5/8 - 7.51 miles, 1200'+ vertical, 1:18.27. Whistler Park is starting to dry out so I went over and did a few laps (one with Katy!) up on the hill side to work on my trail dexterity some more. Three solid climbs and descents, interspersed with flatter, winding trail work with plenty of washed out sections. Plenty of moop (mud/dog poop). Gross. Still, working the hills felt good and I was able to run, hop and jump over puddles, logs and rocks. My kind of technical running.
5/9 - 6.54 miles, road run (negligable vertical), 53:57. First, 2 mile warm-up in 16:29 (8:15/mi. pace), then 3.0 miles in 21:33 (7:10/mi. pace), last mile plus cool down in 8:31. This was the first time I've tried to do any real speed work. Since I've decided to focus on shorter races this year, I want to see how fast I can get. In college (about 18 years ago!), I was a sub-5 minute miler, under 40 minutes for 10K and ran my fastest 10 miles in 63:00. I'm a hell of alot slower these days, but I'm sure I can train myself to run a little faster and it will be fun to see how much I can improve over the summer. I think I'm going to do a road race this weekend and I've been trying to decide if I should go 5K or 10K.
5/10 - 2.98 miles around Whistler Park with Benihana. 1x400' climb and easy run around the park. Gotta get home and start cooking some ribs for dinner tonight! Registered to run Spirit Challenge 10K but I am trying to move to the 5K since the Running Series only gives points for the 5. I think I'm going to get my ass handed to me by the competition but, of course, I'll run my own race and just try to keep the wheels from falling off.
5/11 - 4+ miles. Ran out Hwy 40 again. Medium effort fartlek workout.
5/12 - Rest. Go and eat sushi with beautiful wife-to-be. Unagi (eel) is so good.
5/13 - Took another rest day. Felt kind of necessary to keep the legs fresh for tomorrow's 5K. First time I think I've ever raced this distance (5K). In college, I ran plenty of 1.5 mile Physical Readiness Test runs for NROTC and about thirty 5 mile, 10K or 10 milers and a couple marathons. I think it will be fairly difficult to figure out a pace for a 3 mile race. It might seem short but it's long enough to burn yourself out if you go out too hot. Especially after a year of training and running ultramarathons where running fast is really the least of your concerns. I'm looking forward to a new challenge.
5/14 - Spirit Challenge 5K race. Half-mile warm up around the Middle School track. 21:33, 6:56/mile. A beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky. The course started at the middle school and worked it's way uphill, first on CR 36 then, on Hot Springs Dr. A short downhill took us to Butcherknife Canyon and a half mile section of trail. A few days ago, there was a 2-3" creek running down the middle of the dirt trail but today it was mostly dry with just a couple rivlets of water. Climbing out on the trail, the race turned left on Amethyst Dr. as it finally peaked out before the last downhill back to the middle school. I did't know the course until a few minutes before the race and it turned out to be a fun one. There was plenty of variation in terrain, but it was a mostly challenging uphill course. The second climb, out of Butcherknife, was a mean little 150 - 200'. Finished a couple minutes behind Derek Ledigh and Harry Neidl, two guys who typically lead the Running Series in points.
I was glad to see Derek "D-Money" McClung out there getting a few sunny Steamboat miles this morning. Looking forward to seeing you at a few more races, buddy.
The coolest things about the race were some of the people I met. Bennet Gamber, age maybe 6, who ran the 5K barefooted in 23:08. Sub-8 minute miles for a 6 year old? Are you kidding? This kid is going to be really fast when he grows up. He also rides a mean unicycle. I also met a really nice man named Don Platt who has finished the Hardrock 100 an incredible 6 times. If you don't know what the Hardrock 100 is check it here: http://www.hardrock100.com/. It's pretty much the hardest 100 miler you can do. In all, good local action. Lots of family and kids and just a good community vibe. (Oh, I also I met another cool guy with Red Sox cap on that my girl would've loved.)
Totals: 24.63 miles Vertical: 2,050'
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