I finally got out on Mad Creek trail today and it felt wonderful. It was still pretty cold all morning and even around the house a little snow still lingered from yesterday. The clouds gradually cleared as the day progressed. I waited until around 1 p.m. and hit the trail with Benny. I knew the first couple miles were going to be runnable but didn't know how much snow I would encounter further up the valley. People must've been jonsing to get out on the trail, there were a few cars in the parking lot. I saw a few hikers and two trail runners out getting their cure for spring fever.
The weather was perfect and cool and partly sunny. As I expected, the first two uphill miles to the barn were very runnable with only a couple small sections of snow. The next couple miles after the barn to the Wilderness Area boundary were very runnable too but super, super soggy and muddy. The spring runoff is in full effect and I resigned myself to running with wet feet for a while. From the Wilderness boundry to the junction with Elk Park trail was pretty dicey. The trail was fun enough, technical, rocky and switchbacking, in spots, but also with knee deep snow in many spots. I commited myself to going further than anyone else had gone on this trail this year and kept charging well past the last foot prints I saw. At the Elk Park trail junction, the trail was completely loss to me under the snow. According to the signage on the trail this point is 5 miles from the trail head but the topo map says it's 4.5 miles. I was hoping to make it to the next trail junction, which is Red Dirt, 2 more miles up trail, but I'll have to wait for another time for that to happen. I felt amazing after the run back out, legs slightly tired from earlier in the week but ready for a much longer effort once I finish my taper. I spent 1:56 on the run and with the slow, easy pace I chose, I could have run quite a while longer. Feeling good for next week.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
The difference between running in the mountains and everywhere else? April 21st - to run I wore shoes, socks, shorts and a long sleeve tee. April 23rd - I wore waterproof running shoes, two pairs of socks, gaiters, waterproof pants, long sleeve tee, waterproof wind jacket, gloves, beanie and a headlamp. Mountain running is the shit.
I ran in a wet blizzard today. Snowing sideways, at times, I ran from the house to Tree Haus and down River Road, back to Hwy 40 and home for the six mile loop at an easy pace. Finished running after 1:04. Ten minute miles or so. My legs are still somewhat thrashed after running Howelsen Hill the other day, so I didn't run yesterday and just hiked with the dogs. Tomorrow or Sunday should be my last long run before CPTR but I think I'm going to opt for easy, middle distance running and begin my taper. I think I've been ramping up fairly hard and I could use a little more recovery before next Saturday. I just looked at the race course on Google Earth and it looks pretty legit. Better to err on the side of being too rested than overtrained and injury prone.
The more I think about HOW I want to run the race, my line of thought goes something like this: I want to FINISH running but I don't really care if I run the entire race. I'm sure I will hike any of the steep hills. Primarily, though, I want to limit any walking to the first half of the race. I'm going to run very easy to the first Aid Station and gauge my pace at each subsequent Aid Station. Downhills I will probably run fast because I always do. (I can never contain myself. It's fun!) I don't have a concrete goal time-wise. My last two marathons were over 15 years ago and I was about a 3:40 marathoner back then. This is my first trail 25-miler, it's at an average elevation of 9000' and has 4,700' of elevation change, so I think between 4 and 5 hours is realistic. If it looks like I can break 4 hours, though, I will race hard to try to accomplish that. It's hard to know how I'll run those last 10 miles. By comparison, I finished my first 50 miler in 11:48 but that race had close to 11,000' of elevation change. The NF Endurance Challenge had 10 climbs of 1000'. Collegiate Peaks has only 1 climb that big. How will I do? Idon't know, but it's going to be fun finding out!
