Through no fault of my running, my left foot is rather messed up. While screwing around on our way up to the festival floor at the Great American Beer Festival on the 17th, I was showing off my "parkour" skills. The rather large dude behind me decided he wanted to show me up and I turned around to see him coming down on the top of my left foot with all 300 lbs he had to offer. I walked it off and nursed it with plenty of delicious 1 oz servings of beer for the rest of the evening. The pain has come and gone and seems worse the past couple days than it had all last week.
I haven't been able to run on it since and don't know when it will be ready again. No discoloration just a dull ache to let me know that it's still not right.
catching up
8/31 - 4 mi around the golf course
9/2 - del mar/solana beach; ran through the fog and down to the beach. Amazing the feeling of running right at sea level. Floated up what few hills I encountered and ran hard up a set of stairs that went from street level down to the beach over 4 or 5 flights.
9/11 - had some trouble readjusting after vacation but finally decided to get out later in the morning for a run. 4 mi around the golf course with the dog.
9/12 - Set out a little before 8am with the idea of just going long. Hit a couple of trails that I had previously not been on before and made my way over to Palmer Park. Ran the Greencrest over to Austin Bluffs and started back towards home. Mixed in a few walking breaks on the way home and ran out of water as it started getting hot. 12 mi, 2:30.
9/2 - del mar/solana beach; ran through the fog and down to the beach. Amazing the feeling of running right at sea level. Floated up what few hills I encountered and ran hard up a set of stairs that went from street level down to the beach over 4 or 5 flights.
9/11 - had some trouble readjusting after vacation but finally decided to get out later in the morning for a run. 4 mi around the golf course with the dog.
9/12 - Set out a little before 8am with the idea of just going long. Hit a couple of trails that I had previously not been on before and made my way over to Palmer Park. Ran the Greencrest over to Austin Bluffs and started back towards home. Mixed in a few walking breaks on the way home and ran out of water as it started getting hot. 12 mi, 2:30.
sunday 8/29
Ran 4 mi earlier in the week and otherwise took it easy post-Ascent.
Got up and took the dog for a mile jog around the park. Dropped him off and was back out the door on a 10.5 mi run with some decent rollers and climbs. Been a long time since I ran that long. Achilles started barking about 10 mi in and I walked a couple hundred yards to quiet it down. Generally lazy day around the house until I cooked up a flat iron steak and sliced it up for fajitas and washed it down with a couple Gubnas from Oskar Blues.
Heading to San Diego for a much needed vacation on Wednesday. Looking forward to completely unplugging from work for a solid week. Obviously looking forward to getting a couple good runs in at sea level to offset some of the In n Out burger.
Poking around with a new (to me) site to upload Garmin data to and it seems light years ahead of the Garmin Connect site. RunningAHEAD is what garmin connect should have been.
Got up and took the dog for a mile jog around the park. Dropped him off and was back out the door on a 10.5 mi run with some decent rollers and climbs. Been a long time since I ran that long. Achilles started barking about 10 mi in and I walked a couple hundred yards to quiet it down. Generally lazy day around the house until I cooked up a flat iron steak and sliced it up for fajitas and washed it down with a couple Gubnas from Oskar Blues.
Heading to San Diego for a much needed vacation on Wednesday. Looking forward to completely unplugging from work for a solid week. Obviously looking forward to getting a couple good runs in at sea level to offset some of the In n Out burger.
Poking around with a new (to me) site to upload Garmin data to and it seems light years ahead of the Garmin Connect site. RunningAHEAD is what garmin connect should have been.
PPA recap
Ran a 5:01:39 today. 1:40 short of my goal. I've already identified about 3 or 4 places where I could have made that time up but hindsight is 20/20. Pretty pleased with the run even though I came up a little short.
Ran the W's a minute faster than last week and made it to No-Name in 1:21. Was at Barr Camp in 2:23. Things kinda fell apart from there on up. I had about 30 min to click off each of the last 3 miles and was unable to make it happen.
In the end, it's a nearly a 29 min PR so I'm ok with that. I'm sure the mountain will still be there next year.
I'll get a few pics up tomorrow from the start and finish and see how the result is settling then.
Ran the W's a minute faster than last week and made it to No-Name in 1:21. Was at Barr Camp in 2:23. Things kinda fell apart from there on up. I had about 30 min to click off each of the last 3 miles and was unable to make it happen.
In the end, it's a nearly a 29 min PR so I'm ok with that. I'm sure the mountain will still be there next year.
I'll get a few pics up tomorrow from the start and finish and see how the result is settling then.
tuesday 8/18
Ran 2.5 mi around the house when I got up. Felt OK.
As of Wednesday afternoon, legs feel heavy and stiff. Might run something Thursday morning to loosen up.
As of Wednesday afternoon, legs feel heavy and stiff. Might run something Thursday morning to loosen up.
sunday 8/15
Got a few runs in during the week last week and then put the last of the proverbial hay into the barn on Sunday. I wanted to try a little experiment and see just how much of the W's and balance of the trail up to No Name I could run. I set off from Memorial Park at 7:30 and jogged down the empty streets of Manitou toward the mountain. I had no disillusions about running the first switchback starting at Hydro St up to the turn away from Ruxton Creek. For me, running that stretch during the race or training would be pretty disastrous. I settled into a nice hike when I hit the climb starting at Hydro. Once on the singletrack connector to Barr, I found a slow but steady jogging pace and managed to hold that all the way to the top of the W's. The only walking steps I took were to navigate a couple of the rock fields and a couple step ups.
