Monday 022811

Registered for the Khol 5k and the CP50 last night.  How’s that for diversity?

This AM, these reads of interest:  a new exercise program that is sure to “work,” a driver mowing down cyclists in Brazil, SOS weighing in on supplements, another BJE podcast.

PM – whilst JZ had ball practice (indoors at this point) – 10 miles.  Easy but felt really good.  Sometimes I am easy an I don’t want to go any quicker.  Today was easy and I felt like I could jump at it if I wanted to.

February = 285 miles, 41.5 hours, 16580 vertical
2011 = 613 miles , 91.75 hours, and 56.6 k vertical.

Sunday 022711

AM – with TZ and dog jog. A nice easy day today …9 miles

Mid afternoon – a hike to Woods Quarry with the boys (shots below). I guess I could consider this my hour a week of alternative exercise, but that is pretty weak. I need to reembrace doing the 15 minute core stuff.

Almost a wrap on February. Decent week on whole I guess. I was pressed for time most of this week – I got put onto a new project at work, and adapting to the kids more aggressive spring schedules. My schedule as of late has driven me to be a bit more efficient with my time, but a nice outcome is that is forcing me not to hide in LSD either. I can feel the work of the quicker paced runs or efforts – which is a good thing.

I am not getting out for any doubles of significance yet, so my mileage is relatively modest. I am continuing to enjoy taking the time I have available and getting in some turnover (3x this past week), but I was also able to get in a session in the hills this week (Green and Bear). As those trails dry out, and days get longer (daylight savings in two weeks!), I will look to incorporate a bit more of that. Contemplating a GC trip in mid April, and with the CP50 in May, I will need to get in a long run or two before that. And if I am going to the GC, I am going to have to get in some vertical – namely down. Not sure when that will blend in right now – but probably will need to start getting in a few doubles, and, ack – getting up early.

What it comes down to, is I still want to do it all. I want to run the Grand Canyon, explore limits in ultras, while still have fun heaving up a lung in a 5k in a mile. I realize that being all over the place means I am not going to be successful in any one particular place – also realize this will bug me in results, but it is really how I am at this point.

Also recognized this week that I can sort of feel a bunch of my old injuries under the covers. They are not injuries right now, but little niggles I can sense in there. I could feel the hammie a touch at the end of the run yesterday. The PF occasionally in the morning. The sports hernia thing on a good sneeze. A touch of Achilles tendonitis on the stairs. Toenails falling off. Some days it all hurts a little. Some days none of it hurts. Some days I feel one of them a little. No points for ending this life with a beautiful frame as far as I concerned … I will see if I can ride it in to that final parking spot with wheels falling off. Maybe they will say, “damn, this dude used this thing.” Ha!

Anyways … looking ahead to March, I will look to continue this pattern, but sneaking in a double or two, and hopefully getting in some longer sessions in the hills. If it plays out well, I might do my “from my door to Bear and back.” We got Spring Break in there as well and I expect that to be a low week as we are going to head to Phoenix to check out some Rox Spring Training (a long time desire of JZ’s). If I really want to shift the game up, I need to get out and run with people more. I’d like to do that, but other choices in my life dominate.

Week = 70 miles, 10.75 hours, 5500 vertical ()
February = 275 miles, 40.25 hours, 16300 vertical
2011 = 603 miles , 90.25 hours, and 56.3 k vertical.

Saturday 022611

KZ was in Boulder for an all girls science seminar.  After I dropped her off, I headed over to Chautauqua to take advantage of being in town.  I went with the screw shoes, in hopes to best navigate the combination of mud, bomb proof ice, snowy trails.  My legs protested a bit as I hit the early climbs, reminding me of the efforts this week and the lack of vertical as of late.  I decided to take the Greenman cut off from Gregory (based on feedback from Schlarb), and I agree – it is a nice alternative.  I have come down this route more than I have gone up it.  It makes for a nice mix. 

After tagging Green, I headed down over to Bear.  I saw no one on this entire route but Bear Summit was relatively crowded.  It was a gorgeous day to be out there for sure.  I knew the climbs would kick my ass today, but I was dreading this next part of the run the most – and with good reason.  Fern, particularly the upper stretches above the shoulder, is a luge run right now, and the screw shoes were less than adequate.  The Mesa switched things up, bringing the heavy mud.

11 miles, 3800 plus vertical.  It was great to be out there, and to get some climbing and to be out in the woods for the day.  That said, the trails are a bit of a mess right now, so I am not itchy to get out there again right away.

