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.
Showing posts with label races. Show all posts
Showing posts with label races. Show all posts
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
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).
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.
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.
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.
rock canyon half marathon
Pretty good time for my first real half marathon. We headed down to Pueblo early Saturday morning. I got there about a half hour later than I wanted to but still had plenty of time to get checked in and run a few hundred yards. I took my place in the back of the pack and we were off a little after 9am. The temps were pretty cold when we got started, but the sky was clear and the sun warmed things up. We ran two laps around City Park before heading out to the Arkansas River trail. I really had to focus on keeping a slow pace those first couple laps. I ran those first two in around 10:15-10:20 without much effort.
Once we got out to the river, we found ourselves on a concrete bike path which I wasn't terribly thrilled about. Luckily there was some single track off the the side that I ran on. We neared a little nature center and restaurant on the river where an aid station was set up. I grabbed a couple swallows of Gatorade and pulled a Gu out. After the aid station it was a pretty flat run up next to a little bluff. It opened up into the "canyon" and followed the river almost all the way to the dam. About 5 or 6 miles into the race, I started thinking how easy the race had been so far. I wasn't exactly setting any speed records, but I felt I had maintained a comfortable pace and ran a smart race. I quickly told myself not to get too carried away with those thoughts; I was sure it wouldn't be that easy for the entire distance.
As we neared the dam, more and more return runners were coming towards me. I thought I was getting close to the turnaround, but it was still a ways off. Once I hit the final outbound aid station, I started feeling a little sluggish and noticed a twinge in my left achilles. It started to get difficult to maintain a solid pace. I would feel myself slow way down and then have to talk myself into picking it up until a certain landmark or spot on the course. This cycle repeated for the next couple miles. When I approached 10 miles in, the head games started. I really wanted to walk for a bit, but at the same time, I knew that it would be that much harder to start running again if I did. I pushed on through mile 10. I kept looking for short stretches where I would tell myself I could take a quick walk break only to keep running through them. This pattern repeated itself until I got to the bottom of the hill leading back into City Park with about .2 miles remaining.
Like most hills, it didn't seem bad going down, but it was brutal looking back up. I took a few strides on the way up and my calves quickly knotted up. Even walking I could feel my hamstrings started to lock up as I made my way up the hill. Once I got to the top, I managed to find a real slow run and jogged it in until the final turn for home.
I was pretty sore immediately after the race. I grabbed some Gatorade and then laid on the ground for a few minutes and had my wife stretch my legs. That did wonders to at least make me mobile, but it didn't take long for the outside edge of my right foot to start hurting so much that I was convinced I broke it. Between the achilles on my left leg and the right foot, I hobbled around for a couple days but both of those issues seem to have taken care of themselves. Looking forward to running this weekend between snowboarding and studying for finals.
Planning on running the PPRR Rescue Run on New Years Day, the PPRR Winter Series (long?), and then start focusing on full marathon training for Colfax I think. (yes, I'm crazy!)
Once we got out to the river, we found ourselves on a concrete bike path which I wasn't terribly thrilled about. Luckily there was some single track off the the side that I ran on. We neared a little nature center and restaurant on the river where an aid station was set up. I grabbed a couple swallows of Gatorade and pulled a Gu out. After the aid station it was a pretty flat run up next to a little bluff. It opened up into the "canyon" and followed the river almost all the way to the dam. About 5 or 6 miles into the race, I started thinking how easy the race had been so far. I wasn't exactly setting any speed records, but I felt I had maintained a comfortable pace and ran a smart race. I quickly told myself not to get too carried away with those thoughts; I was sure it wouldn't be that easy for the entire distance.
As we neared the dam, more and more return runners were coming towards me. I thought I was getting close to the turnaround, but it was still a ways off. Once I hit the final outbound aid station, I started feeling a little sluggish and noticed a twinge in my left achilles. It started to get difficult to maintain a solid pace. I would feel myself slow way down and then have to talk myself into picking it up until a certain landmark or spot on the course. This cycle repeated for the next couple miles. When I approached 10 miles in, the head games started. I really wanted to walk for a bit, but at the same time, I knew that it would be that much harder to start running again if I did. I pushed on through mile 10. I kept looking for short stretches where I would tell myself I could take a quick walk break only to keep running through them. This pattern repeated itself until I got to the bottom of the hill leading back into City Park with about .2 miles remaining.
Like most hills, it didn't seem bad going down, but it was brutal looking back up. I took a few strides on the way up and my calves quickly knotted up. Even walking I could feel my hamstrings started to lock up as I made my way up the hill. Once I got to the top, I managed to find a real slow run and jogged it in until the final turn for home.
I was pretty sore immediately after the race. I grabbed some Gatorade and then laid on the ground for a few minutes and had my wife stretch my legs. That did wonders to at least make me mobile, but it didn't take long for the outside edge of my right foot to start hurting so much that I was convinced I broke it. Between the achilles on my left leg and the right foot, I hobbled around for a couple days but both of those issues seem to have taken care of themselves. Looking forward to running this weekend between snowboarding and studying for finals.
Planning on running the PPRR Rescue Run on New Years Day, the PPRR Winter Series (long?), and then start focusing on full marathon training for Colfax I think. (yes, I'm crazy!)
still running
So sometimes life gets in the way of blog posting, but fortunately, not in the way of actually running. After the miserable performance at the Ascent (hey, I showed up and started and actually made a 15ish mile roundtrip), I took a little time off from running to relax. I said just a little. Within a couple weeks, I was back on the incline and getting in short runs around the neighborhood and Palmer Park.
I toyed with the idea of running the PPRR Pony Express 15 miler but just didn't feel I was quite ready to run/hike that. I've continued to battle the same shin issues that plagued me last spring on and off but not anywhere near as severe. I think I've finally built up a base over a sustained period of time that the soft tissue on the posterior of my shins has gotten used to the abuse.
In October, the PPRR Fall Series kicked off and I ran the first two of those races. I missed the next two for weekend trips, but felt pretty good about the way those races went. Later in the month, Josh talked me into showing up for Jack Quinn's Running Club on Tuesday nights and I've been running down there every week since.
About the same time, the mention of the Rock Canyon Half Marathon in Pueblo came up and I started training for that as well. With about two more weekends left to train for that, I've got a couple of decent long runs planned to hopefully get me ready for the half on Dec 6.
