From Bombs to Bald Eagles

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal

I’ve come close to being blown up once. I thought today might be the second time. The first, was standing on the side of  a mountain with an olympic ski jumper turned patroller. I was touring a ski area and observing how the staff managed their avalanche terrain. One method in common use is a tram, a simple cable hung across a slope with a string hanging down from a pulley attached to the cable. Bombs get tied to the string and then released to float to the middle of the slope where they detonate. The elevated concussion is more likely to trigger a slide than a bomb planted on the slope. In this case, my host forgot to reel in the pulley to tie the bomb to until after he had lit the fuse. He handed me the bomb with the shrinking fuse and proceeded to draw in the line. I looked at the lit bomb and concentrated on slow thoughts. Ultimately the rigging took place and the bomb exploded at a safe distance. Nothing slid.

Today I thought I might be blown up during my run at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. This site, originally an open prairie northeast of Denver, became an important muntions and chemical weapons manufacturing site during World War II. It also housed German POWs. In 1980 it earned status as a Superfund site, granted to the most hazardous and polluted places in the country.  Remediation began shortly after the designation and in 1986 when bald eagles were discovered, politicians and citizens took steps to establish it as a National Wildlife Refuge. Bush Sr. made it so in 1992.

The public now has access on Tuedays, Wednesdays, and weekends during the summer though much of the Refuge is remains restricted. I passed through the entrance which still has barbed wire fencing and a militatry-type checkpoint. The road beyond led to a visitor center that includes a museum about the Arsenal’s history. The trails fan out from there and criss-cross the surrounding prairie. They consist of now-defunct roads or tracks with a few graded paths mixed in. The smooth surfaces translate into fast runs. My route passed by several ponds and lakes that support an diverse community of wildlife. I spotted three mule deer on the far side of the Havana Ponds and every variety of bird continually darted from perch to perch. The abundance of life hides what quietly sits underground. In 1961, a 12,000 foot deep well was drilled for the disposal of 165 million gallons of hazardous liquids. We stopped using it when well operations started triggering earthquakes. At one point on my run, I became uncertain of where I was and ventured off-trail to get found. I spent this reconnaissance with my eyes focused on the ground in front of me to avoid encouters with rattlesnakes and/or live ordanance. Eventually I found an old two-track that cut through waist high grasses. This linked into the trail I’d been seeking. I passed a sign that told me that the area I had just been in was closed to the public and I half-expected a truck full of elite commandos to appear to detain me. This didn’t happen. Instead, the wind at my back set the sunflowers waving in rhythm wiith my stride and I finished up without getting  jailed or exploded. What more can I ask for?.

Keeping It Local

Highland Bridge-A Pedestrian Link To Downtown Denver

Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood?

Highland neighborhood, on the uplands west of Lower Downtown, emerged when shouts of GOLD! drew European settlers to the region in the middle half of the 19th century. Separated from Denver by the South Platte River, it started as its own city. It only became an integral part of Denver when bridges and trolley lines connected the neighborhood to the commercial and industrial center on the eastern banks of the river. Today, the neighborhood is a mix of brick Victorians and bungalow-style homes that maintain a suburban character close in to the heart of the city. When people refer to the “Highlands”, this means the Highland neighborhood and West Highland neighborhood (exactly where you’d think it would be). Both neighborhoods are up-and-coming communities seeing significant development along the streets. My home sits in the middle of Highland, near the small business district at 32nd and Zuni. I’ll spread the word here about Pasquini’s Pizza, Duo Restaurant, and the Gallop Cafe. These eateries all share the same corner and are all worth a visit post run to refuel. My run today stayed local, leaving the house and following 32nd west to another funky shopping district at 32nd and Lowell. The colorful storefronts here impart a unique character to the area and attract patrons from around the city. I  loped around the block and headed back on 32nd with a detour around Highland Park to add some time near the end of the short route. After today’s run, I’m reminded that you don’t need to go to the trails or far from home to find a great run; just out the front door. I hope you consider lacing up and heading out yourself.

A Singular Satisfaction

A Fast Run

Cattle Chute

William Frederick Hayden Green Mountain Park sits on the western edge of Lakewood, a Denver suburb, and has much too long a name. The Hayden family, local ranchers and landowners donated the property for the park which explains the name-perhaps an effort to avoid confusion with Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, the legendary surveyor and geologist from the early history of the American West (easy mistake). Regardless, the centerpiece of the park, a flat topped hill (it would be a mountain anywhere else) laced with rolling trails, attracts mountain bikers, dog-walkers, and runners. For the scheduled 30-minute-long run I chose a 3 mile loop that wound to the top ridge. On the way up I had one of the singular satisfactions you can have as a runner: passing a mountain biker. I bike ride as well so I’m happy to share the trails, but it does feel  good to pass a cyclist once in a while as opposed to the usual-cyclists passing me. I’ve done it only twice. Upon reaching the ridgeline, the trail dipped to the east, and a westerly mountain breeze helped nudge me towards the finish. Once I passed the summit radio tower and a section of rough cobbled trail, the descent passed really quickly over hard-packed dirt. The ranch-land turned park-land made for a great short run and also has additional trails for longer runs in the future.