Friday 022511

PM – easy, mill.  Listened to the Saturday show of Hickman Dalton Clyne gang from Road 34.  11 miles.

Thursday 022411

I have thought about posting some video the the Darkness band, as I find their first album to be awesome.  But I don’t think I will because it does not pass that internal filter of “would I want a future employer to evaluate me based on this musical choice” – particularly in light of their lyrics.  Maybe by just saying that, I won’t pass muster.

Anyway, Canova article, and a running trip up the Mt Washington Road in the winter (listen to that wind! – this is TOUGH).

PM – sort of did that thing where I delayed getting out today, and I am not sure why.  Once I got out I was fine, but I found several excuses to work on things at the office first.  4 mile warm up and then 400-200-200 at slightly faster than 5k race pace effort.  So these were not all out but definitely above what I typically run.   My lungs on these are fine.  I don’t feel like I am working hard in that regard, but my legs feel like logs.  There is not much difference between what I do for the 400s and what I do for the 200s.  That is really more evidence of how the turnover is stuck at a point.   I expect if I work at this a bit, that will come, but it may require doing some work with other people (or that 10 year old who laughs at me).  Well, maybe it will come.  Or not.  But I think more than half of the thing for me today was just getting out there and doing this.  As I was warming up I could hear the excuses in my head:  "don’t want to do this, just run 7:30s at 150 and that will be fine.  You just ran a little harder on Tuesday.”  Once I got through some of the inertia, I was mostly fine. 

I am enjoying this post tonight …

The boys did a great job last night on their Aquanaut badge at the Rec Center.  I have priviliged to be able work with these boys through this avenue of Scouting.  Bigger picture - it is not really about Scouts, but more about who they are and who they are becoming, and the path they are each on to figure things out.  I think they’d figure it out anyway but I am enjoying having a front seat, watching it all.

BOSTAC meeting tonight.  I feel like I sort am going to class at these meetings.  I ask like 7000 questions.  I am learning a lot, but I sort of get that feeling like I use to get in some classes where there were other folks thinking, “can we go home?  will this guy shut up?”  Five things I learned (of many) tonight:  Rocky Flats is STILL interested in flooding their monitoring ponds (over the dam breaches) even though they cannot state exactly what the heck is under the ground of Rocky Flats (and this is part of the reason why there is hesitancy to open up the Great Western Open Space in Broomfield … along with the fact that their may be a highway there soon anyway), Broomfield will start to put “location” addresses on signage at trail heads so in COE folks can better communicate to first responders as to where they are, the foot path north of Holy Family High School along Community Ditch is supposedly epic (and need to run this), aluminum phosphate and carbon monoxide are the common chemicals used to “treat” prairie dogs, and the Wadsworth Bridge over 36 is going to be replaced via a CDOT project (goodbye silly S curve on 112).

Wednesday 022311

Mid day – beautiful day.  A bit windy, and somewhat different as it was blowing in from the east.  12 miles.  Got up on my Rt 128 route.  A bit nutty to run up there as cars go by at 60 mph, but the shoulders are wide and the views of the Front Range, from Longs to Pikes are spectacular.

Tuesday 022211

With TZ busy this weekend, we did not make the show for one my favorite musical artists at one of my favorite venues ... but here is one of those shows.

Dogfish 90 is so good it borders on illegal in my book.

Leadville is apparently full.

I am tired of drugs in the sport, ridiculous clearings and testing stories, but this one about amateurs using PED's was interesting (but still sad). Apparently Chrissie W is now going to keep a blog of when she is tested.

The Incline is getting a little closer to legal.

I am purposely not posting links back to all the debates on a championship for ultras, or how the local guys train.

Today was a day where I looked at my calendar and internally groaned. It was a day full of meetings, and one where I knew a mid day run was unlikely. Nonetheless, I threw my gear in the car, hopeful that something would cancel or postpone so that I was ready if the opportunity presented itself.

The last meetings of the day got absorbed earlier into the afternoon and I thankfully got my window. I bolted home, getting there at 4, knowing I had to be done with a run by 5 to be ready for JZ's parent teacher conference (which are joyful events by the way). I asked if he wanted to go for a run, and he was in. We started with a jog, which included playful ups and downs in through the local canal ditch. He bounds in and out of this like a wild animal ... and I look like ... like a 41 year old man that does not do that much.

But then we got to the business at hand: sprints. We negotiate a head start for him, the distance and then off we go. It is all out for me to catch him and he is going not to be caught. I can't say he is going all out because he is laughing the whole time. He beat me on all the sprints except one today so I am going to have to give him less of a head start next time.

