Week Log: Jan 28-Feb 3

Mon- 12 miles (1:30) Mesas w/ Kyle

The shin felt great for the first 1:10 or so, but then it tightened the last 20 minutes and felt like I was basically back to square one.  Not encouraging.

Tue- 0

Wed- 0

Thu- 5 miles (:40) North Monument

My shin never hurt at all and I finished optimistic about it's health.  I felt absolutely terrible otherwise.

Fri- 8 miles (1:00) Mesas and Monument

Felt good and the shin never hurt at all so I was super-psyched.

Sat- 13 miles (2:00) Longs Ranch loop backwards w/ Kyle

Barr Trail was incredibly slick, and this was compounded by the fact that I was in my Nike flats.  So, instead of trying to descend that ice luge without screws, we decided to keep climbing and go down Longs instead.  We kept a solid pace up the whole 3000' climb, though, and then bombed the super-steep downhill through a bunch of powder.  My shin absolutely never hurt, and it was a blast to be cranking through the snowing and foggy mountains.

Sun- 17 miles (2:22) UPT-Waldo Loop+ w/ Kyle and Matt (Incline Club)

Matt started off cranking, but it was a beautiful day and he calmed down some once we got to Waldo and the pace was more leisurely.  I'm trying to be smart, so I turned back on the UPT while Kyle and Matt went up Longs, but I added on some at the end to make it a full 17 miles.  I wore the Crosslites w/ screws on this run and I'm pretty psyched on these shoes.  They felt suitably low-profile and light and I think the extra bit of forefoot protection will be welcome once the snow melts some more.  Great run.

Total: 55 miles (7:32)

I think I'm finally back.  This injury was incredibly unfortunate timing for me (with missing Rocky), but with the help of all the great folks over at Champion Health (including the cold laser treatment that I'll post about later) I think I'm definitely on the trail to good things once again.  Time away from running makes one appreciate it so much more intensely, that's for sure.

Motivation

The Way Too Cool 50K entrants list was posted recently.  I'd been considering doing the San Juan 50 miler in June instead of Western, but now, with the possibility of Matt possibly being at Western, I'm pretty resolved to run the American River 50 in April and hopefully be on the starting line in Squaw Valley on June 28th.

I'm highly anticipating the results of WTC as Kyle's brother Erik, Matt, and Galen Burrell all go head-to-head...it should be a very exciting show-down if Galen is in shape (I know Matt and Erik are in shape).  Of course, Matt was most likely just testing Active.com's ability to handle a high-traffic registration process to see if it will handle the Pikes Peak registration on March 1st, and might not even be running WTC at all...

La Sportiva Loveliness

Ever since I started running for La Sportiva a year ago, Buzz, the mountain running team manager, has been telling me about the new lightweight shoe that the Italians had/have in the works--the Skylite. I began running for Sportiva because of my preference for the Slingshot, but the Skylite was supposed to be even lighter than its 308 gram predecessor. However, not only is Sportiva coming out with the Skylite in a couple of months, they now have available a very similar shoe--the Skylite's fell-running brother, the Crosslite--which is the exact same shoe as the Skylite except for with a much, much more aggressive (read: heavier) outsole.

Nevertheless, after having my appetite whetted at the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show back in August, and then getting another preview when the Colorado Running Company (the store I work at) brought in a couple (very small) pairs of the Crosslite, I was finally able to get a closer look at the Skylites and actually try on a pair of the Crosslites this past week when Kyle and I took a visit to Boulder for a little ultra running get-together with the Boulder Trail Runners.

All of this anticipation may seem a little ridiculous, but trail running shoes are very important to me. First, since shoes are the only really (mostly) necessary piece of running equipment, and because I am a huge nerd of the sport, I naturally am very geeky about my shoes. Additionally, my particular (minimalist) philosophy of running and running footwear lends me to be even more interested in my shoes.

Second, trail running (and especially, trail racing) footwear is an industry and technology in relative infancy. Trail shoes have only been around for really no more than 15 years, and in the beginning they fell into basically two categories: either brown/black road shoes or a glorified hiking boot. Obviously, neither of these categories really did the job.

In the last few years, though, many companies are understanding that a trail shoe needs to be fundamentally different from both road shoes and hiking boots, and Sportiva (along with Inov-8) has been an industry leader in this idea. With shoes like the Raceblade, Fireblade, Slingshot, and now, the Skylite and Crosslite, Sportiva has shown that they realize a trail shoe will deliver more effectively if it has a lower profile (but more dense than a road shoe) midsole, and that the virtually bomb-proof upper of a hiking boot is simply overkill--and hugely detrimental when running uphill--for a trail running shoe.

Most importantly, they are showing deliberate efforts to manufacture actual trail racing shoes, which probably arises from their European, short, fast, hill climb/mountain running roots, as opposed to the American trail ultra running roots of a company like, say, Montrail. (Although, this season Sportiva has obviously made a concerted effort to start significantly supporting the trail ultra running community in earnest through new sponsorship of many of America's top ultra trail runners and of more ultra-distance trail races.)

After meeting with Buzz and Jonathan (the president of La Sportiva, North America) and picking up a couple pairs of Crosslites to take home and try out, I am quite happy with the shoe. The Crosslite is listed as a men's US 9 (sample size) weighing in at 12.42 oz or 352 grams. That is light for a trail shoe, but actually pretty heavy for a road shoe. The Slingshot was advertised as being 308 grams (previously Sportiva's lightest shoe) and the Skylite has been advertised at both 250 grams and 268 grams (depending on the website). That is a legitimately very light trail shoe. The only other shoe on the market that compares is Inov-8's F-lite 250 (250 grams), which is being updated this year with the lighter F-lite 230. When I took my pair of size EU43.5/US10.5 Crosslite's home, they weighed in at 12.5 oz on the CRC's mail scale.

But, then came the time for my personal modifications. After some extensive carving (which I will get into in detail soon), I now have my size 10.5 Crosslite down to ~8.2 oz. Considering that the the size 9 Skylites are supposed to be ~100 grams (almost 4 oz) lighter than the size 9 Crosslite, I hope to get a pair of Skylites down to the high 6, low 7 oz range...even lighter than Inov-8's F-lite 230s. (I haven't seen a pair of the 230s, but my pair of 250s were already so stripped down that there was basically nothing I could do to them to make them much lighter without significantly compromising their structural integrity---plus, I really believe in the value of supporting/representing a company (Sportiva) that I've already developed a very positive relationship with (Buzz is great) and is doing a ton to positively support the sport of trail running in North America.)

On to the modifications (if I can scrounge up a camera from some body I may post some photos in the coming days):

Week Log 1/7-1/13

Mon-AM: 15 miles (2:05) Garden
PM: 8 miles (1:05)

Tue-AM: 30 miles (4:05) Gold Camp
PM: 4.5 miles (:41)

Wed-AM: 30 miles (4:21) Buckhorn-Intemann-Red Rocks-Garden
PM: 4.5 miles (:40)

Thu-AM: 30 miles (4:10) CRUD Tempo
PM: 5 miles (:41)

Fri- 10 miles (1:31)

Sat- 42 miles (5:34) Rampart Range Road Overlook

Sun- OFF (left shin)

Total: 179 miles (24:53)

I was very pleased with this week until the weekend, obviously. Even without getting a speed session of any kind in on Tuesday, I was very excited with comfortably getting the mid-week volume that I did. The ice and snow definitely hindered the quality, but I'm not too concerned about that---I run to run in the mountains, and I got to do a ton of that this week so it was great.

