Made it over to the gym for a spin class after work. Wore the HR monitor for shits and giggles. Got a good sweat in for about an hour.
Garmin Connect Data for 12/15 spin session
sunday 12/13
Finals sucks. One. More. Semester.
Due to the aforementioned finals and the really awesome (and by awesome, I mean not awesome) weather we had last week, I didn't run again until the Sunday run with the Incline Club.
Didn't want to get out of bed but I managed to drag myself out from under the covers and made my way to Manitou, stopping to pick up some goodies for the Feed Bag.
Saw Bucky there before everyone took off and he decided to hang back and wait. I had the dog and it's highly recommended to keep the canine friends at the back of the pack anyway. It was warm enough for shorts but I still had the beanie and fleece gloves on for some added warmth. Bucky and I ran together until the first hill up toward the Manitou water plant. As I reached the summit of that climb I realize I should have grabbed the YakTrax out of the Jeep before heading out. On the next climb, Bucky motored right up and I took my sweet ass time trudging through the snow. It wasn't long after that my shoes started getting pretty wet, but my feet never got uncomfortably cold. Boomer and I made our way almost to Long's Ranch Road (maybe 1/4 mile short of it) before I decided I was sick of running through 5" of snow with wet shoes and short socks.
We made the turn in a little over an hour and jogged back to Manitou. Bucky caught me about halfway down Ruxton and was already gone before I got back to Memorial Park (punk!). I hung out for a few minutes, munched on some food, and chatted with a few of the other early finishers.
Good run. Around 6.5 mi (my garmin didn't acquire satellites until almost Ruxton) and it felt easier than last week.
No immediate goals in sight currently. I'll have to see how the school schedule shakes out after the first of the year before committing to anything big. Just glad to be getting out when I would otherwise be lounging around the house on a Sunday morning.
Garmin Connect Data for Sunday 12/6
Due to the aforementioned finals and the really awesome (and by awesome, I mean not awesome) weather we had last week, I didn't run again until the Sunday run with the Incline Club.
Didn't want to get out of bed but I managed to drag myself out from under the covers and made my way to Manitou, stopping to pick up some goodies for the Feed Bag.
Saw Bucky there before everyone took off and he decided to hang back and wait. I had the dog and it's highly recommended to keep the canine friends at the back of the pack anyway. It was warm enough for shorts but I still had the beanie and fleece gloves on for some added warmth. Bucky and I ran together until the first hill up toward the Manitou water plant. As I reached the summit of that climb I realize I should have grabbed the YakTrax out of the Jeep before heading out. On the next climb, Bucky motored right up and I took my sweet ass time trudging through the snow. It wasn't long after that my shoes started getting pretty wet, but my feet never got uncomfortably cold. Boomer and I made our way almost to Long's Ranch Road (maybe 1/4 mile short of it) before I decided I was sick of running through 5" of snow with wet shoes and short socks.
We made the turn in a little over an hour and jogged back to Manitou. Bucky caught me about halfway down Ruxton and was already gone before I got back to Memorial Park (punk!). I hung out for a few minutes, munched on some food, and chatted with a few of the other early finishers.
Good run. Around 6.5 mi (my garmin didn't acquire satellites until almost Ruxton) and it felt easier than last week.
No immediate goals in sight currently. I'll have to see how the school schedule shakes out after the first of the year before committing to anything big. Just glad to be getting out when I would otherwise be lounging around the house on a Sunday morning.
Garmin Connect Data for Sunday 12/6
sunday 12/6
Got up early and headed to Manitou to hook up with the Incline Club. It was about 14 degrees when I got to Memorial Park and there was about 4" of fresh on the ground. Good day for a run. I waffled on footwear choice. The Wildcats I have do nothing to keep water out and I didn't think my road shoes would be good in the snow. I ended up wearing my Vasque high tops that I usually reserve for 14ers. These are sold as cross trainers so I figured they would be ok for some running. They worked out ok, a little stiff but my feet stayed warm and dry. The run was actually quite enjoyable after warming up and the weather never really bothered me.
Forgot my watch again.
Forgot my watch again.
tuesday 12/1
Another 2 miles in the dark and cold last night. There was a bit of a breeze but I managed to beat the bad weather. Quads feel like they've been pounded on 10 miles of downhill and the hammy is still tight after but not during.
Looking forward to IC run on Sunday.
Looking forward to IC run on Sunday.
monday 11/30 - 2 miles easy
Back at it. Got two miles in real easy last night. No watch, no HRM. Just grabbed the dog and did a quick lap around the neighborhood.
Hope I can get back out before the real nasty stuff gets here tonight.
Hamstring is still a little sore. Not so much running on it but when I go to stretch afterward I can feel it. I will get back into Champion Health for some ART after the first of the year if it doesn't improve.
Hope I can get back out before the real nasty stuff gets here tonight.
Hamstring is still a little sore. Not so much running on it but when I go to stretch afterward I can feel it. I will get back into Champion Health for some ART after the first of the year if it doesn't improve.
hiatus
Decided to just take a full two weeks off. Things are still pretty hectic and I can still feel something going on in my hamstring/hip area. I will run on Sunday but it won't be the PPRR Fall Series race. Might ride my bike over there and hang out/cheer people on.
Not sure how this will affect the Rock Canyon Half but I think I've still got time to get some miles in and go after a PR.
Not sure how this will affect the Rock Canyon Half but I think I've still got time to get some miles in and go after a PR.
catching up
Running has been real light lately. I got in 3.5 miles the night before the snow started flying a couple weeks ago and then ran the PPRR Fall Series III race at Ute Valley Park on Nov 1. Put in a real solid effort on a course that measured just shy of a 10K. I was under my 10K PR that was run over 2 years ago on a pretty flat and fast road course. The fall series course was up and down on pretty technical trails. I had a nagging little hamstring niggle that would come and go but never caused much problems but got pretty sore after the fall series race. I haven't run since then to hopefully let it heal up a little. It's not so much in the meaty part of the muscle but higher up near my hip. Hopefully get out a couple times this week and hit the 7M race next Sunday at Palmer Park. Then spend the rest of the month building up for the Rock Canyon half the first weekend in December.
thursday 10/22
Uninspired 4 mi on the treadmill at the gym last night. It was hot in there and I just wasn't really in to it. I mixed up the pace and incline just to stay engaged.
Weekend weather looks nice so I will be back out for a long run at some point between homework and football.
Weekend weather looks nice so I will be back out for a long run at some point between homework and football.
tuesday 10/20
4.1 miles - easyish recovery run. Just wanted to shake things out a little bit. I guess it's what the cool kids call a "doggy jog". Here is doggy aka Boomer.
Funniest quote heard at the Ski Run Road Challenge on Saturday - "The aid station at mile 6 is just aid... no relief, if you know what I mean. There was a porta potty there last night but it's not there this morning."
They still don't have results posted online.
Ski Run Road Challenge Report
The wife and I headed down to Roswell on Friday morning. Hung out with the in-laws for a little bit and then hit up an Italian restaurant to load up on some pasta for the race on Saturday. I had some green chile alfredo which I will be attempting to duplicate in the kitchen at some point. Nice spicy kick on a traditional Italian dish. I was pretty beat from the drive down and I think I finally got to bed around 9:30.
Alarm went off at 5:00am and I got up quickly to throw on some clothes, grab a bite, and do the pre-race duties. We were out of the house about 10 til 6 with an hour plus drive to get to the start line in Ruidoso. Pretty drive to the town once you get into Lincoln county. Since this was a point to point race, they were closing the road to traffic from 8am to noon. This presented some difficulties for the fam since they wanted to see the finish but didn't want to get out of bed that early. I pulled into the parking lot, said goodbye to my wife, and she drove over to the cabins nearby to meet up with some college friends who came up to hang out for the weekend. They all made it onto the course before the road was closed. One of my wife's sisters and her family tried to get up but they were there a few minutes late and got turned around. The wife's parents and brother stayed in bed with plans to meet us for lunch later.
I went to pick up my packet and threw a couple things in the drop bag. It was cold there at 7300ft a few minutes before 8 but I was confident it was going to warm up. I put my gloves and race shirt in the drop bag and kept my quarter zip base layer on over my sleeveless T.
Right on time, the director called the field of 96 or so to the start line, made a few announcements, and sent us on our way. The first couple miles of the race were pretty tame with gentle rolling hills and no real challenges. I was trying to keep it slow but was moving faster than I had anticipated. No worries, the minutes here are easier to get than those up top.
As I got to the first aid station at mile 3, a few people who went out too fast had come back to me and were hanging around. I grabbed a cup of water, a cup of heed, and walked through the aid station getting them down. As I left, things got steep pretty quickly. I had remembered mile 3 and 8 being the nastiest ones on the elevation profile so I wasn't terribly surprised. I tried running but quickly went to red on the HR and settled into a nice brisk walk. I was still reeling in a couple of the people who were in front of me. After about 1.5mi of steep walking, things didn't get flat, but they did get runnable for stretches. I mixed in some stretches of running with the walking the real steep spots and made it to the half way mark in 1:21. I opened a gel just before entering the AS and washed it down with some water and threw a couple S-caps on top since it was starting to warm up. I decided to shed the base layer here too. Probably about 5 minutes too soon since just as soon as it was tied around my waste I hit a half mile stretch that was completely shaded and I got chilled quickly. Once back in the sun, I settled into walking again to keep the HR in check and still move efficiently. The next couple miles went by with increasing fatigue but I was still moving at a decent pace. Mile 8 got really steep again and I started to slow down on the switchbacks. The final traverse over to the AS at mile 9 was a bit flatter but I felt nauseous after the steep sections and took my time up to the station. After the AS, things got pretty tame with just a few more slight grades and then the bottom dropped out at about mile 11. I caught one person in front of me right at the start of the descent but couldn't quite reel in the next person on my way to the line.
