Snowy running

I have been having a great time running. It has been freezing here!!! I get an hour or so in a day, with one to two longer runs each week. I get in about 50 miles a week right now, mostly easy base miles. I have been enjoying it and am beginning to feel some fitness under me. The runs are faster at the same effort, and the time on the legs gets easier each week. My achilles is still bothering me, and I cannot understand why. I am going to have to get that looked at prior to starting any speedwork. Work is going well, and the holidays are already upon us. Adrienne and I have hardly done anything for Xmas, but we are looking forward to spending it together! We are planning a nice rack of lamb dinner and then a nice breakfast for Xmas morning. We will spend New Year's with our good friends, the Dusebouts, up in the mountains. It is always fun hanging out with their family and snowboarding the day away. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year. I am looking forward to racing again next year.

So, I'm Lame

I have not posted in forever. I did not even look at the date, but it is close to forever. I have been rather busy! New job, promotion, and now working and looking forward to what is to come. I get up with my dog at 5:30 and go to Bear Creek and run with him in the freezing (below freezing) cold, while he looks back at me and scoffs because I am so so slow compared to his lean four-legged frame. Talk about motivation! My running has consisted of this and running at lunch 3-4 times a week. A lot of 30-45 min runs, pretty hard. I have had to back off the intensity a bit due to a rather sore achilles. I am not sure why it hurts, but it does not go away very easily. 20 miles tomorrow. Don't ask me why! The answer would most likely be, "I'm stupid!" I have been swimming around 3 times a week. There is a 25meter pool at my gym, and I was surprised to be swimming 1:25 100's a week in. I haven't swam for the better part of two years, so that was a nice surprise. Not blazing, but a good starting point! I am think I will do the Beaver Creek snow shoe series this winter and get on the track a few times next year. I am curious if I can bring back any of that old speed. It seems reasonable, but I know that I need to ease into more than I have in the past. We'll see! I will be better about posting, hopefully!

Cheers!

Goodness!

Well, a new job, a nice promotion about 3 weeks into it, and now settling in. I did get some running in throughout this transition, but not what I would have liked. I can still run a nice pace for 10miles, but decided to reform the schedule and see what I can do in 6miles. I am now doing around 6milers every day and running them how I feel. If I feel fast, I run fast. If I feel lazy, I run lazy. It reminds me of the beginnings of summer base miles, preparing for the upcoming cross country seasons. By the end of those times I could hold around 5:15-5:30 pace for 6miles. Throw in an occasional long run with some builds (but overall a slow pace), and I think that I can get back into it by winter. Do some snow shoe races, and then get on the track a couple times next year. I think it would be fun, but who knows. I will put the work in and see what comes out as a byproduct.

Other news:
The house is almost done!!! We put the floor down in the basement and the house is painted. I have to put some base down in the basement, and then finish the bar and bathroom down there. Upstairs is just about finished. It looks great!!! My wife and dog are awesome and I love them both very much. Other than that, just keeping things simple. I like it that way.

Back again soon!
Jason

Mr. Guinness says he love the birds!

Another great day out working on the birds. It was hot, but the pups were happy. Here are a couple pics.



A great point! He held his point so well for just using pigeons. We were proud parents.




Just another rough day for the mister. Hot but having a great time!

It's All Good

Well, a few changes in the past week or so. I have been teaching spin more than I would like, but I think I could hold some serious power out on the road now. Those classes are hard as hell! I recommend them to any cyclist or triathletes over the miserable CO winter months ;) Yesterday was an hour spin class and an hour run. The run was hard and my legs are still a bit out of sync. That is my own fault. I have been fully consumed by accounting. I take two full-term classes over a six week period. It is great to get through this accelerated program so quickly, but it is gnarly. Always reading, doing problems, HW and tests. It is a full-time job on its own. I was offered a new job as well. I have been trying to get my foot in the door at an oil and gas co. here in Denver. I finally have an opportunity, and I am taking it. I will be working at Anadarko in the Production department. I will let you know how that goes. Hopefully it will let me get some morning runs in (since I will no longer have to get up at 4:20am). That is one of the greatest parts of the whole deal. Damn 4:20am! We took Guinness out to work on birds this past weekend. I will post a couple of pics when I get home. He did great! It is amazing to watch the pups work and love what they are doing!

Hopefully more runs here this week. I have a brief respite from the grueling accounting schedule.

Guinness Says

Go Running. And get this hat off of me:)



Can we go yet, Dad? It almost fits.

Spinning, ponds, and adventures

I have started teaching spinning over here at the gym. I filled in one day for a guy that could not make it. Then, another instructor has a bum calf, so I got suckered into teaching four classes this week. I have not cycled for the better part of the last year. Spin is hard. We lay down some good work for an hour. I would recommend it to any cyclist or triathlete for a very good power workout. If it is hard to get on the trainer and put in some serious power, the spin class is a good place to get it. Running has been slow, but maintaining. In the past two weeks I have had two midterms, 7 quizzes, and a final. My accounting classes are edging on being overwhelming, but I have done fine with them. I am learning a lot and the accounting requirements for the CPA exam will be completed at the end of next semester.

