3/26 - Rest.
3/27 - 7.18 miles. 1:07.12. Stagecoach. PM.
3/28 - 2.80 miles. 1000'v. 1:00:38. Stagecoach. PM. Snow run up Stagecoach Mountain with Benihana as a farewell to winter. Super punchy and actually pretty brutal conditions. Thrashed my shins up pretty good punching through the spring snow. Which, although deep in spots, won't be around much longer. It's amazing how fast it's all melted. I think it only took a little over a week. If it weren't for snowmaking, I don't think there would be any snow below the gondola. In my few years here, I've certainly never seen anything like it and from what I've gathered, you'd have to go back quite a few years (like a hundred) to find a winter so dry. I'm all good with it as a trail runner but I don't want to see the forests burn this summer because we have no water.
3/29 - Rest.
3/30 - Rest.
3/31 - 12.83 miles. Stagecoach. PM. My GPS battery died about a mile into my run so I had the opportunity to run for a couple of hours by feel instead of checking my pace/distance/time constantly. I found it rather liberating. I ate two Clif Shot gels and a clementine and drank almost a full 21 oz. bottle of water and a little more than half a bottle of Gatorade. It was a fairly warm day, probably in the 60s, and mostly sunny and breezy as I ran on dirt trails and roads around a quickly thawing Stagecoach Reservoir.
4/1 - 14.05 miles. 2:08:31. Stagecoach. AM. Ran the same route as yesterday to measure the loop. Then did a little over a mile on the road and some trail wearing the Vibram Five Fingers. Ate two gels and a clementine (again) and drank about 3/4 of my water bottle and half a bottle of Gatorade.
Weekly Mileage: 36.86
Took an extra day off, did a snow run this week and did back to back long runs on the weekend. Felt good to mix it up and spend a little more time at home. I like that. Looking forward to the Desert RATS race in Fruita in a couple of weeks. It'll be a nice quick getaway and cool running in the desert. I need to make sure I figure out what food I'm going to carry. I'll need to carry 6-8 gels also and two water bottles, one with water and one Gatorade. I'll refill at every aid station. I probably won't carry water on my back unless it's really warm. I'm not going to set a time oriented goal, but rather just run an even, conservative, comfortable pace.
After that, I should be able to start logging a ton of trail mileage through the rest of April and early May in preparation for Quad Rock. I have a feeling it's going to be pretty warm in Fort Collins in mid-May.
Also, I officially registered to run the Silver Rush 50 miler in Leadville in July. It'll be a tune up race for Run Rabbit Run and I think it's far enough out from RRR that I can actually race it. The course is at high altitude (10,000 - 12,000') but is on alot of runnable roads so a smart race could result in a PR. I would be really happy if that PR were under 10-hours. After that, I think I will pass on a couple of races (probably still run Continental Divide) in August in favor of a couple long runs in the Flat Tops and the Zirkels and then start my taper the last week of the month.
Great back to back long runs! It always feels so weird running without my watch (I guess that's why they call it running naked). But its nice to do it sometimes. Reading about snow while it is 90+ here is so crazy. What kind of weather will you have for the 50 in July? I signed up for a 12 hour run on July 4th and it could be up to the 100s - usually good for me as the other runners drop out faster :)
ReplyDeleteThe 50 in Leadville in July will most likely be clear and cool but at that altitude (10,000-12,000') it can change so quickly. I'd be surprised if it snowed or even rained but something can always move through fast (in a couple hours). Just bring a light jacket and you're all set.
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