We'll see how big of a deal the shin turns out to be. I'm fine with taking a few days off--it's not ideal, but preparations rarely are--and I'm just going to try to remind myself to not force anything. If the shin disallows Rocky, so be it; I'm not going to try to get too worked up about it.

Finally, I'm excited about having Kyle in town for the next couple of months---it's fun to get up in the mountains with some company.

Saturday Jan 12, 2008

AM- 42 miles (5:34) Rampart Range Overlook out and back through Manitou (Roclite)

Ran with Kyle and jacked the anterior tibialis in my left shin. That's the short version, I guess.

I woke up this morning and the shin basically wasn't an issue at all, so Kyle and I set out with him planning on 4-5 hours and myself hoping for 7-8 hrs. It was a beautiful morning, so we dropped our long-sleeves right before heading through the Mesas and actually spent a little while later in the day running shirtless. Ah, January in the Springs.

Rampart Range road ended up being a slick, icy, packed snow-fest. Eventually, we just had to accept the slower pace and settle into the rhythm of slipping with every single step. After nearly getting shot up at the shooting range, the road improved marginally with a few gravel patches and the views improved significantly with great overlooks into both Queen's and Williams Canyons.

After almost 3 hours, Kyle and I got to the overlook, ate a gel, packed some snow in our water bottles and then headed back down. Running down was, of course, much faster but with just as frustratingly poor footing. Kyle's Montrail Highlanders seemed to be getting better traction than my Roclites and after a half hour or so I definitely noticed that my left shin was starting to get a bit aggravated and tight.

By time we got back down to the harder packed road by the shooting range I was slipping and sliding everywhere and the shin was getting more and more angry. I thought maybe just the downhill was causing the issue, so Kyle and I parted ways back in the Garden like we'd planned, but when I encountered the next uphill down in Manitou Springs my shin complained in a big way and I simply limped to the nearest pay phone to call Jocelyn to pick me up.

However, somehow Jocelyn and I missed each other and I ended up running the 5 or 6 miles back to campus on the streets; my shin didn't seem to get any worse on the flats, but it was definitely already pretty inflamed. I finished up with a couple extra miles to get my discarded long-sleeve shirt and finally limped back to the Recovery Room for copious amounts of icing.

Needless to say, the shin was swollen and the anterior tibialis tendon was remarkably inflamed. I'll almost certainly take tomorrow off.

Friday Jan 11, 2008

AM- 10 miles (1:31) Monument Loops+Rail Road Tracks (PC II)

Ran really easy with Kyle and Jocelyn. By the end of the run my left shin was a bit sore/tight on the front, which is weird because it was such a low-key, short, easy run. I spent a lot of time icing it in the evening, so hopefully it's better in the morning. Also, a pretty windy, blustery day, so I hope tomorrow isn't a repeat of last Saturday's hurricane run.

Thursday Jan 10, 2008

AM- 30 miles (4:10) Cheyenne Canon CRUD Tempo-Stratton-Bear Creek-Monument Loops (Roclite)
PM- 5 miles (:41) North Monument Loop (sz 11 Slingshots)

I woke up at 4:30am feeling pretty tired and it took a while to feel good, especially with the colder temps. Kyle didn't have to be to work at 9am like me, so I was flying solo this morning.

There was a big group at the CRUD tempo workout, but the ice and snow on both the paved and gravel roads were really bad. The Inov-8s were giving me pretty poor traction. As a result, I did the climb in 41:04, but got to the gate in 28:40, so it actually wasn't horribly slow. There were about 6 inches of fresh snow on High Drive, though.

On the run back I spent a lot of time looping through Stratton and Bear Creek and then added on a North Loop to make it the full 30 miles. I'm so lucky to have a job where I can show up a half hour late in order to accommodate spur-of-the-moment decisions like that.

I did the second run in mid-afternoon after getting off work. It was a pretty standard North Loop, but lately I've been questioning the need for that second run when I go for a 4+ hour run in the morning. I think there's some use when the weather is warm enough for it to be barefoot, but this time of year when I'm still just tooling around in shoes I can't think of any real benefit other than to inhibit my recovery (which obviously isn't a benefit).

After the run, Kyle and I went and did some major shopping at the local food co-op and I even picked up a very cheap futon mattress to contribute to the Recovery Room---a great little addition.

Wednesday Jan 9, 2008

AM- 30 miles (4:21) Mt. Buckhorn-Intemann-Red Rocks-Garden+Monument (Inov-8 Roclite 285)
PM- 4.5 miles (:40) CRC Run-North Loop (Roclite)

In the morning, Kyle and I set out to break some trail in the mountains. The run through Bear Creek and up High Drive was pretty tough--it took 45 minutes to make the High Drive climb that is typically a half hour affair. But, the scenery was unparalleled.

Coming back through Intemann, Red Rocks, and the Garden the weather warmed up very nicely and we maintained a fast pace on the more well-packed trails in those areas. After dropping off Kyle at the Recovery Room (what we are calling our apartment since it's basically just a place to eat and sleep in between runs) I continued on for a pretty slothly extra loop around North Monument to get in the 30 miles. We did the whole run without water or gels, so there was a lot of snow-eating going on the second half. The Inov-8 Roclite 285s worked great on this run (Kyle loaned me a pair), but I think I would want to take a little bit of height off the heels.

The evening was just the typical CRC jaunt around North Monument, but the weather had turned snowy and wintry again in the afternoon (right after our morning run). My right shin actually felt pretty good.

Tuesday Jan 8, 2008

AM- 30 miles (4:05) Gold Camp out and back+North Monument Loop (sz 11 Slingshots)
PM- 4.5 miles (:41) Safeway and back via Shooks Run (sz 11 Slingshots)

There was so much new snow this morning that I knew I wouldn't be able to do the speedwork I had planned. Instead, I decided to just go enjoy a gorgeous slog through the mountains. After struggling through all the new fluff in Bear Creek I hopped on the freshly-plowed Gold Camp Road and took it all the way to its end at the parking lot. The morning warmed up nicely and the very few tire tracks through the powder made for some nice, sticky footing. I finished up with some speedy (mid to low 7's) miles around the North Monument Loop.

In the evening, Jocelyn, Boggs and I ran up to the Safeway and back on Shooks Run to pick up some ingredients for fondue. By time we got back Kyle had gotten into town, so we all went over to the apartment (really, a tiny little studio) that he and I are sharing rent on, and made some food.

Monday Jan 7, 2008

AM- 15 miles (2:05) Garden of the Gods (sz 11.5 Slingshots)
PM- 8 miles (1:05) Monument Loops+Beacon Street (sz 11.5 Slingshots)

The morning run was gorgeous with all of the new snow. I didn't feel great, but certainly not horrible, and was just sort of a rote run.

After working at the CRC until 7pm I immediately got out the door for an easy run in still more snow. Probably another 4 inches of snow had fallen since yesterday morning, so it ended up being a very wintry jaunt. My right shin was a bit tight, but not bad.

Sunday Jan 6, 2008

AM- 32 miles (4:07) Gold Camp Road out and back+Monument (sz 11 Slingshots)
PM- 10 miles (1:32) Bear Creek-8th St-PPG Trail (sz 11.5 Slingshots)

In the morning, I got up at 4:30am so that I could get the run in before picking Jocelyn up at the airport. it started snowing once I got to the mountains about an hour into the run, and once I realized the new snow made it too slick to run up High Drive I instead headed up Gold Camp for an out and back to the collapsed tunnel at the St. Mary's Falls trailhead. It ended up snowing maybe the hardest I've ever seen (~6" in two hours) and by time I made my way back to town everything was a winter wonderland.

