Ski Day

We did the day at Cooper – which is different than Copper.  Cooper is the old 10th Mountain Division hill outside of Leadville.  Copper is the hill just off 70 before heading to Vail or Leadville. 

As is typical for when I ski – it is an ass kicker of a day with the prep, the drive, and the skiing itself.  And with a high in the teens and temps starting below zero, it was cold too. 

I am the worst of the skiers in my family.  This is not surprising since I skied for the for the first time after I was in the Air Force and everyone else in my family has been doing it since they could basically walk.  JZ basically runs circles around me laughing at how hard I make even easy stuff look. 

Saturday 122714

Awoke to some beautiful purple sunrise skies in Fairplay.
The family decided to make the trek over to Leadville to get in some skiing at a locale we had never been to, Ski Cooper. It was a gorgeous ride over.  Side note, when I did the check on Google Maps as to the best route there – as I was debating whether to go around through Breck or through Buena Vista, it was suggested that I could go via Mosquito Pass!We loved this small town ski experience.  ‘

Drive up to the base, free parking, big open runs, no lines at the lifts, reasonable lift ticket prices and good times.  Of course, you don’t have five peaks to play around with like Breck, and so your terrain choices are not as varied but we still had a blast. 

It pretty cold out (like zero or single digits) but the family held up pretty well in that.  There is no doubt, I am the worst skier in my family.  The kids have been doing it nearly all their lives, and hence have a natural take to it now.  I also get a bit sea sick on the lifts with that back and forth motion and then it sets me up to not do so well on the downs.  Yeah, wimp I know, 

I also got to see a dog sun rainbow as we were leaving.   

No running on the day given the skiing and transport and all.

Tuesday 122711

Skiing all day at Copper.  My hips were screaming for the first few runs then loosened up.  No running today.  Had my excuses lined up:  I’s effing dark and cold and the wind is really blowing out there … and frankly I am trashed from the day.  Did some myrtle, and body weight bearing sort of work (squats, lunges).  Missing a day like this still messes with my head … but getting out to run 12 minute miles at altitude, in the snow, wind and cold … well, it ain’t going do a lot for me really.  I played on the elliptical for like four minutes at the in-laws but I just was not into it.

Thursday 123109

Last day of the year – lots to post again about the year in review, or plans for the oh one oh but that will have to come later. 

We spent the day as a family on the slopes at Breck.  It was cold – the first run was done in ambient temps in the below zero range.  The kids had a blast though.  I considered getting out for a short run with the dogs in the evening, but the cold had zapped me.  Given that the temps were single digit come dinner time, and there were some decent winds a’ blowin’ – I decided to kick back and relax.   The kids sucked me into watching some episodes of “The Amazing Race” (which reminds me of stuff we used to do at summer camp but the show of course is on the global scale).

Back to Broomfield New Year’s Day.

Sunday 011809

• AM - early, under the light of a half moon in Fairplay.  A billion stars.  Easy jogging, four miles.  Skied hard all day, and got dehydrated ... I started to get a headache because of this combined with the altitude.  TZ and I had a blast on the slopes though.
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• PM.  I debated about getting out but the dogs were begging so I slapped on the headlamp and trudged out into the dark and cold.  The stars were amazing.  The dogs, which became four specks of light (eyeballs) seemed to enjoy it as well.   4 miles, 40 minutes.
• I wonder if the slow runs at altitude are worth anything.  Then I wonder if I could hold ten minute pace for the six miles above Barr Camp.  I'd be pretty dang stoked if I could!  Must be worth something.
• Week in review ...
  • M - 8 miles, treadmill, progression (48:30)
  • T - 11 miles, (77 minutes)
  • W - 10 miles, (75 minutes), 8x hill sprints
  • Th - 10 miles, treadmill, fartlek (63 minutes)
  • Fr - Bear (+), 8 miles, 1:50
  • Sa - 15 miles (1:52)
  • Su - 4 miles (44 minutes)
• 70 miles.  569 minutes on the week.  194 miles on the month.  1596 minutes on the month.  Good news is that the general velocity of all my runs has improved ... I was really surprised at how easy the Saturday effort felt.   Weather (snow, cold, wind), life (hitting the high country every weekend for example - today I could have got at least 10 in the flats with the weather but I skied with the fam instead), and how much training I want to do right now is actually holding me back a bit.  I feel like I am actually to a point where I could go and start ripping stuff and really get into it ... but I want to hold back on that for just a bit, make this level I am doing now be ... simple.  I got in some core but I need to do more.  I do need to double up the strides that I do.  I am in no rush to sneak off to the track.