After this race, I have two months of fastpacking/free running on my weekends before I race again (Tahoe Rim Trail 50K, July 17th!). I have three runs in particular that I hope to accomplish in those 10 weeks. First, in Silverthorne, I want to summit Ptarmigan Peak and back to the trailhead (8 miles and +3500')and then, in the same day, go circumnavigate Buffalo Mountain (about 13 miles of rolling treed wilderness). Next, I want to do an epic 2 day, 40+ miler in the Mt. of the Holy Cross Wilderness near Vail. Finally, outside Aspen, I'm going to run the Conundrum Trail up and over Triangle Pass and down to the Gothic Wilderness Area on the Crested Butte side, and back, in a single day. That's a cool marathon distance that goes over 12,000' with natural hot springs to soak in along the way. Right now, I expect to do these trips solo, but I'm down for anyone to join me! If you want to hike and meet at designated points to camp or run along, let me know and we can make some plans. The scenery is guaranteed to be off the chain.
I ran in a wet blizzard today. Snowing sideways, at times, I ran from the house to Tree Haus and down River Road, back to Hwy 40 and home for the six mile loop at an easy pace. Finished running after 1:04. Ten minute miles or so. My legs are still somewhat thrashed after running Howelsen Hill the other day, so I didn't run yesterday and just hiked with the dogs. Tomorrow or Sunday should be my last long run before CPTR but I think I'm going to opt for easy, middle distance running and begin my taper. I think I've been ramping up fairly hard and I could use a little more recovery before next Saturday. I just looked at the race course on Google Earth and it looks pretty legit. Better to err on the side of being too rested than overtrained and injury prone.
The more I think about HOW I want to run the race, my line of thought goes something like this: I want to FINISH running but I don't really care if I run the entire race. I'm sure I will hike any of the steep hills. Primarily, though, I want to limit any walking to the first half of the race. I'm going to run very easy to the first Aid Station and gauge my pace at each subsequent Aid Station. Downhills I will probably run fast because I always do. (I can never contain myself. It's fun!) I don't have a concrete goal time-wise. My last two marathons were over 15 years ago and I was about a 3:40 marathoner back then. This is my first trail 25-miler, it's at an average elevation of 9000' and has 4,700' of elevation change, so I think between 4 and 5 hours is realistic. If it looks like I can break 4 hours, though, I will race hard to try to accomplish that. It's hard to know how I'll run those last 10 miles. By comparison, I finished my first 50 miler in 11:48 but that race had close to 11,000' of elevation change. The NF Endurance Challenge had 10 climbs of 1000'. Collegiate Peaks has only 1 climb that big. How will I do? Idon't know, but it's going to be fun finding out!
After this race, I have two months of fastpacking/free running on my weekends before I race again (Tahoe Rim Trail 50K, July 17th!). I have three runs in particular that I hope to accomplish in those 10 weeks. First, in Silverthorne, I want to summit Ptarmigan Peak and back to the trailhead (8 miles and +3500')and then, in the same day, go circumnavigate Buffalo Mountain (about 13 miles of rolling treed wilderness). Next, I want to do an epic 2 day, 40+ miler in the Mt. of the Holy Cross Wilderness near Vail. Finally, outside Aspen, I'm going to run the Conundrum Trail up and over Triangle Pass and down to the Gothic Wilderness Area on the Crested Butte side, and back, in a single day. That's a cool marathon distance that goes over 12,000' with natural hot springs to soak in along the way. Right now, I expect to do these trips solo, but I'm down for anyone to join me! If you want to hike and meet at designated points to camp or run along, let me know and we can make some plans. The scenery is guaranteed to be off the chain.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Breaking down and building up
Ten days until CPTR and my training is going along as well as I could hope. This week marks my longest and toughest runs in this cycle and while a sight shorter than marathon distance, I'm really happy to be feeling injury free and getting stronger adding mileage each week without any difficulty.
Yesterday, I started out running in the park with the dogs, Benihana and Marvin. Right away, I could see this wasn't going to work. Still, I took them around the park and on a hill climb and trail run to wear them out a little. Added up to a couple miles of warm up running for me and I took the little guys home and took off on the road. Ran the hill road route up Bear Dr. to Apres and over to Ski Trail and then around Mt. Werner Circle. I just ran and didn't bring a watch so I have no I idea how long I was out. Sometimes, I just want to run. Not train, just run. My mileage came out to about 8 miles, accordig to Map My Run. I kept the tempo quick and worked all the hills up and down.