After the first of the year, I'm pretty stoked about running the Rescue Run on New Year's Day and then the PPRR Winter Series. With the Incline Club starting up workouts pretty quick too, I'll probably be joining those crazies for some cold weather Sunday runs as well.
PS - hi bucky.
I toyed with the idea of running the PPRR Pony Express 15 miler but just didn't feel I was quite ready to run/hike that. I've continued to battle the same shin issues that plagued me last spring on and off but not anywhere near as severe. I think I've finally built up a base over a sustained period of time that the soft tissue on the posterior of my shins has gotten used to the abuse.
In October, the PPRR Fall Series kicked off and I ran the first two of those races. I missed the next two for weekend trips, but felt pretty good about the way those races went. Later in the month, Josh talked me into showing up for Jack Quinn's Running Club on Tuesday nights and I've been running down there every week since.
About the same time, the mention of the Rock Canyon Half Marathon in Pueblo came up and I started training for that as well. With about two more weekends left to train for that, I've got a couple of decent long runs planned to hopefully get me ready for the half on Dec 6.
After the first of the year, I'm pretty stoked about running the Rescue Run on New Year's Day and then the PPRR Winter Series. With the Incline Club starting up workouts pretty quick too, I'll probably be joining those crazies for some cold weather Sunday runs as well.
PS - hi bucky.
st pats 5K
Woke up early on Saturday, had some breakfast, and started getting my head right for the 5K on St. Patrick's Day in downtown Colorado Springs. I changed clothes a few times because every time I looked out the window the weather was doing something different. Finally decided I would wear shorts and a tech shirt. I had a windbreaker with me to stay a little warm before the race and ended up tying it around my waist just before the start.
Once we got the gun we headed off down Tejon St. About a block in my legs felt already felt weak like I needed food. Too late now... I kept on. Once the crowds thinned out a bit, I settled into a comfortable but faster than normal pace. I caught up with a few people that I was running with after a couple blocks and ran with them for a bit. The race as a whole was pretty uneventful. I found myself behind a couple dudes who were juggling the entire time and still holding a pace that was a little quicker than my own. Badasses!
I was pretty disappointed that there wasn't so much as one water stop or a mile marker anywhere on the course and when I rolled into the finish line all jazzed to see my time, there was no clock to be found. My stopwatch/hrm has been inop for about 4 months since the dog ate it and nobody else around me seemed to have a watch on. I was left to wait until the sheets were posted at Runner's Roost later in the day.
I quickly found my parents (how cool of them to come out and cheer me on) and told them that I was going to find my fiance and bring her in. I made it another two blocks north on Tejon and found her. I ran with her down to the final turn and stopped and waited for her to cross the line and meet up with my parents and all of our friends.
We decided to head over to Old Chicago to claim seats for the parade and start swilling celebratory beers. Not long after we were there, Jill came back from Runner's Roost with times for everyone. My goal was a 32:00 but I would have been pleased with a 33:00 still being well into PR territory for me. When I saw her sheet, I read my time and threw my hands in the air. 30:34! I was completely surprised by that and also very pleased. Granted, it was hardly a maintainable pace for me over any distance more than what we had done, it felt really good destroying an old PR and getting so close to a new milestone. Hopefully, I can crack out a sub 30 min 5K before the season is out. Time to update the goals!
Once we got the gun we headed off down Tejon St. About a block in my legs felt already felt weak like I needed food. Too late now... I kept on. Once the crowds thinned out a bit, I settled into a comfortable but faster than normal pace. I caught up with a few people that I was running with after a couple blocks and ran with them for a bit. The race as a whole was pretty uneventful. I found myself behind a couple dudes who were juggling the entire time and still holding a pace that was a little quicker than my own. Badasses!
I was pretty disappointed that there wasn't so much as one water stop or a mile marker anywhere on the course and when I rolled into the finish line all jazzed to see my time, there was no clock to be found. My stopwatch/hrm has been inop for about 4 months since the dog ate it and nobody else around me seemed to have a watch on. I was left to wait until the sheets were posted at Runner's Roost later in the day.
I quickly found my parents (how cool of them to come out and cheer me on) and told them that I was going to find my fiance and bring her in. I made it another two blocks north on Tejon and found her. I ran with her down to the final turn and stopped and waited for her to cross the line and meet up with my parents and all of our friends.
We decided to head over to Old Chicago to claim seats for the parade and start swilling celebratory beers. Not long after we were there, Jill came back from Runner's Roost with times for everyone. My goal was a 32:00 but I would have been pleased with a 33:00 still being well into PR territory for me. When I saw her sheet, I read my time and threw my hands in the air. 30:34! I was completely surprised by that and also very pleased. Granted, it was hardly a maintainable pace for me over any distance more than what we had done, it felt really good destroying an old PR and getting so close to a new milestone. Hopefully, I can crack out a sub 30 min 5K before the season is out. Time to update the goals!
race plans
Unlike others, I can't just train for one race until August. I need some intermediate events to keep me motivated and set benchmarks. Here is what I've got planned between now and the end of the summer:
- 5K on St. Patrick's Day - A fun and fast 5K in downtown COS. This will mark the one year anniversary of entering a race. Looking forward to setting a new 5K PR.
- UCCS Bash the Bluffs (27 April)- Finally found some info on active.com. They are offering a 5K, 10K and children's fun run this year. New loop course this year. Leaning towards the 10k.
- Take 5 in the Garden (3 May) - 5 miler in Garden of the Gods
-Garden of the Gods 10 Mile (8 Jun) - First leg of the TCR
- Summer Roundup Trail 12K (6 July) OR Barr Trail Mountain Race (13 July) - Will asses this as it gets closer.
After the early July races, I'll spend the rest of the weekends on the mountain, hopefully above tree line.
- 5K on St. Patrick's Day - A fun and fast 5K in downtown COS. This will mark the one year anniversary of entering a race. Looking forward to setting a new 5K PR.
- UCCS Bash the Bluffs (27 April)- Finally found some info on active.com. They are offering a 5K, 10K and children's fun run this year. New loop course this year. Leaning towards the 10k.
- Take 5 in the Garden (3 May) - 5 miler in Garden of the Gods
-Garden of the Gods 10 Mile (8 Jun) - First leg of the TCR
- Summer Roundup Trail 12K (6 July) OR Barr Trail Mountain Race (13 July) - Will asses this as it gets closer.