I rounded the last turn and into the parking lot of the ski area. The downhill felt really nice for a change and I was able to push the last mile pretty good. I crossed the line in 2:43:18. We hung out for about an hour chatting about the race and eating some of the post-race grub until the last runner came in and the road re-opened. I was pretty tired on Saturday but never got sore. Felt really good on Sunday and things started creeping up today. Left hamstring is a little tight/sore in spots but nothing that some rest and stretching won't fix.
Looking forward to building on this and taking it into the Rock Canyon Half in December.
Alarm went off at 5:00am and I got up quickly to throw on some clothes, grab a bite, and do the pre-race duties. We were out of the house about 10 til 6 with an hour plus drive to get to the start line in Ruidoso. Pretty drive to the town once you get into Lincoln county. Since this was a point to point race, they were closing the road to traffic from 8am to noon. This presented some difficulties for the fam since they wanted to see the finish but didn't want to get out of bed that early. I pulled into the parking lot, said goodbye to my wife, and she drove over to the cabins nearby to meet up with some college friends who came up to hang out for the weekend. They all made it onto the course before the road was closed. One of my wife's sisters and her family tried to get up but they were there a few minutes late and got turned around. The wife's parents and brother stayed in bed with plans to meet us for lunch later.
I went to pick up my packet and threw a couple things in the drop bag. It was cold there at 7300ft a few minutes before 8 but I was confident it was going to warm up. I put my gloves and race shirt in the drop bag and kept my quarter zip base layer on over my sleeveless T.
Right on time, the director called the field of 96 or so to the start line, made a few announcements, and sent us on our way. The first couple miles of the race were pretty tame with gentle rolling hills and no real challenges. I was trying to keep it slow but was moving faster than I had anticipated. No worries, the minutes here are easier to get than those up top.
As I got to the first aid station at mile 3, a few people who went out too fast had come back to me and were hanging around. I grabbed a cup of water, a cup of heed, and walked through the aid station getting them down. As I left, things got steep pretty quickly. I had remembered mile 3 and 8 being the nastiest ones on the elevation profile so I wasn't terribly surprised. I tried running but quickly went to red on the HR and settled into a nice brisk walk. I was still reeling in a couple of the people who were in front of me. After about 1.5mi of steep walking, things didn't get flat, but they did get runnable for stretches. I mixed in some stretches of running with the walking the real steep spots and made it to the half way mark in 1:21. I opened a gel just before entering the AS and washed it down with some water and threw a couple S-caps on top since it was starting to warm up. I decided to shed the base layer here too. Probably about 5 minutes too soon since just as soon as it was tied around my waste I hit a half mile stretch that was completely shaded and I got chilled quickly. Once back in the sun, I settled into walking again to keep the HR in check and still move efficiently. The next couple miles went by with increasing fatigue but I was still moving at a decent pace. Mile 8 got really steep again and I started to slow down on the switchbacks. The final traverse over to the AS at mile 9 was a bit flatter but I felt nauseous after the steep sections and took my time up to the station. After the AS, things got pretty tame with just a few more slight grades and then the bottom dropped out at about mile 11. I caught one person in front of me right at the start of the descent but couldn't quite reel in the next person on my way to the line.
I rounded the last turn and into the parking lot of the ski area. The downhill felt really nice for a change and I was able to push the last mile pretty good. I crossed the line in 2:43:18. We hung out for about an hour chatting about the race and eating some of the post-race grub until the last runner came in and the road re-opened. I was pretty tired on Saturday but never got sore. Felt really good on Sunday and things started creeping up today. Left hamstring is a little tight/sore in spots but nothing that some rest and stretching won't fix.
Looking forward to building on this and taking it into the Rock Canyon Half in December.
reverse taper ftw?
9.2 mi on Tuesday afternoon. Weather was awesome and it ended a little crisp but still very comfortable.
I felt wrecked and didn't know how I was going to get almost 3 more miles on Saturday but that quickly went away after I stretched and cooled down a little.
Legs feel tired this morning but not sore.
Just checked the elevation profile for the course again. For some reason I was thinking it was like 4500 to just over 7k feet but it starts at 7300 and goes up over 10k. Can't do much about that now except go run it.
I felt wrecked and didn't know how I was going to get almost 3 more miles on Saturday but that quickly went away after I stretched and cooled down a little.
Legs feel tired this morning but not sore.
Just checked the elevation profile for the course again. For some reason I was thinking it was like 4500 to just over 7k feet but it starts at 7300 and goes up over 10k. Can't do much about that now except go run it.
catching up
Got in 7.5mi last Tuesday and 4 mi on Friday afternoon. I really wanted to get a long run in on Sunday but caught a case of the bottle flu and did a whole lot of nothing yesterday. Beating myself up over this but I'll make it right tomorrow. Gonna try to get somewhere between 8-10 tomorrow afternoon and then a short run on Thursday afternoon.
Heading down to Roswell on Friday and then quick drive to Ruidoso on Saturday morning for the race. Weather looks really nice for the weekend down there.
Heading down to Roswell on Friday and then quick drive to Ruidoso on Saturday morning for the race. Weather looks really nice for the weekend down there.
friday 10/2
Split out of work early this afternoon, grabbed the dog, and headed to Palmer Park. Did the Palmer Point loop around the north side of the park and then went to overlook and back via Grandview. 5.67 mi, 1:19.
thursday 10/1
3.25 mi around the hood this morning in 37:52. Being that I was sick last week, I missed out on the early cold weather running. The cold was back this morning, however, after a couple of really warm mornings earlier this week. Took a few extra minutes to get warmed up but once I did, things felt pretty good.
PM: Indigo Joes' Running Club. Walked a mile plus with the wife and then she turned back so I finished the course for another 3.3 mi of running on the day.
PM: Indigo Joes' Running Club. Walked a mile plus with the wife and then she turned back so I finished the course for another 3.3 mi of running on the day.
tuesday 9/29
7.5 mi, 1:33. Another "just run". I'm losing patience and getting frustrated with watching HR all the time and it made running not fun so I'm just gonna run for a while and try to get miles in. With any luck, I can drop some weight and that will have a far more significant effect on aerobic fitness than grinding out miles watching the HR monitor like a hawk.
Gonna try to get down to Cheyenne Mtn State Park on Saturday to check out the Xterra Trail Races and cheer on a couple friends.
Gonna try to get down to Cheyenne Mtn State Park on Saturday to check out the Xterra Trail Races and cheer on a couple friends.
monday 9/28
Still not 100% but feeling much better compared to last week. Whatever the hell it was that I had ran a strange course. Monday I left work early with some aches. Tuesday I felt better and was back at work but got worse as the day went on. Wednesday I didn't get out of bed and was achey all over and had a minor cough. Thursday I felt pretty good, still a little tired (Nyquil hangover), but I was able to work. Friday morning I woke up with itchy eyes and runny nose that progressively got worse and felt like the worst allergy attack I've ever had to deal with. Saturday was more of the same. Sunday I woke up and was able to breathe but it felt like any congestion had moved to my ears. Seems like a sinus infection at this point but who knows. If things get green, I'll hit the doc for some antibiotics and hopefully get it cleared up.
Now on to the good stuff. Sorta. I felt good enough to run early Monday. I grabbed the dog and set out for 6-ish miles. It wasn't long before my stomach decided 6 was not in the cards. I cut it short and got 3.75 in with a few walk breaks. Turned off the HR alert and just ran.
Got three weeks left until the 20K in NM. Hope I can stay healthy and the weather cooperates so I can get some miles in. Taper, schmaper.
Now on to the good stuff. Sorta. I felt good enough to run early Monday. I grabbed the dog and set out for 6-ish miles. It wasn't long before my stomach decided 6 was not in the cards. I cut it short and got 3.75 in with a few walk breaks. Turned off the HR alert and just ran.
Got three weeks left until the 20K in NM. Hope I can stay healthy and the weather cooperates so I can get some miles in. Taper, schmaper.
sick!
Think I caught the swine flu or some such shit. Wife was home Monday - Wednesday and I sat on the couch all day yesterday. Felt good enough to go back to the office today but the aches and general feeling of being run over by a Mack track takes its toll early in the afternoon. Michelle went back to work today and like half the school (ok, maybe a few kids) have been diagnosed with the H1N1. It hasn't been horrible but has kept me inside and fairly dependent on Nyquil.
On the bright side, I got it early so all you suckas who get it later in the year will really feel like shit. I'm available to come cough on people at swine flu parties for a small appearance fee.
On the bright side, I got it early so all you suckas who get it later in the year will really feel like shit. I'm available to come cough on people at swine flu parties for a small appearance fee.
sunday 9/20
Gorgeous morning. I slept in until about 9 and was out of the house around 10. I didn't know where I was going but I wanted to run for over 90 minutes. I made my way across Powers and ended up running northbound on the Homestead trail for a little while before heading back across Powers. Felt pretty good albeit a little warm and again the heart rate kept spiking under what seemed like the easiest of efforts. Stopped for a few minutes about a mile from home to let the dog swim and drink.
Just over 7 mi real slow and on my feet for 98 minutes. HR hovered around 140 for the first 3 miles and then closer to 150 on the last 4.
