Our good friend Ryan Dohnal from Telluride Sports is preparing to run the 2011 Imogene Pass Run coming up in September... he's been nice enough to keep us updated on his training and preparation for the big race:
The
Imogene Pass run can safely be described as a grueling undertaking. I knew this
going into it last year, but some things aren’t fully understood until you dive
in headfirst. The course starts in Ouray, Co at an elevation of 8,000 feet and
steadily climbs for 10 miles to 13,000 foot Imogene pass. Once you have hit the
pass you still have 7 miles of downhill that descends into the town of
Telluride. Many a bloody knee crosses that finish line in Telluride. Needless
to the say by the last 2 miles of the downhill my head was swaying, legs felt
like sledgehammers, and my thoughts were a tad scattered. Yet, the race that
day went about as well as I could have hoped for. I trained hard for 2 ½ months
and executed well on race day. I had a steadfast goal going into the run that I
wanted to finish in under 3 hours. When I crossed the line in 2 hours and 51
minutes I was thrilled. That feeling lasted for a total of about 6 hours, at
which point my thoughts began to focus on my 2nd Imogene Pass Run on September 10,
2011.
This
year my expectations have grown, as has the amount of time I have put into
training for the race. I started about a month earlier than last year, and have
included more long runs and intense speedwork sessions than last summer. Living
in Telluride is both a huge advantage and a disadvantage to training for
Imogene. The advantage being that I get to train on steep hills at altitude and
practice on the actual course if I want. The disadvantage is that summer in
Telluride is full of exciting distractions like music festivals, nights on the
town, friend’s barbecues, and many other events that lend themselves to a beer
or two. I’ve managed to keep it all in check while still having a great summer
overall.
With
the race about 4 weeks away, we are in crunch time. The runs are as long and
tough as they will get before I back off about 2 weeks out from the race. The
goal this year is simple…faster than last year. That’s all I have in my mind. If I can put in
a better time than 2 Hours 51 Minutes I will be happy. Maybe…
Stay tuned for more blogs from our friend Ryan!
tags:
13000+ feet,
4x4,
colorado,
Imogene,
Imogene Pass,
Imogene Pass Run,
jeeping,
mountain pass,
Ouray,
pass,
race,
telluride