After the early July races, I'll spend the rest of the weekends on the mountain, hopefully above tree line.
winter series iv
Last race to close out the PPRR Winter Series and I was not excited about it. I just got back from England late Thursday night and still felt a little jetlagged before the race. The course was icy thanks to a little snow that fell early Saturday morning and a few people managed to hit the ground in the first couple miles before it started thawing out. Also unwelcome were all the hills on this couse. I haven't really done much in the way of extended hill training thus far while building a base. I charged up the first hill and had to walk at the top as my calves were on fire and felt like they were close to locking up. This was just after the one mile mark and I knew this wouldn't end good.I walked a couple more hills and ran the flats and downhills before getting out into the northern end of the forest where we lost tree cover. It was extremely windy up there and I didn't feel like I was moving at all. I just kept moving and thankfully the last quarter mile or so was downhill. I cruised in with a dismal 1:18:07.
Cliff notes: jetlag sucks and it makes me run slower than my normal slow self.
winter series iii
Got up Saturday morning and headed up to the Monument area for the 3rd race of the Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series. The course went from Baptist Rd into Monument just past the Hwy 105 exit and back to Baptist Rd on the Santa Fe trail. The course was on a packed dirt trail and gained 200 or so feet in elevation on the way out. It was pretty flat and there was little in the way of snow or water on the trail so it made for a comfortable run.
I went snowboarding on Friday and was still a little sore in my left hip area and both of my calves were feeling tight. I wasn't sure how they would hold up to 5 miles of running. I got a number and ran up the trail about a quarter mile and back to warm up. I went out pretty slow and felt ok. I carried a water bottle so I wouldn't have to stop to take a drink at the turnaround and could take a sip as needed on the course. I had completely forgotten about any nagging pain in my calves or shins by the time I hit the turnaround and decided to pick it up for the way home. I was picking off runners at a pretty good clip on the way back. For some reason (mental mostly), that last mile seems to take forever and I never feel like I have gas in the tank when I pass that final marker. I felt like I slowed down a little during the last mile but found a kick for the finish as some of the runners I had passed earlier were making a push at the line.
I finished at 54:28. I was pretty pleased with that time. Still under 11 minute miles and I was able to run the entire distance. I fought back a side stitch a couple of times but it never got so bad that some controlled breathing for a few minutes couldn't put it in check. Next up is a 10K on Feb 23. I'll have to make some kind of effort to run during the week leading up to the race while I'm touring around London for work.
I went snowboarding on Friday and was still a little sore in my left hip area and both of my calves were feeling tight. I wasn't sure how they would hold up to 5 miles of running. I got a number and ran up the trail about a quarter mile and back to warm up. I went out pretty slow and felt ok. I carried a water bottle so I wouldn't have to stop to take a drink at the turnaround and could take a sip as needed on the course. I had completely forgotten about any nagging pain in my calves or shins by the time I hit the turnaround and decided to pick it up for the way home. I was picking off runners at a pretty good clip on the way back. For some reason (mental mostly), that last mile seems to take forever and I never feel like I have gas in the tank when I pass that final marker. I felt like I slowed down a little during the last mile but found a kick for the finish as some of the runners I had passed earlier were making a push at the line.
I finished at 54:28. I was pretty pleased with that time. Still under 11 minute miles and I was able to run the entire distance. I fought back a side stitch a couple of times but it never got so bad that some controlled breathing for a few minutes couldn't put it in check. Next up is a 10K on Feb 23. I'll have to make some kind of effort to run during the week leading up to the race while I'm touring around London for work.
winter series ii
Another weekend, another race. Luckily, the weather was much better than the previous two winter races. At the start, the temp was probably upwards of 40 degrees. The course was down on the south end of town and snow usually doesn't last long down there. The second race in the series was a 4 miler.
I had planned on wearing shorts during the race and threw some wind pants over them on my way out the door. When we got to the start, the wind was whipping across the sports fields pretty good and it wasn't pleasant. I thought I might just leave the pants on. However, once I made my way to the line, the huddled mass of runners provided a nice wind block and I shed my pants. The course was fairly flat headed north on the Pikes Peak Greenway trail. There were a few sections with some icy patches but the majority of the course was a nicely groomed dirt or concrete trail. I felt pretty good as I made the turn and walked a few steps to get some water down. I was able to run the entire course, save for a few steps trying to drink water at the turn. At the 3 mile mark, I started to feel some tightness in my knee and generally worn down. However, I kept moving. As I came off the creek and back into the sports fields, I wasn't sure what my time was. The girl who had paced me during mile 3 had blown by me in mile 4 and was no longer in sight.
I made it to the line in 42:49. It took me a few minutes to realize that it was faster than I had ran a 5K two weeks before. It then dawned on me that had I just run a 5K I probably would have beat my best time by at least two minutes. I was pretty stoked with my performance and I am definitely looking forward to the 5 mile race two weeks from now.
I had planned on wearing shorts during the race and threw some wind pants over them on my way out the door. When we got to the start, the wind was whipping across the sports fields pretty good and it wasn't pleasant. I thought I might just leave the pants on. However, once I made my way to the line, the huddled mass of runners provided a nice wind block and I shed my pants. The course was fairly flat headed north on the Pikes Peak Greenway trail. There were a few sections with some icy patches but the majority of the course was a nicely groomed dirt or concrete trail. I felt pretty good as I made the turn and walked a few steps to get some water down. I was able to run the entire course, save for a few steps trying to drink water at the turn. At the 3 mile mark, I started to feel some tightness in my knee and generally worn down. However, I kept moving. As I came off the creek and back into the sports fields, I wasn't sure what my time was. The girl who had paced me during mile 3 had blown by me in mile 4 and was no longer in sight.
I made it to the line in 42:49. It took me a few minutes to realize that it was faster than I had ran a 5K two weeks before. It then dawned on me that had I just run a 5K I probably would have beat my best time by at least two minutes. I was pretty stoked with my performance and I am definitely looking forward to the 5 mile race two weeks from now.
pikes peak roadrunners winter series
After running a race up in the Denver Winter Series, we learned that the Pikes Peak Roadrunners would also be hosting a winter series of their own. It was a no-brainer to sign up for it. It was a) cheaper, b) closer to home, and c) 4 races instead of 3. The first race was a 5K in Fox Run Park in the trees just south of Monument. Monument gets more snow than the Springs and because it is up in the trees, it stays on the ground much longer. I grabbed my new Yaktrax and headed out the door a couple Saturdays ago.
