Sunday 30JUN2019

Saturday - just over 5k, a quick jog before the long trip back of SNN=>EWR=>DEN (about a 24 hour sort of affair).

Sunday - AM, 8.1 miles with Braun.  Legs felt pretty heavy, typical sort of thing post the travel.
Evening - 4.5 miles with Greg along the ditch and we perfectly timed it with the afternoon rain.  Tired, but more from swinging back on time zones than the training. 

The last two weeks have certainly not been perfect training:  I missed several days, didn't get anything for significant vertical, didn't get as many quality days as I'd like.  A more positive view would be to see that I got something in, including some quality session.  June goes down as my lowest quantity month of the year - mostly because of the biz travel I deal with this month (16 hotel nights out of 30 on the month). 

Just keep plugging.  Back home for the next two weeks, so I'll try to get in some training that is impactful to later summer efforts.

Friday 28JUN2019

A couple more days of running in Ireland.  A few miles – not as much as I like so I am trying get on it when I can. 

A couple days in Limerick

Monday AM - 4 miles.
PM - 6 miles, tempo
Tuesday evening - 8 miles easy.

I found a canal ditch path and then a nice set of trail along the Shannon River.






It has been a fun trip but I am ready to be home.  About another week before we get to that though.

Sunday 23JUN2019

AM - actually got a pretty decent night's sleep for international travel.  Got out in a traditional Irish rain for 4.5 miles to start the day.  I had also did JZ's ten minutes of core prior to this.  It is a different core exercise for a minute, with push ups after every 3rd minute. It left me sweating pretty good actually.

PM - rain abated a bit and got in another 5.5.  Actually felt like I was coming out of the travel funk.

Most of the week - 18JUN-22JUN2019

Busy week.  I was off to DC on Tuesday and then missed a couple of days of running because of the travel, work, the meetings, and the meetings after the meetings.

I did get a good run in on Friday AM.  Again, I hit the National Mall - it just has not gotten old for me yet.






It certainly was not a great week of training while in DC.  I was short on good sleep, it was hot and muggy when I was out, and the work days were long.  It was good/great on other fronts ... just not running.

Later on Friday afternoon I started the trek to Shannon, Ireland.  I arrived Saturday AM.

It is a actually not that long of a flight (less than 6 hours) from Newark to Shannon.  I thought I'd catch up on some sleep but I couldn't get that right, so I arrived to Ireland pretty beat.

I have not been to Ireland since 2015.  I came here regularly when working in the corporate world, but have only had one international travel event (Singapore in December) since striking out on my own (or with 2HC and my three partners).  It was not lost on me that getting back here was some sort of "yeah, I getting there" sort of moment.

I was pretty trashed, and thought about sleeping the moment I hit the hotel but decided to get the run in.  I figured it force me up a bit and into the time change some.  Within the first mile of my run, I came across these guys.



They weren't too interested in hanging out so I pretty much left them alone.  I got in a good run around Limerick (up the road from Shannon and where I am staying).






Here in Ireland for the week.  I am hoping to get in a better week, and maybe a bit of quality too once I get my legs back under me.

Monday 17JUN2019

AM - Greg and Syd B jogged by the house to pick me up and then we headed out for a little bit before getting practice going.   Touched the gas a bit as I was feeling antsy and was pushing with some of the kids (who then crushed me).  Legs felt a bit heavy but it was good to be rolling a bit anyway.   Did some strides at practice too and then jogged home. 7.7 miles.

Mid day - 3.3 miles.  Pretty warm and humid.  EZ.

Sunday 16JUN2019

AM - got out for an hour-ish with Greg W.   My legs were pretty beat from yesterday's effort and so we kept it pretty easy, getting 8.2 over the 65 minutes.

65.8 on the week with 6200 feet, with a Green Mountain in the mix, and the hills on Wednesday with Shad.  Next week starts a longer road trek and probably a bit less vertical opps in there, but will seek some quality.  Might even see if I can sneak in a road race somewhere (as in Limerick).

Picked up a travel (or a 3/4) guitar last night.  It will get its maiden run on this next trip out of town.

KZ got a job this summer over at the climbing gym, EVO.  She took TZ and I over there today as a Father's Day excursion.  It has to be close to 20 years since I have done any climbing and I knew it in about 10 minutes.  I was fried pretty quick.

In fact it has been so long ... when then staff at the gym saw my 'beaner, one of them said, "whoa, stone age tools dude!" 

