Last week was mostly centered around the Sombrero trail race. Which didnt go exactly as I had hoped on the rough downhill sections. My ankle doesnt hurt, it just doesnt respond the way I would have liked on the tech downhills. I know that over time this will go away, and I need to focus on the bigger picture. The winter is approaching and I am not planning on running many races this winter, so I have all that time to simply enjoy the trails and let my ankle get back to normal over the course of the fall/winter months. And then I can look forward to the 2012 spring and summer, which for me, will hopefully include a few trail ultras.(something that I have been eagerly anticipating)
This next week I might head over to the track for a quality speed session, and get some zing back into the legs. Thinking about running the Silent trails 10 miler in a couple of weeks and I am hoping to get in some quality leg turnover sessions from now until the race. (if I decide to run it) I would also like to get in a handfull of long runs in the next week or two as well.
The remainder of 2011 fall/winter will be focused on slowly building up my endurance in preparation for a handful of ultras next year, including Leadville 100 next august, which will be my main focus race in 2012.
Weather has been warm of late (mid 80's to upper 80's) ugh! ...I am hoping the Autumn weather returns soon.
Total Time : 5hrs 44 minutes
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sombrero Trail Race
Course Profile
Have you ever had a dream where you are running as fast as you can, and still you go nowhere?....well, more on this later.
Woke up early on Saturday and felt pretty good, somewhat nervous, but overall good. The weather was great, got some good rest...a perfect morning.
Myself, Andrea and Eliana headed out the door together for the 1 hour scenic drive up to Estes Park. I had only heard about this race a few weeks prior and it sounded interesting. I figure it wasn't too long of a race, but had some good climbs, was fairly local and great mountain views! It sounded like a good "feeler" race to really test out the progression of not only coming off an ankle injury, but also to test out my nearly 5 weeks of sedentary time as a couch potato...the entire month of August, and a tad in early September.
Arriving an hour early left me plenty of time to register, warmup and go over the race in my head a few more times. To my surprise, even getting there an hour early we had to park 1/2 mile from the start, as the road was crammed with parked cars all along the shoulder of the road and people walking and jogging back down to the registration table. A packed house!
After registering, clipping my timing chip to my shoe, and pinning on my race number I had a solid 30 minutes before the start. I took this time to jog the first part of the course up to the first climb of the day....ever so cleverly named, Piss Hill.
I sucked down a tangerine flavored GU and jogged back down to the start. With 10 minutes to go, I stripped down to my racing get-up, and hung out at the start line until it was time to race. The weather was great, low 60's, clear sky, and no breeze.
With a couple of minutes to go before the start, the race director had some last minute updates and noteworthy suggestions on the course. One being that he said that there were over 1,000 little flags all along the course to help prevent runners from going off course. This was a true testament to the hard work and preparation that the RD, volunteers and staff had made for us runners. I am thankful.
Toeing the line:
I toed the line and didn't really know what to expect, both from me and from the course itself. The race went off and a surge of runners took off, myself included. The first (and only) flat part of the course is the first 300m, before turning up Piss Hill. The first mile of the course is singletrack rolling stuff, nothing too technical (YET!), with loose sandy dirt as the main part of the trail. I actually ran most of the climb up Piss Hill just off the trail, bushwacking it, as the ground here was hard and packed. Got to the first mile in the top 10, about 20-30 seconds behind the leaders. At this point we were all running in a single file line up the mile long hill with about 2 or 3 strides separating each runner. Clear view of the leaders, not feeling over worked, legs and lungs feeling good....time to make my move and work up the line of runners ahead...(or so I thought!)
leading up to the first mile, a rare smooth section of trail
mile 1
Shortly after the first mile, the trail gets very technical in sections, which felt fine on the flats and the climbs, but it was pretty clear right off the bat that my ankle was no where near to being able to "drop the hammer" on these fast moving descents. By the time I got to mile 2 I was somewhere between 10-15 place. I lost track after awhile. Every technical downhill (launching 3 feet off a rock, landing on a large tree root, and instantly launching off that and landing on a awkward diagonal slab of rock and then launch back onto the loose gravely rock trail), left me losing valuable ground on the runners in front of me. There must have been over a dozen sections of the trail that I slowed up because the technicality of the descending trail. That, combined with a semi bum ankle, had me moving over off the trail to let runners pass on by (I was obviously holding up the stream of runners behind me, as I was getting passed in groups of 4-5 runners at a time). Generally speaking I can keep my position on the downs and actually enjoy the technical stuff, split second decisions...etc, but my ankle was not having it. I tried on a few occasions to surge and "let go" on these sections, but I just didn't feel like my ankle was responding like I would have needed it to in order to make up ground.