Josh and I arrived at the park about an hour before race time but we still needed to sign up. They parked us on the edge of the forest and it was nice out in the sun. The starting line, however, was about a quarter mile away in the trees. We made our way up to the start and got signed up. I hung out in the small area where there were no trees to block the sun and tried to warm up. I think somebody said it was 18 degrees at the start.
There wasn't much room to manage the crowd that had showed up for the race and I think there were still a few people signing up when they started us. We ran the quarter mile back towards the parking lot before turning into the trees. Once in the trees, the snow was pretty deep and the hills were difficult to climb. It was also hard to pass since there was a narrow track of packed snow and attempts to pass would result in post-holing in the fresh snow to the side of the trail.
I finally made it around the course in 44:08. I was pretty disappointed in the time but with the conditions out on the course, I didn't take it too hard. Two weeks until the next race so I was looking forward to a little redemption.
Josh and I arrived at the park about an hour before race time but we still needed to sign up. They parked us on the edge of the forest and it was nice out in the sun. The starting line, however, was about a quarter mile away in the trees. We made our way up to the start and got signed up. I hung out in the small area where there were no trees to block the sun and tried to warm up. I think somebody said it was 18 degrees at the start.There wasn't much room to manage the crowd that had showed up for the race and I think there were still a few people signing up when they started us. We ran the quarter mile back towards the parking lot before turning into the trees. Once in the trees, the snow was pretty deep and the hills were difficult to climb. It was also hard to pass since there was a narrow track of packed snow and attempts to pass would result in post-holing in the fresh snow to the side of the trail.
I finally made it around the course in 44:08. I was pretty disappointed in the time but with the conditions out on the course, I didn't take it too hard. Two weeks until the next race so I was looking forward to a little redemption.
rudolph's revenge
Part of the Denver Winter Distance Series, we headed up to Chatfield Reservoir on December 15 to run the first of the jaunts through the snow. There was a pretty nasty winter storm that had blown through the front range the week of the first race so that made for some chilly and slick conditions. At the start of the race the temperature was somewhere around 12 degrees. The sky was clear and the sun felt awesome beating down on the course. Luckily, there was no wind blowing so it wasn't terribly uncomfortable.Once the race began, it didn't take long for me to get a side stictch breathing in the crisp cold air. I was able to run through it but it wasn't fun. The first half of the race was on a road that had been plowed to leave a thin layer of icy snow. It wasn't too slick and made for a pretty easy run. At the turn around, where they forgot to put out water, we moved onto a bike trail. The bike trail wasn't exactly groomed and also featured a lot more hills than the road out did. Up the hills proved difficult trying to propel yourself forward at the same time sinking in a few inches of snow. The last stretch moved back on to the road and I crossed the finish line at 37:33. Nothing to write home about but it was the first race I had run since the Ascent.
ascent in review
Cliff notes: I finished!
What a wild ride it has been. Friday evening I made my way over to Manitou to pick up my packet and check out the expo. They slapped a bracelet on me, new this year to curb bib swapping, and I dug through my bag full of goodies. I tooled around the expo for a few minutes, grabbed a few samples, a new pair of running gloves, and then headed over to the massage chairs. My hamstrings had been sore most of the week leading up to the race after working in the yard the previous Sunday. They weren't exactly set up to handle any leg therapy, but the lady running the show worked on my hammies for a few minutes. I then turned around and got a quick shoulder and back rub to take the edge off a little bit. Nerves were definitely starting to kick in. Most of the day Friday I was extremely anxious.
After the massage, Josh, Jill, and I headed over to meet Michelle at Olive Garden for a meal of carb filled goodness. We broke from dinner about 8:30 and planned to meet up with them again tomorrow morning at 6:15 and head over to Manitou. Michelle asked me if I wanted anything special for breakfast. I put in my requests and she said she would make it happen. I went home, packed up all my gear, popped a melatonin, and fell asleep around 10pm.
Saturday morning I woke up at 5am and started prepping for the long day ahead of me. I left the house around 5:35 and went to pick up Michelle. Being the sweetheart that she is, she provided me with two pieces of toasted blueberry muffin bread and a banana. I scarfed it down and made a quick stop at the store for some Gatorade and water.
We arrived at Josh and Jill's house around 6:15 and loaded up to head over to the starting line. Once in Manitou, the scene was a madhouse. They dropped us off and we headed to the expo area where we made last minute preparations. We heard the countdown and the gun go off for Wave 1 and all the cheers that accompanied the send off of the first group of runners. By that time, Michelle and Jill had managed to find a parking spot and hung out with us while we stretched and waited for the start of Wave 2. Not much time went by before we were standing in a huge pack about 20 yards from the banner hanging over Manitou Avenue and they were counting us down. We hung on the right side of the street so that Michelle could snap some pics as we came through the starting line. Apparently her camera died as we went by, but I wasn't about to stop for pics then.
I settled into a nice light jog down Manitou Avenue and rounded the corner onto Ruxton St. I got passed by a ton of people, but I wasn't worried about them. I still had almost 13 miles to go.... UP HILL! I slowed to a quick walk just before reaching Iron Springs Chateau. At Hydro St, I was two minutes ahead of the pace for a 5 hour Ascent. I didn't get too terribly excited since it was real early and Matt Carpenter's pace chart indicated that almost everyone is ahead of pace there anyway. As soon as I passed Hydro St, I looked up to see runners barely 50 yards ahead of me were way up on a hill. I had walked down this section once or twice, but never gone up it. It was pretty intimidating seeing a huge crowd headed up the path. There were still plenty of people passing me, mostly walking at this point, but I settled into a brisk walk and kept my heart rate steady. We hit the first aid station along the banks of Ruxton Creek and I grabbed a quick cup of water and dumped it into my bottle that was about half full of Gatorade. Just after the aid station, the course turns up a long switchback and then joins with Barr Trail proper and thus starts the "W's".
The "W's" proved to be a slow and arduous hike. Being near the back of the pack, there were times where we would all stop and wait for someone in front of us to step up on a rock ledge before the pack would start moving again. It was halfway up the first switchback that another friend of mine, Mark, passed me on the left. I had only learned a week prior that he was in the race and it was cool actually running into him. He was moving along at a good pace and eventually made his way out of traffic and I wouldn't see him again for a while. I made my way up to the second aid station at the incline bailout, grabbed a cup of water to drink, and dumped some more into my Gatorade bottle to water it down a little more. The Gatorade at the aid stations was extremely watered down, but still proved to be too strong to drink in huge quantities unless I watered it down some more. I hit my lap button to split time again. I would later find out that I was splitting at all the wrong spots on the bottom half of the course and my splits against the pace calculator were essentially worthless. I did know my target to get to Barr Camp, however.
