Section 16 Again

January 6, 2009 / 8:30am

7.6 miles

1:26 hours (didn't turn the garmin on the last 3/10)

Section 16 looking down the trail I just came up and will run down again.

After doing Section 16 on Saturday with the guys, Tracey and I decided to do it again on Wednesday. This year, I want to run more mountains and get more time running uphill in preparation for Leadville in August. So with that in mind, I suggested Section 16 backwards. Nice long uphill for almost four miles.

We met at the trailhead and not a mile up the road Tracey's son called and needed to be picked up from school. Tracey ran another mile with me up the trail before turning around and heading to the school.

That left me going up Section 16 by myself. Well, not really. There was an element of Army soldiers hiking on the trail and I met them coming down as I was going up. I met one carrying a pack and as I passed him I made a comment about carrying a double load. He explained one of the group sprained her ankle. Ouch.

Sure enough, not much further up the trail, there she was, in between two soldiers hobbling down the trail - very, very, slowly.

After passing them, I started running into a group of Japanese hikers. I believe this was the same group on the trail Saturday. We passed amicably and I continued onto the saddle.

3.8 miles and I hit the stop button on the garmin and stopped at the top to take a couple of pictures. I don't have a small camera, Whitney took mine to college and hasn't brought hers home yet; therefore, I'm forced to use the one on my phone which is slow and not so hot. After getting one good picture, I headed back down the way I came.

Not too far down the trail I began to pass my Japanese hikers again. They are all older than me and I applaud their fitness level hiking in the Rockies in the winter!

The run down is so nice and since Mike and Jeff were not in front of me, I did not run down as fast today as I did Saturday. Almost at the end of the trail, before it hits the road, I passed the wounded warrior and let them know I would relay their position to their comrades on the road or at the trailhead. So that was my self-appointed task for the rest of the run, one I did very gladly having been an Air Force spouse for 21+ years.

Once again, a very nice run although Tracey could not finish with me.