Ptarmigan and Bottle Peaks and Speed Training Health Benefits

Ptarmigan and Bottle Peaks and Speed Training Health Benefits


Did Ptarmigan and Bottle Peaks this morning. Really hot today, as predicted. There is also a thick haze in the air from fires in Oregon and Montana. You can see the difference in visibility by comparing today's photos from earlier this year when I did the same set of peaks. I improved my time by a little, which was good despite feeling the 3,600' descent on my legs - guess I'm not fully recovered yet from Saturday's race. I did the ~13 miles run in 2:49 today.

In a recent article, it looks like speed training can provide some of the same benefits to one's health as long distance or endurance training.  The authors found that interval training can induce similar or even superior physiological adaptations in healthy individuals as endurance training. The main purpose behind this study was to see if those who could not spend hours running in the woods could gain similar benefits by doing high intensity interval training, and the answer is yes. So, just like another study that showed speed workouts can help boost endurance running performance and health, here is another one that indicates speed or interval training is beneficial. As I've said before, I'm never going to be a speed runner, but it is good to know that if you don't have the time to put in a long distance run, doing some speed work will still be beneficial to your overall running health and performance. This is particularly encouraging for those who travel a lot as it may be hard to do long runs while on the road, but it is relatively easy to do some speed or interval training no matter where you are.

 Byers and Bills Peaks

 Looking at the Gore Range - lots of haze...

 The Valley and the Divide

Nice sweaty brim on Bottle Peak

Ptarmigan Peak and Bottle Peak

Ptarmigan Peak and Bottle Peak


Ran up Ptarmigan Peak and Bottle Peak this morning via the old secret trail. I really like this run, as it sees very little traffic and provides for some spectacular views. Although it is only around ~13 miles (and 3,633 elevation gain), it took me 2:55 today. Running just Bottle Peak only takes me ~2:10, but adding in Ptarmigan requires another 45 minutes of speed hiking and off-trail running.

 The Gore Range from Ptarmigan Peak

 Byers and Bills

 Bottle Pass - No trails here...

Looking at Ptarmigan from Bottle

Speed Running Bottle Peak and Ptarmigan Peak

Speed Running Bottle Peak And Ptarmigan Peak 

Although Byers Peak dominates the view from the Fraser Valley, Bottle Peak and Ptarmigan Peak are two fun lesser peaks that are accessed via the same trailhead. The peaks see half the traffic that Byers does, and afford spectacular views of the Williams Fork area and Byers and Bills Peak basin. They can easily be tagged together, and if you are feeling up for the full loop, you can add Byers on and tag all three peaks in a single run (in fact, you can tag Bills too, but that requires more route finding skills). It took us 2 hours and 10 minutes round trip to tag both summits, with plenty of time spent enjoying the views and taking photos. 

Cruzing up, with Byers and Bills Peak in the background 

At the top of Ptarmigan Peak, looking east over Bottle Peak towards the Divide 

Tara cruzing down... 

The numbers for those who care.... 

Distance Roundtrip: ~7.6 miles roundtrip 

Start Elevation: ~9,900 feet 

 High Point: ~11,650 feet 

Total climbing and descending: ~3,650 feet 

Difficulty: Medium 

Other People Factor: Minimal Time: 2 - 5 hours depending on how often you stop to enjoy the views.