I had passed a few people going up the "W's" and also got passed by some others coming up from the back. I slowed way down at one point to work out a side stitch and was then able to resume a steady pace. I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to be at the rock arch in about an hour and twenty minutes, but I think it was closer to 1:45 when I finally got there. The crowds really slowed me down and took me out of my race at that point. Not to worry, I could make up some time in the flats above No Name Creek.
I pulled into No Name and grabbed a couple cups of water. It was actually cold at this station and was quite refreshing. I popped down another GU pack and headed up. It wasn't long after No Name that I ran into my buddy Mark again. He was stopped, hanging onto a tree, and sucking on his Camelbak for all that it was worth. He filed in behind me and we chatted for a few minutes about how miserable this race was going to be. After we reached the top of the last couple switchbacks, I looked back and he was gone. Sadly, I didn't see his name on the finisher list and hope he was OK.
Once I reached the flats, I started walking pretty quickly. I kept thinking to myself that this was the spot I was going to make up time, but nobody else seemed to be in a big hurry. I settled in for the long walk and follwed the herd up to Barr Camp. The "longest half mile" didn't seem quite as long that day and I was at Barr Camp before too long. I checked my watch and I was 15 minutes behind my goal. Oops! I grabbed some more water, and had the awesome volunteers top of my water and watery Gatorade bottles. I quickly started moving again because I started getting worried about the new cutoff time at the A-Frame.
The stretch between Barr Camp and A-Frame was a section of the trail that I hadn't been on since July of 2006. I remember it being a particularly nasty haul and wasn't looking forward to it. I followed up a nice lady from Florissant and we spent about 20 or so minutes chatting as we walked up. She pulled off to the side about halfway between the two landmarks and I never saw her again. I asked a few people behind me if they would like to pass and they said my pace was good and we talked for a while. They came from Witchita, KS and I told them what to expect above treeline. At some point, they pulled off to take a break and I passed a few more people. I had a particularly chatty group of girls behind me that reminded everyone within earshot that we were "almost to A-Frame" at the end of every switchback. This went on for a few switchbacks and I jokingly suggested to them that they couldn't give us any more reminders until we were at A-Frame. I guess they got the hint because I didn't hear that phrase uttered again until we saw the balloons at the aid station.
At A-Frame, I was about 4 hours into the race. I was no longer worried about time, but I was concerned with cramps. I had felt a few twinges set into my calves as I stepped up on some of the rock ledges between Barr Camp and A-Frame. Having to water down the Gatorade to make it drinkable, it wasn't having much of an effect with regards to replenishing electrolytes. I yanked out my water bottle, had it topped off, and drank two more cups while I stood around for a couple minutes. I had to move off the rock I was standing on since I was using my calves to support me and they were screaming. I needed some salt in me fast. I grabbed a few pieces of pretzels and toast chips from the pub mix bowl and popped them in my mouth. I couldn't even chew them because my mouth was so dry so I spit it out. I asked the guy peddling "margaritas" to fill up my other bottle and he obliged. Once again, more watered down Gatorade. As a last ditch effort, I grabbed a handful of Mike and Ike candies and a few grapes and headed up the trail past treeline. The candies and grapes hit the spot. I washed them down with another GU and started working on the Gatorade. I ended up behind a lady from KS and while she was a little reluctant to chat (she probably couldn't breathe up there), I did manage to get her to talk a few times. She finished not far behind me. Right as I started the 1st mile above the trees, I could hear the announcer on the summit and the cheers as people crossed the line. I don't know what came over me, but there I was fighting back tears. I took a couple deep breaths and told myself that was going to have to wait.
As we got into the second mile above the trees, I was feeling pretty good. I was still pacing the lady from Kansas and there was another lady in front of her. We stuck together for a good while and passed quite a few people walking slower or stopped on a rock while traversing over to the Cirque. The final aid station was just before the Cirque. There was a guy before the water buckets with a bag full of grapes barking "I've got grapes if you like!" I raised my hand and yelled "I LIKE!" and he rewarded me with a handful of red grapes. I also grabbed a cup of water and left my bottles in my pack. They had plenty to get me up that last mile. Just as I exited the "trash zone" of the aid station somebody in front yelled "Boulder coming down!" I look up and another guy on a switchback just above repeated the warning. I spotted the boulder and stopped dead in my tracks. It looked as if it would roll across the trail a good 10 or 15 feet in front of me. At the last second it bounced off another rock and headed right at me. I crouched and did my best Reggie Bush impression to juke the boulder. I'm not sure if it went in front of me, behind me, or right under me, but I jumped up just as it crossed the trail. I remember hearing a couple of "nice jumps!" from behind me. What I remember more is the fact that my calves felt like they had tied themselves in a know when I hit the ground. I yelled in pain and let an expletive or two fly. The group behind me asked if I was OK. I did a couple of lunges on each leg and put my heels on the ground to stretch my calves. It only took a few strides before they untied themselves and my calves were working again. Disaster narrowly averted!
As I passed the Cirque overlook, search and rescue had a poor soul wrapped up in a blanket and were administering oxygen. I hope he was able to get off the mountain safely. The S&R crew was top notch and they were running all over the place above treeline to attend to distressed runners. At this point, I ate my final GU pack and prepared to take it home. The nice lady from Kansas was still with me and asked if I wanted to pass. I declined the offer and told her I would let her know when I was ready. Her pace quickly slowed considerably, and I gasped out a "ok, here i come on your left" and she moved over and I had nobody in front of me for a while. I caught and passed a few more people before the 16 Golden Stairs. Once there I was slowed by a few folks, but they quickly yielded after getting up a couple of the stairs. Once I hit the last small (maybe 20 yards) of downhill, I could audibly discern voices in the crowd. I heard a couple of "Go JAY" chants from the crowd and looked up to see if I could recognize anyone. I couldn't and assumed they were yelling for someone else. A few more switchbacks and I could see the banner over the finish line and I heard the chants again. I looked up and saw Michelle, Josh, and Jill and I raised my arms over my head in acknowledgement. Once again emotion took hold and I was fighting back tears in an effort not to hyperventilate before I finished the race. "Deep breath, almost there." As I made the final turn, the announcer called out my name and bib number and my cheering section erupted. It didn't go unnoticed as the announcer call them out too. A spectator on the rocks encourage me to finish strong and I gave him five as I went by. I jogged up the final straight and through the line. I was immediately handed a finisher medal and my tag was torn from my bib.
