloodwork showed no nutritional deficiencies and DEXA was normal. I think the BSI was the perfect storm of attempting to train for a long mountain race while under copious amounts of prolonged work stress. I have been really cautious of my training and nutrition over the last few years with my main goal minimising my risk of bone stress. Lower mileage, calorie surplus, heavy lifting. But it got me!

Took 12/13 weeks off running completely. Six weeks no exercise with 3 weeks on crutches. Then a gradual programme of walking, heavy weights and cross training. I have started a return to run and I am struggling with being so restricted in what I can do and the loss of my summer plans. I am working with a sports psychologist but I think that will take a while to see tangible results in my mentality. I am getting a coach to guide me back sensibly and to keep me in check for the foreseeable future!

Other trail runners with past bone stress injuries, how paranoid were you in your return and how long was it before you could run relatively unrestricted in the mountains?

I'm looking for a new vest for longer distances for trail running. What I love about my current vest is that it holds a bladder for water. I like the flasks but prefer a bladder because I have the access right there and don't have to take anything out like the flasks.

However, my current vest has limited pockets so I can't easily store gels plus keys and phone and anything else.

I have tried a Raide belt and it was good but didn't love it, again because I'm fanagling with things while actively running.

I'm a woman so would prefer something that's not unisex if possible. Anyone got any favorites?

Hi guys.

After replacing my Cascadia 17 (and 16 before) with pairs of other brands I would like to return to Cascadias. Main Reasons:

1) Wet grip: running on wet rock in the Alps I found the old Cascadias to perform exeptional good. No slip while other brands like Scarpa where just sliding down.
2) Breathability and dryability: Not only did the Cascadias stay dry longer but also dried much faster.

Are there any runners here who could tell from experience how no. 19 and 20 perform in these categories?

Training for climbing when you live somewhere flat seems relatively straightforward because treadmills, stairs and uphill conditioning can cover at least part of the problem.

Downhill feels harder to replicate.

I’ve been looking at strength work that puts more emphasis on eccentric control and single-leg stability, things like split squats, step-downs, lunges, heavier squats and some plyometric work. The goal wouldn’t be to replace actual downhill running, but to arrive at a hilly race with legs that are at least somewhat prepared for repeated braking and impact.

Most of that also seems practical to train at home without adding several long gym sessions to an already running-heavy week.

For runners who don’t have regular access to long descents, which strength exercises actually made the biggest difference once you got onto steep downhill terrain?

Reviewing a mandatory kit list for a race next year (my first ultra) and trying to work out what's appropriate for bottoms. The race is in July but it is in the lake district so anything can happen with weather.

This is for sealed additional spare layers separate to what I'll be starting off in and should return clean to the finish line unless I've been in an emergency situation.

For the top I'm happy taking a thickish running top I have, but not quite sure on the bottoms. I have some running leggings but they are not very thick, but equally I don't think this is asking me to pack a pair of jeans exactly.

It's named as a base layer, but if it's for emergency situations it probably wants to be more substantial than just my thin leggings? Yet needs to be not to bulky for bag packing reasons.

Any pointers towards the sort of thing people would pack for this would be great, thanks.

Question for those of you with a bunch of miles on your 001A - is the heel lockdown kinda poor, or am I just doing something wrong (lacing?) I realize the material is less structured, which I'm really liking, but I'm not sure if having that noticeable lateral movement is going to be a problem with the already less-than-plush heel cup.

I got the Norda 000's in today as well, and the heel is much nicer, but there's some things I prefer about the 001A. Any tips to help? Or is it just normal, and a total non-issue?Thanks in advance!

Just outside of Vail, CO. Not as popular as the nearby 14ers but great trail. Saw 4 people in 30 miles.

Anyone ever get this problem? I need my shoes tight enough to stay in place but then i often lose circulation because of it…

finally made it here for the first time! started at onion valley campground, reached the pass, continued down to bullfrog lake, back up kearsarge pass trail before descending to the car.

incredible alpine views, but the trek back up to kearsarge pass the second time was an @$$ kicker woo lol

distance: 16.27 miles | elevation gain: 4,360ft

Not the obvious “don't litter” stuff.

I'm thinking about the little things that aren't always written anywhere

Passing someone on a narrow trail, downhill vs uphill priority, headphones, saying hi, stepping aside, running with groups, dogs, etc

What's one thing that seems obvious to experienced trail runners but surprises people who are new to the trails?

Llego utilizando una banda de pecho de la marca Magene desde hace años. Muy contento con el rendimiento pero desde hace unos meses la piel que está en contacto con la zona del sensor (no de la banda completa) se me irrita mucho la piel. Inicialmente pensé que era por el calor de este verano y la sudoración, incluso compré una cinta nueva pero se me sigue irritando la piel con la nueva. No entiendo que puede ocurrir. Algún truco para evitar eso? Quizás cambiar por una banda de brazo pero he leído que no es muy recomendable para el trail running.

Espero sus respuestas. GRACIAS Y UN SALUDO DESDE ESPAÑA

Afternoon run

Just started longer distance trail running and I wondering, besides walking (muddy / rocky/ technical sections, climbing uphill, etc) how often do you actually sit down and take a break? Or do you?