But this experience reminded me of some things I did as a kid. I recall when I was a summer camp counselor, I knew I was not doing any of the work that other guys were doing for HS training. They were all subscribed to the 750 club plan (750 miles from June 1 to August 31). With my job, I knew I could not swing that. And frankly, at that time, 8 miles a day seemed crazy huge. So, I would run as hard as I could when the opportunities would present itself during the day. Period 2 Archery would end I needed to get to the pond for Life Guard duty. I would sprint the half mile to the pond. After that, I would sprint the quarter mile to the dining hall for lunch. It hurt. But it would feel so strong.

Same thing today. With these sprints, I started off feeling like a bunch of gunk. But I could feel it peeling away, laughing with JZ and getting a itsy bitsy bit quicker. And in fact, for a half of a moment, I could almost taste a little bit of the fast on the last one. But he beat me anyway. A race to the fence. Laughing. Little punk that he is. Good stuff.

Once we finished that up, I headed out for another miles, and jazzed from my experience with my son, the weather, and the unforeseen opportunity to run, I just happily rolled. The miles clicked off collectively as fast as the repeats did yesterday (so I guess it was that windy yesterday) for five miles with a whole less PE.

Six miles on the day. My OC tendencies had me thinking I ought to do another set in the evening but I decided to skip that.

I have a 50 miler in 11 weeks. I guess if I am going to take that seriously, I ought to do something about that but I don't have a lot of itch for at the moment. Maybe I should register.

Monday 022111

Mid afternoon - got out and it was windy and a bit chillier than it had looked from the indoors. Made my way down into the Lac Amora Wilderness on my typical route. 2 mile warm up, then 4 x a mile with 2 minutes rest between each, then 10 x 30 second strides - also with 2 minutes rest. The wind was at 20 mph out of the west, and gusting to 25, 30 so the miles were not fast. 11 miles total. There were two bald eagles sitting down in the cottonwoods in Lac Amora on the way out but they were gone as I made my way back.

Have not been posting much running news because I have been busy.

Sunday 022011

13 miles on the mill.  For a couple of reasons – as in 50 mph gusts and that TZ was out of town -, I resorted to the mill. Kept the effort easy physically but I felt a desire to bust out (as in start running hard and get off the mill).  Nothing hard, but easy and steady.  Goal today was to get something in, recover a bit … I felt great after this run and as if I could keep going forever … (but maybe not on a mill).

The week was flat, which, well, felt good. I felt sort of focused in flat stuff this week, and when I resorted the mill (once) I contemplated getting in some vertical, but I felt compelled to stick with the flat theme.  It is not that I don’t want to get going on the hills, but I don’t have a lot of desire to deal with the luge runs that are out there right now.  And I feel some itch to get into a bit of structure right now … Not a ton of miles this week, but I was fine with that as well.  TZ had several events this week, I had business colleagues in from out of town, and I had to make due with the time I had.  As trivial as it sounds, I often average 7 mph over the course of a week (or slower if there is good vert in there), and this week it was right near 8.

Mentally, Pikes seems like a world away for me at the moment.  Of course, I know it is not.  But I am fine with it being six months away.  I am enjoying getting out on the roads from my front door, putting myself into a position where I have to face what I have not in a bit:  disciplined turn over, basic mileage, not chasing mileage, and hiding in large hours of slow easy running.  I know that with a few blessings of warm weather that thinking will change … not saying one approach is right or one is wrong … it was just how this week played out and I was good with it.  Could be different next week …

I did not get in a longer effort or the hour of alternative exercise this week, but that was what life dealt me.

Week = 71 miles, 9 hours, 1400 vertical (ha!)
February = 205 miles, 28.5 hours, 10800 vertical
2011 = 533 miles , 79.5 hours, and 40k vertical.

Saturday 021911

I felt pretty lethargic today but was better once I got outside and moving - the weather helped. Jogged over to the local track and decided to do a fixed HR test for a bit just to see where that was at. As the objective today was just an easy run, I capped it at 150. After five miles on the track (AHR - 148, 7:39 mile), I got bored going in circles and wandered out - total 12 miles.

Friday 021811

PM – 11 miles.  3 mile warm up, then 20 minute tempo, some recovery and then 8 x 40 seconds on, 80 seconds off.  Mile warm down.

This is the first time in a while (at least this calendar year) where I have put together two structured workouts in a week.  It feels good, and an appropriate step back into training versus exercising. 