Our basement was just textured and is now ready to paint. We bought the flooring to go in and will be finishing that over the next couple weeks. I will paint it all and then lay the flooring. It will be a nice place to hang out. I installed a pond this weekend. I will post some pics. It is complete with waterfall, and now FISH!!!! We love it! The little patches of Scottish moss will grow into a carpet of beautiful green. :) A little oasis after a long day of studying and work. I really want to try an adventure race, so I am contemplating jumping into the xstream adventure race in Vail. Hopefully I don't get long. It is a 12 hour race with Mt. biking, running, kayaking, and orienteering. I will give you an update on that soon!

Until then...

Steps?

Sorry about the delay. I guess I did not find much to write about at 30-40 miles/week. Joe and I decided that a proper build is the right decision, and I am enjoying short easy runs. I do not feel like I am doing a whole lot, but I know that with a proper build, I can get into training that I have not done in quite awhile. So, until then, it is easy runs and steps...

Steps?

Yep. Steps. Adrienne's office is having a competition and I was invited to play. There are teams of five and the team at the end of six weeks with the most amount of steps wins:) So, we thought that I was going to be on my own team, but I am not. And gratefully so. With this new build and the lack of miles, it would have been tough work to get in enough steps to beat five person teams. I will let you know how the competition goes. I just take the total from the podometer each day and enter them in. I love a good friendly competition.

I will update soon.

Time Off? I Still Don't Care For It

Well, after feeling a bit run-down, and my legs having constant aches and pains, I decided to take a bit of time. Something like two weeks, but I am not sure how long exactly. I have rarely taken time off in all my time competing (some 13 years), and I am still not a fan of it. BUT, it was nice to just relax, get more done on the house, and have a bit of extra energy for all the accounting I am taking. Yesterday was a six miler. The thing I dislike about time off is the way you feel when you return. I was so out of touch with running yesterday. Just not smooth and hurting a bit (for an easy run). The run was a flat 38min nice and easy. I know that by the end of the week I should be feeling back to normal, and my legs and body thanking me for the much needed rest. I really do miss the track, the speed, and the intensity of the mile or steeple. I am excited for the Olympics (probably the topic of many future blogs), and I look forward to building back up and getting going again. So, a blog of fairly unrelated thoughts for today. Back soon with the progress, and some fun races.

New Legs

Well, sorry for the delay. I have taken it easy since Mt. Falcon. Resting is nice sometimes (I have not rested much in all of my running career). I have been taking a crazy amount of accounting classes, and they take a lot of time. My legs just had some aches and pains, and I thought why not take a break. Now my legs feel brand new. I am sure it will all come back very qiuckly. I am going to start a slow build back up to the miles and keep the legs nice and healthy. With all the accounting and the CPA exam looming overhead, my coach and I thought, "let's just take it easy and pick out a couple races I can focus on." So, I am sure I will jump in a lot of the races on the schedule, but there will be a focus on some future race.

Anyway. More to come soon.

Mt. Falcon

So, I decided to do the Mt. Falcon race and see how it went. After a couple too many beers on Friday night, I woke up with the puppy at 5:45 on Saturday morning and said what the heck. I went and registered about an hour before the race and did a little warm-up. I was still a little bitter about the Teva Mt. Games and was looking to go out hard. So, that is what I did. I went out pretty hard, and had a nice little lead heading into the climb. There is about a quarter mile prior to starting the 2.5 mile steep climb. The race is 4 miles up and then back on down. So, I was a bit anaerobic heading into the climb after going out so hard. I settled into a nice pace and got ready for what was ahead of me. I hit the Turkey Trot junction in just under 13min and got to the top (gazebo) in just under 25min. I have run comparable times in training, but the race is non-stop, and there will be no recovery at the top. I reached the parking lot in just under 35min and it was time to prepare for the descent. I think the downhill in this race is more demanding than the uphill. It is steep and really takes a toll on the quads. I made the descent in about 22min and ran 57:12. They said it is a course record. That was a nice change from the previous week, but again I did not feel great. I will have to talk to Joe (my coach) and see what he thinks we should do. I have a nice base and obviously need some speed mixed into this whole thing. It is still very early in the season though.

On a different note, Adrienne and I tilled and planted our garden. Everyone out here plants on Mother's Day, but not us. We waited a month. I hope it all goes well. The garden in about 500 sq. ft. and has about 30 plants in it!!! I am very excited to see everything mature and eat from our own garden. We build a cute picket fence around it to keep the Guinness Monster out. I have been watering it everyday and there are already some peppers showing up. We planted some herbs in a half whiskey barrel, and those will be delicious as well. We are very excited!!! I am sure there will be more yard work this weekend, and some house cleaning. But the garden is delightful!