I was moving quickly (7 minute pace or so) coming down Gold Camp and continued that through Bear Creek and for the extra loops in Monument. It was good to move quickly like that at the end of a long run.

The evening run was in the cold and dark with Jocelyn, and the snow was such an issue that we just bailed by Wal-mart and hopped on 8th Street. My right shin was kind of sore, but other than that it was a nice easy evening run.

Saturday Jan 5, 2008

AM- 50 miles (7:15) Garden-Rampart-Williams-Waldo-Cascade-French Creek-Highway 24-UPT-Manitou-Intemann-Section 16 Loop-Bear Creek-Monument (PC II)

Wow, what a run.

Friday Jan 4, 2008

AM- 10 miles (1:30) Monument Loops+Rail Road Tracks (Puma H Streets)

Ahhh, the Friday run.  This day is always a looked-forward-to respite from the arduous week of training.  I always need this very easy day each week.  It recharges the energy stores before launching into what is typically a huge weekend of running.

I've done this run with Jocelyn a lot in the past, and she always drops me.  I go slow and very flat on this run.  The idea is to simply get out there and get the heart pumping, shake out the legs, and just sit back and enjoy the leisure of it all.

And, that's just what I did today.  Once again, the weather was spectacularly beautiful--it basically felt like a warm spring day--and I really enjoyed wearing my incredibly beat up Puma H Streets (they've stopped making them) that have somewhere between 1500 and 2000 miles on them.  My shin was a little bit tight, but I think today should help it get healed a little bit.  All in all, a good run.

Thursday Jan 3, 2008

AM- 30 miles (4:10) Cheyenne Canyon CRUD tempo run (PC II)

PM- 5 miles (:43) North Monument Loop (NB240s)

This morning's workout ended up going better than I'd planned, considering yesterday's longer run.  After waking up at 4:45am to run the 7ish miles over to the Starsmore Discovery Center (the starting point of the tempo run at the bottom of Cheyenne Canyon), it took a while to loosen the legs up and start feeling good.  However, once I got closer to the mountains, I could feel hot blasts of air coming out of the canyon--a harbinger to the unseasonably warm weather we would have today.

The Cheyenne Canyon Tempo is a 4.2 mile uphill with the first 3ish miles being on pavement and the last mile being dirt (High Drive).  This means the last mile is usually ice/snow-covered until later in the season.  The hill starts pretty gradually but really ramps up in the middle and the last mile and a half or so to gain 1646' total (average of a 7.4% grade), going from ~6200' to 7800'.

The key to this run is not letting the flattish start fool you into going out too hard and then suffering big-time on the steep stuff in the middle.  I did a decent job of controlling that today and ended up hitting splits of 11:34 (Mt. Cutler sign), 18:11 (10mph sign), and 26:09 (gate) and then slipped up the icy High Drive to get to the top of the hill in 34:26.  I think that's my 2nd fastest time ever to the gate, so I was really happy with the effort.

However, all the speedwork isn't being too kind to my right shin.  On the run down, my shin was aggravated so much that I bailed onto the (much more beautiful) Columbine trail to get back to the bottom of the canyon instead of running down the asphalt road with the group.  I was pretty tired on the trail, but I took a gel at 2hr that perked me up and then headed back towards home via Stratton and Bear Creek.

However, once I got to Bear Creek I was feeling a lot better so I decided to turn it into a longish run (the gorgeous mid-50s weather was also a motivator--I ran shirtless for the entire last 1.5 hrs of the run) and took a loop around there, and then when I got back to Monument I did a snappy North loop to finish out the run.  My shin felt a lot better the second half of the run.

This whole run was great.  It's fun to start so early in the morning--the sunrise is always fantastic--and Cheyenne Canyon is an exceptionally beautiful place early in the morning.  Finally, the ridiculously gorgeous January weather topped everything off.

The run in the evening was predictably crappy.  I didn't get off work until 7pm again, so I ended up heading out in the dark for a desultory North loop.  The shin was pretty tight and my heartburn was terrible.  I'm not that sure why I do these evening runs---mostly to practice running while feeling like shit, I suppose--but I guess I always do feel better after they're done.

Wednesday Jan 2, 2008

AM- 30 miles (4:13) Mt. Buckhorn-Section 16 Loop-Intemann-Red Rocks-Garden-Monument (sz 11 Slingshot)

PM- 4 miles (:33) CRC Run~Monument Loops (NB240s)

This morning's run started off miserably cold in single digit temps.  However, once I started the 2000' climb up High Drive things warmed up nicely and by time I got to the top of Buckhorn it was a brilliant sun-shiney day.

After running back down High Drive, the climb to the top of the Section 16 loop went surprisingly well.  The trail was packed well and my legs had a lot of pep.  Right before dropping off the ridge, though, I took the social trail out to the rock ridge that marks the end of the mountain--it has an amazing view of Colorado Springs!  I'd never ventured out there before, but it was well worth the 5-10min side-trip.

My legs continued to feel solid for almost the entire remainder of the run even though I didn't take any gels or water with me--I did eat some snow when I was in the mountains.  The last few miles I really had to scamper so that I could shower before going to work at noon.  Great run all around.

In the evening, I ran with Alex and Kiran and the rest of the CRC crew, but my shin was fairly sore.  It's always a little cranky in the evening, but it was particularly unhappy tonight because I didn't have time to ice it after the run this morning.  I definitely need to keep being diligent about taking care of it.

Tuesday Jan 1, 2008

AM- 21 miles (2:37)~Rescue Run 10K in 36:45 (PC II)

PM- 6 miles (:51) Monument Loops (NB240s)

In the morning, Kiran and I ran the 8ish miles to Palmer Park so that I could bandit the 30th annual Rescue Run 10K.  I could've gotten a comp from the CRC to actually register for the race, but I didn't decide to jump in until late the night before.  It's always a lot easier to run hard with other people than by one's lonesome, so since the 1st fell on a Tuesday this year, I figured it'd be an easy way to get in my weekly tempo run.

The danger with using a race as a training session is that you'll go harder than you should, but I did a good job of maintaining a relatively controlled effort for the whole distance.  I lined up behind Paul Koch--one of my college XC coaches--and followed his pace up the daunting 1 mile climb that kicked off the course.

At the top of the hill I passed Koch and tried to settle into a comfortably hard pace for the next few miles which looped around on the rolling roads on top of Palmer Park.  Although the first mile wasn't marked, it couldn't have been much faster than 6:45, so that means my next couple miles were just under 6min pace to hit 3 miles in 18:36.  

Over the next two miles I concentrated on maintaining pace (one slightly uphill mile in 6:14 and then the same mile back in 5:46) before bombing the final 1.2 miles (the initial climb was now a downhill) back down to the finish in 6:05.  My final, somewhat flatter half-mile was right at 2:30, so I figure I definitely broke 5 minutes for the last mile---that's really moving for me, even if it was downhill.  Overall, I managed to keep it at tempo effort until the last 1/2 mile or so.

After turning off right before the finish chute (I was 6th overall in the race) and picking up my discarded stocking cap, Kiran and I jogged the 7 miles or so back to the house.  It was fun to do some extended hard running, and I actually hadn't expected to run quite that fast, so it ended up being a nice start to the new year.