There were still a couple of switchbacks and about 30 yards of trail to get to the actual summit. I stopped and waited and no less than 5 people asked me if I was OK. I was fine... completely worn out, but fine. I waited for my cheering section to come up but they couldn't get to me fast enough. I walked up to the old rail stop on the summit and grabbed a water at the table. I slammed it and turned around to see Michelle standing there. I reached for her and while she was exclaiming that she really didn't want to hug me, I bear hugged her and broke into tears. I held her for a couple minutes and once all the sap was done, I realized that I had made it!
All the training and hard work had finally amounted to something and all the emotion came pouring out. I was as giddy as ever and couldn't wait to start sharing race stories with whomever would listen. I went to the tent to retrieve my finisher jacket and posed for a couple of pics. Josh and I shared a few stories while the girls made a final pit stop before we caught the shuttle down.
My final time was 5:42:50. I really wanted to be under 5:30, but there is always next year. We returned to Manitou, I got an awesome massage at the expo and I headed home for a much needed shower. We got back together Saturday night for pizza, beers, and plenty of war stories.
Now, two days removed from the race, I'm left wanting. The rush that I enjoyed after finishing is something that cannot be put into words. Those that know me as a pretty laid back dude can probably understand how much it takes to get me worked up as much as this race did. I can't wait to get back over to Manitou and do the incline again. I've started looking for trail races out of state to start preparing for. I don't want to stop now. I think this bug has just bitten and now it looks to sink its teeth in a little farther.
After I recover a little more, I'm going to get right back on my horse and start training for something. I don't know what yet, but I want to destroy that 5:30 mark in the Ascent next year. I'll need something to train for in the interim if the winter here is anything like it was last year.
Stay tuned... I have no idea what to expect next!
What a wild ride it has been. Friday evening I made my way over to Manitou to pick up my packet and check out the expo. They slapped a bracelet on me, new this year to curb bib swapping, and I dug through my bag full of goodies. I tooled around the expo for a few minutes, grabbed a few samples, a new pair of running gloves, and then headed over to the massage chairs. My hamstrings had been sore most of the week leading up to the race after working in the yard the previous Sunday. They weren't exactly set up to handle any leg therapy, but the lady running the show worked on my hammies for a few minutes. I then turned around and got a quick shoulder and back rub to take the edge off a little bit. Nerves were definitely starting to kick in. Most of the day Friday I was extremely anxious.
After the massage, Josh, Jill, and I headed over to meet Michelle at Olive Garden for a meal of carb filled goodness. We broke from dinner about 8:30 and planned to meet up with them again tomorrow morning at 6:15 and head over to Manitou. Michelle asked me if I wanted anything special for breakfast. I put in my requests and she said she would make it happen. I went home, packed up all my gear, popped a melatonin, and fell asleep around 10pm.
Saturday morning I woke up at 5am and started prepping for the long day ahead of me. I left the house around 5:35 and went to pick up Michelle. Being the sweetheart that she is, she provided me with two pieces of toasted blueberry muffin bread and a banana. I scarfed it down and made a quick stop at the store for some Gatorade and water.
We arrived at Josh and Jill's house around 6:15 and loaded up to head over to the starting line. Once in Manitou, the scene was a madhouse. They dropped us off and we headed to the expo area where we made last minute preparations. We heard the countdown and the gun go off for Wave 1 and all the cheers that accompanied the send off of the first group of runners. By that time, Michelle and Jill had managed to find a parking spot and hung out with us while we stretched and waited for the start of Wave 2. Not much time went by before we were standing in a huge pack about 20 yards from the banner hanging over Manitou Avenue and they were counting us down. We hung on the right side of the street so that Michelle could snap some pics as we came through the starting line. Apparently her camera died as we went by, but I wasn't about to stop for pics then.
I settled into a nice light jog down Manitou Avenue and rounded the corner onto Ruxton St. I got passed by a ton of people, but I wasn't worried about them. I still had almost 13 miles to go.... UP HILL! I slowed to a quick walk just before reaching Iron Springs Chateau. At Hydro St, I was two minutes ahead of the pace for a 5 hour Ascent. I didn't get too terribly excited since it was real early and Matt Carpenter's pace chart indicated that almost everyone is ahead of pace there anyway. As soon as I passed Hydro St, I looked up to see runners barely 50 yards ahead of me were way up on a hill. I had walked down this section once or twice, but never gone up it. It was pretty intimidating seeing a huge crowd headed up the path. There were still plenty of people passing me, mostly walking at this point, but I settled into a brisk walk and kept my heart rate steady. We hit the first aid station along the banks of Ruxton Creek and I grabbed a quick cup of water and dumped it into my bottle that was about half full of Gatorade. Just after the aid station, the course turns up a long switchback and then joins with Barr Trail proper and thus starts the "W's".
The "W's" proved to be a slow and arduous hike. Being near the back of the pack, there were times where we would all stop and wait for someone in front of us to step up on a rock ledge before the pack would start moving again. It was halfway up the first switchback that another friend of mine, Mark, passed me on the left. I had only learned a week prior that he was in the race and it was cool actually running into him. He was moving along at a good pace and eventually made his way out of traffic and I wouldn't see him again for a while. I made my way up to the second aid station at the incline bailout, grabbed a cup of water to drink, and dumped some more into my Gatorade bottle to water it down a little more. The Gatorade at the aid stations was extremely watered down, but still proved to be too strong to drink in huge quantities unless I watered it down some more. I hit my lap button to split time again. I would later find out that I was splitting at all the wrong spots on the bottom half of the course and my splits against the pace calculator were essentially worthless. I did know my target to get to Barr Camp, however.
I had passed a few people going up the "W's" and also got passed by some others coming up from the back. I slowed way down at one point to work out a side stitch and was then able to resume a steady pace. I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to be at the rock arch in about an hour and twenty minutes, but I think it was closer to 1:45 when I finally got there. The crowds really slowed me down and took me out of my race at that point. Not to worry, I could make up some time in the flats above No Name Creek.