I hit the top of the W's in 56. That's only a minute or two better than I've done when just hiking it so I don't think the gain there is worth the additional effort. The first couple of switchbacks ater the top are in realy bad shape. The runoff has left a trough in the middle of the trail that is now full of about 2" of loose scree. On the sides of the trough it slopes up so dramatically that it's really tough to pass. I almost fell into a couple folks as I jumped up on the slope to let them pass on their way down.
After the break there, I found a comfortable running pace again and made my way towards No Name Creek. I never really noticed how much of the course there is runnable and it made the same old trail a little bit exciting. I hiked the final pitch up to the Rock Arch and also the last couple hundred feet of real steep stuff up to No Name and stopped the watch in 1:22. That's at least a 4 min PR up to that spot so I felt pretty good about the run. I'm sure the nice, cool weather played a hand in aiding those times but that was an effort that I'd never really gone for after always getting HR up way too high while running in the W's and just settling for a hiking pace the rest of the way.
So I learned that there is still no need to run the W's on race day but I will start picking up the pace immediately after the top of the Ws and really take advantage of some runnable terrain and bank a little time where I would usually just follow the pack.
This is one of those runs where you do something you've never done before and it goes well. The timing couldn't be better due to the shot of much needed confidence with respect to what kind of shape I'm in. Two more easy runs this week and then the big show on Saturday.
I hit the top of the W's in 56. That's only a minute or two better than I've done when just hiking it so I don't think the gain there is worth the additional effort. The first couple of switchbacks ater the top are in realy bad shape. The runoff has left a trough in the middle of the trail that is now full of about 2" of loose scree. On the sides of the trough it slopes up so dramatically that it's really tough to pass. I almost fell into a couple folks as I jumped up on the slope to let them pass on their way down.
After the break there, I found a comfortable running pace again and made my way towards No Name Creek. I never really noticed how much of the course there is runnable and it made the same old trail a little bit exciting. I hiked the final pitch up to the Rock Arch and also the last couple hundred feet of real steep stuff up to No Name and stopped the watch in 1:22. That's at least a 4 min PR up to that spot so I felt pretty good about the run. I'm sure the nice, cool weather played a hand in aiding those times but that was an effort that I'd never really gone for after always getting HR up way too high while running in the W's and just settling for a hiking pace the rest of the way.
So I learned that there is still no need to run the W's on race day but I will start picking up the pace immediately after the top of the Ws and really take advantage of some runnable terrain and bank a little time where I would usually just follow the pack.
This is one of those runs where you do something you've never done before and it goes well. The timing couldn't be better due to the shot of much needed confidence with respect to what kind of shape I'm in. Two more easy runs this week and then the big show on Saturday.
tuesday 8/10
Traveled back home on Monday so no run.
Got up this morning and seriously considered not running until I jumped on the scale. Weekend at the in-laws always means lots of good food and this past weekend was no exception.
Geared up for 4 mi around the golf course loop. Took over 2 min off my time from last Wednesday. This will probably be a staple of the runs going forward since it's easy to get to and provides a nice baseline. 4mi; 46:30.
Got up this morning and seriously considered not running until I jumped on the scale. Weekend at the in-laws always means lots of good food and this past weekend was no exception.
Geared up for 4 mi around the golf course loop. Took over 2 min off my time from last Wednesday. This will probably be a staple of the runs going forward since it's easy to get to and provides a nice baseline. 4mi; 46:30.
sunday 8/8
Was in Roswell, NM for the weekend with the in-laws. It's well over an hour to the mountains from there and the family had plans to go to the lake Sunday so I had to find a route to run closer to town.
I thought about going out to Bottomless Lakes State Park and running a few laps on the mountain bike trail and then later decided to hit the urban trail from one side of town to the other and back.
Slept right on through the 6am alarm and finally got out of bed at 9am. It was already well into the 90s at that point but that's my punishment for sleeping in I guess. I threw on as little clothes as possible and headed to the zoo where the trail starts. It was nasty hot to start but once moving there was enough breeze to cool things off. I made my way across town moving from street level and then down into the Spring River drainage every few blocks and then back up. When I finally reached the golf course, it was mostly exposed around the perimeter of the property. About a mile later I reached the end of the trail on the west side of town. The heat had really started to take its toll at this point and I mixed in a few walking breaks on the way back but managed to run most of it. Probably some of the hottest weather I've run in but I was glad to get in 8 miles in those conditions.
Enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at the lake in the cool water.
I thought about going out to Bottomless Lakes State Park and running a few laps on the mountain bike trail and then later decided to hit the urban trail from one side of town to the other and back.
Slept right on through the 6am alarm and finally got out of bed at 9am. It was already well into the 90s at that point but that's my punishment for sleeping in I guess. I threw on as little clothes as possible and headed to the zoo where the trail starts. It was nasty hot to start but once moving there was enough breeze to cool things off. I made my way across town moving from street level and then down into the Spring River drainage every few blocks and then back up. When I finally reached the golf course, it was mostly exposed around the perimeter of the property. About a mile later I reached the end of the trail on the west side of town. The heat had really started to take its toll at this point and I mixed in a few walking breaks on the way back but managed to run most of it. Probably some of the hottest weather I've run in but I was glad to get in 8 miles in those conditions.
Enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at the lake in the cool water.
wednesday 8/4
Legs felt pretty beat after the weekend so I took Monday and Tuesday off. Wednesday is typically an incline day but I didn't have the time to get over to Manitou and back so I ran the golf course loop CCW. 4.1 mi real easy. Thought about extending it but the dog was getting tired and I was too. Didn't pay much attention to HR but when I did, it seemed lower than previous runs on that loop so that's good I guess.
sunday 8/1
Hit Memorial Park at around 6:30 and was on the PPA course by 6:45. Never felt like I was moving very quick at all but was hitting splits for a sub 5 hr ascent. Took it fairly easy between No Name and the 7.8 sign, but by the time I hit the foot bridge to make the last climb to Barr Camp, I was in a bad way. Calves and hamstrings just felt real tight. I finally hit camp in 2:35 after crawling the last half mile. Drank some Gatorade and started back down. Legs just felt stiff and sore for the most part. I jogged a few stretches but never could get comfortable. Just past the top of the Incline, Bucky came down behind me and we jogged down for a while and chatted. About halfway down the W's, we both decided we'd had enough and walked the entire way back to memorial park. Will be in NM next weekend but I may try to get to BC the last weekend before the Ascent.
saturday 7/31
Got up on Saturday looking for redemption on Blodgett Peak. Slept in a little but still got to the Open Space parking lot early enough to get a spot and headed up. It was real muggy due to all the rain the night before but I settled in heading up the trail before the real climbing starts.
I reached the mouth of the valley and then headed straight up the trail determined not to leave it early and end up in the boulder fields like last week. I passed a group coming down on the other side of the creek and continued up. Not long after I reached a rock wall at least 12 feet high and I was closed in for the most part. I pulled out my phone to try to figure out where I was. I had reached the "extra credit" waterfall feature and could not go anywhere past this point.
I backtracked down the drainage and finally spotted what looked like some trail across the creek. I managed to get over there and I still think I was a little high, but finally stumbled across a rock cairn. Must be trail! I scrambled up the scree slope and was passed by another dude so I figured I was still on the route. I reached the top of the ridge, jogged through the flat before beginning another steep climb to the top of the saddle. Trail was pretty worn here and nicely marked with cairns. I threw stones on a few to make them a little more conspicuous where I had trouble finding them. Eventually I reached the saddle and it was just another 1/4mi or so to the summit. Once on the summit, it was well worth it. Got some awesome views of the clouds dancing around above the city below my feet. Snapped a couple pics and then settled in for the treacherous descent back down the mountain.
I reached the mouth of the valley and then headed straight up the trail determined not to leave it early and end up in the boulder fields like last week. I passed a group coming down on the other side of the creek and continued up. Not long after I reached a rock wall at least 12 feet high and I was closed in for the most part. I pulled out my phone to try to figure out where I was. I had reached the "extra credit" waterfall feature and could not go anywhere past this point.
I backtracked down the drainage and finally spotted what looked like some trail across the creek. I managed to get over there and I still think I was a little high, but finally stumbled across a rock cairn. Must be trail! I scrambled up the scree slope and was passed by another dude so I figured I was still on the route. I reached the top of the ridge, jogged through the flat before beginning another steep climb to the top of the saddle. Trail was pretty worn here and nicely marked with cairns. I threw stones on a few to make them a little more conspicuous where I had trouble finding them. Eventually I reached the saddle and it was just another 1/4mi or so to the summit. Once on the summit, it was well worth it. Got some awesome views of the clouds dancing around above the city below my feet. Snapped a couple pics and then settled in for the treacherous descent back down the mountain.
sunday 7/25
Left the house at 3:30 Sunday morning headed for Twin Lakes. Got there about a half hour before I was supposed to meet up with the rest of the group who was camping up there. Met them all at the SE ridge trailhead at about 6:30 and we started up a few minutes before 7. Steep switchbacks dominated until we crossed the creek for the first time and got into the meadow. We hiked the meadow until treeline and things got really steep after that. Finally gained the ridge after essentially hiking straight up the drainage. I think everybody in our group mentioned it would have been nice to have a few switchbacks mixed in that section.
Once on the ridge, it was a pretty quick hike over to South Elbert at ~14,100. We didn't stop here long since the view from there to the ridge around to the real summit is pretty daunting. We took off down the saddle and started the climb up the final pitch. The first section was pretty steep but nothing like the drainage from earlier. The final climb was broken into 3 sections with a quick steep ascent, then a more mellow flat area, almost like stairs up to the summit. We finally reached the summit in around 4:25 and ate and waited for the last of our crew who from the outset said he wasn't going to keep our pace.
After hanging out for close to an hour we got a little worried that our last man hadn't made it up yet and were getting ready to head down the trail looking for him when we spotted him climbing the last couple switchbacks for the East trail. Somehow he had managed to get over there trying to avoid the climb out of the saddle between South and Elbert. He finally summitted and grabbed a few bites to eat before we headed back down.
The route down to the saddle and back up to South Elbert was more elevation gain than I remembered coming down earlier (isn't it always that way at 14k feet?), but we made quick work of it and reach the ridgeline where it was time to drop down the drainage toward treeline. It wasn't fun coming up and it might have been worse coming down with all the scree and dust in the steep trail. Once back down to the meadow it was pretty smooth sailing back to the trailhead. The temps got more and more oppressive as we lost altitude and I dipped my hat in the creek both times we crossed it for some air conditioning. Made it back down to the trailhead and the full trip was completed in 7:54. Most of that time was over 13k feet with all of the ridgeline traversing on that route. Good times!