Then as soon as we reached the bottom of the descents the trail generally went back up (aside from a few "flat" sections here and there), and it was during these uphill climbs and on the rolling stuff that I was able to almost instantly motor on by the runners who just passed me on the downs.
Honestly, miles 2-4 were really a blur, I don't remember much aside from trying as hard as I could to make up time on the climbs because I was loosing so much ground on every downhill section.
I would then proceed to catch back up, pass some runners and then get smoked on the next down by the same runners I just passed on the climb. This yo-yo and back and forth running was pretty much how the rest of the race went.
I crossed the line in 41 flat. I was hoping for a sub 35 performance, but that wasn't going to happen while poking along down the descents. I am not sure what place I came in...top 25? top 20 maybe? During the last 1.5 miles, once I realized I was at least 6 minutes off of my predicted pace, I put it on cruise control and just tried not to crash and burn on the rocky steep downs, and took in whatever views I could manage during the micro-seconds I had to lift my eyes off the trail ahead.
The after race grub was great!
Hopefully I will be back next year...injury free.
I took some things away from this race. I got some things to work on, but overall felt like I gave it the best I could considering how my ankle was feeling. The course was more technical than anything I have ran on in the last few months since my injury. I felt great on the climbs and that was encouraging, on that front.
Total Time : 41 minutes + 20 minutes of Warm up
Thursday : 35 minutes easy on Pineridge
Friday : 30 minutes easy on Pineridge
Sunday PM: 35 minutes easy around town in the evening. asphalt action!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Foothills Trail (9/21)
Today's run started out at the Maxwell trailhead, just South of the CSU football stadium. With a race a few days out, I wanted to make this my last hard effort of the week.
I basically ran a controlled tempo, "30 minutes out, 30 minutes back". However the second half of my hard runs are usually slightly faster than the first half, as I try to push a negative split in my hard runs in hopes of training my body to push harder and run faster during the latter stages of a race when I am generally more fatigued.
I ran the climbs and the downs hard, and easy on the flats. More specifically, I wanted to run the ups as hard and efficient as I could without redlining, and run the downs focusing on my footwork and putting more "trust" in my ankle.
I felt great on the climbs and pretty good on the downs. I still have slight hesitation on some of the more technical fast descending sections of the trail. I think this is more a mental thing, that will eventually go away with time...and more downhill running.
Anyway, felt good overall.
Up next...2 days of easy running, followed by the Sombrero trail race!
Total Time : 58:25 (30 minutes out, 28:25 back)
I basically ran a controlled tempo, "30 minutes out, 30 minutes back". However the second half of my hard runs are usually slightly faster than the first half, as I try to push a negative split in my hard runs in hopes of training my body to push harder and run faster during the latter stages of a race when I am generally more fatigued.
I ran the climbs and the downs hard, and easy on the flats. More specifically, I wanted to run the ups as hard and efficient as I could without redlining, and run the downs focusing on my footwork and putting more "trust" in my ankle.
I felt great on the climbs and pretty good on the downs. I still have slight hesitation on some of the more technical fast descending sections of the trail. I think this is more a mental thing, that will eventually go away with time...and more downhill running.
Anyway, felt good overall.
Up next...2 days of easy running, followed by the Sombrero trail race!
Total Time : 58:25 (30 minutes out, 28:25 back)
Pineridge (9/20)
The day after running a couple of short hard hill repeats up towers, my legs felt surprisingly fresh. I think the hard effort on Monday removed any cobwebs in my legs. Out with the old, in with the good!
Tuesdays run was a short, easy recovery day....one lap around Pineridge starting from the dog park.
This week I am focusing on short hard efforts mixed with easy short recovery days. And so far, this plan is working out great. I am feeling strong when running, and fresh when I am done.
...The weather is cooling off a bit and it feels great! Nothing like a crisp Autumn day out on the trails.
Total Time : 40 minutes
Tuesdays run was a short, easy recovery day....one lap around Pineridge starting from the dog park.
This week I am focusing on short hard efforts mixed with easy short recovery days. And so far, this plan is working out great. I am feeling strong when running, and fresh when I am done.