Kenya is Fast

I received a call from Andrea with Practical Coaching, an old triathlon sponsor, and she said that they had a Kenyan showing up to their track group on Tuesdays. She said he was fast and looking for someone to train with. So, with all my base work, no speed, and a good butt whoopin' behind me, I decided it was time to incorporate some speed. I went out to run on the track with Joseph Keino. The workout, 200, 400, 800, 1200, 800, 400, 200. 200 recovery for the 2 and 4, and 400 recovery for the 8's and 12. As it turns out, Keino has been training for the mile and 800. Great decision for a first track day:) So, off we go. 32 first 200 and my hamstrings felt like they were going to cramp immediately after I stopped. I have not done speed since somewhere around college. Next the 400 in the same pace, 64. Then I realized that not doing speed, and not working on the anaerobic threshold is not a good thing when it comes to hard 800's. The first came by in 2:25 and it was miserable (mostly because we came through the 400 in 65). I could not even make the 1200 because I was in so much oxygen debt and ran another 800 in 2:30. Finally, the last 800 in 2:28, and it hurt. I never knew that 5:00 pace could be so painful, but when you hit that anaerobic system, it can go quick. I feel great at 5:20 pace for a long time, but then just under 5:00 and it gets ugly quick. Well, we finished it up with a 400 in 65 and then a 200 in 28. That last one was a sprint right now, but I am sure that will come down quickly. Keino was a few seconds ahead from about half way on. I think that if I can focus on a little anaerobic, it will come back fast. It does make me miss the mile a lot.

It is a small world. Keino went to a college that was in my college's conference. He came in the year that I graduated and proceeded to break any records that I set. It was great to meet up with a guy that I wish came to school a couple years earlier. He is a strong runner and it will be fun to see how training with him progresses. Another crazy part about the workout is that the pain in my achilles and knee completely disappeared. I am not confident that it is going to stay that way, but it has been two days with no pain, and that is a nice thing right now. Hopefully I can stay pain free, and get some speed in my legs. That would be nice!

One Word...Humbling

That's right, humbling. I got my butt handed to me out there on Vail Mountain. I am not sure if I was just not feeling it, or if the altitude and hill actually killed me. I got off to a bad start, which is very rare. Coming from a mile background, starting has always been fast and easy. We hit the first hill and the whole field was slowed to a walk. OUCH! The walk hurt! Then down we go after about a mile climbing. A mile descending, and then almost 2 more miles up. I was just slow! I don't know why, but I could not get going. At the top of the hill I just said the heck with it and enjoyed the downhill and the remainder of the race. So, a bad race, but I did learn a lot. McGurk had a rough day as well, and he said they just happen in mountain racing. I am just not used to that happening running. I think it is time to add a bit of speed and some tempo runs. The flatness could be due to two easy weeks with no hills (due to the knee and achilles hurting). But, still.

So, back to training and I will see how I do over 14.5 miles up to 14,200'. That should be another interesting experience.

It is nice to have these humbling experiences, and I tend to embrace them a bit. They are a clear reminder of what is important and what needs to be done. So, until the next race. I am sure there are many better times to come.

Here Comes Teva

Well, Teva games are on there way and the race course has been released. I think all the runs up Mt. Falcon are going to pay off in a big way, but time will tell. I feel strong and I hope that is the way I feel on race day. I am confident and that is the greatest thing. I was never too confident in triathlons, always growing but never seeing great results. I do love to run, I love to run UP, and I love to suffer. There is $1000 to the winner and then $750, $500, and $250 down in the other positions. I think I will go out with the leaders and then hopefully push the long second hill. I am hoping I can be competitive on the downhills. They are steep! I am sure it is going to be a great time. I will update after the race. My fitness is good though. Ran to the track yesterdays and hit five laps as: 95, 90, 85, 80, 75. It was nice and easy, and then I ran home. The legs are still a bit sore in the knee and achilles, but they are definitely raceable. Looking forward to Teva!!!

I Love My Dog

Well, Adrienne and I took Guinness out to Lake Cobb with some of the other dogs from his litter. They had a great time! Mel and Aaron (hunt trainers) brought Chuckar and the pups got to find and point them out in the field. Our little man did such a great job! He caught the scent of the first one and turned and pointed. It was awesome to see and such a great experience. Here are some pics of our little hunter. He is going to be a great running partner next year!

Pretty Colorado

Although CO is not CA, and there is not an ocean, it is quite beautiful here right now. Everything is green and it is in the 70s-80s. The creeks are getting high from the runoff, and it is pretty much a training paradise (save the missing ocean). I was able to get in 13 on Saturday with Steve Cavalli. I hit the hills harder on the way back and then took the downs and flats easy. We ran on Mesa Trail up in Boulder, and that trail is beautiful. Nice ups and downs, and through all the trees. Sunday I went out with McGurk and we did 14 in Roxborough State Park. It is beautiful there as well. We did a big loop that took us to a peak on the Colorado Trail, and then came back and did a small loop where we saw a fox and a herd of deer. Just after starting the run we came across a coiled up rattle snake. We threw sticks at it and it slithered off into the bushes quite angry. An easy week is ahead of me since it ends with the Teva Mountain Games (10k). I hear it is hard and I hope that I am ready to run well there. I feel good climbing and I hope that means I can race up the hills well. We will see. I do feel confident though. The race goes up and down different parts of Vail Mountain.

Adrienne and I took Guinness out to Cobb Lake this weekend and he got to point some birds (chuckar). He was great and made us so proud! He has been wonderful and it is great to have him in the house. I can not wait for him to grow up and become a great running partner. I still have a good amount of time prior to that, but it will be fun!