I did not realize how different this sort of work makes me feel until 8PM that night where sort of suddenly realized I was tired.  Not a bad tired, but a good tired.  But, we had the Blue and Gold Banquet to get through and so we did.

Thursday 021711

AM – predawn, easy five miles. Busy day on tap so that might be it. Which is fine because today as a recovery is the objective.

Wednesday 021611

Justin has another FKT article up - Here's the Appalachian Trail article.

AM – I got walloped at work yesterday, and unfortunately was unable to get out to enjoy the good weather.  I considered getting some running in when I got home but was fried.  Instead, I took in the Westminster Dog Show with TZ. 

And it took me a bit to get out the door this AM … just some regular AM procrastination.  But it was great to be out once I got out.  11 miles.  1 mile warm up, 4 x 1 mile with 2 min rest, then 12 x 200 yards (.13 on the Garmin) with 2 minutes rest.  Good workout – great sunrise.

Mid Day – 5 miles super easy with DB at work. 

Nick mentions below the news of the day, the new BAA Boston Marathon qualifying standards.

This is in my old backyard.  Like, literally.  So I am thinking about it but the timing sucks.

Tuesday 021511

Interesting read / listen on NPR regarding the R2R2R.  Has Mackey in it.

AM – 4 miles.  Windy.  Thought about doing a workout this AM, but ended up pressed for time.

Monday 021411

Team shot from SD.  I am the hairy one … I am the …

Bill pointed me to a good deal on the 305 (119 bucks)

Andy pointed me to this …

Mid day – 10 miles easy.  Felt good and the weather was awesome.

Sunday 021311

Some pix from the Xterra event.

Mid day - jogged the dogs (4 different dogs as TZ's parents were here) in the wind and the soup of the melt. Tacked on some easy miles to round it out to 12.

My goal for today and this week was to get back to some semblance of healthy running and I feel that I have done that. Also got an hour of alternative exercise this week (spin class) and I will look to continue that trend.

I am now in a big period of time before my next race (May). I also recognize that this is the period of time (in the year) that I have been most likely to injure myself (note - avoid mill speed work). I am going to continue to work at some 5k, 10k stuff - as that is a bit more interesting to me at the moment for a variety of reasons - but will throw the occasional long run in there to keep in touch with that. As the mountains open up, I will hit those too but I don't have a itch to get at them when they are snow and slush bound.

Week = 74 miles, 10.5 hours, 1400 vertical (ha!)
February = 134 miles, 19.5 hours, 9400 vertical
2011 = 462 miles , 70.5 hours, and 38.5k vertical.

Kudos to Nick, JT for marathon PRs, Justin for a half PR, Beth for a 1/2 PR, and a podium finish for Footfeathers.

Saturday 021211

AM - a couple of miles with TZ, a couple miles with the dogs. Got JZ to join me for a bit and we found a non icy stretch of path to do some races on. Made for some good sprints. I'd give him about a ten yard lead for about a 70 yard stretch and we were pretty close. In fact, if we proved anything, it was whoever said "go" was more likely to win.

Wrapped up with 6 x 3 minutes on, 2 minutes off on the trails and then 6 x 30" harder strides.

10 miles (+)

Parts all feel good, just feel like I am lumbering sort of slow these days. Which is okay, just need to work through that.

Friday 021111

AM - easy couple miles with TZ, then a dog jog and then some easy miles on my own. Goal for today's workout was recovery. 10 miles.

Had a green monster when I got home. This is number 3 for the year.

Thursday 021011

I set a 2011 goal of an hour a week of alternative exercise. So far it has been mostly some light unformalized weight work. But I also want to try out some things I have never done: like a yoga class, etc.

Last night I did a spin class at our rec center. Good little sweat, and a nice end to the day - particularly with the workout in the AM. But, there was definitely that ego 17 year old in side of me looking at myself, sighing and saying "really?"

I'll do it again.

Thursday 021011

Justin has a good article up on FKT’s, specifically the CT attempts by some of the local folk.

AM – chilly.  Got together with Schlarb and Dealeo for some turnover on the Creek Path.  Objective for this workout was to get some turn over work without breaking anything.  We did 6 x 1 mile.  Not zippy but it was chilly and I am not “there” but it was a start.  Legs held up well structurally.  12 miles.

Wednesday 020911

Mid day – 10 miles on the mill.  Goal for this run was to a.) recover, b.) assess hammie tendon health.   Brought the mill to zero to encourage a little turnover.  77 minutes, AHR = 143.  Hammie felt better.  Listened to RRT podcast on eating disorders and exercise addiction that included Dave Dunham and Lize Brittan.