I pulled into No Name and grabbed a couple cups of water. It was actually cold at this station and was quite refreshing. I popped down another GU pack and headed up. It wasn't long after No Name that I ran into my buddy Mark again. He was stopped, hanging onto a tree, and sucking on his Camelbak for all that it was worth. He filed in behind me and we chatted for a few minutes about how miserable this race was going to be. After we reached the top of the last couple switchbacks, I looked back and he was gone. Sadly, I didn't see his name on the finisher list and hope he was OK.
Once I reached the flats, I started walking pretty quickly. I kept thinking to myself that this was the spot I was going to make up time, but nobody else seemed to be in a big hurry. I settled in for the long walk and follwed the herd up to Barr Camp. The "longest half mile" didn't seem quite as long that day and I was at Barr Camp before too long. I checked my watch and I was 15 minutes behind my goal. Oops! I grabbed some more water, and had the awesome volunteers top of my water and watery Gatorade bottles. I quickly started moving again because I started getting worried about the new cutoff time at the A-Frame.
The stretch between Barr Camp and A-Frame was a section of the trail that I hadn't been on since July of 2006. I remember it being a particularly nasty haul and wasn't looking forward to it. I followed up a nice lady from Florissant and we spent about 20 or so minutes chatting as we walked up. She pulled off to the side about halfway between the two landmarks and I never saw her again. I asked a few people behind me if they would like to pass and they said my pace was good and we talked for a while. They came from Witchita, KS and I told them what to expect above treeline. At some point, they pulled off to take a break and I passed a few more people. I had a particularly chatty group of girls behind me that reminded everyone within earshot that we were "almost to A-Frame" at the end of every switchback. This went on for a few switchbacks and I jokingly suggested to them that they couldn't give us any more reminders until we were at A-Frame. I guess they got the hint because I didn't hear that phrase uttered again until we saw the balloons at the aid station.
At A-Frame, I was about 4 hours into the race. I was no longer worried about time, but I was concerned with cramps. I had felt a few twinges set into my calves as I stepped up on some of the rock ledges between Barr Camp and A-Frame. Having to water down the Gatorade to make it drinkable, it wasn't having much of an effect with regards to replenishing electrolytes. I yanked out my water bottle, had it topped off, and drank two more cups while I stood around for a couple minutes. I had to move off the rock I was standing on since I was using my calves to support me and they were screaming. I needed some salt in me fast. I grabbed a few pieces of pretzels and toast chips from the pub mix bowl and popped them in my mouth. I couldn't even chew them because my mouth was so dry so I spit it out. I asked the guy peddling "margaritas" to fill up my other bottle and he obliged. Once again, more watered down Gatorade. As a last ditch effort, I grabbed a handful of Mike and Ike candies and a few grapes and headed up the trail past treeline. The candies and grapes hit the spot. I washed them down with another GU and started working on the Gatorade. I ended up behind a lady from KS and while she was a little reluctant to chat (she probably couldn't breathe up there), I did manage to get her to talk a few times. She finished not far behind me. Right as I started the 1st mile above the trees, I could hear the announcer on the summit and the cheers as people crossed the line. I don't know what came over me, but there I was fighting back tears. I took a couple deep breaths and told myself that was going to have to wait.
As we got into the second mile above the trees, I was feeling pretty good. I was still pacing the lady from Kansas and there was another lady in front of her. We stuck together for a good while and passed quite a few people walking slower or stopped on a rock while traversing over to the Cirque. The final aid station was just before the Cirque. There was a guy before the water buckets with a bag full of grapes barking "I've got grapes if you like!" I raised my hand and yelled "I LIKE!" and he rewarded me with a handful of red grapes. I also grabbed a cup of water and left my bottles in my pack. They had plenty to get me up that last mile. Just as I exited the "trash zone" of the aid station somebody in front yelled "Boulder coming down!" I look up and another guy on a switchback just above repeated the warning. I spotted the boulder and stopped dead in my tracks. It looked as if it would roll across the trail a good 10 or 15 feet in front of me. At the last second it bounced off another rock and headed right at me. I crouched and did my best Reggie Bush impression to juke the boulder. I'm not sure if it went in front of me, behind me, or right under me, but I jumped up just as it crossed the trail. I remember hearing a couple of "nice jumps!" from behind me. What I remember more is the fact that my calves felt like they had tied themselves in a know when I hit the ground. I yelled in pain and let an expletive or two fly. The group behind me asked if I was OK. I did a couple of lunges on each leg and put my heels on the ground to stretch my calves. It only took a few strides before they untied themselves and my calves were working again. Disaster narrowly averted!
As I passed the Cirque overlook, search and rescue had a poor soul wrapped up in a blanket and were administering oxygen. I hope he was able to get off the mountain safely. The S&R crew was top notch and they were running all over the place above treeline to attend to distressed runners. At this point, I ate my final GU pack and prepared to take it home. The nice lady from Kansas was still with me and asked if I wanted to pass. I declined the offer and told her I would let her know when I was ready. Her pace quickly slowed considerably, and I gasped out a "ok, here i come on your left" and she moved over and I had nobody in front of me for a while. I caught and passed a few more people before the 16 Golden Stairs. Once there I was slowed by a few folks, but they quickly yielded after getting up a couple of the stairs. Once I hit the last small (maybe 20 yards) of downhill, I could audibly discern voices in the crowd. I heard a couple of "Go JAY" chants from the crowd and looked up to see if I could recognize anyone. I couldn't and assumed they were yelling for someone else. A few more switchbacks and I could see the banner over the finish line and I heard the chants again. I looked up and saw Michelle, Josh, and Jill and I raised my arms over my head in acknowledgement. Once again emotion took hold and I was fighting back tears in an effort not to hyperventilate before I finished the race. "Deep breath, almost there." As I made the final turn, the announcer called out my name and bib number and my cheering section erupted. It didn't go unnoticed as the announcer call them out too. A spectator on the rocks encourage me to finish strong and I gave him five as I went by. I jogged up the final straight and through the line. I was immediately handed a finisher medal and my tag was torn from my bib.There were still a couple of switchbacks and about 30 yards of trail to get to the actual summit. I stopped and waited and no less than 5 people asked me if I was OK. I was fine... completely worn out, but fine. I waited for my cheering section to come up but they couldn't get to me fast enough. I walked up to the old rail stop on the summit and grabbed a water at the table. I slammed it and turned around to see Michelle standing there. I reached for her and while she was exclaiming that she really didn't want to hug me, I bear hugged her and broke into tears. I held her for a couple minutes and once all the sap was done, I realized that I had made it!All the training and hard work had finally amounted to something and all the emotion came pouring out. I was as giddy as ever and couldn't wait to start sharing race stories with whomever would listen. I went to the tent to retrieve my finisher jacket and posed for a couple of pics. Josh and I shared a few stories while the girls made a final pit stop before we caught the shuttle down.My final time was 5:42:50. I really wanted to be under 5:30, but there is always next year. We returned to Manitou, I got an awesome massage at the expo and I headed home for a much needed shower. We got back together Saturday night for pizza, beers, and plenty of war stories.