An easy week is just what the doctor ordered. Still some pain in the lower left leg, so hopefully that disappears. The base behind me is good, and I think it is time to remind myself of what suffering really is. To the pain!!!!

Ugh...

Adrienne and I ordered the UFC fight this weekend and it was awesome. We love the fighting! I would love to train for and fight in MMA. It is not going to happen, but I know that I would just love it.

Sometimes the miles gang up and basically ground and pound you! I feel so little motivation right now, and I assume I am just tired. I took an easy week and am back on it this week. Sticking with the analogy, I guess it is time to get to my feet and fight back, bloodied and all. Perseverance is the key to training! Perseverance through the tough times begets consistency, and it is consistency that begets great results. This is why running and training is such a great builder of character. You must not give up during the tough times. You must not answer when death comes knocking on the door. You must be resilient, hardened by the miles, the thoughts that fill your mind out on those long runs, the love of the sport, the disgust in failing. This hardening build character, and this character is shown under a bright light when the racing starts.

So, although I feel it would be more fun to go home and have a couple beers while watching the Lakers hopefully win game 4 tonight, I will run instead. After the run, of course, I will have a couple beers and watch the Lakers win. I think a couple flat runs will start the week off well, and then it is back to the hills so I can go and race up in Vail on June 8. I hear the race is quite difficult, so that should be a fun one. I don't mind suffering. I do think that is what brought me back to running. The suffering! The quiet pain that builds throughout the race, that turns into a scream, and a roar by the end. The silencing of it after a good race, and the haunting of it after a poor race. That might be all the motivation I need!

I guess sometimes you just need to write thoughts down to remind yourself of what you love the most about what you do. For me it is suffering. For you?

So, when you find yourself in that pergatorious place, jot down a few thoughts, stir hope and rejuvenation, and get back on that horse. I think the nice part is that everyone goes through it over and over again, it is just a thing that we like to go through alone. I don't know why!?

Santa Barbara

I love Santa Barbara! I think that Adrienne and I will end up there eventually. Hopefully sooner than later, but that will depend on what we can get together financially over the next bunch of years. Well, I was there for a wedding, which is not too conducive to racing great, but I think I did alright. We drove out and arrived on Wednesday after 10 hours from Green River, UT. We arrived at about 5:30 and I knew there was a race series down along the beach. We drove in, parked, and I registered for the Nite Moves 5k. Warmed up for a bit and was off. The first half of the race is uphill and I went out hard. The incline varies from about 3%-5% and I have been running my fair share of hills. Hit the mile in 5:00 and then finished up to the turn-around at 7:22. I decided to take it easy from then on. I came down nice and easy, thinking about Saturday's 10k, and ended up running right around 16:00. I will have to look up the exact time, but was happy to win.

Next up, after the bachelor's party and a nice rehearsal lunch, came the 10k. Nice warm-up and I was off. Took off and separated from the other guys. I was hoping to run around 30ish, but I did not have the speed for it. I have not done anything faster than 5:00/mi, and it showed up today. The race itself was not too difficult, but I found that I could not turn over any faster than I was. I ran even the whole race and that was a nice thing. I ran 33:28, which was a bit disappointing, but happy again to win. There have been some pretty good runners on this course before that ran around 33 and change, so that was encouraging. I am sure with speed work the time would have been dramatically faster, but I had to remind myself that I am not focusing on flat fast races. I ran fast uphill in the 5k and that is what I have been training for, UPHILL! So, a good week of racing and a great way to start the season. 33:23 off base is not great, but not bad. I am looking forward to racing the hills and seeing what I can hold out there.

Adrienne ran great as well. Her hamstring has been hurting her a bit (she tore it back in her soccer days), and it was really sore on race day. She ran awesome for her FIRST ever road race!!! 23:32! I was very proud of her. She got her first taste of the suffering that settles in toward the end of a race and I think she liked it (after it was over):) I thought it would be great if she ran under 23, and I am sure she would have if her hamstring was feeling better. She lost about 30sec on the way back. So, a great start to the season for her, and off no speed work. Very nice!

I will post some pics soon.

Jersey Pics.

I was drawing these pics today and thought they might be awesome on the front and back of my jersey for the season. Nothing says mountain running better than a mt. goat.

Coffee: Nectar of the Gods and Suffering

I just had a short exchanged with Judy (Guinness's Grandma/Breeder) about coffee. Man, I love the stuff. It got me thinking that I do not really write much about the stuff that I think about on my runs. I do think that one of my favorite things about running is the time you get to go out there and just contemplate. I could go 20miles and never run out of things to think about. Coffee is always a topic to ponder (especially on those days that my mouth is completely dry and gummy beacause I downed a pot or more of coffee prior to the run). The benefits, the drawbacks... I focus mostly on the benefits because it makes for a faster run:)