Just over 7 mi real slow and on my feet for 98 minutes. HR hovered around 140 for the first 3 miles and then closer to 150 on the last 4.
friday 9/18
Headed over to Palmer Park with the dog in tow. Ran the Palmer Point loop CCW and then headed up to Grandview before breaking off on the Cheyenne trail loop and then back down to the parking lot. 5.5 mi. Heart rate was all over the place and I was having a hell of a time getting it under control even walking up hills.
thursday 9/17
Trying to get back in the rhythm of school and work and life and the running suffers. It was nice to get a few days off as I was just feeling tired. Headed up to Vail last weekend for Oktoberfest. Got in some mountain biking on the slopes. First time I've ever done any serious downhill riding and I had a blast. Definitely would like to do that again.
Got in a run Thursday evening. Never felt great and shut it down after 2.5 miles. Better than not running at all. Gonna try to get over to Palmer Park on Friday afternoon for a few miles and then either hiking Mt Elbert or long run in Garden of the Gods on Sunday.
Got in a run Thursday evening. Never felt great and shut it down after 2.5 miles. Better than not running at all. Gonna try to get over to Palmer Park on Friday afternoon for a few miles and then either hiking Mt Elbert or long run in Garden of the Gods on Sunday.
tuesday 9/7
Got out for a run this evening after work. Weather was nice and cool and I managed to dodge the rain. Just wanted to get lost in the adjoining neighborhood streets for about an hour and succeeded.
4.6 mi, Avg Hr 142.
Garmin Connect data
4.6 mi, Avg Hr 142.
Garmin Connect data
sunday 9/6
Headed north on the Santa Fe trail for a little over 3 miles in the afternoon. Weather was cloudy when I got there but quickly heated up as the clouds broke. Felt like I lost all the gas came out of the tank at about 3 miles in so I hung out under the bridge on the AFA for a few minutes and let the dog swim in the creek.
Headed back into a little breeze which helped but still felt drained. Took a few walk breaks and hit a couple spurs down to the creek to let the dog cool off some more.
Managed to get 6.6mi in. Avg HR: 139. Pace was off but so was the HR so it felt like a pretty good, albeit hot, run.
Headed back into a little breeze which helped but still felt drained. Took a few walk breaks and hit a couple spurs down to the creek to let the dog cool off some more.
Managed to get 6.6mi in. Avg HR: 139. Pace was off but so was the HR so it felt like a pretty good, albeit hot, run.
friday 9/4
MAF Test
Went to the gym to hop on the treadmill and see if things are progressing at all. Pretty pleased with the results.
I left room in the sheet for miles 4 and 5 but the thought of running 5 miles on the treadmill is utterly revolting.
Obviously, I still need to get more miles in and I'm working on it. This does add a little bit of incentive to keep grinding out slow mileage though. Taking tomorrow off going to the AF game and I think I will get a long run in GoG on Sunday or Monday.
Went to the gym to hop on the treadmill and see if things are progressing at all. Pretty pleased with the results.
I left room in the sheet for miles 4 and 5 but the thought of running 5 miles on the treadmill is utterly revolting.
Obviously, I still need to get more miles in and I'm working on it. This does add a little bit of incentive to keep grinding out slow mileage though. Taking tomorrow off going to the AF game and I think I will get a long run in GoG on Sunday or Monday.
thursday 9/3
Got an easy 6 miles in this morning. Hamstrings still tight but don't seem to be slowing me down.
People really need to start picking up their dogs' shit. I ran on a little gravel trail that runs down Sand Creek and there were steaming piles of shit all over it. I can dodge it no problem but for some reason my dog can't. He wants to stop and check out every turd we pass and see just what the dude that left it there had for breakfast. Move that shit off the trail, people!
People really need to start picking up their dogs' shit. I ran on a little gravel trail that runs down Sand Creek and there were steaming piles of shit all over it. I can dodge it no problem but for some reason my dog can't. He wants to stop and check out every turd we pass and see just what the dude that left it there had for breakfast. Move that shit off the trail, people!
wednesday 9/2
Still a little tight this morning but I rolled out a little after 6 and got 3 miles in. I REALLY need to hit the treadmill or the track to MAF test and see what's going on. Pace seemed quicker today and HR was down. Maybe since it was freaking beautiful outside this morning.
ouch
Spent most of the day Saturday in the yard bent over pulling weeds and then shoveling 6+ cubic yards of mulch into a wheelbarrow and dumping it in the newly weeded areas. Yard looks much nicer but my hamstrings and back are hating me for it.
Hope I can get a run in tomorrow at some point.
Hope I can get a run in tomorrow at some point.
friday 8/28
Thought about doubling up yesterday but the knees felt a little stiff so I hung out at home and made dinner for the wife.
Left work a little early and grabbed the dog and headed to Manitou to go up the Incline. Temps were nearing 90 per the thermometer in my Jeep when I got there but most of the trail was covered in shade. I wore the HR monitor and kept an eye on it trying to stay aerobic. I only had problems in the steep stretch between the bailout and the false summit but kept things under control outside of that section. Dragging the dog up is quite the chore. He gets hot pretty quick and drinks most of my water and still gets stubborn. Nearing the bailout, I gave him a lengthy break to lay down in the dirt and cool off for a few. We would do this 3 more times before the false summit and just as many after it.
I hit the top in 1:04 which is my second slowest time ever, but wasn't terribly upset because the effort was extremely easy. I didn't even feel the need to stop at the top and quickly made my way down the steep trail and back onto Barr. Hung out at Ruxton creek for a few minutes letting the dog cool off and get a drink and then headed back to the car.
Went 3.6 mi in a blistering 1:44:17.
Left work a little early and grabbed the dog and headed to Manitou to go up the Incline. Temps were nearing 90 per the thermometer in my Jeep when I got there but most of the trail was covered in shade. I wore the HR monitor and kept an eye on it trying to stay aerobic. I only had problems in the steep stretch between the bailout and the false summit but kept things under control outside of that section. Dragging the dog up is quite the chore. He gets hot pretty quick and drinks most of my water and still gets stubborn. Nearing the bailout, I gave him a lengthy break to lay down in the dirt and cool off for a few. We would do this 3 more times before the false summit and just as many after it.
I hit the top in 1:04 which is my second slowest time ever, but wasn't terribly upset because the effort was extremely easy. I didn't even feel the need to stop at the top and quickly made my way down the steep trail and back onto Barr. Hung out at Ruxton creek for a few minutes letting the dog cool off and get a drink and then headed back to the car.
Went 3.6 mi in a blistering 1:44:17.
thursday 8/27
I was stoked to get out and get a run in Palmer Park this morning. Got about 15 minutes in before my stomach twisted up in knots. A lot of starting and stopping and squeezing to keep things intact. I would have gone Brownie style but the park was pretty crowded this morning and I didn't want to give anyone a free show. Ended up walking most of the last mile. Got a total of 3mi in and heart rate was well under what it the usual range.
weekend in grand lake
Went up to Grand Lake with the fam this weekend. I did some recon on the internets before heading up to find some runs close by to get me out of the condo for a few hours in the mornings.
Sat - planned on heading up to Shadow Mountain Lookout via a 4.8 mile singletrack trail in the forest. About the time I got to the trailhead I realized I had forgotten to grab my water bottle when I headed out. I got about a half mile up the trail and then headed back into town with a long loop around the main drag and back to the condo. Made it a 4 mi run, avg HR 139.
Sun - take 2 on Shadow Mountain. Geared up and drove to the trailhead so as not to turn it into a death march getting back to the condo when I was done. Made it to the top in 1:30 and ran a lot more of the trail than I thought I would be able to. Backed off when the HR alert went off. Felt really good. Snapped a couple pics from the lookout and ran back down.
Monday - Woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep so I got in another 3.5 easy miles around the town of Grand Lake.
Looking forward to doing another MAF test this week and see how things are progressing.
Sat - planned on heading up to Shadow Mountain Lookout via a 4.8 mile singletrack trail in the forest. About the time I got to the trailhead I realized I had forgotten to grab my water bottle when I headed out. I got about a half mile up the trail and then headed back into town with a long loop around the main drag and back to the condo. Made it a 4 mi run, avg HR 139.
Sun - take 2 on Shadow Mountain. Geared up and drove to the trailhead so as not to turn it into a death march getting back to the condo when I was done. Made it to the top in 1:30 and ran a lot more of the trail than I thought I would be able to. Backed off when the HR alert went off. Felt really good. Snapped a couple pics from the lookout and ran back down.
Monday - Woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep so I got in another 3.5 easy miles around the town of Grand Lake.
Looking forward to doing another MAF test this week and see how things are progressing.
pikes peak ascent race report
After a week of anticipation and rest, Saturday morning finally got here and it was time to get down to business. I felt really good about the week leading up to the race and pretty confident that I could go out and get a sub 5.
We got to Manitou a few minutes before the gun went off for wave 1 and started making preparations. I couldn't decide what to carry with me. I figured it would be nice to have a poly long sleeve in case it got cold at the top but with the possibility of rain in the forecast I decided on a light waterproof windbreaker. I stuffed a fleece beanie in the pocket and tied the jacket around my waist.