Today, I ran the 4 miles down to Howelsen Hill along the old Yampa River bike path. Overcast skies kept it cool and a little breezy. I, then, surprised myself by running up and around the backside of the Hill hitting some major renegade snow and mud on the climb. I kept my pace steady, heart rate also steady at 164 bpm. After the steep ass 440' up to the top of the Hill, I stayed long enough to look at my watch (:48 from the house!) and , then down the steepest part of the face, under the T-bar, in half snow and half mud, slipping much of the way. So damned fun! Ran back at the same way I came, bike path, running 90% of it on the trail again, and kept the pace strong. Finished the 10 mile(ish) loop in 1:27 and jogged it off for a few minutes. That was good for an 8:42/mile average pace, including the climb and descent (took 4 minutes!) of Howelsen Hill. If I can maintain that pace (or push it) I could break 4 hours for the CPTR! Chances are, though, that I will start to crumble in the late miles since I haven't done any running longer than 3 hours this year. But the thought of breaking 4 hours is exciting though.
My race strategy, if I have one, is to run aid station to station and refuel hard each time, stopping as short as possible. There are five, so I'm just going to go for five 5 mile runs that day. I want to run light, gearwise, hand bottle only. I'd like to carry my camera, too, but the jury's still out on that one.
I drove by Mad Creek trail head this afternoon to check on it's run-worthiness and I'm stoked to see it good to go. I'm going to run up there tomorrow after work! Hope to have a great trail report to follow.
Yesterday, I started out running in the park with the dogs, Benihana and Marvin. Right away, I could see this wasn't going to work. Still, I took them around the park and on a hill climb and trail run to wear them out a little. Added up to a couple miles of warm up running for me and I took the little guys home and took off on the road. Ran the hill road route up Bear Dr. to Apres and over to Ski Trail and then around Mt. Werner Circle. I just ran and didn't bring a watch so I have no I idea how long I was out. Sometimes, I just want to run. Not train, just run. My mileage came out to about 8 miles, accordig to Map My Run. I kept the tempo quick and worked all the hills up and down.
Today, I ran the 4 miles down to Howelsen Hill along the old Yampa River bike path. Overcast skies kept it cool and a little breezy. I, then, surprised myself by running up and around the backside of the Hill hitting some major renegade snow and mud on the climb. I kept my pace steady, heart rate also steady at 164 bpm. After the steep ass 440' up to the top of the Hill, I stayed long enough to look at my watch (:48 from the house!) and , then down the steepest part of the face, under the T-bar, in half snow and half mud, slipping much of the way. So damned fun! Ran back at the same way I came, bike path, running 90% of it on the trail again, and kept the pace strong. Finished the 10 mile(ish) loop in 1:27 and jogged it off for a few minutes. That was good for an 8:42/mile average pace, including the climb and descent (took 4 minutes!) of Howelsen Hill. If I can maintain that pace (or push it) I could break 4 hours for the CPTR! Chances are, though, that I will start to crumble in the late miles since I haven't done any running longer than 3 hours this year. But the thought of breaking 4 hours is exciting though.
My race strategy, if I have one, is to run aid station to station and refuel hard each time, stopping as short as possible. There are five, so I'm just going to go for five 5 mile runs that day. I want to run light, gearwise, hand bottle only. I'd like to carry my camera, too, but the jury's still out on that one.
I drove by Mad Creek trail head this afternoon to check on it's run-worthiness and I'm stoked to see it good to go. I'm going to run up there tomorrow after work! Hope to have a great trail report to follow.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Hey everybody, the book reviews are in!
I had the opportunity to read a few books while I was vacationing this past week. Amby Burfoot's (long time editor at Runner's World magazine) The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner by Dean Karnazes and Great Races, Incredible Places by Kimi Puntillo. Being a "running nerd" now, I thought I'd give a few thoughts on each as well as some thoughts on trail running. Unless you consider yourself somewhat of a "running nerd", too, you may want to bypass this blog post.