I might be able to lift my arms again by Tuesday.

Saturday 15JUN2019

Green.  Went up Gregory and then took Long Canyon - which is the longer trip and pretty but something I typically don't have time for.  Didn't feel spry so it was a slow go, but happy to get the reps in.






KZ and TZ hiked up from Chautauqua on ASG so I met them.  I buzzed down a bit, found them, then came back up the old set of stairs that Scott E used to call the "four minute Green mile" (it took me about six today) (and it might be a quarter mile).

9 miles.

Thursday 13JUN2019

Last minute call but I saw there was an open mic up in Lafayette – so I headed up to play that one.  I clearly rocked a hundred thousand folks.

Each of these are a little different.  This one had ten slots and you drew cards to determine who got to do first slot selection.  I drew the seven of spades, which landed me in the second spot.  I was good with that.

I played four tunes … opened with “Maybe It’s Time” by Bradley Cooper/Jackson Maine/Jason Isabell, followed with Caamp’s “Debts I Owe,” then “Banditos” by the Refreshments and closed with RCPM’s “Green and Dumb.”  Two of those were new to what I have played in a live setting.  .
Submit yer requests.  No promises.
Current tunes (in addition to the above):
“Squeeze Box” – The Who
”Copperhead Road” – Steve Earle
”Americano” – RCPM
”Margaritaville” – Jimmy Buffett
Working On:
”Fake Plastic Trees” – Radiohead
”Nada” – RCPM
”Drink Called Love” – William Topley
”I Don’t Need Another Thrill” RCPM
”Use Somebody” -Kings of Leon
”Just Like Heaven” The Cure
”Everlong” – The Foo Fighters
… and a half dozen more that are not even close yet.  Like “Pancho and Lefty” and “Hallelujah”

10 miles out of MSP before getting to business. 

Friday 14JUN2019

Back at it in Colorado, but a bit beat and a busy day.  Just five miles on the typical Ridgeview Loop (aka Lake Link trail, Ditch connect up) but I was moving okay (which at this point means I was sub 7:30 average - which ain't great but it is a bit quicker than average for an easy run for me).

Checked out the band in the evening:

Wednesday 12JUN2019

Still sore but I decided I needed to not worry about that anymore.

AM - 4.1 miles with Greg and the XC team.

A little later in the AM - 6.6 miles, with 5 x 3 minute hills with Shad, starting at the bottom of the hill down at the draw, and then up to the bench (Shad was getting another 50 yards up the hill).  I was not "crushing it" but got some hard breathing out of it.

Good to catch up a bit with Shad too.  That boy is a good egg.

Tuesday 11JUN2019

Still a bit sore in weird places because of the pack burro race on Sunday.  The fun part of aging is as much the slowing down as it is the recovering slowly too. 

3 and change with Greg at practice.  Got the kids going in the weight room, did some quick work on core, bench and pull ups and then we headed out for another handful and change.  9 on the day -- easy.

Truly one of those beautiful early summer days here too,.

Monday 10JUN2019

First official day of summer practice for XC 2019 today ...



Got in 8 and change with Greg and Syd with a bit of running before and then a jog home.  In the afternoon, another 3.7

Creede Pack Burro Race, Week wrap up

Finished off a couple of days in PHX and had some nice runs.

Wednesday AM - 6.2 miles
Wednesday PM - 4.2 miles

Thursday AM - 8.2 miles


Traveled back to CO in the evening.  It was just about 102 when I left PHX.

Friday ended up being an off day, the tenth on the year.  I was scrambling in the typical "get back" sort of thing - laundry, wrapping up an engagement, getting ready for the next one, and the like.  We headed out for Fairplay mid afternoon, shortening the day.  I decided with a Saturday race to let it go rather than try to over grip getting the run in.

It is still a different land up in Fairplay ... the buds of the aspens are still working on coming out at 10000 feet.

Hung out in Fairplay for the evening ... it has been too long since we did that.

We headed down to Creede on Saturday morning.  Creede is a bit of a ride - about 265 miles or five hours from Broomfield and three from Fairplay.  We coincidentally came up on Bob just south of BV while making the trek.

We caravan-ed it to Creede.  It is truly a spectacular drive across that part of Colorado - it is as if you are driving through a John Fielder photo or some sort of post card.   It is really beyond description and I don't have a camera that capture that.