Once on the ridge, it was a pretty quick hike over to South Elbert at ~14,100. We didn't stop here long since the view from there to the ridge around to the real summit is pretty daunting. We took off down the saddle and started the climb up the final pitch. The first section was pretty steep but nothing like the drainage from earlier. The final climb was broken into 3 sections with a quick steep ascent, then a more mellow flat area, almost like stairs up to the summit. We finally reached the summit in around 4:25 and ate and waited for the last of our crew who from the outset said he wasn't going to keep our pace.
After hanging out for close to an hour we got a little worried that our last man hadn't made it up yet and were getting ready to head down the trail looking for him when we spotted him climbing the last couple switchbacks for the East trail. Somehow he had managed to get over there trying to avoid the climb out of the saddle between South and Elbert. He finally summitted and grabbed a few bites to eat before we headed back down.
The route down to the saddle and back up to South Elbert was more elevation gain than I remembered coming down earlier (isn't it always that way at 14k feet?), but we made quick work of it and reach the ridgeline where it was time to drop down the drainage toward treeline. It wasn't fun coming up and it might have been worse coming down with all the scree and dust in the steep trail. Once back down to the meadow it was pretty smooth sailing back to the trailhead. The temps got more and more oppressive as we lost altitude and I dipped my hat in the creek both times we crossed it for some air conditioning. Made it back down to the trailhead and the full trip was completed in 7:54. Most of that time was over 13k feet with all of the ridgeline traversing on that route. Good times!
saturday 7/24
Cliff notes: Blodgett Peak fail.
Headed over to the west side this morning to tackle a peak on the north end of town that I've never been up. Trail started out on a service road in the open space and dead ended into a single track trail near some old water works.
After heading up a drainage for about 10 minutes, I crossed the drainage and moved onto the east facing slope of Blodgett Peak. The trail petered out here and I was left to scramble up the boulderfield. Felt ok until I got to the top when it was just a scramble up a scree slope with no real trail to go by. I gained the northeast ridge but could see that I still had another few hundred feet of vertical to go with no trail.
At this point, I decided to start the slide down the scree slopes instead of continuing on. I made it back down to the water tank and the double track service road and back to the parking lot.
I looked up the routes when I got back home and saw the error in my ways. There is certainly a "route" to the top via the boulderfields, but you make it up as you go. The standard route continues up the drainage instead of traversing over to the east slope of the peak. I'll make sure I stay straight next time.
Took me almost 3 hours to cover 3.5 mi with a lot of backtracking in attempt to find some semblance of a trail around the boulderfield.
Headed over to the west side this morning to tackle a peak on the north end of town that I've never been up. Trail started out on a service road in the open space and dead ended into a single track trail near some old water works.
After heading up a drainage for about 10 minutes, I crossed the drainage and moved onto the east facing slope of Blodgett Peak. The trail petered out here and I was left to scramble up the boulderfield. Felt ok until I got to the top when it was just a scramble up a scree slope with no real trail to go by. I gained the northeast ridge but could see that I still had another few hundred feet of vertical to go with no trail.
At this point, I decided to start the slide down the scree slopes instead of continuing on. I made it back down to the water tank and the double track service road and back to the parking lot.
I looked up the routes when I got back home and saw the error in my ways. There is certainly a "route" to the top via the boulderfields, but you make it up as you go. The standard route continues up the drainage instead of traversing over to the east slope of the peak. I'll make sure I stay straight next time.
Took me almost 3 hours to cover 3.5 mi with a lot of backtracking in attempt to find some semblance of a trail around the boulderfield.
friday 7/23
Counter clockwise loop around the golf course again this morning. 4 mi in a casual 46 minutes.
Gonna go check out Blodgett Peak in the morning. 5.5 mi round trip with 2400' gain! Climbing the southeast ridge of Mt. Elbert on Sunday with 5300' and plenty of time above 13k feet.
Breaking news: Leashes only work when you actually hook them up to your dog.
As I rounded a corner this morning some lady had a leash in her hand and a dog walking next to her. Unhooked. Her dog was quite interested in Boomer and as I tried to cross the street, her dog continued to follow. I stopped and she just kinda stared like I should do something about it. I turned and ran back to the curb with her dog in tow and tried several times to continue on my way but her dog kept following... into freaking traffic. She chased the dog in circles around me 3 or 4 times before her mutt finally realized that it was in trouble and stopped. Awesome!
Gonna go check out Blodgett Peak in the morning. 5.5 mi round trip with 2400' gain! Climbing the southeast ridge of Mt. Elbert on Sunday with 5300' and plenty of time above 13k feet.
Breaking news: Leashes only work when you actually hook them up to your dog.
As I rounded a corner this morning some lady had a leash in her hand and a dog walking next to her. Unhooked. Her dog was quite interested in Boomer and as I tried to cross the street, her dog continued to follow. I stopped and she just kinda stared like I should do something about it. I turned and ran back to the curb with her dog in tow and tried several times to continue on my way but her dog kept following... into freaking traffic. She chased the dog in circles around me 3 or 4 times before her mutt finally realized that it was in trouble and stopped. Awesome!
7/21 incline
Got to lower Ruxton a few minutes after 6 and jogged up to the top of the Cog parking lot. Felt really good on the lower half and then blew up above the bail trail. Stopped my watch at 51:38 on the top. Easy run down Barr and then back down Ruxton to the car.