...The weather is cooling off a bit and it feels great! Nothing like a crisp Autumn day out on the trails.
Total Time : 40 minutes
Monday, September 19, 2011
Stout to Loggers Repeats (9/19)
With an upcoming short (4.5mi) trail race next weekend, my goal for this week is to put in some quality up tempo runs and/or hard hill repeats, in place of longer slower runs. The race is fairly short, and will require climbing strength, speed (relatively speaking), and a fresh pair of legs.
I started my run at the Blue Sky trailhead and ran to towers road, ran up towers, and stopped at the intersection of Stout. The jog takes about 22 minutes. Running the first steep section of towers on the way to the Stout intersection can put a nice sting in the legs. After a short stretch I started my first of two hill repeats.
Running on towers from Stout to the Loggers trail intersection is about 0.45 miles with ~250 ft of vertical gain! (according to mapmyrun) I hope to get a watch with an altimeter sometime this fall/winter.
Ran the first lung busting repeat in 3:57, turned around and jogged back down to Stout and proceeded to run my second repeat in 3:52. When run hard, this workout will leave your lungs burning and your quads on fire. Sure signs of a great run!
After a brief pause after my second repeat to get my legs back under me, I continued on and took the turn onto Loggers > Sawmill > Nomad > Inlet Bay > Blue sky trailhead...and back to my truck.
A great hard push up a difficult section of towers is just what I needed. And the rocky run back down Loggers and Sawmill and onto Nomad was a nice way to finish.
Hill Repeats: stout to loggers (~0.45mi / ~250 vertical ft)
First - 3:57
Second - 3:52
Total Time : 1hr 25 minutes
I started my run at the Blue Sky trailhead and ran to towers road, ran up towers, and stopped at the intersection of Stout. The jog takes about 22 minutes. Running the first steep section of towers on the way to the Stout intersection can put a nice sting in the legs. After a short stretch I started my first of two hill repeats.
Running on towers from Stout to the Loggers trail intersection is about 0.45 miles with ~250 ft of vertical gain! (according to mapmyrun) I hope to get a watch with an altimeter sometime this fall/winter.
Ran the first lung busting repeat in 3:57, turned around and jogged back down to Stout and proceeded to run my second repeat in 3:52. When run hard, this workout will leave your lungs burning and your quads on fire. Sure signs of a great run!
After a brief pause after my second repeat to get my legs back under me, I continued on and took the turn onto Loggers > Sawmill > Nomad > Inlet Bay > Blue sky trailhead...and back to my truck.
A great hard push up a difficult section of towers is just what I needed. And the rocky run back down Loggers and Sawmill and onto Nomad was a nice way to finish.
Hill Repeats: stout to loggers (~0.45mi / ~250 vertical ft)
First - 3:57
Second - 3:52
Total Time : 1hr 25 minutes
Sunday, September 18, 2011
RECAP - 09/12 - 09/18
Felt good this past week. Ankle appears to be strong and I can hardly notice any weakness since the sprain. I was able to get in a few quality hard runs this week, and felt strong and healthy overall. Despite a few sloppy muddy days I was able to increase the total volume of my training from last week to this week.
My goal for week 2 was to increase my total volume from week 1, which worked out well.
However, with my first race since mid summer coming up next weekend, I am probably going to increase the intensity of my workouts this week (tempo runs and hill repeats....etc), race specific runs.... and decrease my overall volume in hopes of having fresh legs on race day.
Enjoying the cooler autumn weather.
Saturday (9/17)- got off to a late start in the morning and had a TON of yard work (uprooting and removing several bushes from our yard), later in the day. But managed to squeeze in a Blue Sky trail run for 1hr 8 minutes.
Total Time : 7 hrs 22 minutes
My goal for week 2 was to increase my total volume from week 1, which worked out well.
However, with my first race since mid summer coming up next weekend, I am probably going to increase the intensity of my workouts this week (tempo runs and hill repeats....etc), race specific runs.... and decrease my overall volume in hopes of having fresh legs on race day.
Enjoying the cooler autumn weather.
Saturday (9/17)- got off to a late start in the morning and had a TON of yard work (uprooting and removing several bushes from our yard), later in the day. But managed to squeeze in a Blue Sky trail run for 1hr 8 minutes.
