The 48th annual Imogene Pass Run with coach Joe Azze
I enjoyed my first running race, the 48th annual Imogene Pass Run. This is a 17 mile run on an old dirt mining road that takes you from Ouray to Telluride, Colorado. It goes up and over the highest mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains after climbing over 5,000 ft, topping out at 13,114 ft.
I have always ran, whether it was to get in shape for wrestling or just to explore the endless trails of the northeast. In the late 90’s, early 2000’s I competed in adventure racing, there was always a trail running component to it, sometimes up to 50+ miles but I have never toed the line with a bib on solely for a running race. I’ve always kept running separate from competition. I mainly run to organize my thoughts, stay in good overall shape and to balance out my cycling.
I haven’t run much the last couple of months, maybe a handful of times but nothing specific to train properly for this event over the course of the year. My focus was on mountain biking and the Breck Epic 6 day stage race that I completed in August. I hope to have my race report posted soon. It was truly an epic event!
I wasn’t sure how this race would go, but I was in good shape and have always focused on strength training, prioritizing functional patterns and movement quality. This allows my body to handle impacts and repeated stresses. I was also registered so I figured I would just get to the start line and take it from there.
I started way in the back of a field of 1,500+ runners. Which would put me at a very easy pace to start with and allow me to slowly build up into a good rhythm. This worked out well. I felt great throughout but knew that the 7 mile descent back down to Telluride would hurt a bit since I haven’t run much downhill, for races like these you definitely want to condition yourself for this specific demand.
I just kept running downhill though, telling myself that I should just chill and walk some, but I felt good so I kept running. I knew that I would be a bit sore afterwards but I feel pretty good today and I am looking forward to doing a bunch more of these.