A touch over 4 mi on the outing in 1:33.
A touch over 4 mi on the outing in 1:33.
monday 7/19
4 mi around the golf course. Took the counter clockwise loop today and it proves to be much more difficult with a pretty significant climb over the 3/4mi or so up the hill on Constitution. Managed to run all of it and felt pretty good.
sunday 7/18
Got a late start up Barr to get up as high as I wanted to take pics of the BTMR action so I settled in at the turn for the 2nd switchback. Ended up being a pretty good spot. After the race went by, I wasn't keen on hanging out there for at least the next hour so I headed down to the finish. Found a pretty good spot to grab pics there and took quite a few of the finishers coming into the line.
Headed home, made some breakfast, watched Le Tour, and took a nap. As the afternoon turned to evening, I was itching to do something since I didn't get near enough work in the morning. I put the shorts on, grabbed the dog, and headed over to Palmer for a run around the loop that we usually bike on. Ended up with 4.5 mi in an hour at a very casual pace. Not sure if it was the clouds or what, but it seemed like it got dark awfully fast after the sun tucked behind the front range. Made it back home at 9 and caught a few minutes of BTMR coverage on the news.
Headed home, made some breakfast, watched Le Tour, and took a nap. As the afternoon turned to evening, I was itching to do something since I didn't get near enough work in the morning. I put the shorts on, grabbed the dog, and headed over to Palmer for a run around the loop that we usually bike on. Ended up with 4.5 mi in an hour at a very casual pace. Not sure if it was the clouds or what, but it seemed like it got dark awfully fast after the sun tucked behind the front range. Made it back home at 9 and caught a few minutes of BTMR coverage on the news.
wednesday 7/14 - incline
Up early and headed over to Manitou. The thermometer in my Jeep read 75F when I left the house at 5:30! However, it stayed mostly cloudy for the hike up the Incline and was quite comfortable. Up in 51:29, easy jog back down to Ruxton. Times are far from impressive but I've taken over 10 minutes off since I started going over there on Wednesday mornings last month.
Was up late watching Le Tour and got up early this morning. Time for coffee. Even now that Lance is out, I'm so completely invested in the race and I can't stop watching it. Epic stuff.
Was up late watching Le Tour and got up early this morning. Time for coffee. Even now that Lance is out, I'm so completely invested in the race and I can't stop watching it. Epic stuff.
getting close
... and I'm way behind the curve. I've been making twice weekly trips to Manitou to do the incline and then some. Last Saturday, I decided to get some time in on the real course. I hit sub 5 hr splits up to No Name and took it really easy to the 7.8 sign where I was down about 4 minutes. Turned around there and fried my quads all the way back into Manitou.
A few other runs sprinkled in around those trips to the west side of town but nothing terribly exciting to speak of.
In other news, I quit chewing Copenhagen almost two months ago. Bad news is I didn't quit eating. Gained a few lbs in the process but it beats lip cancer!
Will hit the incline tomorrow morning and then go up to Barr Camp on Saturday. Might also head up early on Sunday to scope out the BTMR and snap pics for a couple hours.
A few other runs sprinkled in around those trips to the west side of town but nothing terribly exciting to speak of.
In other news, I quit chewing Copenhagen almost two months ago. Bad news is I didn't quit eating. Gained a few lbs in the process but it beats lip cancer!
Will hit the incline tomorrow morning and then go up to Barr Camp on Saturday. Might also head up early on Sunday to scope out the BTMR and snap pics for a couple hours.
saturday 6/12
Headed over to Memorial Park Saturday morning. Saw a few IC folks milling around before "The Lung" rode in on his scooter with bike helmet on. I managed to score my first * since late Feb because there was a special IC run due to the GOG10M on Sunday. After signing in, I headed up Manitou Ave towards the Cog Depot. Weather was rather nice, 50 degrees and cloudy. Didn't have my watch as it was dying when I turned it on so no idea on splits to the top of the Incline.
At the top, I opted to head straight and get a bonus mile by hitting the Barr Trail junction just shy of No Name instead of the steeper bail trail just off the top. The rain started at this point so I pulled my jacket out of my pack. Wish I had brought the water resistant gloves too but it wasn't bad. Things broke up about half way down the Ws and it was nice back down in town. Ended up with 6.55 mi in a casual 2:30 based on the clock radio in the Jeep.
Felt pretty good about the outing overall. Still lots to do.
At the top, I opted to head straight and get a bonus mile by hitting the Barr Trail junction just shy of No Name instead of the steeper bail trail just off the top. The rain started at this point so I pulled my jacket out of my pack. Wish I had brought the water resistant gloves too but it wasn't bad. Things broke up about half way down the Ws and it was nice back down in town. Ended up with 6.55 mi in a casual 2:30 based on the clock radio in the Jeep.
Felt pretty good about the outing overall. Still lots to do.
6/10 bike in palmer park
Met a few friends for a ride around Palmer Park Thursday night. Was all going well until I took a digger over the handle bars coming off a drop. No major damage except for the holes in my hand, a little rock rash on my left leg, and some funkiness in my right elbow/forearm. I got up, dusted myself off and finished the ride. Was expecting to be in major pain today but I'm no worse for wear. Maybe that's a sign I should stick to running or just riding tame single track instead of hitting the technical stuff.