Total Time : 7 hrs 22 minutes
Friday, September 16, 2011
Foothills Trail (9/16)
Since it has rained almost non-stop for the last 48 hours I was fully expecting the trails to be muddy. However, to my surprise the trail was hard packed and almost fully dry.
Todays run was an easy poke that started from the Maxwell trailhead and proceeds up and over the climb behind the stadium, to the ridge
... ran a short loop, and returned to the trailhead.
I plan to run my first long run in about 6 weeks in the morning. And so an easy run today felt nice.
Tomorrow I plan to run in the 2-3 hour (nothing super long, but a good start) range, mixing it up between Blue Sky trail and Horsetooth Mtn trails. I am looking forward to getting back into a weekly long run again.
...Weather is looking to be in the 70's this weekend. Should be a great weekend for some quality runs.
Total Time: 34 minutes
Todays run was an easy poke that started from the Maxwell trailhead and proceeds up and over the climb behind the stadium, to the ridge
... ran a short loop, and returned to the trailhead.
I plan to run my first long run in about 6 weeks in the morning. And so an easy run today felt nice.
Tomorrow I plan to run in the 2-3 hour (nothing super long, but a good start) range, mixing it up between Blue Sky trail and Horsetooth Mtn trails. I am looking forward to getting back into a weekly long run again.
...Weather is looking to be in the 70's this weekend. Should be a great weekend for some quality runs.
Total Time: 34 minutes
Pineridge (9/15)
My run on Thursday was not much different than my run on Wednesday.
The first 15 minutes of my run it was raining pretty hard, and splishing and splashing through the numerous puddles along the trail was actually quite fun. Once the rain stopped, the trails were a complete mud pit.
I basically ran whichever trails were runnable, and avoided the the more sloppy stuff the best I could.
I didnt have any route in mind that I wanted to run, and so I ran a hodgepodge of several (somewhat runnable) loops in Pineridge, and then headed back to my truck once I hit the 1 hour mark.
...One thing that stuck out to me while the rain was pouring down on me, was that something is missing from my trail running arsenal....water proof clothing!
I have always had the "less is better" approach when it comes to what I wear in the rain. (sometimes running in general)
I just dont like being weighed down with bulky clothes and extra "stuff" when I am running in the cold/rain. The less bulky clothes I wear the more "free" I feel when running.
Unless the temps fall below 40 degrees, I usually just wear a pair of shorts and sometimes just a tech shirt.
And I suppose I have a super lightweight camelbak that I can hardly feel on my back when I am wearing it. I remove the bladder and store nutrition for long runs consisting of several hours or longer.
...And so I think I will invest in purchasing a nice lightweight waterproof jacket sometime this fall
Total Time : 1hr 2 minutes
The first 15 minutes of my run it was raining pretty hard, and splishing and splashing through the numerous puddles along the trail was actually quite fun. Once the rain stopped, the trails were a complete mud pit.
I basically ran whichever trails were runnable, and avoided the the more sloppy stuff the best I could.
I didnt have any route in mind that I wanted to run, and so I ran a hodgepodge of several (somewhat runnable) loops in Pineridge, and then headed back to my truck once I hit the 1 hour mark.
...One thing that stuck out to me while the rain was pouring down on me, was that something is missing from my trail running arsenal....water proof clothing!
I have always had the "less is better" approach when it comes to what I wear in the rain. (sometimes running in general)
I just dont like being weighed down with bulky clothes and extra "stuff" when I am running in the cold/rain. The less bulky clothes I wear the more "free" I feel when running.
Unless the temps fall below 40 degrees, I usually just wear a pair of shorts and sometimes just a tech shirt.
And I suppose I have a super lightweight camelbak that I can hardly feel on my back when I am wearing it. I remove the bladder and store nutrition for long runs consisting of several hours or longer.
...And so I think I will invest in purchasing a nice lightweight waterproof jacket sometime this fall
Total Time : 1hr 2 minutes
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Foothills Trail (9/14)
One thing I can say about the fall, is that I absolutley love running in the cool, drizzly mist, on a crisp autumn day. Hands down, simply awesome.
Todays run had some of that, with the addition of a muddy downhill trail version of Slip-N-Slide.
I started my run at the Maxwell trailhead and ran the foothills trail up and over the short climb behind the stadium. I turned right at the first "Y" split in the trail at the top of the hill, which kept me on the East side of the road. The trail eventually crosses the road and this is where I headed back South (on the West side of the road), running along the ridge.