Monday Dec 31, 2007

AM- 24 miles (3:24) Garden-Intemann-Bear Creek-Monument Loops (Nike Waffles)

I got about 10 hours of sleep last night and it really helped.  I woke up this morning unsure how I would feel after being so wiped out yesterday, but within a block or so I could tell that things were pretty chipper.

Because I slept in and my legs were feeling pretty good, and because I like to eat a lot of food, I decided to just do a single 3ish hour run today instead of splitting it up into my usual Monday of 2hr/1hr runs.  This ended up being great because I got to enjoy one of my favorite trails--Intemann--instead of just tooling around in the Garden.

The only real thing of note about this run--other than the blustery, cold nature of the weather--was exploring the brand new trails just on the other side of 21st street in Bear Creek.  They probably only added about a mile onto the run, but new trails are always fun.  Also, I would've preferred to finish off the run with some barefoot--the weather hasn't allowed any barefoot running for me since August--but there was still a good bit of snow on the infield of the track.  However, there's supposed to be a decent stretch of warmer weather later this week, so hopefully I can get back out there again, soon.

2007 Year in Review

Well, first the pure numbers, I guess:  5412 total miles for an average of just under 15 miles per day and 105 miles per week.  However, I missed basically five months for two major injuries this year--my meniscus in May and June and a metatarsal stress fracture for all of September, October, and November.  If I were to throw out those months (just for the pure interest of it), when I was healthy I actually averaged nearly 170 miles per week.  Obviously, a big goal for 2008 will be to be a bit more disciplined in limiting periods of super high mileage and thereby being able to actually run for the whole year instead of just two-thirds of it.

In terms of racing, it wasn't bad despite the two injuries.  The two 100 mile races I did--Rocky Raccoon and Leadville--were both pretty solid, except for the fact that they were both prefaced by only 5-6 week build-ups because of sickness or injury (mono before Rocky and the meniscus before Leadville).  I will say that 16:14 at Leadville is a quite a bit more impressive performance than 13:32 at Rocky.  

I'm excited to see what I can do with a little less hurried, more consistent block of training before a big race.  Even Rocky this time will have an accelerated build-up once again because I'm coming back from the stress fracture.

Analysis like this always seems so self-evident and crystal clear---hopefully I can learn something.

All in all, though, 2007 was my most enjoyable year of running to date.  Particularly, the five or six weeks of running this summer in preparation for Leadville were an absolute blast.  There were so many incredible runs in that time period that it would be impossible to narrow them down to just a handful.  I can only hope for an opportunity like that in 2008 where I can live my life exactly the way I want to for a certain period of time. 

Week Log 12/24-12/30

Mon-AM: 16 miles (2:05) in Nebraska

PM: 8 miles (1:06) in Nebraska

Tue-AM: 16 miles (2:02)~5x1min, 1xmile in 5:11, 10x1min

PM: 7 miles (1:01)

Wed-AM: 30 miles (4:05) Verdigre and back

Thu-AM: 4 miles (:36) in Nebraska

Fri-AM: 10 miles (1:25) in Nebraska

Sat-AM: 45 miles (6:05) Garden Loop+Mt. Buckhorn+Monument

Sun-AM: 30 miles (4:33) Bear Creek to Intemann to Manitou to NNC and back through the Garden

Total: 166 miles (22:58)

It's kind of funny to look back at the week and realize that I only did two doubles this week.  I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes.  All in all, it was a pretty good week considering the crappy weather in Nebraska and the fact that I basically took Thursday off.  The weekend's runs were a great first step in attaining 100 mile fitness over the next month.  I hope to follow up that 6hr run with a 7hr run next week and then two 8hr runs before tapering.  Obviously, I need to keep my eye on my shin, though.

Sunday Dec 30, 2007

AM- 30 miles (4:33) Bear Creek to Intemann Trail to Manitou to No Name Creek (Barr Trail) and then back through the Garden via Ridge Road (sz 11 Slingshots)

I woke up this morning with the intention of meeting up with the Incline Club in Manitou, but several factors (tight hamstrings, slippery ice, stomach issues, etc.) conspired to make me almost an hour late getting to Memorial Park.  The first few steps down the street were pretty laughable because my hamstrings were so tight from yesterday's run.  My left hamstring has been chronically tight for almost two years now, and it was really noticeable this morning.  My right shin (actually the posterior tibial tendon) was tight but didn't really seem to be any worse than it's been, so I mostly just ignored it.

After taking it pretty easy through Bear Creek, I hopped on Intemann and took it all the way to Manitou where some homeless-looking guy in a van honked at me and I was obliged to converse with him briefly.  It was actually my good friend Carl Leivers--assistant cross country and track coach at Emory University--who was home for a couple days for the holidays.  After realizing that I was going to miss the Incline Club, I decided to make use of the fact that I was in Manitou and try to get some vertical in.

Going up Barr to No Name Creek was characteristically beautiful, and I ran into Dan Vega and Matt C coming down from Longs Ranch Road.  The trail is really starting to get icy--coming down I wished I had some screws in my shoes.

The run back home was actually pretty rough.  I had plenty of gels, but my legs were just plain tired from yesterday.  I navigated the climb up Ridge Road through the Garden just fine (never hurts to get a little pavement in the legs--good preparation if I ever want to jump in a road marathon), but the last 45 minutes or so of the run I was really bonking and just trying to keep moving.  But, that's what Sundays are all about--simulating the fatigue of a second half of a 100 miler.

I got home just in enough time to grab a shower before heading to work at noon, but I was only able to put a couple energy bars in my pocket to eat, so I spent the day at work thinking a lot about what I was going to eat once I was off at 5 and also about how much it sucks to have to stand up for 5 hours after having run 30 miles.

Saturday Dec 29, 2007

AM- 45 miles (6:05) Garden of the Gods loop, then Mt Buckhorn and a bunch of Monument Loops (PC II)

This was a weird run.  I set off this morning with intentions to run 40+ miles in an out and back on Rampart Range Road, but once I started moving through the downhills in Garden of the Gods my right shin got pretty tight again, to the point that I was actually favoring it.  After sitting on a rock for a while (plenty to pick from in the Garden) contemplating what to do, I decided to just run back to the house and call it a day.

However, by time I got back to Monument Valley, my shin was feeling great again and I couldn't think of any reason why I should stop running.  After running a couple small loops in the park (I was now at about 18 miles) I decided to do my usual run through Bear Creek to the top of Mt. Buckhorn and back.  This turned out to be a fine decision as the shin never really protested again the rest of the run, and, aside from the uncharacteristically strong wind, it was a beautiful sunshiney day with temperatures solidly in the 30s.

Coming back from the mountains I really got rolling--I'd been feeling good energy-wise all day--and hit a string of miles back to CC all in the 7:00 to 7:25 range.  It was pretty heartening to be moving that quick after 5 hours or running.  But, the last 45 minutes of this run ended up being pretty rough.  I slowed to 9 minute pace and just tried to finish up the last 5 miles as comfortably as possible which really wasn't comfortable at all--my legs were finished.  That's good, though...it's time for them to get used to the longer stuff again.

I just really hope that I don't look back on this run with regret in the next day or two and wish that I had gone a lot shorter so that my shin isn't jacked...but, I'm optimistic and think it's going to be fine with some more diligent icing and stretching.  Also, should've worn a long-sleeve t-shirt instead of just the Moeben sleeves with my t-shirt...it was just too windy today for it to be truly warm.