I'll start with adventure runner, lecturer, journalist and 2-time Guiness World Record holder, Kimi Puntillo. Great Races, Incredible Places, the title pretty much tells the tale. Puntillo gives you the low down on races from Tanzania to Hong Kong to Antarctica to Kentucky to France to, well, you get the idea. The races range in distance from 5K to Marathon and even a few relay races. The book was an entertaining and a quick read as she broke down each race succinctly and often with short, interesting stories. Some of the runs are themed (like the Rock-n-Roll Marathon and Half Marathon series held throughout the U.S.), others are tributes (like the International Peace Marathon of Kigali held in Kigali, Rwanda, the In Flanders Fields Marathon in Flanders, Belgium and the Tunnel to Towers Run in New York City). The wierd (races in gorilla suits) and the transcendant (Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Marathon or the Everest Marathon, anyone?). Even teams are covered with the Nike Hood to Coast Relay (197 miles) in Oregon, The Klondike Trail of '98 International Road Relay (110 miles) in the Canadian Yukon and the Myomed Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage (187 miles)in Washinton State. I hope to begin travelling to interesting and challenging races like these in the years to come as part of my running journey. Even prior to reading this book, I've already started scoping out races and runs that I want to do in places like Moracco, Peru and New Zealand. It's going to take alot of work and money! This book serves as a great guide (along with "Extreme Running" by Kym McConnell and Dave Horsley, which chronicles the world's toughest and exotic foot races) to the limitless options available to the modern adventure-seeking runner.
Speaking of adventure runners, Dean Karnazes might be the most well-known, if not the most commited. Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, chronicles the life of Karnazes from his formative years growing up in Santa Cruz, CA and through his amazing career of ultramarathon finishes including 9 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Runs (a mountain trail race with over 33,000' of vertical change), multiple finishes in the Badwater 135 Mile Ultramarathon from Death Valley to the trail head of Mt. Whitney (in the middle of summer) and the inaugural Antarctica Marathon. The latest edition also included a great section where Dean gets into nutrition for ultrarunning (a subject I hope to tackle in future blogs). All-in-all, I found the book an enjoyable read and found Karnazes story fascinating, courageous and heartfelt. The man's limitless energy is an inspiration in and of itself.
Amby Burfoot was the winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon and has been a world class runner for 35 years. He has also been an editor at Runner's World magazine for a couple decades. But what Burfoot discusses in his brilliant The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life has nothing to do with the accolades, it has to do with the insight that one can achieve through running. He discusses both the boldness and humility that one can feel from the run and applies those very lessons to life. This book gets my unequivocable runner's nerd thumbs-up. Must read.
Finally, I was just hoping to preserve some thoughts I had on trail running versus road running after spending the last few days running the streets of Tallahassee. I really enjoyed the challenge of running hard there in the warm, humid climate. It was so different from the high and dry air of the North Central Colorado Rockies. What struck me the most when I was driving home today was the the thought of the solace of the trail run. I spent the last four days dodging cars and pedestrians and pounding asphalt and it gave me the deepest appreciation for running quiet mountain trails with only my dog for company. I happily welcome sharing the trails with mountain bikers and hikers and love seeing other people in the woods. But it's the other 99% of the time when I'm cruising up and down over rocks through streams and hurdling trees that I feel most connected to not just the world but also myself. Unseen, I cover mile after mile and I can't help but feel, well, natural. I'm not saying you don't or can't feel this way on a road run, you can and I have. I just want to avoid some traffic and go explore some unknown mountain wilderness.