I made my way to the back of the pack at the start line and jogged up and down the block behind the line a couple times to warm up. Shortly thereafter the gun went off and the crowd snaked through the streets of Manitou. About a block into the race, I noticed my shorts were falling off. I had 4 GUs stuffed into one of the pockets and the extra weight was pulling them down. I quickly tied the drawstring and didn't have to worry about mooning the crowd behind me for the rest of the day. No sooner than I had my shorts tied up, the HR alert went off on my watch. Dammit, what the hell was I doing in the half hour standing around before the race? I shuffled through the menus and finally made the beeping stop. Before I even got to Ruxton, the jacket I had tied around my waist started unrolling and flapping around. I removed it, tied a knot in the middle of it, and then knotted it tightly around my waist again. Finally, about 6 minutes into the race, the junkshow was over and it was time to focus on getting to the top of a mountain.
I yelled at GZ on the curb as I was heading up Ruxton. The rest of the race up to Barr Camp was fairly uneventful. I felt really good with the pace I was able to maintain versus the effort I was putting in. Clearly, the aerobic training is paying off. I was definitely above an aerobic heart rate but it seemed much easier than the trip up to Barr Camp a month prior in the BTMR. I hit all my splits for a sub 5 up to Barr Camp right on target and came into camp at 2:30.
My lack of altitude training really started to shine past Barr Camp, however. I was about 10 minutes behind pace getting to A-Frame and it didn't get much better above that. I focused on keeping a decent pace and not doing anything to spike the HR into the red zone. I think I stopped once during the first mile above treeline for about a minute and then kept crawling towards the summit. The final mile would prove slow with a lot of traffic in front of me. Once we got past the Fred Barr memorial plaque, I found an opening and passed about seven runners in the final couple of switchbacks and darted across the line at 5:28:37. Certainly well short of my "A" goal of sub 5 but I was under 5:30 and set a new PR by 14 minutes and change. Considering the training I was doing in the month since BTMR, I'm pretty pleased with my race.
Of course, I am grateful that my wife and my mom came up to hang out in the wind on the summit to cheer me on even if they could only see me for 4 minutes of the 5+ hours that I was on the course. It truly is an amazing feeling when I hear them yelling at me from the top.
Going forward, I will probably just keep running at slow pace and continue to build an aerobic base. This is the first time since I started running a few years ago that I have some semblance of reason for why I'm doing what I'm doing when I go out running and its nice to see some progress as well. I read Hadd before when I first started running and thought I put those principles into practice in my running. Thanks to GZ and Lucho for ranting on their blogs about how slow and how easy "slow and easy" is really supposed to be. Reading these guys really drove it home and I just took what I read and ran with it (pun intended).
We got to Manitou a few minutes before the gun went off for wave 1 and started making preparations. I couldn't decide what to carry with me. I figured it would be nice to have a poly long sleeve in case it got cold at the top but with the possibility of rain in the forecast I decided on a light waterproof windbreaker. I stuffed a fleece beanie in the pocket and tied the jacket around my waist.
I made my way to the back of the pack at the start line and jogged up and down the block behind the line a couple times to warm up. Shortly thereafter the gun went off and the crowd snaked through the streets of Manitou. About a block into the race, I noticed my shorts were falling off. I had 4 GUs stuffed into one of the pockets and the extra weight was pulling them down. I quickly tied the drawstring and didn't have to worry about mooning the crowd behind me for the rest of the day. No sooner than I had my shorts tied up, the HR alert went off on my watch. Dammit, what the hell was I doing in the half hour standing around before the race? I shuffled through the menus and finally made the beeping stop. Before I even got to Ruxton, the jacket I had tied around my waist started unrolling and flapping around. I removed it, tied a knot in the middle of it, and then knotted it tightly around my waist again. Finally, about 6 minutes into the race, the junkshow was over and it was time to focus on getting to the top of a mountain.
I yelled at GZ on the curb as I was heading up Ruxton. The rest of the race up to Barr Camp was fairly uneventful. I felt really good with the pace I was able to maintain versus the effort I was putting in. Clearly, the aerobic training is paying off. I was definitely above an aerobic heart rate but it seemed much easier than the trip up to Barr Camp a month prior in the BTMR. I hit all my splits for a sub 5 up to Barr Camp right on target and came into camp at 2:30.
My lack of altitude training really started to shine past Barr Camp, however. I was about 10 minutes behind pace getting to A-Frame and it didn't get much better above that. I focused on keeping a decent pace and not doing anything to spike the HR into the red zone. I think I stopped once during the first mile above treeline for about a minute and then kept crawling towards the summit. The final mile would prove slow with a lot of traffic in front of me. Once we got past the Fred Barr memorial plaque, I found an opening and passed about seven runners in the final couple of switchbacks and darted across the line at 5:28:37. Certainly well short of my "A" goal of sub 5 but I was under 5:30 and set a new PR by 14 minutes and change. Considering the training I was doing in the month since BTMR, I'm pretty pleased with my race.
Of course, I am grateful that my wife and my mom came up to hang out in the wind on the summit to cheer me on even if they could only see me for 4 minutes of the 5+ hours that I was on the course. It truly is an amazing feeling when I hear them yelling at me from the top.
Going forward, I will probably just keep running at slow pace and continue to build an aerobic base. This is the first time since I started running a few years ago that I have some semblance of reason for why I'm doing what I'm doing when I go out running and its nice to see some progress as well. I read Hadd before when I first started running and thought I put those principles into practice in my running. Thanks to GZ and Lucho for ranting on their blogs about how slow and how easy "slow and easy" is really supposed to be. Reading these guys really drove it home and I just took what I read and ran with it (pun intended).
wednesday aug 12
Rolled out of the rack at 10 after 5 this morning and noticed it was still REALLY dark outside. I took my sweet time getting ready and was worried that I might have to take a light with me when I finally got on the trails at Palmer Park. Luckily, when I got to the trailhead, the sun had moved close enough to the horizon that the trail was just visible enough.
I took the dog for a nice 4 mi jaunt in the park. The weather was perfect and I felt pretty good. I had the HR monitor on the entire time but I really think the battery is shot. It still provides a reading but unless my fitness has improved by leaps and bounds over the past couple weeks, I'm inclined to believe it's reading about 15 beats low.
Kept things pretty tame and let the effort run up on a couple of the longer hills.
I was looking at the pace chart yesterday on MC's site. After a quick review, I feel pretty good mentally about going sub 5 on Saturday. I can only hope that my legs and lungs cooperate. Going for a massage this afternoon and will be taking it easy until Saturday morning.
I took the dog for a nice 4 mi jaunt in the park. The weather was perfect and I felt pretty good. I had the HR monitor on the entire time but I really think the battery is shot. It still provides a reading but unless my fitness has improved by leaps and bounds over the past couple weeks, I'm inclined to believe it's reading about 15 beats low.
Kept things pretty tame and let the effort run up on a couple of the longer hills.
I was looking at the pace chart yesterday on MC's site. After a quick review, I feel pretty good mentally about going sub 5 on Saturday. I can only hope that my legs and lungs cooperate. Going for a massage this afternoon and will be taking it easy until Saturday morning.
week recap 8/8
Aug 4
Got a long run in after work. Battery on the watch died about 30 min in. Mapped the run to 5.6 mi and really tried to keep the HR low.
Aug 5
Half hour on the bike. Avg HR 146, max 152.
1 mi on the treadmill at 4% - Avg HR 147, max 152.
Aug 6
Indigo Joe's group run. 3.3 mi, Avg HR 150, max 168 (pushed a little hard to get out of the sprinklers before the finish of the course)
Aug 8
Started at Memorial Park around 8am and headed towards the Incline. Had the dog in tow, and he wasn't ready to do the full course. Bailed halfway so I wouldn't have to carry him back down. Kept the HR in check for most of the climb with a couple spikes into the low 160s. And the spike to 224(WTF?) before I even got to Ruxton. I will be replacing the battery in the HR strap before the race on Saturday.
Not looking to do much this week. I'll probably hit Palmer Park on Wednesday morning to get in 5-6 and then a short run Thursday morning. Looks like the weather might be decent for Saturday and I'm getting excited.
Got a long run in after work. Battery on the watch died about 30 min in. Mapped the run to 5.6 mi and really tried to keep the HR low.
Aug 5
Half hour on the bike. Avg HR 146, max 152.
1 mi on the treadmill at 4% - Avg HR 147, max 152.
Aug 6
Indigo Joe's group run. 3.3 mi, Avg HR 150, max 168 (pushed a little hard to get out of the sprinklers before the finish of the course)
Aug 8
Started at Memorial Park around 8am and headed towards the Incline. Had the dog in tow, and he wasn't ready to do the full course. Bailed halfway so I wouldn't have to carry him back down. Kept the HR in check for most of the climb with a couple spikes into the low 160s. And the spike to 224(WTF?) before I even got to Ruxton. I will be replacing the battery in the HR strap before the race on Saturday.
Not looking to do much this week. I'll probably hit Palmer Park on Wednesday morning to get in 5-6 and then a short run Thursday morning. Looks like the weather might be decent for Saturday and I'm getting excited.
about the PPA
Not sure how to approach this one right now. I don't think I have anywhere near enough time on the mountain to go sub 5hr and I'm really getting comfortable with the current base building phase. I have no idea how much "damage" one hard day well into anaerobic zones would do to the current progress.
On one hand, I could treat it as a "training run" and just focus on keeping my HR low for the entire course and probably squeak in comfortably under the cutoffs.
OR
Treat it like a race and work my ass off to go sub 5.
I probably won't have my mind made up until race day but I'm going to keep plugging along with more distance/time and keep the HR low.
On one hand, I could treat it as a "training run" and just focus on keeping my HR low for the entire course and probably squeak in comfortably under the cutoffs.
OR
Treat it like a race and work my ass off to go sub 5.
