Wednesday 113011

NCAA XC … still studying results … this is insane:  Christian Thompson just missed his first All-American honor, placing 49^th in 30:22.3 as CU's No. 4 scorer. Ammar Moussa was CU's fifth harrier. He was 88^th overall (30:42.4) in his first NCAA meet.

Enjoyed this post by AJW.

I will be watching the outcomes of this ultra, (in a few weeks) and rooting for the “other Nick.”

Geoff posted (for a short time) a lot of what I have sort of felt about the minimalist movement, but have not put to paper. 

Wetmore is named PAC-12 coach of the year (XC).  Running, like Wetmore said once, is like getting up every morning and shooting yourself. You know that you are going to put yourself through something painful, but you also know how much strength and speed are going to come with it." The passion of the runner is to force forgetfulness on that pain and embrace the benefits that will without fail make you a better person." Adam Batliner.  More great quotes over here.

Castro retires as prez of the BRR.  Implied in the article is that the future of the club, without Rich, and several other groups in the area formed,  is probably in question …

Was over at the Omni for some meetings so I ran from there.  The weather was PERFECT.  You could not have asked for a nicer more perfect day for running.  Apparently this is in stark contrast to the fluff that is supposed to blow in tonight.  I took advantage of the conditions and did 5 x 3 x 1 minute on, 1 minute off, but with 2 minutes between the sets (trying to drive more speed).  It was tough.  But I was digging tough today.  Pace was anywhere from 5 minute pace to 6 minute pace depending on the terrain, wind, hill, etc.  I was definitely breaking down in the last set … 12 miles.

290 miles on the month.  Not bad as I get back at it.

Mo’ month is done.  Well sort of.  I am not compelled to shave it yet.

Tuesday 112811

Good fun read re: NF50, making the rounds.

Got this from Rick on a recent FKT.

15 miles with Bob.  Good run.  Certainly a bit longer and quicker than what I have would done on my own – and that is exactly what I need these days.  And with good company.  Gorgeous weather.

Ticked over 3300 miles today for the year.  I will probably end up shy of 3650 for a 10 a day on the year mark, but I am not shooting for that either. 

Pikes for Jornet

Holy crap.

From his blog … The next summer will be quite different to what I have done the last 2 or 3 years, first of all because the U.S. spends much more time, to discover more of its mountains and its inmensitat. In racing, try to run a lot more there, some extremists (who touched the lottery) and prepare the Pikes Peak marathon. In Europe not run so much, probably Zegama to run home, and Transvulcania. It'll no be in Chamonix in late August by the UTMB is a race that already has given me everything and now she could not help them re-gain.
Apart from this, the year will either be the start of a new progecte, personnel, that is what draws me and motivation.

Monday 112811

North Face 50 is gonna be a barn burner this weekend.

I stepped out this AM and caught part of the sunrise.  It was rather spectacular. 

I noticed my Blackberry camera had its flash on so I turned it off.  The pix suddenly got really interesting.  I guess I really live in Gotham.  Or maybe I have actually now seen the so called Green Flash.

Mid day – pressed for time between meetings at the office.  2.5 mile warm up, 6 x a half mile (a bit longer than 800 mind you) with a quarter mile recovery.  3:05, 2:57, 2:56, 2:53, 2:56, 2:47.  Max HR seen was 178 (sort of wondering what that is these days as I have taken to putting the monitor back on, and I suspect it has declined a bit).  Not a great workout, but it was what I had today.  I sort of did this workout a few weeks ago with Bob on the track – when I did 4 800s after a 5k at just under six minute pace.  So that was a lot better.  Sure – that was the track, etc, but the key take away is that my key workouts are a lot better when I am running with someone.  I guess I get lonely.   7 miles on this run.

That said, I am fighting something for sure, or I am at least a bit in a hole.  My lip cracked today, which has historically been a sign that something is a bit jacked inside.

Sunday 112711

Somebody got 500 Green Summits.  

AM – 11 miles.  Eh.  Felt cruddy.  I have generally felt physically cruddy most of this week, and the worst I have felt for a sustained couple of days in a while.  Not sure why, but I suspect I might be fighting a bit of some illness.

70 miles on the week (17 treadmill miles), again just over ten and a half hours.  About 5k of climbing.  Sort of a sustain week more than anything.  Did not get in much more than some basic work, including some running at altitude. 

The Incline Club starts another season.

Various shots from the Blackberry camera (so they are poor in quality) from the day (some from the run, some not).

Broomstock running often has much wildlife … here a shot of a hawk and a coyote I saw.  Both were within 15 yards, but the camera does not effectively reveal that.  From the second shot, you get a visual of the “brown” the plains have here in the winter.  Many find these bleak and disturbing … I did when I first moved here but I sort of enjoy it now.

