Running Mags with the Buffaloes

Greetings! Some years ago my friend Lee loaned me his copy of Running with the Buffaloes, a book about the University of Colorado’s Men’s Cross Country Team. Magnolia Road “Mags” provides the brutal training ground for the team. Running on a mountain is one thing. Doing so at an evaluation of 8000 feet is an altogether different animal. Reading about the training runs on this road seemed awful. Last week we were in Boulder, CO and I decided to take my morning run on Mags. Turns out I was correct, running Mags was on the verge of inhumane.

The drive up the road to reach the unpaved portion that marked the 16 miles where the Buffalo trained was harrowing. It did build the anticipation. Once out and running the first half a mile was downhill. Here the views of the Rocky Mountains and a local ranch were so stunning I forgot about thin air. That changed as soon as I started the accent. Every part of me labored by the time I was 30 minutes into the run. The temperature was 52 degrees, it was good not to overheat in July, but the cold air proved annoying as I took in deep breaths.

I enjoyed coming to this place that had sparked my imagination from far away. I relished the pounding out one of the hardest runs of my life. I delighted in the view of one of North America’s most spectacular landscapes. This morning was not one of the best runs of the year. This morning epitomized why I run.

Thanks for the book, Lee.

Read and Run!

Tom