Lawn Bowling With Ghosts

Team Training

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team In Training meets regularly on Saturday mornings. At 7:00 AM! With all the sane folks still asleep, we had Washington Park basically to ourselves. Small groups formed and split up to run the Park and the surrounding neighborhoods. I ended up running with Coach Rick, Sarah and Jackie, none of whom I’d met before the run began. Our long route (one-and-a-half hours) took us north from Wash Park to Cheesman Park through one of the oldest neighborhoods in Denver where large, well-maintained homes dominate. Washington Park is a great place to run. A gravel path traces the perimeter of the landscaped grounds and buildings, and many of Denver’s residents come here to get or stay fit. The park has everything you could ever want in a park-even lawn bowling. I would have played a dawn match, but I’d forgotten my shoes. Alas, there is a particular decorum one must observe when “taking the mat”… With the white-hot action of lawn bowling off the table, I resolved to make the most of the run and got to know my teammates and coach along the way. Sarah is a flautist studying a masters at Denver University. Jackie has a pilot’s license and works for a company that is widening airport runways throughout the West. Rick gave some great recommendations for running a marathon on the streets around Denver (stick to the middle).

Cheesman Memorial Pavilion

Researching Cheesman Park reveals a surprising history. It started as the Mt. Prospect Cemetery in the 1850s. After a period of neglect, city leaders urged the US Congress (it was on federal land) to turn the cemetery into a park. One catch though-the bodies. Families were given time to move their loved ones, but some (around 5,000) were left behind. A contract was given to a local undertaker to relocate the bodies. Shortly after the removal began, it was discovered that in a horriffic way to save money the undertaker was dismembering the adult corpses to fit into child-sized coffins. Often the limbs and other parts of the deceased went into separate caskets. The city withdrew the contract and some bodies were left in place. Cheesman Park was established on top of the remains. As recently as 2008, human bones have been unearthed during park projects. Visitors to the park, especially at night, report hearing voices and seeing apparitions. The most prominent feature of the park is the Acropolis-style Pavilion donated by the family of Walter Cheesman, an early civic dignitary. Today, many city events like the gay pride parade and summer movie showings contrast with the Park’s dark history. We avoided paranormal encounters ourselves and returned to Wash Park, weary but standing. In fact, Sarah and Jackie set personal records for time and length of run. Good times.

Welcome! Here’s How to Get Dirty

Help me run for a good cause. My Dad passed away last October, the result of complications from leukemia, a cancer of the blood. I’ll be racing in his memory at the Denver Marathon this October. Since his death, I’d been looking for ways to help other families confronting the same challenges my family faced during my Dad’s illness. When I moved to Denver I found Team In Training, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s nationwide program that helps participants train for, and compete in endurance events. My commitment to the team includes raising money and support for the LLS to help them fund cancer research and provide assistance to families coping with the difficulties along the way. This is where you can help! Please consider a donation to my effort. My goal is to raise $2,500 towards our ultimate goal- a cure for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Any contribution helps (and it’s tax deductible!). Aside from the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that you’ll feel when you contribute (scientists have proved this!), you’ll be making a real difference to the patients and families that get support from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. To donate, click on the link to the right below the Team In Training logo. To find out more about Team In Training, click here: http://www.teamintraining.org/.

You’ll also be able to keep track of my successes and setbacks over the coming months by following the blog. Take a look around. I hope you’ll find some inspiration and humor in my reports. Aside from the regular updates, I’ll post info about some of the best runs on the planet in my “Run of the Week” area and a playlist of songs to keep the energy high. I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with you and I welcome your input too. You can comment on any post, but the “Get Dirty” page of the blog is specifically designed to collect your stories, thoughts and contributions. You can navigate there through the tabs along the upper right border of the site. Share stories of inspiration, suggest songs for training, offer a nutritious recipe, recommend a practice run. Anything goes.  Thanks for checking out the site and helping me put an end to blood cancer.

Get dirty for good.

David

Wildflowers, Pickaxes, and Family Torture

“My family is torturing me.” -six year old girl

Butter-And-Eggs

Today’s run at Mount Galbraith Park in Jefferson County was full of the unexpected. The speaker muttered the above quote to me near the end of my run as I slowed to move around her. I doubted I could help. Just to cover myself though, I checked her siblings for any devices that could be used to administer pain and suffering. Do sippy cups count? Well actually, it seems that the pastime of meandering across wildflower-speckled hillsides on sumer mornings qualified as torture in this young lady’s book. I wondered briefly how she’d do at Gitmo…