I guess I think more about philosophy, religion, politics, music, math (mostly calculus and lately accounting), and the vises of man. By the vises of man, I guess I mean the things that get in the way of living life to the fullest. Some would find that to be money, technology, work, etc., but I do not find that those things get in my way as much. I like to work, live comfortably, and follow the new innovations. To me, I think it is more of a mindset - the way I approach the world. I don't have to like everyone, agree with them, or fake that I do. I think that it is okay to disagree, not want to be around, or flat-out dislike some people and things. I think that the stress comes in when we try to fight this and think that the problem is within us. With all that said, I still believe that I would rather suffer than a person I dislike suffer. So, if I were on a run with a person that I dislike and a bear came to attack us, I would rather be the one getting swatted by his enormous paws than to see the person I dislike have to endure that pain and suffering. Likewise with situations more realistic (emotional suffering, physical suffering, etc.) The only suffering I would rather a person go through more than me is the kind you have to deal with in a race. Now, that is the beauty of running. Most runners like to suffer, but more than the love to suffer is the desire to make others feel that same pain in a greater amount. This is the refining pain. The kind we have all dealt with in a race that makes you realize what you are made of and what you can handle. The kind that makes the lesser things in life all but disappear. The kind that somehow finds the essense of who we are and refines it, race by race. Now, that's the kind of suffering I love. And, I would say, that is probably what I think about most often on long runs. It makes me smile:)

I will try and post my favorite topic of the week that ran through my head while running. Now that I am thinking about it, I think less when I am running uphill. It just hurts too much. Probably just thinking about suffering...

Where am I?

On Monday I thought I would go for a trail run. Why? I don't know. I was tired and hurting a bit from the Saturday morning run and a nice flat run along the creek would have been pretty good for the legs. Instead, I drive myself out to APEX and head on up. The nice thing about the run is that I took it easy and ran a bit under 29min up the Enchanted Forest, which I know is slow, but it was easy. Since it was easy, I decided to go against my better judgement and head on up to Lookout Mountain. I kept looking at maps and saying, well it will only be 9 miles or so. Once I got to the top of Lookout Mountain, I decided to go down to Chimney Gulch trail instead of turning around. Now, this is where the rationalizing should have ended, and turning around should have started. Nope! Down to the bottom of Lookout and now I am practically in Golden. I did not figure it being a pretty long way (how long, I do not know) back to APEX trail. My knee was completely locked up now from the downhill and my left achilles was killing me. I decided to B-Line it toward APEX, so I cut across the bottom of Lookout, through some back yards, across a couple gullies, onto a path, and voila, there was APEX and my beloved car! I think I was out 1:55, but only ran 1:25-1:30 of it. That is not a fun experience. I never seem to learn from them though.

The rest of the week has been a bit of rest and recovery. The knee was pretty inflamed and there is something up with my calf/achilles that I cannot find. I think that I will have to call up Andrea and see if she can find it. I am way over due for a massage anyway. I feel much better today and the kneee is finally coming back to normal. I was also due for a true easy week. So, I will keep myself from going too long this weekend, and get ready to race next weekend! I will get in a short tempo early in the week and that will do the trick. I have run nothing near 4:50 pace, but I think that is the goal for the day. I would not be disappointed at 5:00, but that is probably not where I will take it out. Until then, resting and getting the legs ready for a season that looks to be rather long...

*Oh yeah. I am thinking about entering in the Nine Trails race in Santa Barbara. 35miles, 10,500' gain. Right up my alley:)

Long Runs Can Be Long

Well, McGurk and I met up at Mt. Falcon parking lot at 8:30 Saturday morning. I had just run a 33:08 10k the afternoon before and was feeling it pretty bad. It was only a tempo, but at altitude, and not doing anything of the sort for a long time, my calves and quads were feeling a bit soggy. Luckily, McGurk was feeling a bit under the weather from a long week at work. We headed out, starting up Mt. Falcon and hit the pavilion at around 30min. Nice and easy, but feeling the legs much more than I did when I ran it in 25min. We just continued on to the parking lot (4 miles) where I used the bathroom and dispensed of the fatty BBQ and uncountable margaritas I had the previous night. Alright, now I can run:) We continued on and headed toward Parmalee Gulch Rd. where we started on the Lair O the Bear trail. 6.5miles along the tail and we were down to the parking lot. We were both feeling the legs a bit, but I was finally feeling a bit looser from the previous day's effort, and I knew it was mostly downhill now. I don't know why that sounds like a good thing. I hate, HATE! downhill. There is no better way to ruin a run than to add a long downhill. Down 5 or so miles, and then the final climb up to the parking lot at Mt. Falcon. I think the run is somewhere in the 19-20mile range. I will attempt to map it and put it under the post. I think the run would have been great in reverse, but it was a bit too much pounding for my liking. We were both hurtin' a bit after the run, but some stretching and a Chipotle burrito later, I was feeling alright. All in all, not too bad, but that hill down to Morrison made for a long day. Somewhere around 2:30...

Sunday was great! Adrienne and I woke up, made a German pancake, a cappuccino, cut up some strawberries, and sat out in the sun and enjoyed breakfast together. After that, we decided to go out for a run together. Adrienne had run 13 on Saturday (which was her longest run ever)!!!! and she was great. Up Waterton Canyon (up out, down back) to the dam. She averaged 9min pace for 13, which was amazing considering that she was running 10min pace for 4miles just six or so weeks ago!!! So, she was tired, and I was hurting a bit in the knee and right achilles due to the pounding from yesterday. We headed to Bear Creek with the thought that we would get in 5.5 along the creek. When we got the the turnaround, I told her that we should do 7 and do the 3 creek crossings:) She was all for it and we started trudging along the creek. Re ran 7 at about 9min pace and she did great. With soggy shoes and socks, we got our little puppy, Guinness, and iced in the creek. The legs were feeling much better after that, and we enjoyed a great day together.