We got to Creede a little before 10, and quickly learned that the typical 10 mile lollipop course was not going to be run as tributaries into the Rio Grande (the Willow) were gushing hard with recent snow melt.  Roads on the course were washed out or with significant water flowing over them.  The sheriff had closed large portions of the typical course.

There were no lack of opinions as to what to do from folks.  There were different suggestions to do an out and back, laps and loops.  Suggestions were coming in with races anywhere from 3 to 12 miles.  I decided to not get overly concerned about it and roll with it.

Did the typical sort of prep stuff, and did even a little warm up jog with Bob to eyeball any damage we could see.


We didn't see any for as far as we were willing to jog in jeans and sandals but it was clear with the amount of heavy equipment and sandbags they were throwing around, stuff was pretty serious.

The race was supposed to start at 1, but as is typical in a small town race, it was just really gathering at about 5 after.  The race announcer decided to read every participant's name and their burros names so we really didn't get going until about 20 after.  Right before the race, Brad announced the course - we'd head south back out of town and up on the Bachelor's Loop, and up to the third aid station before coming back exactly the same way.  He said he thought the course would be about 11 miles, but admitted he really was not sure.

Jack and I got less than a stellar start two blocks up but even by the first turn we had moved up into the top 10.  All the typical players were there with a new face or two.  We took a short turn, west, then another south and were heading down out of town.  I think it might be the first burro race I have been in with a DOWN start - and the burros were really getting on it.  Jack punched up to sub five pace and I was quickly realizing the elevation of 8900 of Creede.  Jack took the lead and I was wondering if I was going to be on my face with any stride.

Things quickly got back to normal with a couple of turns that had us going up to the west and to the north (within a kilometer of the race).  Everyone slowed and about a dozen teams were in it.  It would stay this way for the next 9 miles (with the only thing really changing is that maybe four teams were whittled off).  The lead would change, the pack would stretch and collapse over and over.  This is the case of the burro race.

No one however knew when we were turning around, and so the question kept building ... 3.5 miles, 4 miles, 4.5 miles.  No turning.  The tension was building but no one really was saying anything about it so we just kept rolling.  We saw a photographer so we knew we were not too far yet.  At the 4.5 mile mark, the big climb ended and we started a drop back into the woods.  5 miles, 5.5.  No turn around.  8 teams there, including the minis, Hal and Ricky Bobby, Hal and FTB, Pat and Alice, Joe and Jake, Bob and Yukon, and Jack and me.

Jack never really led on the way out.  I kept him in sight of the leaders on the climb but it was clear he was not going to gallop up the hill.  It was warm and he was only having so much of it.  But we kept enough contact.

6 miles.  6.5.  Then at 7 we came across the final station and the turn around.  The next race started.  Everyone tried to get a jump back up the 2.5 miles to long downhill back into town but the pack just did its taffy thing.  There were some pissed off folks coming at us though wanting to know where that turn around was.

We started the down and the butter nature of the road was right to Jack's liking.  He opened up and we took a lead.  On some of the turns or more shallow sections down he slowed and I could see the whole train of folks not far behind.  It was still anyone's race.  Patrick and Alice caught us and stepped up ahead of us.  We locked into that.

On a section a bit steeper than the rest down, Jack opened up and we took a bit more of a lead.  We got some daylight between us and Patrick and Alice - maybe as much as 150 yards.  There were a few sections where we hit sub five - and I was feeling for a bit like some of the days of old with this great donkey.  We might not have other days like this anymore but at least for today we had the wind at our ears.

We had a good gap, but I was questioning if it was going to be enough as we had to climb the last half mile back into town and then in the town area for the finish itself (Jack is usually not great at that).  As we hit town, I could see Patrick/Alice closing on us, chipping away at the lead.  But we had generated enough of a gap that we were able to hold on for the win. 

Patrick and Alice came in just a few strides behind us.


Certainly Jack and I have had a great early season with two wins and a third.  But the mid summer and Triple Crown races are different ... longer, harder washed out roads, and three weeks of it in a row.  Just have to enjoy each one as they come and not get too worried about the actual result.

Long ride back on Saturday night after all that, but again beautiful.

Sunday - back at it in Broomfield.  I did an easy six on the Lac Amora loop.  Legs were pretty tired tho.



Good week for travel - a nice hill workout in AZ, the race on the weekend with 14 miles and 2400 feet of climbing.  I need to get to altitude a bit more (I felt it in Creede and that is only 8900 feet).