First attempt running Barr Trail

Last Sunday I ran up Barr trail to Barr Camp, approximately 6.3 miles and 3,900ft of elevation gain from the bottom of the trail to the camp.  This picture is probably 4 miles up from the trailhead, a look at Pikes Peak and the remaining 9 miles of trail you must cover to reach the summit.  Barr camp is only the half-way point.  Going up I took about 1hr and 24min to run 6.3 miles.  Coming down at an easy jog took about 61min.  This photo was taken on my way back down from the camp.  This has been my longest run since November (and certainly the hardest on my quads).

I'm grateful!

My hip injury has improved to the point that I have actually been able to run a race without any pain!  A couple weeks ago I ran a 5-miler at the Garden of the Gods park and managed a 6:41min/mile pace over a seriously hilly course (in my "out of shape" version).  This weekend I am running a 10k - google, "Run to the Shrine, Colorado Springs" to see the race...4 miles uphill and 2.2 downhill.  You can't really escape mountains here so I figure the best thing to do is embrace every crazy hill you can.  I have learned a great deal from spending the past 6 months backing way off running and focusing on healing.

A person can see every "problem" as a challenge if he or she wishes.  If you say it is so, it will be so.  For me getting healthy meant facing the reality that I needed something other than running to relieve stress or clear my head.  As great as I felt I have been doing for most of my life, I still needed a better thought process and better self talk.  I learned another hard lesson about life.  And then I realized that how I felt about being injured was completely up to me.  How I feel about anything is always up to me.  Crap, I was just thinking I could take a mental break...but life keeps you on your toes.

Also occurring within the last week (and equally significant), I've cleared/outprocessed 2nd brigade, 4th  infantry division and I am now a staff physical therapist assigned to the Ft Carson MEDDAC.  I was a lone wolf out of Baylor (not the best idea for a new graduate with no military experience).  But no longer will I be alone, unsupported, and under-appreciated.  Even with the bureaucracy of the medical system, I will at least work with people who know what I do and share the common goal of taking care of soldiers.  I don't expect perfection, I just expect people to care.  I'll finally have that.  I'm sure that not every brigade is the same - some of my colleagues are having great experiences at the brigade while others are struggling.

The truth is I struggled.

But in the end, there's only one thing for me to do and that's break up and move on.  The Army isn't a mystery.  The Army is merely a cross-section of American society.  The modern Army is made of the very best and the very worst of society.  We have history-altering, awe-inspiring leaders and we have traitors all the same.

I'm heading back to Moab, Utah soon.  I need another canyon fix.