I'll start with adventure runner, lecturer, journalist and 2-time Guiness World Record holder, Kimi Puntillo. Great Races, Incredible Places, the title pretty much tells the tale. Puntillo gives you the low down on races from Tanzania to Hong Kong to Antarctica to Kentucky to France to, well, you get the idea. The races range in distance from 5K to Marathon and even a few relay races. The book was an entertaining and a quick read as she broke down each race succinctly and often with short, interesting stories. Some of the runs are themed (like the Rock-n-Roll Marathon and Half Marathon series held throughout the U.S.), others are tributes (like the International Peace Marathon of Kigali held in Kigali, Rwanda, the In Flanders Fields Marathon in Flanders, Belgium and the Tunnel to Towers Run in New York City). The wierd (races in gorilla suits) and the transcendant (Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Marathon or the Everest Marathon, anyone?). Even teams are covered with the Nike Hood to Coast Relay (197 miles) in Oregon, The Klondike Trail of '98 International Road Relay (110 miles) in the Canadian Yukon and the Myomed Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage (187 miles)in Washinton State. I hope to begin travelling to interesting and challenging races like these in the years to come as part of my running journey. Even prior to reading this book, I've already started scoping out races and runs that I want to do in places like Moracco, Peru and New Zealand. It's going to take alot of work and money! This book serves as a great guide (along with "Extreme Running" by Kym McConnell and Dave Horsley, which chronicles the world's toughest and exotic foot races) to the limitless options available to the modern adventure-seeking runner.
Speaking of adventure runners, Dean Karnazes might be the most well-known, if not the most commited. Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, chronicles the life of Karnazes from his formative years growing up in Santa Cruz, CA and through his amazing career of ultramarathon finishes including 9 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Runs (a mountain trail race with over 33,000' of vertical change), multiple finishes in the Badwater 135 Mile Ultramarathon from Death Valley to the trail head of Mt. Whitney (in the middle of summer) and the inaugural Antarctica Marathon. The latest edition also included a great section where Dean gets into nutrition for ultrarunning (a subject I hope to tackle in future blogs). All-in-all, I found the book an enjoyable read and found Karnazes story fascinating, courageous and heartfelt. The man's limitless energy is an inspiration in and of itself.
Amby Burfoot was the winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon and has been a world class runner for 35 years. He has also been an editor at Runner's World magazine for a couple decades. But what Burfoot discusses in his brilliant The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life has nothing to do with the accolades, it has to do with the insight that one can achieve through running. He discusses both the boldness and humility that one can feel from the run and applies those very lessons to life. This book gets my unequivocable runner's nerd thumbs-up. Must read.
Finally, I was just hoping to preserve some thoughts I had on trail running versus road running after spending the last few days running the streets of Tallahassee. I really enjoyed the challenge of running hard there in the warm, humid climate. It was so different from the high and dry air of the North Central Colorado Rockies. What struck me the most when I was driving home today was the the thought of the solace of the trail run. I spent the last four days dodging cars and pedestrians and pounding asphalt and it gave me the deepest appreciation for running quiet mountain trails with only my dog for company. I happily welcome sharing the trails with mountain bikers and hikers and love seeing other people in the woods. But it's the other 99% of the time when I'm cruising up and down over rocks through streams and hurdling trees that I feel most connected to not just the world but also myself. Unseen, I cover mile after mile and I can't help but feel, well, natural. I'm not saying you don't or can't feel this way on a road run, you can and I have. I just want to avoid some traffic and go explore some unknown mountain wilderness.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tallahassee Times
Thursday morning I woke up to cool and cloudy skies here in good old Tallahassee, the capital of the Great State of Florida. Well, the "Great" part is debatable. How about the Good State of Florida? (Sorry, Floridians. I'm a mountain guy and your state is flat, hot and humid.) Before breakfast, I kissed Mom and went on a 9.3 mile road run. I'm spoiled by my country living and low traffic, as I had to run much more aware of what the drivers were doing around me. The humidity was a bit of a surprise, too and I should've brought some water with me. Pretty much just freestyled this one (and all my runs here) and made it up as I went. I lived here a decade ago, but the city has changed quite a bit and I hardly recognized the area. I cruised next to the sidewalks, running in the grass and dirt and zig-zagged about until I ran out of road at Interstate 10. Made the run an out-and-back and finished comfortably in 1:13, pace in the sub-8:00/mile. 140 - 170(!) bpm on the ol' heart rate monitor. Stretched and cooled down and called it "Good!"