Friday Dec 28, 2007

AM- 10 miles (1:25) past Cookie Corner out and back (sz 11 Slingshots)

More of the same-old, same-old.  The shin and achilles felt quite a bit better this morning, but the shin was definitely still tight.  It was cold and windy; surprise.  I took it easy and decided to just do my typical Friday run instead of trying to catch up because of yesterday.  I think it's much better to ensure health at this point.  

I ended up putting two new snow tires on the car, because one of my rear tires won't hold air anymore.  It went flat out in the Springs, and when I went to get it plugged they couldn't find a hole, so I just aired it back up, but then it went flat again back in Nebraska, so the seal was probably crap.  Anyways, the new tires held up nicely on the drive back to Colorado, so I can't complain.

Thursday Dec 27, 2007

AM- 4 miles (:36) Kevin Barta's out and back (sz 11.5 Slingshots)

God, this run sucked.  It was -2F this morning, and with the wind and the moisture in the air, it was cold.  I don't know, but I think the fog made it feel colder than the -11F that I ran in in Bozeman.

Anyways, my ankles/shins/achilles were all really sore from all the snow running yesterday, so since it was so miserably cold this morning I decided to just make it a really easy day and let my body recover so that I could live to run another warm day instead of suffer through more of this crap.  Wow, winter sucks.

Wednesday Dec 26, 2007

AM- 30 miles (4:05) Devil's Turntable to Verdigre to Bob Liska's to Sparta to Franek's to McManigal's then home (sz 11.5 Slingshots)

This is the longest run I've ever done in Nebraska.  Completing this loop had kind of been a tacit goal of mine ever since the 8th grade or so, so it was kind of neat to finally actually do it (although, a 30 mile run is surprisingly unremarkable for me anymore).

The first five miles were pretty rough because I was breaking trail through all of the new snow, but after that I was in a new township, so the road was already plowed.  I was wearing the brand new Slingshots because they didn't have any holes in the toes, and even though they seemed a bit big they at least didn't bruise my toenails.  

I actually had a lot of fun cruising up and down all of the hills into Verdigre.  The surface on Highway 84 was the worst of the whole run because it had been plowed and the 1/2" of snow still on the road was a crappy ice/slush mix.  After running down the main street of Verdigre I hopped on the creek road over to Bob Liska's, and it was gorgeous: all the new snow plus the moisture in the air had covered everything in frosty white.  It really looked like Christmas.

I ran into Rory Liska plowing the road heading up out of the valley, so that helped the footing, but that mile-long climb is still tough no matter what.  I took a gel at the 3hr mark when I got to the high-point of the run over by Pavelka's, and then I decided to head home from Sparta on the township roads instead of the county roads because they are more intimate and scenic, even if there was more snow.  I was doing fine until about the last 30 minutes when my legs got really tight and I had to just kind of ease it in instead of feeling strong the whole way.  All in all, a great run.  

Tuesday Dec 25, 2007

AM- 16 miles (2:02) incl. 5x1min-1xmile in 5:11-10x1min all with 1min recoveries (PC II)

PM- 7 miles (1:01) Pastures (sz 11 Slingshots)

I woke up early in the dark to get the workout in before gift opening.  There was a sharp north wind, so I waited until I was on the way back home before starting the fast stuff (which I started at the highway corner).  The fast mile was the one from the Cookie Corner straight-away to the silage pile, so it was even a net uphill.  Overall, I felt really good on all the hard stuff, probably because of the tailwind.  Either way, it's good to know I can still get the legs moving when I need to.

The second run was actually at 1pm so that I would be done running before eating a big Christmas dinner mid-afternoon.  Mom's cooking is incredible.  I don't think I ever want a Christmas without dumplings and home-canned sauerkraut.  This run was basically in a raging blizzard--we ended up getting 5" of new snow.  Weather like what there has been here at home makes me appreciate even more the Colorado Springs climate.

Monday Dec 24, 2007

AM- 16 miles (2:05) Grocery store and back in Niobrara (sz 11 Slingshots)

PM- 8 miles (1:06) Canyon out and back plus some pastures (PC II)

Sunday night I drove back to Nebraska to visit my parents for Christmas, so I was out on the farm--and away from the internet!--all week; thus, the delayed update.

This morning's run I took it nice and easy and just ran to town and back to pick up a couple packages of Ramen noodles for my Mom so that she could make a cabbage salad.  I think my legs were feeling the weekend's long runs because although 8 minute miles were easy they felt quick.  I added on out the Colwell Road to get the full time.  The weather was pleasant enough to wear shorts, but I was reminded of how much a factor the wind is out here in the hills---it's rarely something I even think about in Colorado.

In the evening, I didn't get out until the sun was going down, but I got to see a great sunset and a pretty magnificent full-moon rise as well.  My legs felt nice and spry, so, despite the biting wind, this run was well worth it.

Week Log 12/17-12/23

Mon-AM: 15 miles (2:07) Garden

PM: 7 miles (:53) Garden

Tue-AM: 9 miles (1:10)

PM: 18 miles (2:02) incl. 5 mile tempo in 30:11

Wed- 0

Thu-PM: 30 miles (4:11) Buckhorn-Diablo-Red Rocks

Fri-AM: 15 miles (2:02) Garden

PM: 8 miles (1:06)

Sat-AM: 35 miles (5:11) Diablo-Buckhorn-Sect 16-Intemann-Garden

Sun-AM: 27 miles (4:10) LRR-Bobs-Barr Camp-Williams Canyon

Total: 164 miles (22:52)

Another very good week.  The tempo on Tuesday was tough and seemed to really stress my lower legs, thus the mid-week scare, but I came back with three very good long runs the 2nd half of the week.  I just need to stay consistent: consistent with the mileage and consistent with getting in the quality stuff.

Sunday Dec 23, 2007

27 miles (4:10) UPT-LRR-Bob's Road-Barr Camp down Barr Trail then out and back up William's Canyon (PC II)

This was a pretty good run.  The Incline Club run was Waldo Canyon today, but I figured that since I'd taken the trouble to drive the 10 minutes to Manitou that I might as well get some legitimate vertical and altitude in, so I headed up Longs Ranch Road instead.  There wasn't too much more snow than last week until I got to Bob's Road, which was much worse than last week.   The 2nd day in a row of post-holing through knee-deep snow without socks or tights was...frustrating.  

After I finally emerged onto the Barr Trail, it wasn't a whole lot better because of all the drifting.  It was a pretty big struggle to get to Barr Camp.  After thawing out a bit there and eating a pancake I headed back down the trail (much easier, ha ha), and then headed up the well-packed William's Canyon trail to get in the extra time/distance.  I took my second gel with only 25 minutes or so left in the run.  I normally would've just gutted it out, but I wanted to be sure to be alert for the tricky footing on the small ledges on the Williams trail.  It ended up being a gorgeous day; I was able to strip down to shirt-sleeves for the last part of the run.

After the run I immediately jumped in the car and drove the 10 hours to my parent's house in Nebraska for the holidays.  Driving that far with a 4 hour run in the legs is sure a lot of fun...

Saturday Dec 22, 2007

AM- 35 miles (5:11) El Diablo-Buckhorn Loop to Section 16 Loop to Intemann to Balanced Rock (Garden) then home (PC II)

This was my first real long run of this build-up.  It started out pretty chilly this morning after last night's blizzard (which really only netted about an extra inch of snow in town), so I had to turn around after about 5 minutes and get a stocking cap.  Also, after feeling so terrible last night I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to run this morning, but in the first mile I could tell that the legs were feeling good so I grabbed a water bottle and a couple gels in anticipation of a longer run.