I probably won't have my mind made up until race day but I'm going to keep plugging along with more distance/time and keep the HR low.
july 30
With the crappy weather once again yesterday, I decided I would join my wife in the gym instead of going out in the rain. Cranked up the incline on the treadmill and banged out 50 minutes at 15% and 12% inclines. Worked to keep the effort aerobic and walked the whole time.
week recap
July 23 - Added some to the Indigo Joe's loop and got 4.85 mi in 1:08. Avg HR 148, Max 157.
July 25 - Did a short out and back after waking up from camping in Texas Creek. Avg HR 140, max 156
July 27 - Finally got around to doing a MAF test on the tready at the gym. Ended up warming up for almost two miles before settling in for a 3 mile test.
Lap 1: 12:25, avg hr 149
Lap 2: 13:04, avg hr 149
Lap 3: 13:31, avg hr 148
July 28 - got out of bed early and headed to Palmer Park planning on getting 6 mi. I was pleasantly surprised with how low my HR stayed compared to perceived effort. I really feel like things are starting to progress a little bit with respect to pace at lower HRs. Still really early yet.
5.75 mi covered in the 1:21 I spent moving around the park with an avg HR of 144, max 156. Really had to focus on shutting it down on the steeper climbs in the park after bumping off the HR alert. I was a little concerned that the HR strap battery was dying but it proved to be consistent throughout the run. I might just replace it for peace of mind.
July 25 - Did a short out and back after waking up from camping in Texas Creek. Avg HR 140, max 156
July 27 - Finally got around to doing a MAF test on the tready at the gym. Ended up warming up for almost two miles before settling in for a 3 mile test.
Lap 1: 12:25, avg hr 149
Lap 2: 13:04, avg hr 149
Lap 3: 13:31, avg hr 148
July 28 - got out of bed early and headed to Palmer Park planning on getting 6 mi. I was pleasantly surprised with how low my HR stayed compared to perceived effort. I really feel like things are starting to progress a little bit with respect to pace at lower HRs. Still really early yet.
5.75 mi covered in the 1:21 I spent moving around the park with an avg HR of 144, max 156. Really had to focus on shutting it down on the steeper climbs in the park after bumping off the HR alert. I was a little concerned that the HR strap battery was dying but it proved to be consistent throughout the run. I might just replace it for peace of mind.
july 21
Another 3.5 mi easy last night. Avg HR 143, max 156.
Did some more reading on MAF last night and found what I think is a good target zone. Gonna try to actually test tonight on a known course.
Did some more reading on MAF last night and found what I think is a good target zone. Gonna try to actually test tonight on a known course.
july 16
3.5 mi easy at Indigo Joe's Running Club. Guess the heat wreaked havoc on keeping the HR low again even though I was averaging over 13:00 pace. Gotta stay patient and let the changes happen.
july 15
A little over 7 miles on my bike around the neighborhood. Kept HR low for the most part but it did sneak up to 160 when I got out of the saddle a couple of times. Rode for 53 minutes including taking a bath in the creek when I hit a rock and fell in.
july 14
After walking a mile Monday night to work out the kinks, I was ready to run last night. Got in 3 miles easy with avg HR of 146. Not sure if it was the afternoon heat or just added stress from recovering from the brutality that was Sunday's race but I caught my HR peaking over 155 going up some very smallish hills toward the end of the run. I slowed to a brisk walk and let the HR come down.
Left my watch in the car on Sunday. Luckily my old Polar HRM was in the desk and it still worked just fine.
Left my watch in the car on Sunday. Luckily my old Polar HRM was in the desk and it still worked just fine.
BTMR race report
I took it easy Saturday night after doing it up right for my birthday on Friday night. Drank plenty of water all day, not even one beer, and ate generous portions of rice and refried beans with a chicken breast on the side.
I rolled out of the rack at 5am on Sunday morning and threw on my clothes, downed a peanut butter and honey sandwich, and headed to Manitou. I parked down at Memorial Park, ran the backroads over to Soda Springs and then started the walk up Ruxton. Right as I left the park I ran into GZ and chatted with him for a minute. Had a nice chat with another guy on the way up and got to the depot at about 6:40. I stretched for a few minutes, chatted with Bucky, and then seeded myself at the back of the pack.
When the gun went off I started up the hill. I was conscious of the first climb and didn't even bother to get into a run before having to back off to a crawl up that first hill. About halfway up, I ran into McD and pulled him up through the W's. It didn't take long even at my slow pace for my HR to get into the red zone. I tried to recover on the few flats in the W's but it would quickly jump back over 170 at the slightest incline. Made it to the top of the W's in 38:45. McD indicated that we were about a minute slow of finisher's pace.
As we started towards No Name, McD came around and led for a bit. It wasn't long before he opened a gap on me and I didn't see him again until Barr Camp. I felt OK on the traverse over to No Name and the ice water at the aid station there was refreshing. I popped a gel on my way out and started up towards the flats. It wasn't long before MC came flying down around a switchback. Once I got to the flats, I was able to run some decent stretches but never could get my HR to go down. At that point, any slowing to recover would put me behind the 8-ball with respect to getting back down in 3:30. Luckily, the section from Bob's to Lightning Point is one of the widest on the trail so there was no issue dealing with the return traffic. As I crossed the bridge to make the climb to Barr Camp, I was all alone in the uphill direction and the stream of downhill runners was getting sparse too. I started wondering if I was going to get back down the hill in time.
I finally hit Barr at 2:03 and grabbed a Gatorade as I walked through the aid station. There was a rock step on the way to the actual turnaround loop and as I planted my right leg on it, my calf knotted itself up. I stretched it for a few seconds and came back through the aid grabbing more Gatorade. Once headed downhill I felt pretty good for the first mile or so. However, the uphills on the return immediately bothered my cramped calf. I continued down to Bob's Road in hopes they would have some sort of salt to fight off the cramps. No such luck, however. I'm not sure what time it was when I got to Bob's but I shuffled through drinking two cups of Gatorade and filling my water bottle.
The descent to No Name was pretty uneventful. I could still hear them cheering runners coming through when I was a couple of switchbacks away so I thought I was still within reach. Again I went through and grabbed Gatorade and moved out quickly. My memory is a little sketchy at this point about how much time I had left but I think it was around 45 minutes. I was trying to do the math in my head but quickly abandoned that effort to just keep moving. The heat really picked up once I hit the top of the W's and I was doing all I could to keep my feet up from tripping over the rocks in the trail.
At the Incline AS, I grabbed more Gatorade, topped off my bottle, and kept moving. At this point, it was something like 25ish minutes to go and just under two miles. Shit!... it's gonna be close. I almost took a digger on the second to last switchback but was able to catch myself. At the spur, the course volunteer told me I had 8ish minutes to get down the last 3/4 of a mile. I wanted so badly to stop at Ruxton Creek and take a dip or at least dump my hat in there to cool off but time wouldn't allow it. I finally hit the pavement on Ruxton and as I came around the slight curve saw Bucky waiting for me. He said I really had to move to make the cutoff. I told him something to the effect of "I can get down this hill, but my calves are locked up and I don't know if I can get up Hydro." "You have to do it. Let's go!"
I opened up my stride for the last 20 yards or so downhill and let the momentum carry me up the first few steps of Hydro. About 5 steps in my calves and feet had completely locked up and it was all I had to climb the last 30 yards up to the turnout. The crowd watching let me know that I had "plenty of time" but I threw my water bottle to the ground and dug deep to get to the line. I crossed at 3:29:23. My tag was ripped off my bib and as soon as I cleared the lane, I fell to the ground. My AWESOME wife quickly came over and threw a wet towel on my head and started handing me glasses of water. I rolled around on the ground for a few minutes before finally getting up to take off my shoes, throw on my flip flops, and try to waddle down to the Cog station. We took up residence on a curb by the power plant and it didn't take long before the worst case of cramps I have ever had attacked my calves, the fronts of my shins, and my feet. I attempted to knead them out and stretch but they were locked up tight. I've never felt a cramp like that before. They started loosening up and the guy sitting with us waiting for his wife produced a couple of Endurolytes and I took those down.
My parents finally made their way up to the Cog and shuttled my wife and I back down the hill. I took one bite of a slice of pizza at Soda Springs Park and handed it over to my wife. I was surprised their wasn't water or gatorade available down there. All I knew was I needed to get out of the sun. We made our way across the street to The Loop for lunch where I nibbled on a fajita and drank about 50 oz of water. I finally started feeling a little better after that.
Things done right:
Finished!
Things done wrong:
Not enough time on the mountain
Cramped real bad due to lack of electrolytes (two bottles of S!Caps ordered today)
Hot spots on my heels due to new shoes (stupid)
At least I know what I've got to work on in the next few weeks before the Ascent.
I rolled out of the rack at 5am on Sunday morning and threw on my clothes, downed a peanut butter and honey sandwich, and headed to Manitou. I parked down at Memorial Park, ran the backroads over to Soda Springs and then started the walk up Ruxton. Right as I left the park I ran into GZ and chatted with him for a minute. Had a nice chat with another guy on the way up and got to the depot at about 6:40. I stretched for a few minutes, chatted with Bucky, and then seeded myself at the back of the pack.
When the gun went off I started up the hill. I was conscious of the first climb and didn't even bother to get into a run before having to back off to a crawl up that first hill. About halfway up, I ran into McD and pulled him up through the W's. It didn't take long even at my slow pace for my HR to get into the red zone. I tried to recover on the few flats in the W's but it would quickly jump back over 170 at the slightest incline. Made it to the top of the W's in 38:45. McD indicated that we were about a minute slow of finisher's pace.