This week will be pretty good. Some hard hills and maybe one tempo run. I have a race in two weeks, and I would like to have some speed for it, but I am resisting the urge to do repeats. The season is young, and being injury free is much better than the alternative. Miles and hard hills should do the trick. Finally, some beautiful days in Denver!

Just add 6.5 for the Lair O the Bear Trail. Yikes...

Snow...In May...Brrrr

Geeze! The heck with this. Talk about challenging the motivation. Snow on the first day of May, and worse yet, freezing. I might sound like I am complaining, and that is because I am! 80 degrees Wednesday, 40 Thursday? I came from where it was 75 every day! I do like the weather and the challenge of training all winter here, and the ability to snowshoe, 4x4, snowboard, and the such, but May should be a barrier. Heck, March should be the end of it all. I was amazed to see that College Triathlon Nationals has already come and gone, and people can't even swim outside here yet. I never thought about that before! At least you can run all year long, and I do love the snow. I just don't love it after an 80 degree day:)

This week has been pretty light, and that has been nice. 34:30 10k earlier in the week at a very reasonable effort! That is a great sign. Hopefully at sea level, I can push under 30min. I will have a big weekend and get some distance in the legs. One hard hill day and then probably one long easy hill day. Adrienne got through a good quarter mile workout at 7min pace! That was a good start to the speed, and she has a lot of potential to really run well this year.

So, enough complaining, I guess... I just have to hope for warmer weather, and no more freezes:) I'm too skinny for this weather.

Finch

MAN!

Hills, hills, hills. So, after coming down from the mountains and running Mt. Falcon, I headed out on Monday and took off up APEX trail. My legs were a bit spent. I climbed consistently getting to the top of the Enchanted Forest trail in around 28min. As I started descending, my legs were what I like to call, "Completely pissed off at me." After descending so hard the previous day down Mt. Falcon, all I felt were the knots that formed in my butt and IT bands. So, a nice easy descent down APEX trail, and stretching. I took it real easy Tuesday (3miles) and feel much better today. I will do a flat 6-7 today at lunch and put in some builds to keep my speed honest. Adrienne and I are going to run Mt. Falcon this afternoon, but that will be a nice trot for me and a good workout for her. Her running is really coming along and it is fun to watch her get excited about racing.

We will be heading up Mt. Evans this weekend, but I do not know how far we will be able to make it. The road will be covered in snow, but hopefully the wind has kept it hard packed and runnable. I am tempted to jump in a 5k downtown this weekend (Sunday), but I will have to see how I feel after Mt. Evans. Until next time!

Mountain Goats

Our anniversary weekend up in the mountains was great. Just a nice time to hang out and not worry about anything (except our puppy, Guinness). We ate a lot of good food, and ran a good amount as well. It was the first time that we have cooked a live lobster! He was pretty tasty, but probably a bit angry about becoming dinner. I will have to see how the crew did out in Florida this weekend at St. Anthony's Triathlon. Steve Pye's Practical Coaching group and Jordan Jones are all racing out there. Hope they did well!

While up in Edwards, I went out to see if I could get to New York Mountain on the West Lake Creek Trail. Well, there is still a lot of snow out there! I got up the trail about three miles and decided that falling into my knees over and over again really wasn't the best way to go for the day. I turned around and flew down the hill eating it every few minutes when my flailing legs found a soft spot and sunk in. After down the trail, I decided to put in a good mile up to the East Lake Creek Trail and see if the conditions were any better. A nice 6:30 uphill mile later and there I was. The conditions were not better, but I climbed to the top of the trail and called it good. Down I came and somewhere over an hour, I was done. The following day I headed out of the house and up the Mesquite Trail. This trail is STEEP and then connects to a fire road that takes me to the other side of the neighborhood at SingleTree. I am not sure how far it was, but I ran hard and felt good. A nice couple of days at altitude in the steep hills. That should be some good training for the upcoming season.

After we got back to Denver on Sunday, I decided it was a good time to hit up the 8mile Mt. Falcon run. Initially, I figured I would take it easy on the way up and see how I felt. I was running pretty easy and hit Turkey Trot at 13:30 so I thought, "What the heck, let's see how the 8mi turns out." I picked it up a bit, but found that my legs were pretty tired from the previous day's jaunts. I hit the Gazebo in a few ticks under 25min. I was pretty winded at this point, but continued on at a bit slower a pace toward the parking lot. I got to the parking lot in 35:00 even, and was feeling much better. I have been working on my downhilling so as not to get my butt kicked in the races this summer. I came back parking lot to parking lot in 23:30. So, 58:30 for the run, and that seems reasonable for a training day. I slowed it up a bit in the last mile or so, because that kind of pounding in training is really not a good idea. I am planning on doing that race in a month or so, so I will see what I can do then. I am pretty confident the whole thing can be done under 55:00, but that is cutting a good amount of time. I am looking forward to racing and it is coming soon! I will probably do Falcon again today, but nice and easy, and a bit longer (13ish). The hills are still a bit rough, but I think I will be a lot smoother by the start of the season.