Friday, we drove down to the coast to do a little sight seeing around St. George Island, but I didn't get to run on the beach as I had hoped. Just didn't work out, but I had a nice day with my folks taking in the views of the Gulf. I waited until evening and did another road run with some trails in the San Luis Mission Park. I brought water with me and rightly so. It was much warmer and I could feel my strength being zapped as I cruised. Traffic was so much worse in the evening that I was getting really put off by it. Seriously, I'm a trail runner and running next to heavy traffic was really bumming me out. Still, my effort was good and I enjoyed the run the majority of the time. 7.75 miles in 1:04, 8:30/mile. 138 - 144 bpm.
Saturday morning and I wanted the LSD. That's a Long Slow Distance run (which can also cause hallucinations if you go long enough!). Left the house just before 7 a.m. to beat the heat and slowly made my way down towards the State Capitol. Started out with a straight line 3 miles down Tharpe Ave and turned right on Monroe St (?) by Lake Ella. My tour took me down by the neighborhood I used to live in with my ex-wife, although I didn't remember the area very well. I also forgot how hilly it is around the Capitol and I got a great workout on the hills. I still ran in the grass as much as possible and looked for every unconventional line I could run (up or down) to make my run harder even though I was running a slow pace. I looped around the Capitol and made my way onto the Florida State University campus and just ran around rather aimlessly, taking in the sights. About an hour in, I ate a gel pack I had for an extra energy boost and kept hydrating throughout my run. I had to remind myself to slow down and not race at one point as a coed cutie ran alongside and passed me. (I guarantee she wasn't running for 2 hours.) I found a bike path I vaguely remember from the old days and gladly ran it under a canopy of trees for awhile. Another turn took me by a friend's old house and I reminisced a little to myself about good times gone by. Cruised along a little longer before working my way back to the park near my parent's house and ran trails for the last mile and a half. A really enjoyable but taxing run. I refilled my water bottle once I got home and downed it, along with a bowl of pineapple and some dried fish. Still, just before showering I stepped on the scale and my weight was down a half pound, from sweating, I'm sure. (Whew! This southern running ain't no joke!) The numbers: 13.1 miles, 2:05.51, 9:30/mile and heart rate in the 144-160 bpm range.
The best part of the day came later when I took my mother's Thai cooking class. I learned how to make Pad Thai noodles and Tom Kha Kai, a coconut milk and chili soup, with my new friend and classmate, Helen. The class kicked butt and we ate well afterwards. Big Up to Mom!!!!!!
Sunday morning, got up early to run in the pre-dawn coolness. Still not used to being soaking wet from sweat after only a mile. Quite frankly, I don't care for it much but I do appreciate running in climate so different from what I'm used to. Keeps things fresh. Put on the headlamp and did a 10K loop. I pushed the pace at times to see how I felt, but I could feel yesterday's run in my legs and overall, I was moderate to slow. The smell of flowers and foliage was refreshing in the morning air and I occasionally closed my eyes to engage my sense of smell a little more. Again, I ran in the grass mostly, avoiding pavement as much as possible, as well as running a few tangents up hillsides and back down. Finished with a strong kick and took it to the house in :53.57, 8:42/mile. After a short walk to cool down, I noticed a beautiful red cardinal perched on a power wire. I haven't seen a cardinal for many years and was captivated by the little bird's striking color and sweet chirping song. Enough to make this note and hold it in my memory a little longer. Nice one, little guy!
Heading back to Steamboat tomorrow morning. I don't think I'll run this evening as my legs are a little tender now. I'm happy with the 36.2 miles I've gotten in while I've been here but part of me wants to go out and get another 4 miles so I can call it an even 40. It doesn't really matter, though, it's only a number, I think the effort is what really matters.