Tuesday 020811

Mid day - 10 miles, treadmill, with 12 x 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off. Leg felt the best it has in 2 weeks. Listened to an interview with Scott Molina.

Monday 02072011

PM – 10 miles easy.  Very easy.  Legs actually felt okay.  My arms are a little creaky in places (which sometimes happens when I get back to steep downhill running).  I was pretty happy to be outside versus the mill, although there appears to be some rough weather blowing in again.  Slow speeds, so the hamstring was quiet.

Sunday 020611 Mission Gorge 15k Trail Race

After yesterday’s poor performance and further stressing my hammy, the last thing I should have done is run today.  And definitely not race.  It just seemed to be setting up for unnecessary aggravation of the tissues that needed a break.

But I was in San Diego.  I was going to be here all day.  It was beautiful.  So, I laced them up and figured I’d go out again and see what would happen.  Plus, this is a trail race.  It meant I could hide a bit in some of the slower paces versus the faster stuff that I had not trained significantly for and that seemed to be more likely to make that hamstring tendon yell in the load (?) phase.

Andy and I copped a ride to the course from Rich.  We got a little turned around but not bad, making the trip in about a half an hour from the Hilton Mission Bay (which was right on the course for the race the day before).  Rich dropped us off and we were the gathering crowd in a dense cold air fog (or the “marine layer”).

Andy and I did a little warm up of about 2 miles, but at about 3/4 of a mile out from the start we hit the first climb and could see that the sun was already burning off the moisture.  We prepped up for warm conditions on the course.

Again, I decided that given my current state and fitness, I’d go out easy, let the pace come to me and test the leg out versus push anything.  It seemed to be in about the same state as the day before.  Some residual soreness, but reminding me.  I suspected that it I got crazy on it (oh, say sub six), it would start to lock up the calf and hammy again.

Off we went, and I was quickly in about 30th place when we hit the first small climb.  Folks started to come back as the general order of things settled out. 

Over the course of the first mile, I found a decent rhythm but I did not feel overly pressed.  I passed some folks and got passed by some folks.  The fog lifted and I was enjoying the up and down, rolling and varied nature of the course.  Some soft stuff, some hard stuff, some single track, some fire road, some ups, some downs. 

I seemed to settle in with a group of 3 or 4 guys and we exchanged positions a few times, each taking the wheel a bit to our respective strengths.  It was humid and so I was soaked enough that I could not keep my sunglasses on – as they kept fogging up. 

We hit the first big significant climb just before two miles, where the grade hit 25 plus for a bit.  The group I was with seemed determined to run it, but I switched to a power hike and walked with them as they ran.   I passed a guy who I had recognized from the open race the day before.  He was on the USMC team in the open race so I gave him a little verbal nudge with “Come on man, that was only a 12k.”  He laughed and asked if I ran it.  I made the pride born mistake of saying “yeah, old guy division.”  He’d get the quip back later in the race.

Around 3 miles we crested another hill and started a very nice descent on a double track.  I had put a touch of day light between me and the group and I decided this was time for me to test the leg.  Again, I hit a bit of a wall with problematic tightening in the hammy and calf when I’d lift the pace to about six minute pace.  It is a bit hard to shake guys when, well, you can’t do the work to shake them. 

I could hear one guy behind me and he was closing the little gap I had put on him.  The track narrowed to single and offered for him to take it.  “No, the pace is good.  Your pace.  Your pace.”  It seemed to me that he was working a helluva lot harder than me and I felt like I was sand bagging here a bit.

We hit the next significant climb at 4.5 miles and he did push it up a notch and was quickly forty yards ahead.  But as the course steepened for its toughest climb – about a mile with 1000 feet, with sections at 40% and a lot of steps, he came back.  I passed him about mid way up this but noticed we had gained a lot of company. 

From here on out the course was down or flat (or very little up).  There was some technical stuff, some steep down (25%) and a run in a river bed that was challenging as it really messed me up pacewise.

I ended up in the riverbed alone, and often wondered if I was still on course.  There were a good number of hikers and I’d periodically ask if they had seen runners.  I’d get the affirmative, and then see a chalk line to assure me I was still on course.

I came out of the riverbed and hit the road.  I glanced back and saw not too far back was my Marine friend and he was rolling.  He caught me with about a half mile to go.  I asked him, “how you doing?”  “I feel like crap.”  “Yeah.  Me too.  But, this is a race …” and with that I pushed the pace.  He lit up and put a bunch of yards on me.  As we closed to the line a pal of his that was watching said “you got a guy right on you.”  “Yeah, I know but he is old.”  Ah, justice.

