Had a few notes wondering about my Pike's climb yesterday. Wore my compression shorts again -- I like them.

I started at the Cog Railway station about 500m below the trailhead.

I think I started under 7,000 and finished above 14K. The total distance was about 12-13 miles. It took me about three hours (ascent record is about 2:15 from where I started!). I wasn't sure how tough it would get so I simply cruised the first half of the run and got to the halfway mark (Barr Camp) in about 90 minutes. After that, I held the same pace and let my HR climb as I moved up the mountain.

I didn't really notice any change until I was over 13,000 feet. My altitude tent and HEAPS of high altitude training over the last few months has left me very well acclimatized. I perform very well at altitude and recover extremely quickly when I ease off. My HR would drop fast if I backed off the pace. Blood test will be scheduled shortly -- I want to know my h-crit.

I noticed that on all the grades, I was running on my toes. My hill running has greatly improved my lower leg strength. I recommend that you do your long runs in hilly terrain, your moderate duration run should be done on the flats. I like this combo. Be sure to train quick cadence on downhills.

There were still some minor snow fields but these were packed down. The only time I stopped "running" was on the snow fields. There was no death-danger but it would have been a bit like snakes & ladders if I slipped.

No headaches along the way but my summit surge to go sub-3 popped my heart rate. I finished 2:57 with an average HR of 142 (AeT is 144). 90 mins easy, 60 mins steady and 30 mins hod-hard.

This run was a big confidence boost for me -- my aerobic power is excellent and the training plan is working -- thanks to Mr. Molina for overseeing my development.

High altitude training generates significant fatigue regardless of pace. I needed a two hour nap today to shake some lingering fatigue. I expect that it is highly beneficial for ultra-endurance performance. My aerobic pace at all altitudes continues to improve. I expect that my sea-level lactate curves in all sports will be very, very flat by the end of August.