Friday, we drove down to the coast to do a little sight seeing around St. George Island, but I didn't get to run on the beach as I had hoped. Just didn't work out, but I had a nice day with my folks taking in the views of the Gulf. I waited until evening and did another road run with some trails in the San Luis Mission Park. I brought water with me and rightly so. It was much warmer and I could feel my strength being zapped as I cruised. Traffic was so much worse in the evening that I was getting really put off by it. Seriously, I'm a trail runner and running next to heavy traffic was really bumming me out. Still, my effort was good and I enjoyed the run the majority of the time. 7.75 miles in 1:04, 8:30/mile. 138 - 144 bpm.
Saturday morning and I wanted the LSD. That's a Long Slow Distance run (which can also cause hallucinations if you go long enough!). Left the house just before 7 a.m. to beat the heat and slowly made my way down towards the State Capitol. Started out with a straight line 3 miles down Tharpe Ave and turned right on Monroe St (?) by Lake Ella. My tour took me down by the neighborhood I used to live in with my ex-wife, although I didn't remember the area very well. I also forgot how hilly it is around the Capitol and I got a great workout on the hills. I still ran in the grass as much as possible and looked for every unconventional line I could run (up or down) to make my run harder even though I was running a slow pace. I looped around the Capitol and made my way onto the Florida State University campus and just ran around rather aimlessly, taking in the sights. About an hour in, I ate a gel pack I had for an extra energy boost and kept hydrating throughout my run. I had to remind myself to slow down and not race at one point as a coed cutie ran alongside and passed me. (I guarantee she wasn't running for 2 hours.) I found a bike path I vaguely remember from the old days and gladly ran it under a canopy of trees for awhile. Another turn took me by a friend's old house and I reminisced a little to myself about good times gone by. Cruised along a little longer before working my way back to the park near my parent's house and ran trails for the last mile and a half. A really enjoyable but taxing run. I refilled my water bottle once I got home and downed it, along with a bowl of pineapple and some dried fish. Still, just before showering I stepped on the scale and my weight was down a half pound, from sweating, I'm sure. (Whew! This southern running ain't no joke!) The numbers: 13.1 miles, 2:05.51, 9:30/mile and heart rate in the 144-160 bpm range.
The best part of the day came later when I took my mother's Thai cooking class. I learned how to make Pad Thai noodles and Tom Kha Kai, a coconut milk and chili soup, with my new friend and classmate, Helen. The class kicked butt and we ate well afterwards. Big Up to Mom!!!!!!
Sunday morning, got up early to run in the pre-dawn coolness. Still not used to being soaking wet from sweat after only a mile. Quite frankly, I don't care for it much but I do appreciate running in climate so different from what I'm used to. Keeps things fresh. Put on the headlamp and did a 10K loop. I pushed the pace at times to see how I felt, but I could feel yesterday's run in my legs and overall, I was moderate to slow. The smell of flowers and foliage was refreshing in the morning air and I occasionally closed my eyes to engage my sense of smell a little more. Again, I ran in the grass mostly, avoiding pavement as much as possible, as well as running a few tangents up hillsides and back down. Finished with a strong kick and took it to the house in :53.57, 8:42/mile. After a short walk to cool down, I noticed a beautiful red cardinal perched on a power wire. I haven't seen a cardinal for many years and was captivated by the little bird's striking color and sweet chirping song. Enough to make this note and hold it in my memory a little longer. Nice one, little guy!
Heading back to Steamboat tomorrow morning. I don't think I'll run this evening as my legs are a little tender now. I'm happy with the 36.2 miles I've gotten in while I've been here but part of me wants to go out and get another 4 miles so I can call it an even 40. It doesn't really matter, though, it's only a number, I think the effort is what really matters.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Weird run this evening after work. Not so much strange, but I can't figure out where it came from. After running doubles yesterday, I was going to run at an easy pace for an hour and just see what happens. Today felt like a really long day at work and I was tired when I got home. Being an automotive mechanic/technician is not easy work, mentally or physically. On the contrary, it's very physical (obviously) and tons of step by step problem solving to keep my mind engaged. Even routine maintenance needs to be done conscientiously. In short, it's rarely the run at the end of the day (or beginning, or both) that is so tough, it's the 8 hours proceeding it!
