I showed up and finished it. All in all it was a pretty good time. We started right at 7am on Tejon St. out in front of Poor Richard's. As we headed north, I could feel a slight cramp in my left calf and started to compensate for it. We were pretty close to the front of the pack and I went out a little too fast just being that close to the front. It didn't take long to slow down and get comfortable. I ran most of the first two miles worried about the calf cramp, but I couldn't feel it any longer after the 2 mile mark.
As we neared the 2.5 mile mark, the 5k folks peeled off and headed back the start/finish. At this point, it was a ghost town on the streets and there was considerable distance between the runners in front of me and behind me. It was rather enjoyable though being able to see a few people in front of me to pace or even reel in when they slowed down or I ran faster. I maintained a pretty average pace (for me) through most of the remainder and sucked down a PowerGel at the second water station for a little lift. We turned around up by Penrose Hospital headed back towards downtown. There was a quick pass through Monument Valley park and then back onto the streets with a nasty hill climb up Monument St. Once on top, it was over to Tejon and then down to start/finish. I crossed at 1:13:07. I ran the entire course, only stopping to walk while I quickly chugged a glass of water at each aid station. I still gotta learn how to drink and run I guess.
On day 2 after the race, I feel pretty good. I was expecting to be a little more sore, but the longer run/hikes on Ute Pass must be helping.
palmer park run
Went for a quick run in Palmer Park on Thursday afternoon. I need to up the frequency of my workouts, but can't stand the treadmill. I love going out and actually getting on some real trails and real hills. I went from Lot 13 up Kinnickinnick Trail to Grandiew and back to the Overlook. Then I turned around and came back. It's probably a 3 mile round trip. I had the dog to slow me down, but it felt pretty good to get out and do some light hill work.
Got my first 10k tomorrow at Sailin' Shoes. Will post a report sometime this weekend.
On another note, I've finally started dropping some weight. Here's to shedding a couple more pounds tomorrow. Supposed to be a warm one even at 7am!
Got my first 10k tomorrow at Sailin' Shoes. Will post a report sometime this weekend.
On another note, I've finally started dropping some weight. Here's to shedding a couple more pounds tomorrow. Supposed to be a warm one even at 7am!
2x up the incline...
Almost! Josh and I planned on making back to back passes up the incline yesterday. I picked him up around 7 and we were in the Barr Trail parking lot at 7:20. It got warm pretty quickly yesterday and we made OK time up the first pass. The run down Barr Trail to the parking lot was nice and refreshing while in the trees. We hung out in the parking lot for a few minutes and then started up the incline again.
It didn't take me long to realize that I was pretty drained from the first pass, but I marched on. I told Josh I would just meet him at the Barr trailhead so he didn't have to wait for me at the top if I would never make it up there. He went ahead and reached the top again. I took my sweet time and was able to finally get to the Barr Trail cutoff (a little over halfway up) and then crawled my way back down to the bottom on the trail. Josh came down about 20 minutes later.
I'm going to run tomorrow morning here at work and then take it easy for the rest of the week since my first 10k is coming up on Saturday morning.
It didn't take me long to realize that I was pretty drained from the first pass, but I marched on. I told Josh I would just meet him at the Barr trailhead so he didn't have to wait for me at the top if I would never make it up there. He went ahead and reached the top again. I took my sweet time and was able to finally get to the Barr Trail cutoff (a little over halfway up) and then crawled my way back down to the bottom on the trail. Josh came down about 20 minutes later.
I'm going to run tomorrow morning here at work and then take it easy for the rest of the week since my first 10k is coming up on Saturday morning.
i need new shoes
I've been wearing some Montrail Hardrock shoes for trail runs. They are pretty rigid and offer a ton of support. However, they lack in cushioning and I've gotten some shin splints the last couple times I ran in them. I threw on my old Asics Gel Trabuco VIII yesterday for the run on Ute Pass. I wore those most of last summer for hiking. They are a nice trail shoe that offer some good support, not as much as the Hardrocks, but they have a lot more cushioning. They felt pretty good, but I can tell that they are over a year old. I think I'm going to shop for another pair of these soon and wear them for trail training. A newer version is out, but I can't imagine they are that much different.
went up ute pass again
Was supposed to meet Josh and his wife at 8am at the cog depot yesterday, but they ran late and I went up alone. Felt a little easier this time than last, but still a killer haul up the first two sections of hill.
Gotta go get signed up for the Sailin's Shoe 10K sometime this week or next. Also going to add the Long's Ranch loop to the Ute Pass run next weekend. Apparently, it get's a little steeper on the way up LRR. It's about a 9 mile loop.
Gotta go get signed up for the Sailin's Shoe 10K sometime this week or next. Also going to add the Long's Ranch loop to the Ute Pass run next weekend. Apparently, it get's a little steeper on the way up LRR. It's about a 9 mile loop.