As we started towards No Name, McD came around and led for a bit. It wasn't long before he opened a gap on me and I didn't see him again until Barr Camp. I felt OK on the traverse over to No Name and the ice water at the aid station there was refreshing. I popped a gel on my way out and started up towards the flats. It wasn't long before MC came flying down around a switchback. Once I got to the flats, I was able to run some decent stretches but never could get my HR to go down. At that point, any slowing to recover would put me behind the 8-ball with respect to getting back down in 3:30. Luckily, the section from Bob's to Lightning Point is one of the widest on the trail so there was no issue dealing with the return traffic. As I crossed the bridge to make the climb to Barr Camp, I was all alone in the uphill direction and the stream of downhill runners was getting sparse too. I started wondering if I was going to get back down the hill in time.
I finally hit Barr at 2:03 and grabbed a Gatorade as I walked through the aid station. There was a rock step on the way to the actual turnaround loop and as I planted my right leg on it, my calf knotted itself up. I stretched it for a few seconds and came back through the aid grabbing more Gatorade. Once headed downhill I felt pretty good for the first mile or so. However, the uphills on the return immediately bothered my cramped calf. I continued down to Bob's Road in hopes they would have some sort of salt to fight off the cramps. No such luck, however. I'm not sure what time it was when I got to Bob's but I shuffled through drinking two cups of Gatorade and filling my water bottle.
The descent to No Name was pretty uneventful. I could still hear them cheering runners coming through when I was a couple of switchbacks away so I thought I was still within reach. Again I went through and grabbed Gatorade and moved out quickly. My memory is a little sketchy at this point about how much time I had left but I think it was around 45 minutes. I was trying to do the math in my head but quickly abandoned that effort to just keep moving. The heat really picked up once I hit the top of the W's and I was doing all I could to keep my feet up from tripping over the rocks in the trail.
At the Incline AS, I grabbed more Gatorade, topped off my bottle, and kept moving. At this point, it was something like 25ish minutes to go and just under two miles. Shit!... it's gonna be close. I almost took a digger on the second to last switchback but was able to catch myself. At the spur, the course volunteer told me I had 8ish minutes to get down the last 3/4 of a mile. I wanted so badly to stop at Ruxton Creek and take a dip or at least dump my hat in there to cool off but time wouldn't allow it. I finally hit the pavement on Ruxton and as I came around the slight curve saw Bucky waiting for me. He said I really had to move to make the cutoff. I told him something to the effect of "I can get down this hill, but my calves are locked up and I don't know if I can get up Hydro." "You have to do it. Let's go!"
I opened up my stride for the last 20 yards or so downhill and let the momentum carry me up the first few steps of Hydro. About 5 steps in my calves and feet had completely locked up and it was all I had to climb the last 30 yards up to the turnout. The crowd watching let me know that I had "plenty of time" but I threw my water bottle to the ground and dug deep to get to the line. I crossed at 3:29:23. My tag was ripped off my bib and as soon as I cleared the lane, I fell to the ground. My AWESOME wife quickly came over and threw a wet towel on my head and started handing me glasses of water. I rolled around on the ground for a few minutes before finally getting up to take off my shoes, throw on my flip flops, and try to waddle down to the Cog station. We took up residence on a curb by the power plant and it didn't take long before the worst case of cramps I have ever had attacked my calves, the fronts of my shins, and my feet. I attempted to knead them out and stretch but they were locked up tight. I've never felt a cramp like that before. They started loosening up and the guy sitting with us waiting for his wife produced a couple of Endurolytes and I took those down.
My parents finally made their way up to the Cog and shuttled my wife and I back down the hill. I took one bite of a slice of pizza at Soda Springs Park and handed it over to my wife. I was surprised their wasn't water or gatorade available down there. All I knew was I needed to get out of the sun. We made our way across the street to The Loop for lunch where I nibbled on a fajita and drank about 50 oz of water. I finally started feeling a little better after that.
Things done right:
Finished!
Things done wrong:
Not enough time on the mountain
Cramped real bad due to lack of electrolytes (two bottles of S!Caps ordered today)
Hot spots on my heels due to new shoes (stupid)
At least I know what I've got to work on in the next few weeks before the Ascent.
tapering, i guess
Haven't run since Friday. A bit of an involuntary taper before the BTMR on Sunday. Gonna try to get out and stretch them tomorrow afternoon if only for a few miles somewhere between golf, picking up my race packet, and going to Cripple Creek for some gambling.
I've definitely been a little anxious about this race since I haven't put enough time in on the mountain but I'm looking forward to it. At least I'll have a front row seat to watch the battle as the contenders come flying back down the mountain at me.
I've definitely been a little anxious about this race since I haven't put enough time in on the mountain but I'm looking forward to it. At least I'll have a front row seat to watch the battle as the contenders come flying back down the mountain at me.
waterton canyon run
I was up in Denver on Friday morning visiting family for the three day weekend and decided to run in Waterton Canyon. I hit the trailhead around 8am and headed into the canyon. I was fully expecting some singletrack and nice altitude gains since this is the trailhead for the Colorado Trail but it remained a well maintained gravel road that I ran on all the way up to the Strontia Springs Dam a little over 6 miles in. I took a quick break to take in the sight of the water pouring over the spillway and then headed back. The morning clouds had burned off and it quickly got muggy in the canyon. I had not planned on going 6 miles into the canyon but couriosity got the best of me and I really wanted to see that dam. Preparations before departing left me without any nip protection so I was reduced to walking and holding my shirt away from my chest after two miles into the return trip. The damage was already done and any length of time running felt kinda like somebody was taking a cheese grater to my nipple.
I walked long enough to let my shirt dry out and was able to run/walk the remaining miles and finally got back to the parking lot almost 3 hours after I had left. I again focused on keeping HR in check. Not sure what the numbers are since my Garmin is still in the car.
I'm gonna try to get in a few miles tomorrow and then a really short run on Thursday to keep things loose before the Barr Trail Mountain Run on Sunday morning.
Got a round of golf planned for Friday morning before heading up to Cripple Creek to celebrate my birthday with a little gambling on Friday night. Going to take it easy on Saturday night and check out the UFC fight at the homestead and kick everyone out as soon as they are over.
I walked long enough to let my shirt dry out and was able to run/walk the remaining miles and finally got back to the parking lot almost 3 hours after I had left. I again focused on keeping HR in check. Not sure what the numbers are since my Garmin is still in the car.
I'm gonna try to get in a few miles tomorrow and then a really short run on Thursday to keep things loose before the Barr Trail Mountain Run on Sunday morning.
Got a round of golf planned for Friday morning before heading up to Cripple Creek to celebrate my birthday with a little gambling on Friday night. Going to take it easy on Saturday night and check out the UFC fight at the homestead and kick everyone out as soon as they are over.
Tuesday 5.72 miles
Came home and decided to take the dog out for a run. My calves were still pretty sore from the ascent of Mt Shavano on Saturday but I needed to get out to stretch them.
5.72 mi, 144 avg HR. I read over Hadd's training guide again a couple weeks ago and am going to give it a shot for a while. The gist is lots of miles at low intensity. The science behind it sounds pretty good and I've got to find something that will allow me to run faster at lower intensities.
5.72 mi, 144 avg HR. I read over Hadd's training guide again a couple weeks ago and am going to give it a shot for a while. The gist is lots of miles at low intensity. The science behind it sounds pretty good and I've got to find something that will allow me to run faster at lower intensities.
new digs
Moved the blog over to blogspot because I got sick of trying to keep my copy of Wordpress up to date. I'll try to get this place polished up a little bit more in the coming days.
mt shavano
Met up with a few people to climb Mt. Shavano on Saturday morning. I spent most of Friday night digging out and packing my gear and finally figuring out why my heart rate strap replete with fresh battery still wouldn't talk to my Garmin 305. Thankfully that was a top 5 hit on the Garmin support center knowledge base and a quick rescan for the HRM and the watch once again displayed a pulse.
I rolled out of the rack at 3:45 on Saturday and headed to the west side to meet the rest of the group. We finally got to the trailhead at about 8am. That trail has more hiking under treeline than I was expecting, but once we finally hit treeline, we could see that the clouds were settling in on the summit. We caught a couple groups coming down and asked for a report of the conditions on top. It didn't sound promising but we continued up with the promise that if we ever got into any nasty weather, we'd turn back. We never did hit any nasty stuff and a little over an hour later we were on the summit with some beautiful weather and plenty of amazing views. After spending close to 45 minutes hanging out on the summit and visiting with other hikers we headed back down. We finally made it back to the trailhead a little after 3pm. It made for a long, albeit pretty leisurely hike
A quick stop for some beers and mexican food at the Coyote Cantina was an excellent finish to a long day.
I rolled out of the rack at 3:45 on Saturday and headed to the west side to meet the rest of the group. We finally got to the trailhead at about 8am. That trail has more hiking under treeline than I was expecting, but once we finally hit treeline, we could see that the clouds were settling in on the summit. We caught a couple groups coming down and asked for a report of the conditions on top. It didn't sound promising but we continued up with the promise that if we ever got into any nasty weather, we'd turn back. We never did hit any nasty stuff and a little over an hour later we were on the summit with some beautiful weather and plenty of amazing views. After spending close to 45 minutes hanging out on the summit and visiting with other hikers we headed back down. We finally made it back to the trailhead a little after 3pm. It made for a long, albeit pretty leisurely hike
A quick stop for some beers and mexican food at the Coyote Cantina was an excellent finish to a long day.
barr trail to 7.8 to go sign
Disappointed with last Sunday's workout, I decided to launch a midweek assault on the trail. Maybe if I surprised it, it would be much easier for me. It didn't really work out that way, but I did get in a much better workout than Sunday. I hit the trail a few minutes after 6am on Wednesday morning and took my sweet ass time through the W's. The intent was to watch heart rate and keep it in check, but even with a new battery in the heart rate strap, the watch didn't recognize it. WTF?