I hadn’t been to this park before and the four-mile hikers-only loop is a standout run for Denverites-only 25 minutes from downtown to the trailhead. The crux of Front Range runs is that you have to earn it. The first third of this run is all up; a common trait of runs in the region. But after the 1,000-foot ascent, the grade levels and the loop that circles Mount Galbraith is excellent for running with a tread that is rocky, but not rough. The north side of the mountain is shaded by a pine forest and here the single-track crests the ridge before relenting and providing a fast cruising descent with views of Golden, Colorado and the Coors Brewery below. Wildflowers filled the slopes including Butter-And-Eggs, Indian Paintbrush; Subalpine Larkspur, and Parry Primrose. Upon descending into an open gulch I encountered the family of torturers and then, just above the trailhead, a line of about 60 yellow-shirted high-schoolers. They were part of the JeffCo Youth Corps and each had a pickaxe, mattock (combination adze/pick), bucket, or McCloed tool (combination hoe/rake). They stretched along the trail for a hundred yards or so, and toiled to widen it, hacking and pulling at the slope above the trail, then dragging it to the downslope side. I paused to thank them for their work. As I resumed my run they started shouting “Trail!” , a cue to clear the way ahead. Finishing a run in this way, with a line of brightly colored servants bearing hand tools, moving aside and cheering as I passed made me feel a little imperial. Thanks again crew.

Cash-Free Challenge

Would you like to help, but feel a little strapped for cash? Have you already contributed but want to do more? Take the Cash-Free Challenge and make a difference! All without using your wallet, purse, or checkbook. If you accept the challenge you’ll get a FREE awareness bracelet to show your support and spread the word. You’ll also add one more buck to the funding that the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society receives to accomplish their mission. Check back each week for a new cash-free challenge. You’ll find this week’s challenge on the “Get Dirty” page of the blog.

Evening At City Park

City Park

The Tour of Denver continues.

Waiting out the afternoon storm today, I left in the evening for a short trip across town to City Park. A rainbow accented the northeast sky as the clouds rolled away and the temperature dropped to a comfortable 70°. I set out at an easy pace around the Park’s perimeter, about four miles. From the Martin Luther King Jr. Fountain, my route led past Lake Ferril and the stately boathouse and past the Museum of Science and Natural History. Here, looking west, I could see the buildings of downtown standing tall against the high peaks of the Colorado Front. I consider it one of the best views within city limits. Turning back to my route, I continued past the Denver Zoo and around the city golf course, circling back to my starting point. The park is a great asset for local runners. Intersections and traffic lights present a challenge to city runners. With places like City Park, it’s possible to set out for a long run without having to deal with these diruptions. The flat terrain and smooth trails also provide an ideal place for custom speed or interval workouts. It is a great landmark and a great training ground. This park wil feature regularly in my preparation for the marathon. In fact, it will feature in the marathon; the racecourse include segments of City Park.

Thunder and Lightning

It’s best to run early this time of year.

Increasingly hot temperatures throughout the day warm air near the surface of the Earth causing it to rise. When this air ascends into the atmosphere it cools and moisture gets wrung out, usually precipitating in a dramatic late-day thunderstorm. Today’s storm threatened just as my run began and broke open about halfway through. Gusty winds heralded the inevitable thrashing and what had started as a dry, breezy run turned into a fierce lashing punctuated by the bright flash of lightning and the heavy boom of thunder. My route along the Cherry Creek Path/Bikeway kept me partly sheltered from the brunt of the winds and the risk of a lightning strike. This walled corridor, sunken below street level, becomes an impromptu shelter for Denver’s less fortunate during events like this and I exchanged some smiles and inquisitive expressions with those I passed huddled beneath the overpasses. The Denver storm drainage system was pressed into action during the heavy rain and the many spouts along the walls of the Cherry Creek Path, ordinarily dry, were casting water out enthusiastically. I wondered if the Hanging Gardens of Babylon had similar features-hopefully with slightly less filth. The runoff poured into Cherry Creek and continued on its way to join the South Platte River, the primary watercourse of the city. As these storms tend to do, it lasted only about twenty minutes. By the time I got home, blue skies were again coming returning to Denver. The only sign of the downpour that remained was a telltale squish in my shoes.

Downtown Recovery

Confluence Park

Here’s to Dad

I had a short run today-out the front door and down to Confluence Park. After yesterday’s intense racing, today’s run was just an easy half-hour jog. I decided to head to Confluence Park,  thinking that the great weather and the holiday would  bring out the crowds. Sure enough, families were out walking, picnicking, and swimming in the creek and the South Platte River. I looped around the concrete paths that link Confluence Park to Cuernavaca Park. Cuernavacas is one of nine Denver parks that commemorate our sister cities throughout the world. Cuernavaca, a city that sits about an hour south and 2,000 feet lower than Mexico City in the Mexican State of Morelos, has a population of roughly 300,000. This “City of Eternal Spring” has great weather year round and is rich in cultural and human history, with access to some of the most beautiful and archeologically historical regions of the country. Other sister cities of Denver include Axum, Ethiopia, Brest, France, Madras, India, and UlaanBaatar, Mongolia.

I naturally thought of my Dad today (as I do most days)  and recalled a high school cross country race that he volunteered to marshal for. It meant a lot to have him there to cheer me on. Happy Father’s Day.