A Slow Week...

Well, I decided to take a week a bit easier and gain some of the benefits from the work I have been putting in. My legs were getting tired all the time, and that is a good sign to just take is easy for a few days. The past couple days have only been around 3 miles each. I should get in a good double today and then something moderate for Thursday. It is Adrienne and my 3 year anniversary today. We are heading up to Edwards, CO for the weekend and we will leave tomorrow night. I am a very blessed man to be married to her! Her running is going great as well. A nice tempo the other day at around 7:45pace. Her first running race is coming up on the 17th of May.

I posted a schedule of races I expect to do this season. Hopefully I will get most of them in, and we will see how the whole trail racing scene goes for me. I am excited to get racing!!! I am sure I will still get in about 60-70 this week, but the past two days were graet for the legs! There are some other races that I would like to do, but I am not too keen on traveling very much this year for racing. Just stay local and have some fun racing all the guys here in CO and getting to know who is out there. No one knows me yet, so it is a nice way to come in. I will post after the weekend. I am excited to run up there, even though there is still a huge amount of snow.

Crazy Colorado!

It was 80 degrees two days ago, and yesterday it was snowing like crazy and 25. Now that is a bit crazy. My achilles is feeling much better and I am grateful that it was never sore itself, just tight. The knot in my calf was the problem, and I have been rolling that out and icing in the creek quite a bit. So, 16 in yesterday. I ran a tempo at lunch along Cherry Creek and the Platte River. Six miles in about 36 min, but it really was more of a comfortable pick up run. The first and last miles were slower, so I was moving alright in the middle. I think I am capable of racing my upcoming 10k in Santa Barbara around 5min pace. But, we will see. I have not done any speed work, just hills and some faster flat runs.

Training is going well though! I will probably get in about 75-80 this week with two really easy days (6, 8), just to make sure the leg was O.K.. I will be incorporating more hills on a daily basis, and that should get me ready for the trail racing season. I am looking forward to racing in the hills and I am feeling more and more confident about racing. It really has been awhile. Zeb, McGurk and I went out last evening in the snow and did APEX trail nice and easy. I was tired from a pretty long day of running and a tempo, but it really was just running as usual. My legs are tired today, but I think that in a couple of weeks with more hills, I will not notice them quite as much.

There is one world team slot open in Vail this summer. If I can win a 5 mile uphill race, I can get the slot to Switzerland. It is a goal, but I am not going to completely focus on it. If I can grab the slot, I will train specifically for Switzerland. Who knows really:)

I will put in a hill run today, and then get in something a bit easier for Friday. Saturday will be long and in the hills again, and then something moderate for Sunday. I will keep you updated.

Finch

A long weekend run, but it's all good

Well, the weekend was long, but a great run. It ended up being 19, and amazingly I felt strong and good the whole way through. It really helped with my confidence in my fitness and I feel great about where I am at with climbing. The climb was about nine miles long, and it seemed nice and easy the whole way. McGurk, Zeb, and I took the run on, and everyone did great. I think that I will be climbing quite well by the time races start up in June. My achilles was tight this morning, so I will have to watch that. Other than that, I am feeling great and am ready to put in some more miles this week. As long as the achilles stays loose, I should have a good week with some nice hills and long runs. If it is hurting, it is time to take a couple days off with some icing and massage. Time will tell. I am just happy to see that all this running is paying off big dividends and that I will most likely be ready to race at a high level.

More updates this week, but for now...SST/DST

Sleep? What for...

So, we have a new puppy and he is awesome! He was really sick the first day at our home so we had to go to the emergency Vet to get some fluids put in him and give him an anti nausea shot. Since then he has been much better, and is readily finding everything he can to chew on and pull off shelves, beds, and the like. Sleep has been a bit scarce over the past couple days, but Guinness is sleeping better at night now and Adrienne and I are catching up.

This is my week back to running and the beginning of a new build. I am not sure where this build will end up over the next 3-4 weeks. I did not get almost anything in on Monday, due to the Vet visit. Since then I have put in a solid hilly 14 up in Boulder, and a nice 9 along Bear Creek yesterday. This morning I got in 8 (6 on the treadmill) with some quarters and a half at 5:20 pace. I felt good and it was nice to stretch it out a bit. I did not do much at that speed, but I will probably bring it in every once in awhile to keep the legs peppy and ready to throw down if they have to. McGurk has an 18 miler planned for Sunday morning, which should be a challenge. I am looking forward to it though, and it will be nice to get out and go long again. So, without a Monday, the schedule I have looks like 79mi. I am going to have to cut some of those out because that is just too many being only six weeks in and off a rest week. maybe 70 or so would be more reasonable.

I will post a map of the run after we get through it. It is a nice run down a hill, along a creek and then back up, up, up. I am feeling strong but tired. Tuesday's 14 was pretty difficult, but the pace was faster than it should have been. I have been running mid 6's and for altitude and long runs, that really is pushing it a bit on the legs. The cardio is great right now, and I am hardly working, but the legs are still getting used to the miles. I will be a runner again, soon.