It's always incredible to me what a good night's sleep will do for recovery.  Last night, I didn't feel like running another step, but this morning my legs felt great and the run was completed without a hitch.

After an uneventful jaunt through Bear Creek, I headed up El Diablo with quite a bit of fresh, trackless snow.  Things were slow-going for sure.  Traction was tough, and for some reason I hadn't even worn socks this morning.  Right before the final creek crossing before the Buckhorn turn-off things got really dire.  I was post-holing through knee-deep snow and was still deep enough in the canyon that the sun wasn't getting to me.  The run quickly went from "hey, this is a great mountain adventure" to "jesus h. christ, I'm f'ing cold and dying and can I please just get some love from the sun?"  Once I climbed onto the Buckhorn ridge, I found some song but I also struggled through thigh-deep drifts that the wind had whipped up the night before.  Despite the agony, it was still early in the run, and by time I had made it back down to High Drive I was mostly thawed out.  

Next, I tackled the moderate Section 16 climb.  This great 5-6ish mile loop is a favorite among locals, so it generally stays well-packed and completely runnable all winter long.  I took my first gel (at 3 hrs) at the top of the climb, rocked it down to the Intemann and trail, and then took that all the way over to Manitou (instead of dropping down into Red Rocks).

I even took the Intemann Trail past Crystal Park Road all the way to where it becomes discontinuous because of some private land for about 1/2 mile.  This is a great little trail that it seems like not many people use because it dead-ends.  Hopefully, this trail will be continuous some day soon so as to connect Bear Creek/Cheyenne Canyon to Manitou and the plethora of great trails over there.

After running down Crystal Park Road, and stopping to use the restroom at the Sinclair, I took the road up into the Garden and then hit up the usual Siamese Twins, Buckskin Charly, and Niobrara Trail circuit before heading home via the Mesas.  I took my 2nd gel at 4hrs, and finished up the last hour or so of the run with that satisfyingly spent, creaky old man, don't want to do nothing but lay on the couch and eat ice cream and drink hot chocolate feeling that I so value after long runs.

Unfortunately, I had to spend the rest of the afternoon fixing a flat tire on my car, instead.  Although I felt useful and undeniably manly, I would've much preferred the ice cream/couch option.

Finally, the Pumas worked great on this run--I've been wearing them for the majority of my running and love them.  I'm seriously considering racing in these at Rocky.

Friday Dec 21, 2007

AM- 15 miles (2:02) Garden of the Gods (size 11 250s)

PM- 8 miles (1:06) Monument Loops+streets (NB152)

Today was a psuedo-recovery day.  I usually take Fridays really easy with just one 1:20-30 run, but since I took Wednesday completely off, I figured I could afford to get in some extra miles today.

Or, so was my theory.  It was a pretty rough day of running.  This morning was still really warm--almost 50F degrees at 6am--so it was great weather, but my quads, lower legs, and ankles were all pretty worked from the longer run yesterday evening.  I'm still just trying to get into shape, that's for sure.  I took my southern loop through the Garden (Ute Trail to Niobrara Trail) and gradually felt better and better as the run went on, but was glad to be done by the end.  Also, the fantastic sunrise/alpenglow in the Garden is absolutely worth noting.

I didn't leave the CRC until after 2pm, and by then it had actually started snowing.  The high for the day was definitely in the morning.  By time I got out to run, it was 25F and a full-blown blizzard with quite the windchill.  The main thing about this run was just how uncomfortable my legs were.  My ankles and shins hurt so I just took it as easy as possible.

Upon finishing I started scavenging for any food I could find.  All I'd eaten all day was a banana and a granola bar, so I was pretty hungry.  I don't want to go to the grocery store because I'm going to be heading home this weekend for the holidays, so I've been surviving off all the food (not much) that Jocelyn and her roommates left in the house.  I ended up finishing a bag of stale tortilla chips with moldy queso salsa and eating some cereal using water-diluted Half & Half as milk.  Quality stuff.

Thursday Dec 20, 2007

PM- 30 miles (4:11) Mt. Buckhorn-El Diablo Loop to Intemann Trail to Red Rocks to Garden then home (PC II)

What a great run.  I didn't run before work this morning because I was taking Jocelyn to the airport, and then I didn't get off work until 2pm, but it didn't matter because it was ridiculously warm this afternoon--61F degrees!  On basically the shortest day of the year!

I started out feeling awkward and tired because of the day off yesterday, but within in a couple of miles I knew that my ankle tendon wasn't going to be a problem--it's always nice to have some affirmation that a day off does some legitimate, simple good.

By time I made it through Bear Creek and into the mountains, though, I had found my groove and chugged to the top of Mt. Buckhorn.  I was feeling good and loving the weather, so I kept going and took the Buckhorn trail along the ridge all the way over to the 666 (El Diablo) trail.  The trail through here was a lot more clear than I'd expected.  Running down El Diablo was great, with the snow offering extra cushioning, and by the time I got to the bottom I decided to just extend my run an extra hour instead of doing the late-night two-a-day I had originally planned.

Even though it was getting legitimately dark, the run over to Red Rocks on Intemann was fantastic and I had a blast on the Sand Canyon trail--my favorite singletrack in the Red Rocks system.  After sucking down a gel (I'd been running for 3hrs), I ground up the tough Ridge Road climb and then hopped on the panoramic Niobrara Trail in the Garden of the Gods.  This is one of my favorite trails in the Garden because it's the name of my home town, but also because it runs right along the precipitous spine of the ridge formed by the Niobrara geologic formation on the east side of the Garden (by the way, my hometown, Niobrara, NE, is the type-location for the Niobrara formation:  there are miles and miles of chalk bluffs/cliffs lining the Missouri River there).

It was great finishing up the run in the moonlight.  My legs were definitely tired by the end, but it's runs like these that make all the difference for me in 100 mile races--the first 3 hours are cake--basically pure fun--but because I usually do a 4hr run with minimal caloric help (read: gels) the last hour gets a little uglier and it's a great opportunity to rehearse the fatigue that occurs during the average ultra race.

I can't emphasize enough how incredible it is to be back running here in the Springs.  I know it seems redundant, but to be able to do a 30 miler like this literally from my front doorstep with less than 2 miles of pavement and ~3000' of climbing with such stunning and varied scenery is an absolute gift and privilege that I feel so lucky to be able to indulge in.

Wednesday Dec 19, 2007

No running today.

Today was a rare (somewhat) voluntary day off for me.  The pereoneal tendon above my left ankle was really tight this morning along with my calves, achilles tendons, and quads, but I was basically just worried about the ankle tendon.  I've had problems with it in the past, and I'm hoping that one day off now will save a lot of grief later.

Tuesday December 18, 2007

AM- 9 miles (1:10) Mesas and Monument Loops (NB152)
PM- 18 miles (2:02) Pikes Peak Greenway North out and back
5 mile tempo in 30:11 (6:27, 6:01, 6:08, 5:38, 5:55) (NB240)

The morning run was nice; I haven't really been up to go running before 8am since I've been back in the Springs, but it's a beautiful thing with the alpenglow on Pikes Peak. I just took it nice and easy and enjoyed the warmish weather (wore shorts). I noticed my left ankle tendon (the pereoneal tendon, I think?) was a tiny bit tight at times...really need some new road flats.