The first half of this run was great. Cool breeze, slight drizzle, peaks covered in the overhead mist, just an overall wet and damp day on the trails.
Not too long after my turn around point the rain picked up and the fog rolled in. The drizzle turned into a downpour and the mist turned into dense fog. Now, as much as I enjoy running in the slop, I also enjoy being able to see in the direction I am running.
The trail quickly turned into a muddy downhill slopfest and each step I took had me sliding down the trail, not running. The interesting thing about the mud here in this part of Colorado, is that the mud is like a thick, sticky clay, it sticks to the bottom of your shoes with each step. Depending on your preference you can choose to run 3 inches taller, or stop and scrap off the muddy clay every few minutes during your run.
Still somewhat enjoying the run (despite dragging along an additional few pounds of mud on each of my soles), I decided to call it a day when I got to the parking lot and skip out on tacking on the additional 30 minute Pineridge loop that I had planned. But ohh well, it was fun to play in the mud for a change.
Tomorrows weather calls for the same, so expecting the trails to be in even worse conditions.
Total Time : 42 mins
Todays run had some of that, with the addition of a muddy downhill trail version of Slip-N-Slide.
I started my run at the Maxwell trailhead and ran the foothills trail up and over the short climb behind the stadium. I turned right at the first "Y" split in the trail at the top of the hill, which kept me on the East side of the road. The trail eventually crosses the road and this is where I headed back South (on the West side of the road), running along the ridge.
The first half of this run was great. Cool breeze, slight drizzle, peaks covered in the overhead mist, just an overall wet and damp day on the trails.
Not too long after my turn around point the rain picked up and the fog rolled in. The drizzle turned into a downpour and the mist turned into dense fog. Now, as much as I enjoy running in the slop, I also enjoy being able to see in the direction I am running.
The trail quickly turned into a muddy downhill slopfest and each step I took had me sliding down the trail, not running. The interesting thing about the mud here in this part of Colorado, is that the mud is like a thick, sticky clay, it sticks to the bottom of your shoes with each step. Depending on your preference you can choose to run 3 inches taller, or stop and scrap off the muddy clay every few minutes during your run.
Still somewhat enjoying the run (despite dragging along an additional few pounds of mud on each of my soles), I decided to call it a day when I got to the parking lot and skip out on tacking on the additional 30 minute Pineridge loop that I had planned. But ohh well, it was fun to play in the mud for a change.
Tomorrows weather calls for the same, so expecting the trails to be in even worse conditions.
Total Time : 42 mins
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Horsetooth Mtn (9/13)
Started my run this afternoon from the main Horsetooth parking lot. I hopped on the Horsetooth falls trail, which is a nice smooth, mostly downhill, route. Just before the falls I turned onto Spring Creek for a short climb and traverse around the contour of the Mtn.
At the intersection of Spring Creek and Stout, I took the sharp left turning onto Stout. The climb up Stout towards Herrington is constant and consists of single track trail with small to medium sized loose rocks. There are a few patches of flat sections, but overall it is an uphill grinder. I was able to push myself on this stretch of trail and quickly broke into a heavy sweat. I guzzled down most of my water during this part of the run. It was hot and I was pushing hard.
After reaching the intersection of Stout and Herrington, I turned onto Herrington and enjoyed this nice downhill section after running the previous climb fairly hard.
I took Herrington to the Horsetooth rock trail and ran the last few downhill miles fairly easy, taking in the views.
Finished up at the parking lot and felt pretty good overall, almost zero hint of any ankle injury! Pretty easy run, while pushing the pace on one or two of the climbs felt pretty good for a change.
Trail summary : Horsetooth Falls > Spring Creek > Stout > Herrington > Spring Creek > Soderberg > Horsetooth Rock Trail. (A nice little loop)
Total Time : 53 minutes
Gotta love the single track
Monday, September 12, 2011
Pineridge (AM) + Foothills Trail (PM) - (9/12)
Ran twice today.