A Nice Week

This last week was a nice easy rest week. I only did two miles on both Monday and Wednesday. I still ended up with 52 miles on the week, and that was a good thing. It was my fifth week running and I had done enough in the prior weeks to warrant an easy week and reap some of the benefits. I still feel great and I am anxious to race. I found a 10k the week Adrienne and I are in Santa Barbara, so that should be fun.

Saturday I ran with McGurk for 13 miles. We had a good run and we have similar goals for the season, so it will be fun to get together more often. He is a great climber, so we will be heading to the hills soon! There are few things I love more than climbing! I finished the week with an early nine Sunday morning, prior to going to church.

This week should be a good week! We got our dog yesterday, so I am sure sleep will harder to come by. He (Guinness), a Vizsla, was great last night. Just a short bit of barking when we put him to bed in the crate, and then he calmed down and went to sleep. He should get more comfortable over the next couple days and be all good! I think I will aim for 65-70 this week and see how it goes. I feel good and I think that is more than reasonable. Maybe a build to 85-90 over the next three weeks. I will be talking to Joe about when to race, and I will be getting in a couple of hill days each week. Most likely Mt. Falcon during the week, and a hard hill run at higher altitude on the weekend.

Adrienne did Mt. Falcon on Saturday and felt pretty good. She got in about 90min and that is pretty amazing for a former sprinter and long/triple jumper. She is doing great, and we are going to be doing the Vail Mt. series together this summer.

Updates for the good ones this week!

Going Up?

Well, seeing as how my longest run this year was maybe 10 miles, Saturday caught me by surprise. I had planned to head out and do 13 miles in Waterton Canyon. Waterton is a great out and back, slightly up on the way out with every half mile marked. I was feeling great on the run and started thinking about doing the extra 5 mile loop after the dam. The 5 mile loop is on a single track up in the trees (Colorado Trail). By the time that I reached the dam I realized I was averaging an easy 6:40 pace and felt as though I had just started my run. So, up I went. The trail is beautiful past the dam and it was over before I knew it. I continued on down the canyon and finished 18 miles feeling great! Sometimes these runs have a way of catching up with you later in the day, but not this time. I averaged 6:40 pace on a hilly run at altitude. Probably the best run I have had since I have been in Colorado. Finished the day doing yard work and drinking beers with the neighbors around our bonfire in the backyard. Not bad!
An easy week coming up since I have gone 50, 50, 60, 75. I will do somewhere in 55-65 this week with one long run on the weekend. Then start the build to 85 or 90 over the next month. Hopefully in a few months I will be a 100 consistently.
I have decided that I am going to do Mountain Racing this season. There are a lot of trail and mountain races here in Colorado, so I am going to take advantage of that and see what I can do. Who knows. It is just nice to be healthy and enjoying training! I really do love running.

Miles of Trials

I remember this feeling - and I like it! So, although the miles are not too high yet, the build is still a struggle. I started four weeks ago with 50 and followed that week with another 50. Last week was 60miles, and this week is panning out to be 70-75 depending on how I am feeling by Sunday. Not bad. My legs are just tired! They loosen up once I get going, but getting out of bed takes a touch of concentration. I do get up at 4:30am, so that might have something to do with it as well.
I think I am going to try and run a 5k next month and see how it goes off the miles. I will talk to Joe and see what he thinks. The Bolder Boulder and Cherry Creek Sneek are popular races out here, so I should try to get into those and see how the racing goes. I will not have much speed yet, but I should be getting rather strong! I want to run the Mt. Evans Ascent. It is at the end of June and covers about 14.5 miles. You end the race at around 14,200 feet elevation. That should be a nice one:) I do love to climb!
So, probably 10 more today, 13 tomorrow, and Sunday is currently up in the air. I'll keep updates coming, and we'll see if I can handle those hundred mile weeks.

Trials of Miles

Well, here we go again. I am going to try and keep up with the blog this time around. I have been taking business classes and am currently making the decision of whether I start studying for my CFP or get into the Financial Advising profession. I am leaning toward completing the CFP first, and then entering into the profession. There are many reasons, but I still have to run it by a few people that know a lot more than I do, and have lived through the experiences involved in starting a Financial Advising career.

I started building the miles back up after my last injury. For a guy that was not often injured, triathlons brought on a new meaning of patience concerning not training. Joe Mendleson (my coach), and I have decided to start up the base phase again and rebuild whatever it is that I lost throughout those triathon years. So, new shoes and the Trials of Miles begins. I started light on the first week back. Then 50 miles, and 50 again. That was the first three weeks. I do not even know what the first week was - pretty much remembering what it is like to run every day. I was ambitions last week (week 4), and put 70 on the schedule. Like any smart runner does, I listened to the body and got in what I could (58mi). This week has 70 on it again and we will see how the body handles it. I had a great run yesterday though. The second run of the day was only 5.5 miles along a beautiful creek by my house. I averaged just under six for the run (which I have decided is not bad for altitude), but ran the last three miles at 5:30 pace through a single track. I was happy about that and it felt just fine! I am thinking about building up to 100mi/wk and then bringing it down a bit to race some. Who really knows what's in store, but I am curious at the times I can still run. Right now, I would not even venture a guess. We will find out!