A passing train  …
 
I am a lucky man …

Saturday 112611

Back down in Broomstock.  80 minutes on the mill. 

I am completely convinced now that my home mill is jacked in some regard.  When I push the pace up (say above 11 mph), the mill will go to that pace – if I am not on it.  But my weight and pounding into it slows it down.  I can see that on the display as it shows what is being accomplished (that is assuming the belt is correct). 

I punched the pace up to five minute mile pace but the mill could not get above 11 with my lumbering frame slapping into it.  It would hop between 9.8 and 11.  In any case, when I was done the mill read that I had done 14 plus miles – which is total crap.  Given the effort, the time, I counted it as 12.  A guess I guess, but really no different than what I did for the first 15 years of my running.

So the mill really only accomplishes two things for me now:  a timed workout and/or a hill workout.  And that is fine.  In fact, it got me thinking that since I am still in that “figuring out what is next,” and “if you always do what you have always done you will always get what you’ve always got” phase – I was wondering about taking things strictly by time for a bit.  I have two or three possible plans that I will look to share here soon … still gnawing on them.  Frankly, and I know this sounds ridiculous – I need to figure out if I have enough backbone to do the training I can do.

Good news was that I felt pretty good, slipping up to tempo effort (based on HR) for 3 x 15 minutes with 4 minutes rest in there.  Good sweat.

Friday 112511

Individual nutrients don’t add up to a meal.

Another morning of working the trees.  Much more limb work today …

Thinking a lot more about a week up here with friends, runners, scouts (hmm … that might be the biggest problem actually).  Runs up to Mosquito, Kite Lake and the Decalibron, over to Brandon’s place in the 2nd highest city (and back).  Play with saws, chain saws, burn stuff.  Maybe some fishing, messing around with various contraptions up here that I have yet to figure out (like the outdoor solar shower), the old generator ...  Little brew action, some music.  Of course there is no real electricity there.  Or actual plumbing.  Just sayin’ …

13 miles, heading up the Mosquito Pass road.  Turned around at the junction (Y, just about 11k feet).  Things started clear, but clouds moving, and by the turn around I was in a good snow squall.  I think the round trip from the cabin to Mosquito Pass would be around a marathon distance (or a touch more) with about 3500 feet of gain.  All above 10k feet. 

I am super out of shape for stuff up here.  I was dragging up, and down, and HR was still pegging decent numbers.  Mentally, I felt fine, but physically – I am the one legged man in an arse kicking contest.

JZ turns 11 on Monday, but we celebrated a bit with his grandparents.  One of his gifts … I will let you figure out the rest.

The soon to be 14 year old thinking about her upcoming b-day.

Thursday 112411

Spent a better part of the morning and some of the afternoon working the chain saw, clearing fallen trees, helping some complete their fall, getting them off stuff, and doing the limbing work.  I gave in when I popped the chain off the saw, figuring that I had been given a sign.  But, hell – I was tired anyway.  This work, much to the amusement of my wife, kicked this cubicle guy’s butt.  Particularly since it was being done at 10,400 feet ASL.

Mid afternoon, I got out and it was a beautiful day.  I took the opportunity to explore some FS roads that I had not been on a bit, and some new ones as well – doing a little route scouting.  Many of the roads, paths were seriously jacked with blown over trees.  Between the altitude, the climbs, coming in already tired and crunching through the snow, I popped pretty good around 90 minutes.  One of those runs where you look at the watch afterwards and roll your eyes:  “only eight miles?!”

 
Sometimes the trail is nice. 

Then the trail can disappear. 
     
But a beautiful day in the Rocky Mountains, in the forest.

Mo shot.  Day 24

Definitely feeling the altitude a bit more this trip – reflecting how little I have been up here.  Seriously considering taking a full week next summer (I am thinking Memorial Day week) where I just live up here, run, drink brew, cut trees and burn shit.  Folks can come up, run, camp, whatever.  The more I think about this, the more I get psyched up about it over any race.

Wednesday 112311

Interviews with Hal and Liza fresh off J100.

AM – stomach still not doing well.  Easy six miles.

But I got good news that I won volume 23 of the Studio C tracks.

We headed to the high altitude get away in the late AM.  The big winds we had a couple of weeks ago left LOTS of trees blown over.  There were easily dozens of big trees that had been uprooted.   Unbelievably none hit the cabin.  We did have some that hit the car port and the the dog kennel.   Some of the trees, well, I was glad they fell.  Others, not so much.  But that is the way nature rolls I guess.