Lunch - Ran the Pineridge loop from the Maxwell trailhead. First time in over a month where I pushed the pace here and there, and it felt great. Lots of spring in my step and felt fresh and strong.
total time : 29:15
PM - Starting again from Maxwell lot, I ran up the short climb behind the stadium, dropped down on the back side of the hill and followed the descending trail down to the shore. Turned around just before the North dam. Tacked on an additional small loop at Pineridge at the end of the run. Felt solid the entire run. It feels great to be getting back into form again.
total time : 1hr 2min
TOTAL Time : 1hr 31min
Lunch - Ran the Pineridge loop from the Maxwell trailhead. First time in over a month where I pushed the pace here and there, and it felt great. Lots of spring in my step and felt fresh and strong.
total time : 29:15
PM - Starting again from Maxwell lot, I ran up the short climb behind the stadium, dropped down on the back side of the hill and followed the descending trail down to the shore. Turned around just before the North dam. Tacked on an additional small loop at Pineridge at the end of the run. Felt solid the entire run. It feels great to be getting back into form again.
total time : 1hr 2min
TOTAL Time : 1hr 31min
Tabeguache (9/9 - 9/11)
Friday afternoon I had some time to check out the Tabeguache trail.
This run had just about everything; good amount of vertical, technical rocky sections, sand pits, awkward diagonal slabs of rocks, and brightly colored lizards!
I really enjoy running on new trails and this was more than just another trail, it was literally an entirely different ecosystem. I was basically running through a desert filled with large rocks, small rocks, sideways rocks, ups and downs..etc
The majority of the trail is used my mountain bikers, and the "Caution, downhill traffic only" signs at trail intersections were a constant reminder. I must have seen about a dozen or so bikers on the trail, but I did not see any other trail runners out there. I was the lone person rock-hopping the trails by foot.
In the above picture (if you look close) you can see the zig-zagging trail heading up towards the top of the mesa, located far off in the distance. This was the out and back route I took for the day.
It was about 87 degrees, and only about 20 minutes into my run I found myself chugging down all but about 6oz of my 24oz handheld H2O bottle. I backed off the liquid consumption and focused on enjoying the rocky climb up to the top of the mesa. The views were great, and I had wished I brought my camera with me instead of leaving it in the car. Ohh well.
After taking a few wrong turns on the way back down (every intersection resembled the previous intersection), I was able to get back to the trailhead by looking up and locating where the parking lot was in relation to where I was, and proceed to take that general direction. There were a few times when I thought "I dont remember this huge rock I had to climb over to get up here..hmmm" and so I would proceed to turn around and eventually get back on course.
The trails were marked, I for some reason, somehow still took a few wrong turns.
I got back to the car and downed a solid 30oz of liquid goodness! This was a great run. Ankle felt pretty good on all the rocky, awkward, technical sections as well. Nothing hard, but was definitely focused on every awkward step my right foot took on the way back down.
...After running for 7 straight days after not running for over 4 weeks, I decided to take off on Saturday and Sunday. Which was fine because I plan to increase the volume of my training (and maybe intensity) a bit this week and I figure having a 2 day off period would be a good thing to start the week off fresh.
Saturday was actually a really fun day as we spent the better part of the day touring several different vineyards in Palisades. Wine tasting, picking fresh peaches off the trees, and fun times with friends...priceless!
Sunday was spent driving back home across the continental divide, and back into Ft collins.
Total Time: 1hr 34min (Friday)
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: OFF
Friday, September 9, 2011
RECAP : Sept 3 - Sept 9
5 weeks ago I sprained my right ankle while running down Flattop Mtn in RMNP. This past week has been the first week of decent, consistent training since the sprain.
My ankle on the trails this past week has been feeling better and better after each run, which is really encouraging.
I purposely have not yet pushed myself on the trails this week (especially the downs), and have taken several really easy days as well. But with each passing workout I can feel myself inching closer and closer to a full recovery.
The time out here in Grand Junction has been great. Hanging out with close friends and exploring some of the pretty spectacular trails out here this morning (more info on this later this weekend) have been great.
Total Time - 5 hrs 1 min
My ankle on the trails this past week has been feeling better and better after each run, which is really encouraging.
I purposely have not yet pushed myself on the trails this week (especially the downs), and have taken several really easy days as well. But with each passing workout I can feel myself inching closer and closer to a full recovery.
The time out here in Grand Junction has been great. Hanging out with close friends and exploring some of the pretty spectacular trails out here this morning (more info on this later this weekend) have been great.