After getting off work at the CRC at 1pm I immediately went out for what I hope to be a Tuesday routine of a flattish/up-tempoish run straight north and back. There are new mile markers every half-mile on the trail, and for the most part they seem to be on---as you can see, my 1st mile and 4th mile seemed to be a bit off.

The Pikes Peak Greenway trail runs from Fountain, CO (a suburb of Colorado Springs) at the south to Palmer Lake (another suburb of Colorado Springs) at the north end for a total of ~40ish miles of trail going straight through the heart of Colorado Springs. Palmer Lake is at about 7200' and Fountain is about 5500', so the trail enjoys a very gradual downhill from north to south. I've found that this makes it a great venue for running tempo workouts at altitude--in the past I've been able to do 10-12 mile marathon pace/tempo pace runs at a reasonable effort because the slight downhill makes the pace doable despite the altitude.

I was plenty happy with this run since I've really only been running for a week or two; there were times that I felt smooth and times I was struggling a bit, but all in all I just need to start consistently injecting some 6min-pace-or-faster running into my schedule every week. I did notice by the end of the run that my left ankle pereoneal tendon was a bit upset by the quicker pace as were my calves and achilles tendons. Finally, the weather on this run was absurd. It was about 50 degrees and by the end of the run I was drenched in sweat. It seemed a lot more like a spring day than a winter day. All in all, a good run.

Monday December 17, 2007

AM- 15 miles (2:07) Garden of the Gods (PC II)
PM- 7 miles (:53) Garden of the Gods road loop from Old Colorado City (NB152)

This morning I took Jocelyn on my standard 15ish mile loop in the Garden of the Gods--a good long run for her and a perfect recovery day run for me. It was weirdly warm out--we were in shorts and a t-shirts--and it was just a great day to be out on the trails. On the way out through the Mesas we had seen a Nathan hand-held water bottle in a snow drift and when it was still there on the way back I stopped to pick it up. We soon realized that it was full of beer and decided that some runner hadn't just left it there in the middle of run! However, the first thing Jocelyn and I said to each other was, "Hmm...has Alex started running with beer now, too?" As it turns out, that's exactly what had happened.

The evening's run was a quick-paced run through the garden with Julian. He thought we were only doing 7:30ish pace, but I'm pretty sure we were going faster. Anyway, it was a lot of fun to be slicing through the night with him, but my New Balance 152 flats are basically completely shot. There's almost a hole worn all the way through the bottom of the right one. The hard running on pavement (Julian is nursing his plantar and didn't want to run on the snowy trails) was a bit taxing on my shins/ankles.

Week Log 12/10-12/16

Mon-AM: 15 miles (2:00)
PM: 4 miles (:30)

Tue-AM: 7 miles (1:00)

Wed-AM: 15 miles (2:03) Garden of the Gods
PM: 7 miles (1:00) CRC run

Thu-PM1: 23 miles (3:02) Mt. Buckhorn
PM2: 4 miles (:34) CRC Holiday Party

Fri-AM: 10 miles (1:35) Red Rocks Canyon

Sat-AM: 30 miles (4:20) Garden-Intemann-Sect. 16-High Dr-Gold Camp-Stratton

Sun-AM: 20 miles (3:06) LRR-Bob's-Barr Camp
PM: 7 miles (1:01) Monument

Total: 142 miles (20:11)

Obviously, a great week. First real week of running in a long time; if things can continue to go this well, Rocky will be fun. Also, I am now 100% completely injury-free!

Sunday December 16, 2007

AM- 20 miles (3:06) Longs Ranch Road to Bob's Road to Barr Camp and down to Manitou (PC II)
PM- 7 miles (1:01) Monument Loops (New Balance RC152)

This morning was a great run with the Incline Club. I didn't run over to Manitou because I had to be to work at noon and because I decided I should split up my 4hrs of running today just to be on the careful side.

After getting a couple minutes late start because I was stripping off my tights (correctly anticipating a warm day in the mountains) I spent the run up the Ute Pass Trail (UPT) catching up to and passing a lot of runners, including Dan Vega and Kelli Lusk.

Once I turned onto LRR, the powdery ankle-deep snow and steep terrain had me grunting and cursing, and despite the wind I was soon grinding along in shirt-sleeves. At the top I took Bob's Road over to Barr Trail and up to Barr Camp. After the snow and radical incline of LRR, the packed down Barr Trail felt positively flat. It is amazing to me that I can still run to 10,200 feet (because the trail was so well-packed) on trails in December---it's hard to beat the Pikes Peak massif for training.

After chatting with Neal and Teresa Taylor (the caretakers at Barr Camp--Neal finished his 10th Leadville 100 this summer), eating one of Teresa's scrumptious pancakes, and quaffing a free Gatorade in exchange for carrying a bag of trash back down to Manitou, Steve Bremner and I enjoyed a brilliant run back down to the city on Barr Trail. I love that trail.

In the evening, Jocelyn and I went for a quick jaunt around Monument Valley Park in the dark (we didn't get out until 7:30pm). My legs were a bit tired (mostly from standing up all afternoon working at the CRC), but mostly I noticed that my New Balance flats are on their last legs (they only have about 360 miles on them, but pretty soon I will have worn a hole completely through the bottom of the right one). All in all, a great day of running.

Saturday December 15, 2007

30 miles (4:20) Garden-Intemann-Section 16 (steep way)-High Drive-Gold Camp-Stratton (PC II)

What a great great run. Runs like this are a huge reason why I moved back to Colorado Springs. Even though there was only about 3000' total climbing (split mostly between two successive ~1500' climbs, Section 16 and High Drive) this run still offered awesome scenery, very little asphalt and completely runnable, mostly packed trails (despite all the snow) right from my front doorstep. High Drive was actually a little rough because all the wind last night blew some big drifts into the packed down trail, but all in all it was a great run. Oh yeah, and even though it was about 10F last night, I was able to wear shorts and strip down to shirt-sleeves for the second half of this run because the sunshine was so brilliant. After Bozeman, I will never take seemingly insignificant details like that for granted again.

I felt really good on this run, too, despite being up pretty late last night. My legs were peppy right from the start (started out with Ashley and Jocelyn) and I kept a much more honest pace all day than I usually do on long runs. Also, the Pumas are a great shoe. I almost want to wear them for Rocky...

Friday December 14, 2007

AM- 10 miles (1:35) Red Rocks Canyon+Intemann Trail (PC II)

This run is a testament to the great trails in Colorado Springs. Red Rocks Canyon is a relatively new open space that was saved from development (it's prime real estate with great views of the Rampart Range and Garden of the Gods), and with it being only a 5 minute drive from downtown (you could run there completely on trails, but it would take an hour or so---or, 30 minutes on the streets), Jocelyn and I were able to go put in a stunningly scenic run for my weekly easy day. I am so lucky--just click the link and check out some pictures of the place in the gallery. Even though the run was a little cold and breezy, it was neat to be able to watch the snow clouds progressively come down from the mountains. They never quite made it all the way to town, though.

Afterwards, we went out and enjoyed a peaceful afternoon at Agia Sophia--a quaint little coffee/book shop on the west edge of Old Colorado City (and, just across the highway from Red Rocks). Although I could do without its ubiquitous Jesus iconagraphy, I really like the hushed atmosphere, the plush leather couches, and the reasonably-priced menu.

