+ Welcome to the 5th season
+ Thursday evening run: Bear Creek Lake Park (T=2, P=1-2, N=2)**
+ Saturday's Evergreen Runners Circle run: Elk Meadow, lower lot (T=3,
P=3, N=3)**
+ Races, clinics and other upcoming events
+ Other weekend outings and carpool opportunities


Welcome to the start of the 5th season of the DenverTrailRunners. We've
turned our clocks ahead. It stays light late. It's time to come out and
join us and have some fun.

Thanks for all of your survey responses and comments. More on that
later. For now, we are going to make a much better effort to make
newcomers feel more welcome. For one, we are going to try regrouping,
in sub-groups, at key junctions along the run. This will help those new
to the trails find the way.

If you are new to the group, try to show up a few minutes early. We are
usually the only group of runners at the trailhead. We will try to take
the time to introduce newcomers to the regulars before we start.
Someone will briefly review the course. If you haven't run the trail
before, please read the course directions below. We will gather up
again at the end and make sure everyone is back safely. If you are
going be out longer, please let us know ahead of time so we won't worry
about you. After the run, everyone is invited to join us for dinner. We
pick the place after the run.

We really do have runners of all abilities. This isn't just for fast
runners. While at the fast end we have a few who run 10ks in the low
30s, one of our regulars is a 70-minute 10k runner. He's almost always
the slowest at the Thursday night runs, and often the last place
finisher at races, but he almost always has a smile on his face, has a
great time at our runs, and continues to get better.

++++++++++

This Thursday's run is at Bear Creek Lake Park (T=2, P=1-2, N=2).** The
main group will start at 6:15pm. A smaller group usually meets at
5:30pm; look for Scott, Ray, Connie or Kim.

This is a great run for beginners. The run isn't that challenging and
is fairly easy to follow. In case of rain, the park roads offer a great
alternative to the trails.

Directions: Take C-470 to Morrison Rd. Go west. Take the first right at
Rooney Rd, then an immediate right into the dirt lot, across from the
Conoco Station. To avoid C470 traffic from the north, stay on I70 to
the Red Rocks exit, #259. Go south ~2.5mi into Morrison. Turn left at
the light in Morrison and go ~1/2mi to the Conoco station. Meet in the
lot. There's a bathroom in the Conoco station, and several in the park.

Main Route (in blue on attached): The run starts by taking the bike
path across Morrison Rd into the park. Run under C-470. Jog right
across the first bridge, then an immediate left onto a single track.
Run through the picnic area [1], cross the road, and pick up the trail
on the other side. Continue following the path east along the south
side of Bear Creek, around the horse fences and past the exercise
stations. About 1.75mi from the start, the path curves right. Look for
a short single track on the left heading over a small hill. This leads
to a large, dirt, parking lot. Cross the lot, staying to the right
side. Head between the large rocks on the other side of the lot, then
down the hill to the creek. Cross the creek on the rocks [2]. Go left
on the trails and head to the road at the base of the mountain [3]. Go
left on the road and follow it across the base of the dam. Before you
reach the other end of the dam, go left on the single track and follow
it back west along the edge of the lake. Cross through the fisherman's
parking lot [5]. Just after the trees on the other side, go left onto
the dirt path. Follow this back west, along the north side of Bear
Creek. At the end of the trail, come up to the road, continue west past
the tollbooth, onto the bike path, then back under C-470 to the finish.

You can also take the park road back. At the north end of the dam, go
past the single track and around the chain to the road. Go left and
take it all the way back. Or, at the fisherman's lot [5], go right out
to the road, then left onto the road.

Additional options for faster runners (red lines):

At the picnic area [1], head right, cross the road, then take the left
most trail heading up the hill. The trail heads across the edge of the
small plateau. After a short distance, look for a trail on the left.
Make a sharp left, go around the horse fence, down the hill, back to
the main route, then go right.

At the base of the mountain [3], cross the road and climb the
single-track to the top. At the top, follow the single track on the
left. After ~1/4 mile, go left at the fork and drop down to the road
atop the dam [4].