Once up past the W's and into the flats, I was able to move pretty quickly and it the sign at 1:51. Subtract a few minutes for the time it took me to get to the station and I guess I'm ok with regards to hitting cutoffs for the BTMR.
I hammered most of the downhill and made it back down in less than an hour and ran up Hydro Street to see how the race finish really feels.
Once up past the W's and into the flats, I was able to move pretty quickly and it the sign at 1:51. Subtract a few minutes for the time it took me to get to the station and I guess I'm ok with regards to hitting cutoffs for the BTMR.
I hammered most of the downhill and made it back down in less than an hour and ran up Hydro Street to see how the race finish really feels.
incline club to no-name
Pretty crappy run from Memorial Park up to No Name Creek and back. One of these days I'll learn to stop drinking beer on Saturday night before planning to go run with the IC. Seriously considering getting in a trip to Barr Camp one morning this week if I can swing a late arrival at the office.
At least I got some time on my feet.
At least I got some time on my feet.
big month
Just took a look at my MB log and my last 10 runs/hikes were on the list dating back to May 19. Since that time I've run/hike over 71 miles. That is a huge number for me. I'm usually not as concerned with volume as I need to be since it seems I'm always nursing an injury or making excuses. I just felt pretty good about that number after putting together a few solid weeks of time on my feet.
Looking forward to another run with the IC on Sunday and I might even get there to sign in on time.
I'm trying to figure out a way to get some pictures added to this damn blog in an easy fashion but not having much luck embedding them into the posts. I'll probably just add a lightbox and link to it in the post and call it good.
Looking forward to another run with the IC on Sunday and I might even get there to sign in on time.
I'm trying to figure out a way to get some pictures added to this damn blog in an easy fashion but not having much luck embedding them into the posts. I'll probably just add a lightbox and link to it in the post and call it good.
La Luz
Headed down to Albuquerque on Sunday after running the GoG10M and had planned on tackling a La Luz roundtrip while I was down there. After running the 10 miler on Sunday and then sitting in a car for near 6 hours almost immediately after that, I was a little sore for the remainder of Sunday and into Monday. I started feeling well enough Monday afternoon and made a trip to the store to get some fuel for the trip.
My alarm never went off Tuesday morning and I woke up about 75 minutes later than I wanted to. It was still plenty early but I almost talked myself into going back to sleep. However, I somehow dragged my happy ass out of the bed and hurried to get dressed and pack all the stuff I needed. I think I finally hit the the trailhead around 7:15. I didn't have the required $3 to pay to park at the trailhead so I decided to chance it after scrounging change in my wife's car turned up fruitless.
I started up and was running every other switchback for the first couple miles up the first face of the mountain. Once the trail turned into the first canyon, I settled into a quick pace as the trail is relatively tame until the last couple miles. It was pretty lonely, to be expected for a Tuesday, as I only passed 3 people on the way up and was passed by a couple of runners with about a mile to go. As I came into the canyon at the bottom of the Rockslide area, I stopped for a minute to stretch and dig a Powerbar out of my bag. I started my way up the Rockslide and was good for about the first half of it. The top half really slowed me down and I felt pretty beat until I saw the split for the Sandia Crest trail. The sign read 0.6 miles to the crest but it felt more like 1.6. That final section is pretty steep in parts but worth the pain for the views at the top.
Finally, about 2:50 after I started I was at the Crest parking lot. I snapped a few pics and then hit the viewing deck from the Crest house. I didn't hang around long before heading back down. I realized just how steep the Crest spur is on the way down as it was difficult to sustain a controlled run without feeling out of control. The Rockslide is just as difficult going down as it is coming up with the unsure footing and jagged rocks dominating the trail. Once at the bottom of the Rockslide, it was an easy run through the majority of the sections to get back to the trailhead. When I hit the last ridge, the heat really kicked up and I could really feel the 14ish miles taking its toll on my legs. I kept moving and made it back to the trailhead about 1:45 after leaving the crest house.
I would have liked to reached the summit close to 2:30 but I am definitely stoked about getting over 14 miles in with no injuries, aside from a sweet sunburn on my dome, to speak of.
My alarm never went off Tuesday morning and I woke up about 75 minutes later than I wanted to. It was still plenty early but I almost talked myself into going back to sleep. However, I somehow dragged my happy ass out of the bed and hurried to get dressed and pack all the stuff I needed. I think I finally hit the the trailhead around 7:15. I didn't have the required $3 to pay to park at the trailhead so I decided to chance it after scrounging change in my wife's car turned up fruitless.
I started up and was running every other switchback for the first couple miles up the first face of the mountain. Once the trail turned into the first canyon, I settled into a quick pace as the trail is relatively tame until the last couple miles. It was pretty lonely, to be expected for a Tuesday, as I only passed 3 people on the way up and was passed by a couple of runners with about a mile to go. As I came into the canyon at the bottom of the Rockslide area, I stopped for a minute to stretch and dig a Powerbar out of my bag. I started my way up the Rockslide and was good for about the first half of it. The top half really slowed me down and I felt pretty beat until I saw the split for the Sandia Crest trail. The sign read 0.6 miles to the crest but it felt more like 1.6. That final section is pretty steep in parts but worth the pain for the views at the top.
Finally, about 2:50 after I started I was at the Crest parking lot. I snapped a few pics and then hit the viewing deck from the Crest house. I didn't hang around long before heading back down. I realized just how steep the Crest spur is on the way down as it was difficult to sustain a controlled run without feeling out of control. The Rockslide is just as difficult going down as it is coming up with the unsure footing and jagged rocks dominating the trail. Once at the bottom of the Rockslide, it was an easy run through the majority of the sections to get back to the trailhead. When I hit the last ridge, the heat really kicked up and I could really feel the 14ish miles taking its toll on my legs. I kept moving and made it back to the trailhead about 1:45 after leaving the crest house.
I would have liked to reached the summit close to 2:30 but I am definitely stoked about getting over 14 miles in with no injuries, aside from a sweet sunburn on my dome, to speak of.
GoG 10M
Got up early Sunday morning to head over to Memorial Park for the Garden of the Gods Ten Miler. Rolling out of bed, I already felt kinda crappy and it made getting into a 10 mile mindset that much more difficult. W made our way over to Manitou only to find the streets backed up almost to Hwy 24. We split off on some road leading up to Manitou High School and found some parking on a street close by. As we started the walk down, I realized that it was really close to race time and I scurried to get to the park. When I got to the park, I pinned on my bib, grabbed a couple S caps from Josh and then headed to the porta-potties for one last evacuation. As I locked the door to my throne, I head the 1 minute to go call over the PA. Damn! I tied things off and hit the back of the pack just as the gun went off. I started my watch as I crossed the start line to get an unofficial "chip" time for myself.
As we moved down El Paso it was hard to go anywhere due to the crowd. It was much larger than I had expected. As we got closer to the park, things opened up and I got into a nice climbing pace for the first haul up to Balanced Rock. Once at the top, I skipped the first aid station since I had a bottle of Heed in my hand. I decided that to balance out any struggles up the hills that I would really hammer the downhills. I took off flying down toward the Trading Post. As the downhill ended, I would fall back into a comfortable pace and take it easy up the hills. A couple of hills did me in and I power hiked up them and continued to pound the downs around the park. I didn't really have any hard goals set for this race since it was my first time on this course and this distance. In the back of my mind I wanted a sub 1:50 and I barely eeked it out. Really enjoyed the race and felt fine by Monday evening.
As we moved down El Paso it was hard to go anywhere due to the crowd. It was much larger than I had expected. As we got closer to the park, things opened up and I got into a nice climbing pace for the first haul up to Balanced Rock. Once at the top, I skipped the first aid station since I had a bottle of Heed in my hand. I decided that to balance out any struggles up the hills that I would really hammer the downhills. I took off flying down toward the Trading Post. As the downhill ended, I would fall back into a comfortable pace and take it easy up the hills. A couple of hills did me in and I power hiked up them and continued to pound the downs around the park. I didn't really have any hard goals set for this race since it was my first time on this course and this distance. In the back of my mind I wanted a sub 1:50 and I barely eeked it out. Really enjoyed the race and felt fine by Monday evening.
more running
Nothing spectacular this week but I did manage to get a nice 5+ miler in on the trails in GoG on Thursday morning. I grabbed the dog and headed over to Memorial Park for the IC run at 8am this morning. I still can't figure out how to get there on time and as such the group is long gone when I get there. No big deal since I have the dog and would have to pull the back of the pack anyway. Boomer and I headed out of the park about 10 minutes after 8 and made it up to No Name Creek in just a hair over 1:30 running (mostly) every other switchback in the W's.
Gonna rest this week and try to get in a 3 mile or so run Thursday afternoon before shutting it down for the GoG10M on Sunday morning.
Gonna rest this week and try to get in a 3 mile or so run Thursday afternoon before shutting it down for the GoG10M on Sunday morning.
IC run
First IC run of the season. Better late than never I guess. Signed in a few minutes late and headed over to Barr Trail with the dog. It was a lackluster effort with lots of stopping and resting on the way up. After an hour up the trail, I turned around and headed back. I was maybe a half mile past the top of the W's when I called it. My whole body feels like hell today but I guess it's good I figure out where I stand now instead of a month from now.
