u/Bear_On_Course

I'm looking for longer gravel rides and wondering if Mosquito Pass would be a FUN gravel ride. It looks to be 17 miles one-way, so it'd be a great out and back. But the images look super rocky and not the most enjoyable ride? Any insights would be appreciated, also considering Shrine Pass near the Vail Pass Rest Stop.

Edit - Shrine Pass looks to be 11 miles, so I could just do a few out and backs to get higher mileage. but looks super pretty!

Didn't get a photo, but saw a pair land on the water at the Boulder Rez. Guessing they were storks or pelicans. They were huge, way bigger than herons/cranes, probably the size and wingspan of a fully grown swan. It had a long narrow beak, maybe a foot long. Very cool sighting! Then there's the solitary bald eagle hanging out at the Rez, see him every few days recently.

Edit - just looked up a few videos, that was a pelican. it landed in the water, was pretty big, and it throat part looks like the vidoes of a pelican.

While trail running in an area w/ active moose populations, I was purposefully making noise, clapping my hands, and occasionally kicking rocks. As the trail curled along a lake, I noticed two adult moose watching me 30 feet off the trail. I slowly made a u-turn and verbally apologized for interrupting their breakfast and calmly said I was turning around and that everything was cool.

Thankfully, they just watched and didn't charge - guessing they heard my noisemaking and just watched me back away. I'm guessing that's the best possible outcome. I was only a half mile into my run, so I just did my long run on the paved roads.

My questions are some form of what should I have done if that happened on the way back to my car? What if there's no other way down? What if it happens during a race?

There's no way I'm going off trail and risk getting lost, or worse, running into more moose.

While trail running in an area w/ active moose populations, I was purposefully making noise, clapping my hands, and occasionally kicking rocks. As the trail curled along a lake, I noticed two adult moose watching me 30 feet off the trail. I slowly made a u-turn and verbally apologized for interrupting their breakfast and calmly said I was turning around and that everything was cool.

Thankfully, they just watched and didn't charge - guessing they heard my noisemaking and just watched me back away. I'm guessing that's the best possible outcome.

My questions are some form of what's should I have done if that happened on the way back to my car? What if there's no other way down? Don't want to go off-trail and get lost or worse, stumble into more moose?

Do people measure post-run strides distances?

* With a slow build, strides could add 2/3 miles a week, which isn't much, but when you're doing serious training, you feel every additional mile, especially miles of strides

Edit: Found some older posts
https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedRunning/comments/10f612s/strides_during_the_last_mile_of_a_run_or_after/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedRunning/comments/dx97f8/how_often_do_you_do_strides_and_what_do_the/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedRunning/comments/dy4y3l/strides_during_the_run_or_after/