From there [4], you can either go across the top, or drop down to the
bottom of the dam. To go across the top, go around the fence, then left
across the top of the dam. At the north end, make a sharp left down the
road. Go into the lot at the bottom of the road, past the bathrooms,
pick up a trail heading down to the lake, then go right to fisherman's
lot. To head down to the bottom, make a sharp left just before the
fence at the top of the dam. Go down the trail alongside the rocks to
the road. Go right on the road and follow the main route.

From the fisherman's lot [5], head up to and cross the road. Take the
trail that's just to the right of the dirt road (to Coyote Crossing),
but left of the gully. At the top of the hill, veer left alongside the
irrigation ditch. Look for a bridge on the right. Cross the bridge,
then go left onto the trail. At the end (near Morrison Rd), go around a
chain and make a left, through the fence line, and take the short,
steep trail back into the park. Go right on the road to the finish.

Road options: If the trails are muddy, stay straight and onto the park
road when entering the park. Turn at ~30 minutes and return the same
way. If you reach the base of the dam, go left and climb the road to
the top. You can continue around the gate and down the bike path on the
other side before returning. Instead, the faster runners might go right
at the base of the dam, then follow the bike path back to the start.

++++++++++

This Saturday's Evergreen Runners Circle (ERC) run is at Elk Meadow,
lower lot (T=3, P=3, N=3).** The run starts at 8:30am sharp. Trail maps
and park info is at
http://www.co.jefferson.co.us/ext/dpt/comm_res/openspac/elk.htm

Take the Evergreen Parkway, hwy 74, exit 252 from I-70. Continue
through Bergen Park ~4.5 mi. Just after you pass Elk Meadow on your
right, turn right at the light at the bottom of the hill, turn right
onto Lewis Ridge Rd., then an immediate right into the dirt lot.

The ERC runs are usually 60-90 minutes long. Occasionally, some people
will start early, or run longer, to get in more mileage. They usually
go out for coffee/breakfast afterwards. Several of us do the ERC runs,
but I don't organize them. Please forward your questions to Dave via
the link below ERC. For more info about the ERC schedules, go to:
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Lodge/7018/index.html

Schedule:
4/17: Beaver Brook Trail, Genesee.

++++++++++

^ I am giving two free talks in April. I'd really appreciate having you
come out and support (or heckle) me at one or both of these talks.
You'll also get some valuable information to improve your training.

4/10; Mother/Daughter snowshoe; Rocky Mountain National Park;
http://www.womenswilderness.org; (303) 938-9191

4/17; Red Rocks 5-miler; Red Rocks ampitheatre;
http://www.comastersrun.org; (303) 430-8731

^ 4/21, 7pm: "Raise Your Training IQ" Free talk/discussion on how to
use your time more effectively and customize your own training program.
By Adam Feerst. Two Feet To Go, 3875 Tennyson, Denver, (303) 458-7700,
www.twofeettogo.com, www.runuphillracing.com

4/25; Trail Running 101; 3+ hr trail running clinic; Denver foothills,
http://www.runuphillracing.com; www.active.com;
info@...; Adam; (303) 282-3921

^ 4/28, 7pm: "Raise Your Training IQ" Free talk/discussion on how to
use your time more effectively and customize your own training program.
By Adam Feerst. Runners Roost, 1685 S. Colorado Blvd., (303) 759-8455,
www.runnersroost.com, www.runuphillracing.com

5/1; Spring Desert Ultra; 25m/50m; Fruita; www.geminiadventures.com;
303-652-9949

5/1; Collegiate Peaks Marathon; 25m/50m; Buena Vista;
www.collegiatepeakstrailrun.org; 719-395-6612

5/8; The Great Escape trail run; 5k, 10k, 1/2-marathon; Deer Creek
Canyon park; http://www.bewellweb.com/oneworld/thegreatescape.htm;
thegreatescape@...; (303) 664-1737

++++++++++

Looking for company on a long weekend run? Want to carpool to a
snowshoe race, Incline Club run or other outing? Let me know and I'll
send out the word. Please send me specific information about where and
when you want people to meet, or how to contact you. Try to send me the
information a week in advance so I have time to get it into my weekly
message.

++++++++++

** Trail Rating - 1-5 scale, 1 being the easiest.
T = technical difficulty (rocks, narrow, curves, etc.)
P = physical difficulty (length, steepness and number of climbs)
N = navigational difficulty (ease of following the routes)


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