010709 Wednesday 10 miles

Various ...

• The winds continue to blow today.  Jeffco has gusts up to 58mph with a steady wind at 20mph.  It gusted so high that the dirt on the Marshall Mesa whipped up to start to block out the views of the mountains.  No joke.  I was on the third floor of my building (a four story building) and I can feel the building moving.  Seriously.  On the fourth floor - the blinds were moving on the windows because the windows were bowing to the wind.  Co worker Verne posted some pix.
• I am debating whether I should have responded to this post.  MAF ... (by the way, I know that Lucho and I have posted quite a bit on MAF on the past.  FWIW - I think he and I agree more on MAF in terms of running training.  Certainly he is more versed in IM and its applicability there given I have never done one of those).
• THIS is a really bad day.  I am glad that did not happen to me skiing.
• More fun on talent versus work at the SOS.  If they post stuff like this everyday, I will just let the blogroll on the right speak to it.  Their stuff, Fitzgerald's and CV's are some of the best blogs of folks regarding training approaches I know (that don't also serve as "this is what I did for training"). 
• Fitzgerald's post on weight and willpower ... interesting as lots of folks seem to be thinking about weight these days (particularly in light of the dark days of winter.
• I used to run the Certain Death trail all the time ... (if you live in Boulder County and run, you know this trail ... it was also described in Running with the Buffaloes as an Adam Goucher 22 mile run) then it got shut down.  It looks like it might get opened up again! 
• Stupid IPOD question:  my work laptop has had its motherboard replaced a couple of times.  Each time that counts as a registered computer with my IPOD.  I can't get access to those old boards and deregister them with Apple.  Is there an alternative way that I can deregister a computer that is associated with my IPOD/Itunes? (later note skatona suggests - http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/store/authorization/ - thank you.  Do I know you?)
• Interview with Eric Blake, mountain runner from the US team last year.

Due to the crazy winds ... I hit the treadmill again.  This is the third day on the mill and it is getting to me a bit.  After five miles, I went to 4 x 3 minutes at 5K pace, and then ran sub six for the remaining 9 minutes or so to get to the finish.  I was not really up for this physically ... I probably should have taken an other easy day but I my desire to get this run done over rode that.  6:56, 6:48, 6:56, 6:41, 6:49, 6:20, 5:46, 6:04, 6:08, 5:51.  64 minutes.  I am ready to get back outside ... even if that means running in gale force winds.

Tuesday 123008

More skiing today ... no running.  I thought about it when we got home but enjoyed kicking back with the family. 

Interesting post on aging and performance by Dave Dunham.

Post of the day by Justin on the RW Trujilo article.

Grays and Torres in the distance.

Heading to the mountain

Hot chocolate at Vista Haus.

Monday 122908 4 miles

A few notes ...

1.) Happy birthday today to my wonderful 11 year old daughter KZ!

2.) I do need to get out a few of the Jay Johnson Running DVD's. I thought I'd get them out before the Christmas holiday - I just let that task get away from me. Matt, Sunny, Lucho, James/Beth, Phil - yers are coming. JV, Kerrie - let me know what you think of yours. I just started watching the volume 2 DVD (and other than being reminded that I need to get back to vol 1!) I am again impressed.
3.) I re-read all of my January entries from '08. That is why I keep this blog (in part) but I don't do a review of what I did as often as I like. In reviewing it, I am forced to ask myself what am I really changing? Core? Diet? Volume? Speed? ... one of the best entries is with advice from Galen. This is clear ... January is where things begun to become unravelled with my hernia issue. If I don't have that as an interuption, then by definition, my training is changing. But other than that - should I expect markedly different results with the same approach to my training?
4.) Got in four miles at the end of the day (37 min) ... dark. Windy. Cold. Tired from skiing. While skiing today, I was in a lift line and I slipped backwards. My legs separated farther and farther and farther back until I was almost in a full split. JZ asked me ... "why are you doing that Dad?" It looked like I was doing some funky stretch, which I was but not on purpose. I thought my legs were going to just rip off. Ouch. I managed to eventually get out of it.
5.) An interview with Mountain running legend John Wyatt