I could not get the chain saws going after fiddling them with for 15 minutes so I took to the hand saw to get one off the car port.  Took a bit to adequately clear it.  Probably some sort of workout in this at 10000 plus feet.

    

The in-laws showed up a little later and I was cracking up at their new outfits from guest services this year.   Mosquito Pass in the distance.

Tuesday 112211

Barefoot running:  There is as yet no conclusive evidence that either proves or disproves the benefits of shoes or barefoot running, or links the mechanical characteristics of barefoot running to a reduced risk of injury.

Good stuff continues to pour on on this podcast.

I like to think that I am generally a happy positive guy. 

But occasionally, I am not.  Today I was grumpy. 

In fact, today I was downright pissy. 

Pissed off about the wind.  Pissed off that Christmas decorations are up.  Pissed that I did not feel great.  Pissed that I have been dicking around with my training and don’t do anything about it.  Pissed that the days are shorter and colder.  Pissed that we can’t have political leaders at the national level that make sense of anything.  Pissed that I was raking leaves.  Pissed that the kids were squabbling with each other again.  Pissed that my gut was yelling at me the whole damn run.  Pissed that I did not have the speed I had 20 years ago when I was even trying to have speed then.  Pissed that I love beer so damn much that it might be a problem.  Pissed that I am too damn lazy to actually do something different about this training thing.  Pissed that I might be fighting a little sickness.  Pissed that I have become scared of hard workouts.

Pissed.

And most of all – pissed that I was pissed because I could see how being pissy was just stupid, and a waste of time and energy when I live an incredibly blessed life.

So, I ran. 

10 miles.  Mile in the middle (half with the wind, half against), emptied stomach contents for the 20th time today, then a dozen 200s (trying to avoid the wind).  These timed out at 37 almost every time but the GPS (liar) says I hit a few stretches of sub 4:40 pace.  I am not sure I believe that.

The run did not leave me less pissed.  But it gave me space to see how stupid it was.

Monday 112111

AM – Headed to the gym with TZ and did five on the mill at various grades (6%, 10%).  Felt like a slug.  Did some hip work on some of the weight machines.

GS structure to consider.

NF50 predictions are starting to fly.

TiVO posts about getting out in the winter.  Given his results, he knows what he is talking about.

Mid day – KZ wanted to run, so I jogged with her, and then tacked on some more with the dogs to round it to five.  Tired.

Weekly KJ love …

Sunday 112011

Something that cracks me up is when folks tell me “how athletic” I am. 

Seriously people.  I got into running (in part) because I outright SUCKED at other sports.  Thankfully I had enough coordination to get through track.  Cross country was a little bit of a gamble, but I was able to fake it there.

I realize how how uncoordinated and how unathletic I actually am when I run with guys like I did today. 

JV put up the bat signal, and Homie, Tony and I took the bait.  I should know by know that this means that the run will be the most vertical in the shortest distance possible, but for some reason I forgot that.  I also thought with Tony in a recovery state, I’d be able to keep up.  Given the route selection, with grades in at times in excess of 40%, I watched Tony walk away from me.  Literally, he walked.
Kindly, the mountain goats would periodically wait for me … probably mostly to assure I was not left for dead by some mountain lion.

But the climbing issue is not athleticism.  That is fitness.  The athleticism and coordination, or perhaps my lack of it, was reflected on the down.  These guys danced the down easily, while I looked like I was wrestling  an invisible version of myself with every step – all in an effort to assure I did not end up on my ass.  I still took a spill or two on some of the ice stretches.  I am after all these years – still a klutz.

All in all, great to be out with some of the strongest mountain guys in the area (nice guys too, but I like ‘em more on the flats – except now JV is also kicking my butt while pushing a baby jogger). 5 miles (and that is with the extra I tacked on with Chautauqua in the mix), and my 22nd run of Green in 2011. 

The steep power walk climb is something I may reconsider as a tool in the training arsenal.  It is not really necessary for the racing I am considering next year, but it is challenging, something I suck at, could be a good mix up recovery workout.  Today felt more like I went to the gym and did squats than run 5 miles.

Solid week for me, and my best since the Boulder 100.  73 miles on the week, and 10.5 hours (my first 70 plus, 10 hour plus week since B100).  I will aim to continue to look to up the overall volume a touch next week, but hopefully in a way that does not compromise the quality.  Given a choice at this point, I will look for quality over quantity.  This next week will be a bit of a challenge with me being off from work (harder to carve time). 3220 on the year and just shy of 250k vertical.

Saturday 111911

PM – Longmont to Broomfield, 17 (plus) miles.  Put the HR monitor on.  It has been a long time since I did that, and so it is probably time.  Kept the whole thing low today, mostly under 145 (averaging 143 over the run).