Gotta make an effort to get more elevation in.
Gotta make an effort to get more elevation in.
GoG trail run
I headed over to Garden of the Gods on Thursday morning for an early run. The slow(er) trail group headed out towards the west side of the park before making a sharp turn and going up. And up and up. We finally climbed to the ridge and ended up on Rampart Range Rd. The climb was pretty tough and we weren't really on established trails. Dodging trees, catcus, and other shrubbery just added to the challenge of the climb. After hitting RR road, we ran another half mile to the east end of the ridge and then made the steep descent back into GoG. Totals for the trip were 4.86 miles and just under 1:30 time.
palmer point trail
Took my dog and my parents' dog to Palmer Park this morning. Pretty uneventful 4 mi loop on the Palmer Point trail. I don't think I've ever seen so much mud on the trails there. The first mile was like running through glue. I was afraid I was going to run out of my shoes a couple times.
Shins really seem to be holding up well as the mileage has increased a little bit.
Shins really seem to be holding up well as the mileage has increased a little bit.
GOG10M dry run
Ran the whole GOG10M course today. Got to Memorial Park in Manitou a few minutes before 7:00am and had to play catchup as the group split before I was ready to go. Felt pretty good for the first 5 miles. I started feeling some weirdness in my big toe on my right foot as I was making my way around the concrete loop in the middle of the Garden. It went away pretty quickly and I started the long haul back out. After making the turn to the north past Ridge Rd the long hill up to Garden Dr really took its toll on me and reduced my pace to a power walk. The trip back out of the Garden to Manitou was pretty uneventful. I need to save something for the climb up to Balanced Rock on the way out. Finally got back to Memorial Park about 1:55 after I started. Not blazing but I felt pretty good running most of the route and getting a feel for the whole course.
Ran 3 mi in Palmer Park on Thursday morning before work.
Ran 3 mi in Palmer Park on Thursday morning before work.
oh yeah
I almost forgot I had a blog here. I was trying to find a way to link my motionbased log here but, frankly, Garmin sucks. I'm almost contemplating writing some sort of wordpress plugin to display my runs uploaded from my Garmin 305 here. I'd like a little database backend to store the sessions, too. Also some summary data that isn't available with the free version of motionbased. Guess I have my summer project. Outside of running and working in the yard, of course.
Not much has changed in the way of race plans. I've been training for the GOG10M on June 14th, the BTMR on July 12th, and, of course, the Ascent. Might run the Sailin' Shoes 10K too.
Not much has changed in the way of race plans. I've been training for the GOG10M on June 14th, the BTMR on July 12th, and, of course, the Ascent. Might run the Sailin' Shoes 10K too.
meh
Took a couple weeks off to rest the shins and they seem to be better. Getting in some walk/run intervals on the treadmill with some moderate incline dialed in as well. Colorado Marathon seems to be out for now. I'll just concentrate on slowly building mileage and then hope I'm ready for the big summer races: GOG10M, BTMR, and PPA.
Trying to shed pounds at the same time in hopes that it will mean less impact and strain on the soft tissue connected to the inner tibia. I've already dropped the 7 or so lbs I put on between Halloween and Christmas. Gotta pick up new kicks as well pretty soon since mine are probably well over mileage between actual running and wearing them around on the weekends (tsk tsk).
Trying to shed pounds at the same time in hopes that it will mean less impact and strain on the soft tissue connected to the inner tibia. I've already dropped the 7 or so lbs I put on between Halloween and Christmas. Gotta pick up new kicks as well pretty soon since mine are probably well over mileage between actual running and wearing them around on the weekends (tsk tsk).
here we go again
Shins and calves flared up bad last night. Even about a mile into the Tuesday night run at Quinn's they still never loosened up. Turned back early and got 2.5 miles in mostly walking. Another case of "too much too soon" I'm sure. Going to take a couple weeks off running and then try to start a program to build up a base over some time and likely forego any serious distance training until I get a nice injury free base built up.
Rode 13 mi on the bike at the gym and then did an hour of yoga.
Rode 13 mi on the bike at the gym and then did an hour of yoga.
cross training monday
Got an easy 40 min on the stationary bike at the gym. No idea on distance. Didn't really care. Followed that up with an hour of yoga. That was my first time practicing yoga. I enjoyed it and definitely saw how it could help with flexibility, stretch things out, and generally relax the mind. Will definitely try to make this a regular activity at the gym.
first long run
Weather left a lot to be desired today so I decided I would get the long run in on the treadmill at the gym. Started off at an 11:00 pace and quickly hit a wall about 2.5 miles in. Not sure if it was the fact that I didn't eat much earlier in the day or that I just can't get into it on the treadmill. Ended up walking a bit and then finished running again. Went about 4.7 mi in the hour. Not a great effort.
Definitely need to try to get the long runs in outside and save the treadmill for the shorter midweek runs.
Got in 20 miles for the first week without any issues.
Definitely need to try to get the long runs in outside and save the treadmill for the shorter midweek runs.
Got in 20 miles for the first week without any issues.
cold 5 miler
Ran 5 miles at 11:19 pace this morning. Weather was nice as long as I wasn't running into the wind. Iced left shin when I got back and it seems to be ok. I'm going to have to get creative finding routes around the house to run.
rescue run
Rolled out of bed on a few hours of sleep and a little hungover to make my way over to Palmer Park for the Rescue Run. The weather was decent, although a little breezy, but comfortable enough for shorts and a light shirt. Once on scene, I got registered, filled out my shirt raincheck form and headed off for a quick warmup lap of the park.
A couple minutes prior to the gun, I took my spot towards the back half of the pack and waited for the herd to start moving. I think I went out too fast as I was picking off scores of people up until the top half of the first climb. My heart was racing and I was reduced to a walk to finish the first big climb. Once it leveled out on the road to the overlook, I slowed the pace and continued on to the turnaround. I got a quick swig of water and headed back. I had visions of running sub 30 but knew it wasn't to be when I made the turn at 17:30. Not wanting to let the dream fade, I made decent time to the hill and then went flying down the big incline that had kicked me in the ass a few minutes earlier. About halfway down the hill, I glanced down at my watch to see I was moving at a decent 6:46 pace. However, once gravity was no longer on my side, I realized the tank was empty and coasted in for a 31:33 (31:15 watch time) finish. Not terribly impressive but it was nice to sweat out the beer from the night before at least.
Looking forward to doing nothing tomorrow and resting up for some big mileage this weekend. Looks like the weather could be nasty on Sunday so that one might be on the 'mill.
A couple minutes prior to the gun, I took my spot towards the back half of the pack and waited for the herd to start moving. I think I went out too fast as I was picking off scores of people up until the top half of the first climb. My heart was racing and I was reduced to a walk to finish the first big climb. Once it leveled out on the road to the overlook, I slowed the pace and continued on to the turnaround. I got a quick swig of water and headed back. I had visions of running sub 30 but knew it wasn't to be when I made the turn at 17:30. Not wanting to let the dream fade, I made decent time to the hill and then went flying down the big incline that had kicked me in the ass a few minutes earlier. About halfway down the hill, I glanced down at my watch to see I was moving at a decent 6:46 pace. However, once gravity was no longer on my side, I realized the tank was empty and coasted in for a 31:33 (31:15 watch time) finish. Not terribly impressive but it was nice to sweat out the beer from the night before at least.
Looking forward to doing nothing tomorrow and resting up for some big mileage this weekend. Looks like the weather could be nasty on Sunday so that one might be on the 'mill.
training for 26.2
After taking a couple weeks off following the Rock Canyon half, it was time to start laying plans for the next challenge. I did some digging on the interwebs and perused a few training plans until I found one that I felt I could handle and would get me ready to tackle a marathon. I've got 18 weeks of running and cross training lined out to get me to the start line of the Colorado Marathon on May 3rd, 2009.
This week marks the start. I got my first run done at the Jack Quinn's Running Club Tuesday night run and then did 5 miles on the treadmill at the gym on Wednesday morning. Nothing spectacular for pace at this point but I'm just trying to get the miles in for the first few weeks. I waffled about which race I was going to run at this morning's Rescue Run but settled on the short course since I was only on the hook for three miles today.
The shins are already starting to bother me a little but I'm hoping that healthy doses of Vitamin I and ice will keep them from flaring up too much.
My wife gave me a Garmin Forerunner 305 for Christmas so I've been having fun geeking out with the results from the few runs I've brought it along on.
Tomorrow will be a much needed rest day and then I've got a 5 miler on Saturday and an 8 mile long run on Sunday.
Here's to hoping I can get most of the runs in and life doesn't get in the way too much.
This week marks the start. I got my first run done at the Jack Quinn's Running Club Tuesday night run and then did 5 miles on the treadmill at the gym on Wednesday morning. Nothing spectacular for pace at this point but I'm just trying to get the miles in for the first few weeks. I waffled about which race I was going to run at this morning's Rescue Run but settled on the short course since I was only on the hook for three miles today.
The shins are already starting to bother me a little but I'm hoping that healthy doses of Vitamin I and ice will keep them from flaring up too much.
My wife gave me a Garmin Forerunner 305 for Christmas so I've been having fun geeking out with the results from the few runs I've brought it along on.
Tomorrow will be a much needed rest day and then I've got a 5 miler on Saturday and an 8 mile long run on Sunday.
Here's to hoping I can get most of the runs in and life doesn't get in the way too much.