I ended up 16th, 74:29, 3rd master, and 2nd in the 40-44 age group.  Andy was 4th overall, some nine minutes ahead. 

Beautiful course – I’d love to run this place again, and there be some great places to do some great workouts. 

I ran into Bob Babbit from Competitor Radio and chatted with him a bit. 

Andy and I seemed to be the only out of state folks at the race, and we were given the obligatory “well of course these guys did well as they came from altitude” jab.  Andy asked the announcer though if he could ask if anyone could give us a ride back.  A nice Navy couple offered (thanks C.J and Christine (?)!) and we took them up on it. 

15 miles on the day.

Saturday 020511 USATF XC National Championships

3 mile warm up  - real easy.  I kept feeling the leg out, trying to assess what state it was in.  Jogging here was probably near 10 minute pace.  Again I passed up on strides, figuring that there was no need, and it was more risky to pop something faster. 

I got out okay, relaxed, and nearly off the back with a crowd of guys going out fast.  I did not have a real race plan given the hamstring tendon, but I figured I ease into things and see if things with open up, and hopefully if things went well, then I could roll up in the later laps. 

I was a bit behind Peter Hegelbach at about a half mile in, and I eased up to him at about the kilometer distance.  Way off in the distance, I could see my other team mates.  Well ahead, but visible at this point in the race.  I felt very comfortable, unpressed, and easy. 

Photos from Michael Scott:

Through some of the very small but roller hills Peter put a little gap on me and I let it go.  I did not want to spike anything with unnecessary surges.  The hammie at this point felt fine, as I hoped it would.  Sometimes when you get into a race, regular aches and pains disappear under the stress of a race.

Peter continued to gap a bit as we went into the second lap, but not dramatically so.  I felt that he’d be close through the race at this point and I felt well positioned to pick things up over each lap.  I was picking up some guys who had gotten out significantly quicker than me.

At about three kilos though, things began to go south.  I could the hammie quiver, as I loaded the leg up.  It would let go, but then I’d hit it again.  The calf tightened in response.  I suddenly felt as if I was running on one leg.  I slowed up. 

Peter pulled away.  A parade of guys began to go by me, including the ones I had just passed the mile before.  I had little fight for anyone passing – as soon as I pushed over that line, the leg would bark more.

After the race, I felt like I had not raced.  In other words, I did not have that fatigue you have in your core after you run hard – particularly after you race.  You know that you were not able to tap deep and that is a bit frustrating.

The team did well however with the guys pulling in the second team spot.  I did slow jogging throughout the rest of the afternoon as we watched the remaining races (juniors, open)– again at 10 minute pace as this seemed to not bother me at all.  13 miles on the day.

31:30 for 8k.  75th place over all.

For what it is worth, my pace per mile here on a 5 mile cross country course was slower than my pace per mile at the October Rock and Roll Denver Half Marathon.  And I am pretty sure this is also another PW for this time.  Two PWs in two races back to back (this and the Oatmeal Festival).  More on that later.  I am not bummed because this was a mechanical, and arguably I probably should have run, but I ain’t “fine with it” either.

Spent the evening in the hotel bar with the team enjoying a good number of Stone IPA’s.

Various 020611

Various thoughts post the race weekend in San Diego (long, said before, will be said again, but I am on an airplane – okay?)

0.) Week = 70 miles, 10.5 hours, 9500 vertical
February = 60 miles, 9 hours, 8000 vertical
2011 = 388 miles (not sure what the hell I was looking at for miles last week), 60 hours, and 37k vertical.

1.)  Next time I travel to San Diego, or a far away race like this, I really need to force my family to come – and just turn it into a vacation.  San Diego was beautiful.  On Sunday after the trail race, we enjoy stuff like this:
               

2.) The women’s races at XC were all clinics – in other words won by a land slide.  Shalene Flanagan was 33 seconds ahead at 5k.  15:45.  She looked like some elf pixie as she powerfully floated over the grass.

  

3.)  Alternatively, the image of Shalene standing knee deep in the hot tub post race shoving an oversized In N Out burger in her face as ketchup squirmed in various directions – equally as classic.

4.) The top prize at the Xterra race was a box of Captain Crunch.  WTF?  A 55-65 dollar race entry fee and it is a box of Captain Crunch?

5.)  Apparently because I have a beard, I am a trail runner from Colorado.  I heard this several times over the weekend.