Now, two days removed from the race, I'm left wanting. The rush that I enjoyed after finishing is something that cannot be put into words. Those that know me as a pretty laid back dude can probably understand how much it takes to get me worked up as much as this race did. I can't wait to get back over to Manitou and do the incline again. I've started looking for trail races out of state to start preparing for. I don't want to stop now. I think this bug has just bitten and now it looks to sink its teeth in a little farther.
After I recover a little more, I'm going to get right back on my horse and start training for something. I don't know what yet, but I want to destroy that 5:30 mark in the Ascent next year. I'll need something to train for in the interim if the winter here is anything like it was last year.
Stay tuned... I have no idea what to expect next!
Sailin' Shoes 10K
I showed up and finished it. All in all it was a pretty good time. We started right at 7am on Tejon St. out in front of Poor Richard's. As we headed north, I could feel a slight cramp in my left calf and started to compensate for it. We were pretty close to the front of the pack and I went out a little too fast just being that close to the front. It didn't take long to slow down and get comfortable. I ran most of the first two miles worried about the calf cramp, but I couldn't feel it any longer after the 2 mile mark.
As we neared the 2.5 mile mark, the 5k folks peeled off and headed back the start/finish. At this point, it was a ghost town on the streets and there was considerable distance between the runners in front of me and behind me. It was rather enjoyable though being able to see a few people in front of me to pace or even reel in when they slowed down or I ran faster. I maintained a pretty average pace (for me) through most of the remainder and sucked down a PowerGel at the second water station for a little lift. We turned around up by Penrose Hospital headed back towards downtown. There was a quick pass through Monument Valley park and then back onto the streets with a nasty hill climb up Monument St. Once on top, it was over to Tejon and then down to start/finish. I crossed at 1:13:07. I ran the entire course, only stopping to walk while I quickly chugged a glass of water at each aid station. I still gotta learn how to drink and run I guess.
On day 2 after the race, I feel pretty good. I was expecting to be a little more sore, but the longer run/hikes on Ute Pass must be helping.
As we neared the 2.5 mile mark, the 5k folks peeled off and headed back the start/finish. At this point, it was a ghost town on the streets and there was considerable distance between the runners in front of me and behind me. It was rather enjoyable though being able to see a few people in front of me to pace or even reel in when they slowed down or I ran faster. I maintained a pretty average pace (for me) through most of the remainder and sucked down a PowerGel at the second water station for a little lift. We turned around up by Penrose Hospital headed back towards downtown. There was a quick pass through Monument Valley park and then back onto the streets with a nasty hill climb up Monument St. Once on top, it was over to Tejon and then down to start/finish. I crossed at 1:13:07. I ran the entire course, only stopping to walk while I quickly chugged a glass of water at each aid station. I still gotta learn how to drink and run I guess.
On day 2 after the race, I feel pretty good. I was expecting to be a little more sore, but the longer run/hikes on Ute Pass must be helping.
alex hoag run for sunshine
Fast forward another month and it was time for another 5k. Can you see a pattern here? I'm trying to run at least one a month leading up to the ascent. It helps to keep me on task instead of losing focus during the months between registration and the actual race. This race was a bit more flat than the race at UCCS. I had just gotten back from Vegas the week prior where I had done some not so kind things to my body (who needs sleep?), but was finally feeling back to 100% when May 12th rolled around. It was much warmer than last month's race. Temps were mid 60s at 8:30 when the race started. The course started at the entry to Skysox Stadium and headed south down Tutt Blvd. We crossed over N. Carefree, past Springs Ranch GC, and made the turn right around where Staples is. We headed back up Tutt to the stadium and entered the stadium on the first base foul line, ran around the warning track and finished in front of the third base dugout. That was a cool little touch. I crossed with a time of 37:13. No hills makes a big difference.
uccs bash the bluffs
I've finished a couple more 5K races since the last time I posted.
Back in April, I signed up for the UCCS Bash the Bluffs 5K. This was my first hill exposure and it sucked. It was an out and back course with a downhill out (wow, that was easy) and uphill back (are you kidding me?!). If you are familiar with the campus, it started by the UC, went up to the police station and then followed the road behind the campus all the way down past the new dorms and onto Stanton Rd to the edge of the housing development. From there it turned around and followed the same route back to the UC. It was barely above freezing when we started, but felt like it was about 65 when we were done. It wasn't. It took about a half hour hanging outside after the race before I could actually tell it was still 45 degrees outside. Anyway, I finished in 42:31. A little slower than the St Pat's race, but not bad for fighting hills the first time.
UCCS also had the coolest shirt that I've received by far. Most races give out cotton T's to participants. UCCS handed us "limited edition" polyester blend performance shirts. The kind that wick moisture away from your body whne your running. Nice! Last thing I needed was another T-shirt.
Back in April, I signed up for the UCCS Bash the Bluffs 5K. This was my first hill exposure and it sucked. It was an out and back course with a downhill out (wow, that was easy) and uphill back (are you kidding me?!). If you are familiar with the campus, it started by the UC, went up to the police station and then followed the road behind the campus all the way down past the new dorms and onto Stanton Rd to the edge of the housing development. From there it turned around and followed the same route back to the UC. It was barely above freezing when we started, but felt like it was about 65 when we were done. It wasn't. It took about a half hour hanging outside after the race before I could actually tell it was still 45 degrees outside. Anyway, I finished in 42:31. A little slower than the St Pat's race, but not bad for fighting hills the first time.
UCCS also had the coolest shirt that I've received by far. Most races give out cotton T's to participants. UCCS handed us "limited edition" polyester blend performance shirts. The kind that wick moisture away from your body whne your running. Nice! Last thing I needed was another T-shirt.
