Notes
Down in Western Denver so I had much easier access to trails. Drove 20min to the Green Mountain Open Space near Golden. It was very pleasant out and I was happy with just shorts and a t-shirt.
I didn't look at the map before starting, which may have been a mistake, but quickly got on the "Green Mountain Trail" that seemed to just circle the entire park. I was fine to not actually summit and to keep this an easier run (though obviously still strenuous uphills at times).
Unfortunately, I rolled my ankle very quickly, but I ran through it and nothing seems to be swelling later. I had some fun with bikers as they rolled away on the downhills while I caught up on the uphills. I was feeling great as I reached the opposite side's parking lot. Here I really should have looked at the map as I would end up taking a spur that just went nowhere. This would add on nearly 3 miles and 500ft of elevation gain.
So by the time I returned and got back on track, I was getting pretty tired. And then I summited the actual 600ft mountain. Maybe I should have returned the same way, but I wanted to do the loop and this seemed the shortest distance (though likely very similar time-wise). Plus, this part of the trail ended up being wider and eventually basically a gravel road, so not as fun as the singletrack.
So instead of an "easier" run, I got basically the same distance, elevation gain, and pace as Sunday's run. Oh well.