Yesterday, Jun invited me to run Lake Mountain with him and his brother today, so at about 6:30 I staggered out of bed to meet Jun. As I was heading to the basement to find some clean clothes, I noticed a text from Jun saying that the new baby had had a rough night and he wouldn't be able to run. So, I staggered right back to bed and slept for another three hours or so. Once I finally dragged myself out of bed for real, I realized that there was snow on the ground. I thought about trying to hit Big Baldy, but at the last second I decided that the trail was too steep to be good under the likely conditions. So I decided to head over to Saratoga Springs for a solo run up Lake Mountain. I've read lots of reports of runs up the mountain, but I've never been there myself, so I was looking forward to a new adventure. I was especially interested in the climb because it sounds like it stays runable all winter long, and I'd love to have a semi-local option for legitimate year-round vertical (treadmills are great for climbing, but you really need the descents to prepare your legs for the trails). It was cold and windy at the trailhead, but as I entered the canyon the wind died down, only to be replaced by fog and light snowfall. the amount of snow on the dirt road built gradually as I climbed, and by the time I was about 2.75 miles up, I was having some serious traction issues. I figured that I was slipping because the tread on the shoes I was wearing--road shoes--had become packed with snow. But at about 3 miles my legs slipped out from under me and I went down hard on my side. I brushed away the snow on the ground and discovered a thick layer of clear, bulletproof ice underneath. I picked myself up and continued climbing, but things didn't get any better, so at about 3.6 miles I finally decided to turn around. The descent was a killer--traction was nonexistant, and despite my 14:00/mile shuffle, I went down three times, each harder than the last, and had several other close calls. Eventually I made it back to where the traction was passable, and the rest of the descent went without a hitch. I was disappointed not to make it to the top, but I'll have several more chances throughout the winter. I think I may need to invest in Microspikes first, though. So, this concludes my first week of the new year, and I've already failed to reach my minimum mileage of 30. I'm not worried about it, though--the reason was to ensure a minimum amount of training, not miles. I managed to sneak in three good climbing days this week, so the mileage is a bit deceptive. After all, 6200 feet of climbing in a 26 mile week is respectable.
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