I thought it was just a little fatigue from yesterday, coupled with the days work that was making me feel lethargic. Still, it wasn't that hard to find the motivation and I was actually relieved to be going running. Beneath the soreness, I could feel my legs were getting stronger, so I was eager to let loose. I laced up and started out slowly for my one hour road run. I got on the shoulder next to Highway 40 and decided to just run along the road for half an hour and then turn around and run back and make sure that I stayed out for an hour. The course was so flat and air was nice and cool, I had no trouble settling into my pace after the first mile. I ran with my mouth closed and breathed through my nose. My rhythm was quick and light. Heart rate fairly steady at 140 bpm. I thought about the Africans I watched running the Rotterdam Marathon yesterday. The top two charged their way to sub-2:05 finishes, just a couple minutes off world record pace. I imagined myself having their grace and fleet footedness. The long, straight, flat run agreed with me today and I was surprised to find that I fairly effortlessly ran 8 miles in exactly one hour, about 7:30/mile.
I thought it was just a little fatigue from yesterday, coupled with the days work that was making me feel lethargic. Still, it wasn't that hard to find the motivation and I was actually relieved to be going running. Beneath the soreness, I could feel my legs were getting stronger, so I was eager to let loose. I laced up and started out slowly for my one hour road run. I got on the shoulder next to Highway 40 and decided to just run along the road for half an hour and then turn around and run back and make sure that I stayed out for an hour. The course was so flat and air was nice and cool, I had no trouble settling into my pace after the first mile. I ran with my mouth closed and breathed through my nose. My rhythm was quick and light. Heart rate fairly steady at 140 bpm. I thought about the Africans I watched running the Rotterdam Marathon yesterday. The top two charged their way to sub-2:05 finishes, just a couple minutes off world record pace. I imagined myself having their grace and fleet footedness. The long, straight, flat run agreed with me today and I was surprised to find that I fairly effortlessly ran 8 miles in exactly one hour, about 7:30/mile.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
part deux
Couldn't contain myself and sealed the deal with the afternoon 6 miler. As I walked Benny yesterday, I couldn't help but think it would be fun to run up the same long winding hill. So that's what I did. Home to Meadow Ln. to Bear Drive to Apres Ski Way, up and back down Laurel Ln., right turn on Ski Trail Ln. and back onto Apres Ski to loop back home. :56.51, 9:29/mile.
The most notable thing was the lack of people, anywhere. I ran by million dollar home after million dollar home, each vacant and most with a For Sale sign in the yard. I'm so glad these pretentious assholes tore up this once lovely hillside and elk and deer habitat, to put in a road and mega homes and NOBODY lives in them. American excess at it's finest.
Anyway, the views were great and I could see a big crowd at the free concert at the base of the ski area. Looked cool. My winding road run took me up and down several major hills so I got in a few good climbs and some fun downhill running. Now, my legs are a little tender! Total miles for the day: 13.3, 2 hours 14 minutes of running. Rewardingly soaked in the hot tub for a few minutes after getting home.
The most notable thing was the lack of people, anywhere. I ran by million dollar home after million dollar home, each vacant and most with a For Sale sign in the yard. I'm so glad these pretentious assholes tore up this once lovely hillside and elk and deer habitat, to put in a road and mega homes and NOBODY lives in them. American excess at it's finest.
Anyway, the views were great and I could see a big crowd at the free concert at the base of the ski area. Looked cool. My winding road run took me up and down several major hills so I got in a few good climbs and some fun downhill running. Now, my legs are a little tender! Total miles for the day: 13.3, 2 hours 14 minutes of running. Rewardingly soaked in the hot tub for a few minutes after getting home.
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