Ended up riding for only 40ish minutes and 3 mi. Full incline tomorrow and then some miles up Barr Trail.
half incline
Out the door at 6am to head over to Manitou and get on the Incline. Was thinking about a full trip up but bailed half way because I'm REALLY out of shape and I had to get to work. Ran back down Barr to the car and headed to the office. Probably 2.5 mi.
Catching up:
Monday was 4 mi around the neighborhood real slow.
Tuesday was 2.5 mi of the same.
Just really trying to get as much time on my feet as possible. Definitely need more weekday mornings on Barr and the Incline.
Catching up:
Monday was 4 mi around the neighborhood real slow.
Tuesday was 2.5 mi of the same.
Just really trying to get as much time on my feet as possible. Definitely need more weekday mornings on Barr and the Incline.
monday 5/24
Messed around at the house after work and almost lost daylight. 2.5mi around the neighborhood with the dog at 8pm. Nice to be running that late with no lamp needed.
saturday 5/22
Celebrated my wife's last day of school on Friday night and felt it on Saturday morning. Managed to get shoes laced up and got 3 mi easy around the neighborhood to sweat out a couple of the beers.
one
Finally! School is out, we are moved into a new house and I can breathe again.
Pretty much lost whatever fitness I had built up in January and February trying to finish school, sell and buy a house, and get moved. That leaves precious little time to get ready for the Ascent. I think I'm going to skip BTMR this year and avoid any races until the Ascent.
Started back last night with one mile real easy with the dog around the new hood.
Pretty much lost whatever fitness I had built up in January and February trying to finish school, sell and buy a house, and get moved. That leaves precious little time to get ready for the Ascent. I think I'm going to skip BTMR this year and avoid any races until the Ascent.
Started back last night with one mile real easy with the dog around the new hood.
i'm in
Signed up for the Ascent this morning. 4:59:59 is my predict.
Also, I hit a milestone on the scale this morning. Under 190 lbs for the first time since I stopped driving a beer truck and started sitting in a chair to earn a living. Almost 10 years. I'm down almost 15 lbs since Jan 1.
Also, I hit a milestone on the scale this morning. Under 190 lbs for the first time since I stopped driving a beer truck and started sitting in a chair to earn a living. Almost 10 years. I'm down almost 15 lbs since Jan 1.
st pats 5k
Ran the annual St Pats 5K in downtown COS on Saturday morning. I hadn't run two weeks prior to the race and my head wasn't really into it. Woke up to beautiful weather on Saturday morning and headed downtown. Hung out for about a half hour before the race start and then took a spot in the pack a little closer. I was still amazed by how many people I had to weave past in the first quarter mile that were at the front of the pack and walked right off the line. I left the watch at home and probably ran the first mile way too fast. As we made the turn to head back uphill I felt pretty good but once we past the park again, the wind came out of my sails. I talked myself out of slowing to a walk several times to get my HR down but managed to jog past the second mile marker. After I made the last turn and headed back to the finish line, it was a very slight downhill and I felt a little better. I managed to pick the pace back up and coasted to a 29:13. 6 seconds shy of a PR.
I really felt like I was making all the preparations to hit a big PR but all that slipped away over the past couple weeks with life getting in the way. Only two more months of school left!
I really felt like I was making all the preparations to hit a big PR but all that slipped away over the past couple weeks with life getting in the way. Only two more months of school left!
oh hey
Almost forgot about this thing. Been REAL busy with work and school which has put a severe dent in my mileage but I'm still getting out sparingly ie one long run on Sunday :|
Sunday 2/21
Incline Club run. Thought about maybe trying to get the Waldo Loop from Memorial Park but it wasn't meant to be. I made it up to the top of the first climb in the canyon before deciding that I had had enough. It was cold and snowy for most of the run but not as bad as the week before. First time I went out with screw shoes and really like the traction they afforded and they don't curl the toe up like Yaktrax do. Got 10.5 miles in.
Sunday 2/28
Was looking forward to getting back on Barr Trail but we had to house sit for my folks and we only ended up with one car over there. I opted for a long run around their hood. Mix of streets, sidewalks, and some trail. The only thing that made it exciting was that it was somewhere I'd never run before. The wind was brutal. At one point, I considered just running to my house and having my wife meet me there, but decided against it since her cell had died the night before. Got 9 miles in.
Work and school (and hopefully a side gig provided my bid gets accepted) will probably be dominating my time for the remainder of the semester but hopefully I can still get a few miles in each week and maintain some fitness.
I'll be back in Manitou on Sunday and then the St. Pat's 5K is the 13th. I'm waffling on Pikes for some reason and I'm not sure if I'm going to make BTMR since my brother-in-law's bachelor party is that same weekend in PHX.
Life goes on...
Sunday 2/21
Incline Club run. Thought about maybe trying to get the Waldo Loop from Memorial Park but it wasn't meant to be. I made it up to the top of the first climb in the canyon before deciding that I had had enough. It was cold and snowy for most of the run but not as bad as the week before. First time I went out with screw shoes and really like the traction they afforded and they don't curl the toe up like Yaktrax do. Got 10.5 miles in.
Sunday 2/28
Was looking forward to getting back on Barr Trail but we had to house sit for my folks and we only ended up with one car over there. I opted for a long run around their hood. Mix of streets, sidewalks, and some trail. The only thing that made it exciting was that it was somewhere I'd never run before. The wind was brutal. At one point, I considered just running to my house and having my wife meet me there, but decided against it since her cell had died the night before. Got 9 miles in.
