51 myles - 5.32:07

Highline canal to CT - 6:30 a.m.
20s to start, 50s to end, dry, clear
mind/body - eager
Hard effort

Pretty impressive eh? Watch out Krupicka and Skaggs here comes FastED! My fastest time over this distance with an average pace of 6:30/mile - I think I can hang with those boys now.... as long as I can use my bike again!

Yep, that's right I said bike! 33 myles worth of bike and 18 myles of running. This is the same adventure Tim and I had set out to do last weekend but got thwarted by thorns. Slimed up the ol tires this time without incident.

We left Tim's house in the pre-dawn light and literally froze our hands off, it was probably around 25 degrees but when going ~17 mph the wind is pret-ty cold. I had all of our belongs, nutrition, and hydration in my Nathan 759 backpack which was the same one I used in Mtn. RATS - very comfy! The bike leg was across Chatfield dam and then Waterton canyon to the start of the CT at Lenny's rest. From there we ran the entire 1st segment of the CT over to the Platte River townsite and back. Man is it beautiful back there! On the way out we did not see a sole on the trail as we ran under the canopy of the pine trees. And although it's beautiful it has a few stout climbs both ways - around 43oo ft of elevation round trip. There was a little bit of snow on the trail but for the most part pretty dry. Getting back to the bikes I was really starting to get into a rhythm running and really dreaded getting back to the bike. New territory for me but Tim is no stranger to this (10X Ironman Hawaii) so I told him to take it easy on me for the ride home. Thank goodness the trail heads down for most of the way home because I really started to feel it.

At the end of the day here are the numbers:

• 1st bike - 16.5 myles 1.26
• 2nd bike - 16.5 myles 1.24
• Total bike - 33 myles 2.45
• 1st run - 9 myles 1.21:38
• 2nd run - 9 myles 1.20:20
• Total run - 18 myles 2.41:58

The adventure thwarted the first time was a huge success the second time. Along the way I only ate 3 gels, 1 bottle Succeed Amino, and a Hammer bar - probably not enough so I will take more next time. I have a feeling this is going to be a staple workout for Tim and I moving into 2009. I know there are several ultra runners that cross train with the bike that swear by it so I think I'll give a try every once in a while. Now it's time for eating part to begin - thanks for reading!