My favored route to the top of Mount Sanitas, in Boulder, Colorado, gains some 1,200 feet in just over a mile. It starts on the aptly named Goat Trail and then climbs the East Ridge Trail to the 6,800-foot summit. There are much better trails for running in Boulder—less rocky, less steep—but I prefer this route up Sanitas because it has a great view, it’s near my home, and, if nothing else, it’s very efficient.
I’m not a particularly good runner, definitely not fast, but I am consistent. Over the last 15 years, I’ve chugged up Sanitas more than 2,000 times. Occasionally I’ll mix it up with one of those other Boulder trails, where the grade is more running-friendly and my dog can chase new smells, but we always come back to Sanitas. Which is to say, I know the route to the top really, really well. I know where wildflowers appear in yellow and purple bunches in late spring and where ice persists long after winter storms. I know where water pools after summer rain and which pine trees smell like butterscotch.
And I certainly know my pace. The ascent takes me about 30 minutes, depending on how…