Thursday December 13, 2007

1PM- 23 miles (3:02) Mt. Buckhorn (Puma Cortland II)
6PM- 4 miles (:34) Colorado Running Company (CRC) Holiday Party Run (PC II)

Today's first run was such a delight. Mt. Buckhorn is an ~8300' peak near Bear Creek Canyon; this run is the basis of my training in the winter time because it offers a ~2000' climb (over about 3.5 miles) in the middle of a 3hr run from my front doorstep in downtown Colorado Springs on a gravel road (High Drive--closed to cars in the winter) that remains runnable basically year round because it sees lots of foot traffic. The final mile or so to the summit of the mountain is on the Upper Captain Jacks trail from the top of High Drive.

The base of High Drive is also an excellent gateway to the plethora of trails in Bear Creek/Cheyenne Canyon (Intemann, Section 16, 666 (El Diablo), Captain Jacks, Gold Camp, etc.). After being in Bozeman, I can really really appreciate the easy access opportunities these trails provide, even in the wintertime. It takes about 1hr of running (completely on trails from downtown COS---this is huge) to get to the base of the climb in the mountains, but this is usually how much warm-up time I require before really being ready to tackle the uphill.

Anyways, I didn't get out the door to run until this afternoon because I was working at the CRC from 9am-1pm and because when I went to go running this morning at 5am I couldn't find the key that is needed to unlock the front (and back) doors from the inside. Yes, these doors require a key to get out of the house...a little strange. I ended up feeling pretty great for this run (even though I hadn't eaten anything but an apple all day), and then only had about an hour or so until I went back out for the CRC run prior to the Holiday Party.

The CRC Holiday Party is a great running community get-together...I'm pretty sure neither Runner's Roost nor the Boulder Running Company do anything similar, but some of the guests really underline the fact that the CRC is a wonderful ambassador of trail running--Nancy Hobbs, Matt Carpenter, Cindy O'Neill, and Kelli Low were all in attendance.

Wednesday December 12, 2007

AM- 15 miles (2:03) Garden of the Gods (Sportiva Slingshots)
PM- 7 miles (1:00) Colorado Running Company Social run =Shooks Loop (Puma Cortland II)

It's so great to be back in Colorado Springs! Even though COS has gotten a decent amount of snow the last few days, everything was packed down enough to make running very doable...it was even warm enough to be wearing shorts! The run this morning in the Garden was gorgeous: there aren't many things I enjoy more than a jaunt through the snow-covered red rocks and evergreens there. I felt so privileged to be back on my favorite trails.

The evening's run was an easy loop on the standard Shook's Run Loop. It was great to see some of the familiar faces while having a beer afterwards.

Tuesday December 11, 2007

7 miles (1:00) Painted Hills Connector (Raceblades)
Geezus, it was cold this morning. That's really about all there is to say. Ran at 5:30am before class so I could hit the road right afterwards. Legs felt awkward in the Race Blades. Right hip flexor also tight.

Monday December 10, 2007

AM- 15 miles (2:00) Sourdough to Sundance Trails out and back (Puma Cortland II)
PM- 4 miles (:30) city streets to the grocery store and back

This morning's run was crazy. It started out tame enough, but about 30 minutes in the skies opened up and it snowed maybe the hardest I've ever seen for the remainder of the run. When I began there was a negligible skiff of new snow, but by the end ~4 inches of powder had fallen...in less than 2 hours!

My foot was pretty much the same on this run: started out a little tight, but completely fine the second half. It was a lot of fun to explore the Sundance Trail...I'd never been on it before and it's a nice little trail tucked in next to a spring. Even though my legs didn't feel great this morning, I was in a great mood. By the end, I was belting out Animal Collective's Winter's Love at the top of my lungs...an appropriate little ditty considering the conditions (if you click the link, be sure it's with an open mind and wait until at least the 2:35 mark before giving up...you won't regret it...).

In the evening, I decided it was time to do my first two-a-day, mostly because I'll be shortening my run tomorrow morning (in order to get on the road for a long day of driving), but also because I needed to go to the grocery story to get some trail mix (so I don't fall asleep in the car tomorrow). I tried out my (drastically altered) Race Blades for the first half of the run, but they weren't really happening, so I changed back into the Pumas for the 2nd half. Despite the slick footing, it was a very peaceful run in the dark.

The last seven days have been 115 miles, so I think it's safe to say that I'm back! However, it's crazy how this amount of mileage barely even feels like training to me. I'm certainly not in good shape, but I think my body has undergone some type of permanent adaptation as a result of the several bouts of extremely high mileage that it's experienced over the past three years--here's to hoping that I exercise a little discipline in the coming weeks and months!

Week Log 12/3-12/9

Mon-0
Tue-8 miles (1:07)
Wed-13 miles (1:42)
Thu-18 miles (2:22)
Fri-15 miles (2:03)
Sat-20 miles (2:43)
Sun-22 miles (3:01)
Total: 96 miles (12:58)

Obviously, a good week. Wow, way better than I'd expected actually...I didn't know I was that close to 100. Next week I plan to maintain through the first half of the week (assuming the foot stays fine) while moving back to CO, and then hopefully pick it up with CRUD tempo on Thursday morning and some fantastic MOUNTAIN runs on the weekend!

Sunday December 9, 2007

22 miles 3:01 Cherry River-Painted Hills-Peet's Hill (Puma Cortland II)
I guess I was getting tired of doing the same exact run every day, so I passed up the Story Hills and headed out to the Painted Hills single track after making my customary loop down by the East Gallatin. The morning started off brilliantly cold (-5F) but seemed to warm up pretty quickly and by the end I was stripping off my hat, gloves, unzipping the jacket, etc. My legs started out feeling pretty good, but I was definitely getting that great achey feeling in them by the end.

absolutely cannot wait to get back to Colorado to check out my old haunts of High Drive, Mt Buckhorn, 666 Trail, Garden of the Gods, and Section 16. This isn't a case of thinking the grass is greener--I know the grass is greener in Colorado Springs. Put it this way: I didn't move to Montana for the running, and I was sad to leave Colorado back at the end of the summer because in my mind (even then, when I was living there) west-side Colorado Springs/Manitou Springs offers an almost unbeatable variety of trails, basically year-round. And, at this point in my life, running is larely what I do, so the venues are pretty important to me.

The foot felt pretty much the same today. It always feels basically 100% the 2nd half of the run. As long as it doesn't get any worse (in fact, it seems to be getting ever so gradually better) I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

Saturday December 8, 2007

20 miles 2:43 Cherry River+Story Hills (Puma Cortland II)
The wind made it plenty cold this morning. My foot felt great after an hour or so, and I had a lot of fun exploring up in some new areas of the Story Hills. There wasn't really anything significant about this run except that it was finally of decent length with my foot still feeling fine.

Friday December 7, 2007

15 miles 2:03 Cherry River+Story Hills (Puma Cortland II)
God, it was cold this morning; 7 degrees, but up in the hills the wind was blowing like no other and I didn't have a jacket on so things were getting pretty dire. This morning, my ankle seemed a little bit more sore than usual, but the foot was a little better--for some reason I'd rather have the ankle hurt than the foot. Pretty tired this morning--probably because I didn't run until the afternoon yesterday and didn't get to bed until late last night, so the pace was considerably slower than yesterday. Still, all in all a good run, but I'm already getting tired of running these same trails over and over because everything good is completely snowed in. A major plus was running through the very narrow, forested trails down by the East Gallatin River---I felt like I was in a painting the way that the snow was stuck to everything like giant tufts of cotton.