6.)  Totally glad that I missed the Superbowl on several fronts.

7.)  Jeremy Johnson was the guy in the Men’s Open race that was leading for about 3k … barefoot.  The course totally lent to that.  He looked strong early but you could tell he was going to fade off (more on this in a sec).  Can you imagine though if he had won, the ripple in the barefoot community that would cause?  Of course, he had tape around his ankles because he had to tape the timing chips there.  Seriously.

8.) I ain’t going to one of these far away race weekends again, unless I am ready.  And to be ready, that means I am going to commit to it and do the training for it.  I have embarrassed myself at these USATF XC events more times than I care to admit (lapped in 06 and 07 in the 12k races), DFL for the team in 08 and 09 and doing stuff well off what I am capable of.  Frankly continuing to do these events and getting these results leaves me frustrated on too many fronts.  It does force me to consider what I am, what I could be and what is realistic – which I guess is good, but four times is enough.

9.)  “Spank it and shave it.”  Quote of the afternoon in the post race hot tub.

10.)  It is very cool to see such a large Colorado contingent in this race.  Lots of BRR, RRB, Fleet Feet, and USAF folks – so it is almost like being at a home meet.  The XC course is tight so it is easy to pop to various sections of the race and cheer folks on.

11.)  We were warming down as a team when the women’s junior race went off.  We were about 300 yards from the start when the pack came by.  I decided to play a little game and see if I could pick out who I thought the eventual winner would be.  Based on form, size, economy, build, and where they were (the winner is hardly ever leading at this point in these races – although Shalene was the exception to that).  I picked a small girl about 4 rows back in a large pack.  300 yards later the junior women’s winner – Aisling Cuffing –and the one I had guessed was building a lead to the win.  This is not to say I know how to pick race winners – it is just a winner looks like something, and we all pretty much know what that looks like.

12.)  I am a pretty large minority amongst masters runners but I think age grading money winning is wrong.  Colleen DeReuck won the race but she took home the third place race money (and 550 dollars less than a woman she beat by 3 minutes who had a better age graded time).  In discussing this a little with other folks, I’d propose two things: a.) provide age group money based on the depth of the field.  This means if the 50-55 bracket brings 60 people and the 40-44 bracket brings 20, there is more money in the deeper bracket.  b.)  Give age grade money but provide set money for the top places in the race.  In other words, I respect the performance of the 77 year old who ran a 45 minute 8k (and got second age graded overall) but I have a problem with the winner of the race having to race against some calculation outright to assure a true win.  Again, I am in the minority on this – and I am told by all the masters folks who are older than me that my opinion on this will change as I age.

Well, duh.

13.)  I clearly know why I am not as fast as I have been.  It is because I am not running as fast as I used too.  Fastest times for me came when, well I was younger but when I did 2 or 3 runs a week where I was doing intervals or a hard tempo or a race.  I dreaded the long run.  A 12 mile run was LONG.  I turned that on its head over the last few years.  I nearly averaged 12 miles a day last year. 

Frankly I ought not be allowed to bitch about my PW’s when I am training go crazy long and not going faster than 6:00 pace ever on a run.  My ego is in the way here.  I have to deal with that when I see the results in races:  getting beat by guys who I used to beat, running slower, etc. 

Pull up the big boy pants here and either be okay with where you are at or do the work to change it.

The tough part is that I enjoy that long run now more than the speedwork.  I love that work to get up to a high mountain ridge in the summer.  It is joy.

Speedwork is joy too. 

But just not what I like right now.

Anyways …

14.)  Missed my goal of an hour of alternative exercise this week for the first time this year.  Got 15 minutes on Monday.  Will try to get back on the wagon this week.

15.)  I am about 6-8 pounds heavier than Pikes weight.  It clearly makes a difference.  Enough said.

16.)  My team mates on the FF team are a great bunch of guys that are thoughtful, articulate, WAY smarter than me … and can have me in stitches laughing so hard that it ought to count as alternative exercise.

17.)  I was pleasantly surprise, although this is probably giving me the whammy, that I did not roll my ankle in that river bed at Mission Trails.  Maybe that is because I was going slower?  In any case, I am hoping that issue is behind me for a bit.

18.)  Kara G ran a pretty good race.  Yeah, she came in seventh but she was pretty far back early and she worked herself up through the crowd.I expect that she and Max King will at least both be offerred a spot to go to Worlds as somebody won’t go. 