I belched over lunch, and TZ immediately informed me, “really, that is not appropriate anywhere.”  JZ immediately, “except in Canada.”  This led into a series of laughs as to why belching is apparently okay in Canada in the mind of an 11 year old.

Tonight the kids were a part of a multi piano festival.  In this piece, there are 16 pianos, with two kids to a piano.

But you know you are getting old when your rock anthems become piano music.  Crikey.

The teachers, at the tail played a bunch of stuff from Carmen.  Whenever I hear Carmen, I think of the orange.  I just can’t help it.  It was wired into me at a young age.

Friday 111811

Today’s listening.

Mid day, after getting out for a few easy miles with TZ, I headed out. 

Admittedly, I have been in a bit of a hole since doing the hard strides earlier this week – and felt it on Wednesday (hill repeats on the mill) and even yesterday’s easy run.  It came to roost in today’s run, and while I probably should have run easy – as that what the body said, the mind said “go, go, go.”  So I tried to go and it was probably not as fast it could have been had I been better rested, but …, eh, I sort of didn’t care.  I could have run easy and really slowly or harder and just slow. 

Treated it as the classic out and back, where I go out decent and then try to crank it up a bit on the back.  Just trying to work the average pace of all my regular runs to be a bit quicker.  10 miles, tempo.

JZ has been jammin’ to this.

Thursday 111711

Mid day – 10 (plus) miles, very easy, over at the Flatirons Vista. 

Posted before but it still rocks.

Wednesday 111611

Day 16 of the mo.

AM – 39 tready minutes (which was supposedly five miles).  First 33 minutes at 5% grade, and then flattened it out to play with rolling after a slight climb.  Why the treadmill?  Well, TZ has been hitting the gym in the AMs a few days of the week so this lets me get my run in while still being within “arm’s reach” of the crumb grabbers.  It was nice this AM given it was 18 degrees out when I woke up.  Of course, the nice steady grade thing is cool too.  Crankin the Linkin Park based on an indirect recommendation from Scooter D.  Never listened before and sort of diggin it.

Feeling good overall.  Rather than run super easy, I am enjoying (for now) dancing a bit more with running uncomfortable.

Not that cold in Brazil …

 

PM – mill at work (which I think is a helluva lot more accurate than my garage gerbil machine).  2 miles warm up up at 0 percent grade, averaging just under 8 min/mile pace.  Then 6 x .5 mile with .25 recovery.  The .5s were at 8 percent grade and 7.3 mph (8:12) and the recovery was at 0 percent at 7mph.  7 miles total.  These were probably tougher mentally than physically.

Tuesday 111511

I might have a 5k for T-day, but it might be one I run with the kiddoze.

Evening … wrapped up at the office at 5PM and had to be at the corporate weenie dinner (which was cool because I was dining with folks from the other side of the planet) at 6:30 (which was 10 minutes away).  Slipped in an easy but steady seven while listening to the Lucho podcast (which was great.  I think Tawnee and Lucho have found a good cadence).  Got to the restaurant at 6:31 as we were being seated.

I am finding that I am trying (but not really trying) to keep the pace of these shorter runs a bit more steady – and that feels good, and appropriately aligned with the 5k/10k thinking I have at the moment.  Generally, I feel I will do the non specifical work of the 5k, 10k stuff thiis winter (with the general exception of a fun long run like a Fat Ass event).  As next year unfolds, I will build on that.  I am not sure even close to sure as to  what my travel schedule will be next year, so I am not ready to commit to any specific events.  In any case, if you were looking at my training from a periodization point, this next couple of months will be around getting some turn over back.

Oh yeah, I could feel a little soreness in my legs on this run – which was awesome.  It meant that doing the hard strides I did the day before had some effect.

Monday 111411

AM – 34 minutes treadmill, 0 grade.

If you think you have it tough with your training, fitting it in, dealing with weather … just read this guy’s blog.  It is almost a guarantee to get you to suck it up and get out there.

Fair analysis of the Lucas situation.

PM – tight work window so did the mill again (even though the winds had died a bit).  41 minutes treadmill.  0 grade.  Did 10 x 30” with 90” rest, with the pace being faster than mile race pace.  Yoiks.

Tonight’s listening.

More TDO

One of the other Scout parents from our den – who has a much better photographic eye (and camera) than me took some cool shots from this weekend’s campout.  There are a lot of other ones where he captured the faces of many of the boys up there – but I generally try not to post pix of other people’s kids (I don’t want to assume that is something I am allowed to do).  Thanks John B!