Work and school (and hopefully a side gig provided my bid gets accepted) will probably be dominating my time for the remainder of the semester but hopefully I can still get a few miles in each week and maintain some fitness.
I'll be back in Manitou on Sunday and then the St. Pat's 5K is the 13th. I'm waffling on Pikes for some reason and I'm not sure if I'm going to make BTMR since my brother-in-law's bachelor party is that same weekend in PHX.
Life goes on...
sunday 2/14
Rough week at work and school. Hopefully things will calm down later this month and into March.
Finally got out this morning to run with the Incline Club. I didn't wear warm enough clothes and almost crawled back in bed when I had to come back inside to get car keys from my wife, but the dog wanted to go so I got back in the car and headed over. It was bitter cold and windy when I got to Manitou and I never got warmed up. I wasn't uncomfortable but it's one of those chills that never goes away until you take a hot shower and sit in front of the fire for a while.
Made my way up to No Name and turned back. Certainly never pushed the pace but I hit the creek in ~1:30. Took my sweet time coming back down the mountain and got back to memorial park an hour later. Went to TX Roadhouse with the wife for a steak afterwards.
Looking up past No-Name
Boomer's got an ice beard
That's what I'm talking about
Finally got out this morning to run with the Incline Club. I didn't wear warm enough clothes and almost crawled back in bed when I had to come back inside to get car keys from my wife, but the dog wanted to go so I got back in the car and headed over. It was bitter cold and windy when I got to Manitou and I never got warmed up. I wasn't uncomfortable but it's one of those chills that never goes away until you take a hot shower and sit in front of the fire for a while.
Made my way up to No Name and turned back. Certainly never pushed the pace but I hit the creek in ~1:30. Took my sweet time coming back down the mountain and got back to memorial park an hour later. Went to TX Roadhouse with the wife for a steak afterwards.
Looking up past No-Name
Boomer's got an ice beard
That's what I'm talking about
sunday 2/7
Incline Club run. Did 9.2 miles in the Garden with Bucky. Nice to relax and chat with somebody and the miles just click off.
thursday 2/4
Crazy week at work and school. Finally managed to get to the gym after class Thursday night. Ran 3.1 miles.
Went snowboarding at Monarch on Friday and felt it when I woke up on Saturday morning. Spent the day with the wife house shopping in a neighborhood much closer to the mountains and some good trail running nearby.
Incline Club run tomorrow.
Went snowboarding at Monarch on Friday and felt it when I woke up on Saturday morning. Spent the day with the wife house shopping in a neighborhood much closer to the mountains and some good trail running nearby.
Incline Club run tomorrow.
january summary
I've never really done a monthly summary post but all the cool kids are doing it so what the hell.
13 runs, 66 miles, over 14 hours and 49 minutes. Not too concerned with how slow it was, just nice to get the miles in. Compared with January of last year, where I ran a whopping 8 miles, this is a good start to the year for me.
13 runs, 66 miles, over 14 hours and 49 minutes. Not too concerned with how slow it was, just nice to get the miles in. Compared with January of last year, where I ran a whopping 8 miles, this is a good start to the year for me.
sunday 1/31
Long run in the Garden of the Gods again this morning. Ran with Josh and did 11.5 real slow. The first 6 or 7 miles clicked off real quick and then it got tough after that. Nowhere near as warm as yesterday, but wasn't too bad when the sun finally came out.
Garmin data for this run
Garmin data for this run
saturday 1/30
Ran as soon as I got out of bed this morning. Grabbed the dog and went out on the roads and came back on Sand Creek Trail. Good weather, easy run, 4.6 miles. Incline Club tomorrow.
wednesday 1/27
After work, school, and dinner with the fam, I finally managed to get to the gym. I'm already feeling the weight of all the projects and group work at school this semester and it's only week 2. I've got 3 classes and a group project that spans just about the entire semester for each class. Balancing all those due dates and group meetings is going to be "fun".
Anyway, felt good to run out some steam. Kept it nice and easy, 4.3 miles on the treadmill while listening to the end of O's speech and the rebuttal. Got bored after that was over and just took off the headphones and zoned out staring across the gym.
Been really trying to focus on diet this week too. Easy during the week, not so much on the weekends.
Anyway, felt good to run out some steam. Kept it nice and easy, 4.3 miles on the treadmill while listening to the end of O's speech and the rebuttal. Got bored after that was over and just took off the headphones and zoned out staring across the gym.
Been really trying to focus on diet this week too. Easy during the week, not so much on the weekends.
sunday 1/24 - IC run
Planned on running 10+ in the Garden of the Gods from Memorial Park this morning. Temps were right around freezing when I got there but the wind was whipping pretty good. It got worse as I hit the high and exposed spots in the garden. A combination of the wind and yesterday's run lead to me wussing out and I settled for 7.5 mi.
Garmin data
Snapped a few pics while I was out this morning
Garmin data
Snapped a few pics while I was out this morning
saturday 1/23 - winter series II
Waffled on running the 2nd installment of the Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series all week. I'm just not that into running a race that short right now. I'd rather just run slow and get miles in. I had a change of heart last night and I headed down there this morning with the wife in tow. I grabbed a bib and headed out to do 1 mile of warm-up jogging.
As I ran back into the parking lot, my watch showed close to 10am but there were plenty of people milling around in the lot with race bibs on. I headed down towards the staging area and as I was about 200 yds out, I see a crowd of people running out onto the course. I make my way to the start line and ask somebody if that was the 4 mi race that just left. She said it was, so I took off in chase. I started my watch as I crossed the line to get my true time knowing I was already well over a minute, maybe even two, behind the gun.