19.) Abdi is a pretty social guy.  He walked into the hotel bar as the USATF party was not happening (I did not see it but apparently they were serving “diet cheese”) and joined some our contingent.  Nice guy.

20.)  I met Scott Dunlap at XC – also nice guy.

21.)  Apparently Boulder is not the only place where controversy surrounds use of a natural beauty.  While we debate whether to use trails or close them, a debate I came upon was the use of a “shared beach.”  The shared beach is open to human use and seals.  There are some who want to keep the beach this way – as it has been that way thus far, and there are others that want to close it down to human use to further protect the seals.

22.)  I thought this was pretty cool:

23.) Some former world record holder.  Do you know who?

24.)  I have missed the Walsh clan twice now on my trips to SD.  I was supposed to connect with them on Saturday, post the XC race but shittly better timed them by heading out with my team mates to enjoy some brews for second place as a team (which I did not score in and refused to take one of the seven provided medals from the guys who seemed very willing to give them away).  I thought I would connect up with them at Mission Gorge – but no dice.  Hope that I get to actually meet these people who live it someday.

25.)  Lots of blogs to catch up on about the insanity at Rocky Racoon (7:38 for 100 miles?) and HR Lottery results.

26.)  Great conversations with the team mates, particularly Jim Johnson about “masterhood.”  All that stuff that I have blahed about here before … doing what it takes, determining if it is worth it, chasing what you want, realizing what you were ain’t what you are, coming to grips with that what you may be unhappy with is a heck of a lot more than what other could do, guys who are known takers of things like testosterone but compete in races and that none of it matters … Sort of funny, because suddenly you are a “master” and you are thinking, “how did that happen?”  You are the old guy, past your fastest days, but the head was just there yesterday.  You have no new knowledge, just a few more trips around that yellow ball.

27.)  Blogging.  Yapped with guys about this some too.  Outside of the post like this occasionally, I think I am maybe spending an hour a week on the whole thing.  I am somewhat surprised when folks state they think it is great writing – because I don’t think it is and that is not my intent.  It is training log (plus) and so it is really a regurgitation of what comes out of my head.  Pretty raw, poorly edited, lots of grammatical errors, etc.  It is not my goal here for it to be a good reading … I think you can get that from other places.

28.)  Max King has a crazy ass mullet. 

Now that is a label

Thanks to Iron Mazza for finding this gem.

Friday 020411

San Diego, CA, USATF XC course shakeout.

First, it looks like a Runner's World Magazine here.  

No, actually first, going to 70 degrees in CA from CO and its sub zero temps in 2 hours is a total mental warp.  

Then going for a jog where every fifth person you see some national champ, sub 13 5k guy, an AR holder - even more nutty.

Anyways … got out with the team of guys and we jogged the 2k loop a bit.  I eschewed the harder strides, concerned they could do more harm than good.  

And I felt like CRAP.  Heavy legs.  It felt humid.  The tendon was barking.

But it felt good to be out with the team, laughing, near the ocean.

Even if I am going to get my clock rocked tomorrow. 

I have no idea what is going to happen.  But something will.  Figure I will make the best of it. 

Which means I really have no right to be irked at the results when I am done, but I probably will be.

Some shots from the Scouts working the Rocket Launcher box

Thursday 020311

PM - 10 miles, treadmill, easy. Started at 6.5%, but then dropped that after a mile. 80 minutes.

Wednesday 020211

The battle for bikes on the West TSA rages on.

Reading through with this … train wreck.

NY Empire State Building climb write up.

I got home later than usual last night, and the brain was already contemplating another session on the mill.  It would have felt good, just to unwind a bit from the day’s meetings.  But I took a different route and beat on the guitar instead for a bit.  I guess I need to consider this some.

Mid day – 6 miles on the mill, flat.  Tendon feels okay.  Not great.  I can feel it.  Feels like it was kicked or something last week.  At this point, I am debating if I will be able to race on it on Saturday or Sunday.  I am sure I can run on it.  I am just not sure how hard it can go.  That is a bummer – as heading to another state to race and NOT race will be a total mind **** … Clearly running on it slowly and up is less stressful than faster and flat.

PM  - 6 miles on mill at 6.5%.  Easy.

Tuesday 020111

The weather this AM probably drove a lot of folks to the mill, but I was going to be there anyway with the current knee-hamstring-tendonitis issues, and the fact that I had to be done early for an all day meeting at the office.  Office mill, 5 miles – 12%, 12.5%, 15%, 12.5%, 15%.  Plodding along.

Long day at the office.

… A gift of hot sauce I received.