I felt OK for the first mile and then settled in for the second mile. I spent most of the first half of the race picking people off until I finally reached people who were matching my pace. At the turn-around, I grabbed a cup of water, took a couple sips, and headed back. I felt like I really fell of the pace in the third mile but it was actually faster than mile 2. It didn't take long to see the final mile marker and I found another gear for the last mile. I picked off a few more people coming into the home stretch and put in a nice kick for the final 150 yds. I saw the clock moving to 41:00 as I crossed and hit my watch. Stopped it in 39:38. I guess I'll be on time for the next one.
Garmin data for the race
As I ran back into the parking lot, my watch showed close to 10am but there were plenty of people milling around in the lot with race bibs on. I headed down towards the staging area and as I was about 200 yds out, I see a crowd of people running out onto the course. I make my way to the start line and ask somebody if that was the 4 mi race that just left. She said it was, so I took off in chase. I started my watch as I crossed the line to get my true time knowing I was already well over a minute, maybe even two, behind the gun.
I felt OK for the first mile and then settled in for the second mile. I spent most of the first half of the race picking people off until I finally reached people who were matching my pace. At the turn-around, I grabbed a cup of water, took a couple sips, and headed back. I felt like I really fell of the pace in the third mile but it was actually faster than mile 2. It didn't take long to see the final mile marker and I found another gear for the last mile. I picked off a few more people coming into the home stretch and put in a nice kick for the final 150 yds. I saw the clock moving to 41:00 as I crossed and hit my watch. Stopped it in 39:38. I guess I'll be on time for the next one.
Garmin data for the race
thursday 1/21
Legs were toasted after the Sunday run up Barr Trail so I didn't run until Thursday. Classes started this week and it's going to be nasty this semester, but I'll have a masters in May.
Went to the gym after class and ran 3 easy on the treadmill.
Went to the gym after class and ran 3 easy on the treadmill.
sunday 1/17
10 mi with the Incline Club this morning. From memorial park up, 5 mi up the PPA/M course. We turned back right around where the Bob's Rd aid station would be set up.
Trail was pretty icy in the shade going up. Had to put the YakTrax on at the 2nd switchback on the Ws. Places that see sun are mostly clear and dry. At No Name there was a bunch of snow and ice from runoff that had melted higher up and froze where the trail crosses the creek. Higher up was mostly just packed snow and footing wasn't too bad.
Garmin data
Trail was pretty icy in the shade going up. Had to put the YakTrax on at the 2nd switchback on the Ws. Places that see sun are mostly clear and dry. At No Name there was a bunch of snow and ice from runoff that had melted higher up and froze where the trail crosses the creek. Higher up was mostly just packed snow and footing wasn't too bad.
Garmin data
saturday 1/16 - a goal
Caught Sherlock Holmes at the movies last night. He was kinda portrayed as this real badass intellectual who thought out his moves in slow-mo before kicking some dude's ass. Good show. Ate a bunch of sushi beforehand so I had to get up and run it off.
3.25 mi this morning. Easy loop around the neighborhood. I wish the weather would stay like this until about late April and then warm up for summer. Garmin data for the run
I didn't want to really commit to any new years resolutions because they are so cliche but I've floated something out there to a few people in conversation so I might as well write it down here. I'm going to run 1000 miles this year.
Going to check out the Ice Festival today (before the sculptures melt) and then IC run tomorrow. Not sure how far I'll make it towards Barr Camp but at least No Name Creek, hopefully higher.
Also, GO COWBOYS!!
3.25 mi this morning. Easy loop around the neighborhood. I wish the weather would stay like this until about late April and then warm up for summer. Garmin data for the run
I didn't want to really commit to any new years resolutions because they are so cliche but I've floated something out there to a few people in conversation so I might as well write it down here. I'm going to run 1000 miles this year.
Going to check out the Ice Festival today (before the sculptures melt) and then IC run tomorrow. Not sure how far I'll make it towards Barr Camp but at least No Name Creek, hopefully higher.
Also, GO COWBOYS!!
wednesday 1/13
Wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather so I brought stuff in so that I could get out during the work day. 3 mi loop around the office neighborhood.
sunday 1/10
IC run. Headed out from memorial park and realized I forgot my Yaktrax. Headed back to the Jeep and by the time I got there I decided to run through Garden of the Gods instead. Awesome weather and good views. Mixed it up on trails and the roads. 8 miles.
Garmin battery was dead again when I got there so I mapped it when I got home.
Garmin battery was dead again when I got there so I mapped it when I got home.
thursday 1/7
45 minutes on the elliptical at the gym while watching the BCS National Championship. This will probably be one of the greatest "what if" games ever with McCoy going down in the first quarter.
Legs feel decently abused this week and I can't wait to hammer on them more when I run with the IC on Sunday.
Heading to Boulder Friday night for the Todd Snider concert.
Legs feel decently abused this week and I can't wait to hammer on them more when I run with the IC on Sunday.
Heading to Boulder Friday night for the Todd Snider concert.
Wednesday 1/6
Ran 3 miles on the treadmill at the gym. It hurt.
Glad all the traveling and holiday stuff is behind us so I can find some semblance of a groove to get into.
Glad all the traveling and holiday stuff is behind us so I can find some semblance of a groove to get into.