Total Time - 5 hrs 1 min
Thursday, September 8, 2011
easy troutman park (9/8)
Before heading out to Grand Junction to visit some friends of ours for the weekend I was able to squeeze in a short scamper from our house to troutman park. I was going to take the day off, but figured a short jog before we hit the road would be a great way to start out the day. Nice easy jog with about 14 inches of vertical. For those of us who keep track of that sorta thing. :-)
Total time : 25 minutes.
Total time : 25 minutes.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Slippery When Wet (9/7)
A few days ago I was invited to meet up with a few other local runners for an early morning tackle of Horsetooth Mtn Park.
I met up with Phil Klotzbach and Dan Turk at 6:15am at JJ's and we carpooled over to the trailhead together. Dan has a parking pass and so it was nice to not have to trot the extra mile from my usual parking spot to the trailhead.
It was a cool (56 degree) wet, drizzly and foggy run up into the mountain this morning. ahh...perfect!
It was great to have some company and a nice conversation as well. We ran the 7.3 mile (est) Horsetooth trail race course. I have run this local trail race several times, and is one of my more favorite courses to train on.
The trail starts out with a couple of miles of climbing, followed by a few miles of rolling stuff, and finishes with a nice amount of descent the final few miles (with only one small climb in the final 3.5 miles). So much drop that I often find myself applying the brakes, as even a few seconds of pushing the downhill on Towers will have you on a kamikaze, out of control, land speed record push.
The trail this morning was wet, muddy and slippery, on all the rocky sections. Since I hardly trust my ankle to motor across this stuff on a clear sunny day right now, I was definitely taking it easy and even power hiking down a few of the steeper wet rocky sections. Halfway into our run the rain started to come down a bit more and the fog rolled in and made it difficult to see more than 50 yards or so. Running in the rain and slop is something that I enjoy, and with the drier climate in Colorado it is always a treat to get out on the trails during the rare times it actually does rain.
Overall, this is a great trail route and also makes for a great test of fitness, as it provides ample climbing, ups and downs, and some nice (semi-technical) stuff.
I also spotted several herds of deer throughout the run, just standing off the trail. Which is always a welcomed view in my opinion.
Now time to dry off, warm up and enjoy the rest of the day.
Today is Andreas birthday as well, and I am planning a little something at our place later this evening.
Also, we leave for Grand Junction in the morning to visit some friends of ours who moved there about a month or so ago. It will be nice to spend the next 4 days on the western slope with some good friends. And if I'm lucky, maybe even find some trails to hit while we are out there.
Total Time : 1hr 25min
I met up with Phil Klotzbach and Dan Turk at 6:15am at JJ's and we carpooled over to the trailhead together. Dan has a parking pass and so it was nice to not have to trot the extra mile from my usual parking spot to the trailhead.
It was a cool (56 degree) wet, drizzly and foggy run up into the mountain this morning. ahh...perfect!
It was great to have some company and a nice conversation as well. We ran the 7.3 mile (est) Horsetooth trail race course. I have run this local trail race several times, and is one of my more favorite courses to train on.
The trail starts out with a couple of miles of climbing, followed by a few miles of rolling stuff, and finishes with a nice amount of descent the final few miles (with only one small climb in the final 3.5 miles). So much drop that I often find myself applying the brakes, as even a few seconds of pushing the downhill on Towers will have you on a kamikaze, out of control, land speed record push.
The trail this morning was wet, muddy and slippery, on all the rocky sections. Since I hardly trust my ankle to motor across this stuff on a clear sunny day right now, I was definitely taking it easy and even power hiking down a few of the steeper wet rocky sections. Halfway into our run the rain started to come down a bit more and the fog rolled in and made it difficult to see more than 50 yards or so. Running in the rain and slop is something that I enjoy, and with the drier climate in Colorado it is always a treat to get out on the trails during the rare times it actually does rain.
Overall, this is a great trail route and also makes for a great test of fitness, as it provides ample climbing, ups and downs, and some nice (semi-technical) stuff.
I also spotted several herds of deer throughout the run, just standing off the trail. Which is always a welcomed view in my opinion.
Now time to dry off, warm up and enjoy the rest of the day.
Today is Andreas birthday as well, and I am planning a little something at our place later this evening.
Also, we leave for Grand Junction in the morning to visit some friends of ours who moved there about a month or so ago. It will be nice to spend the next 4 days on the western slope with some good friends. And if I'm lucky, maybe even find some trails to hit while we are out there.
Total Time : 1hr 25min
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Race Report Disclaimer
Just a note. As I have run almost 200 races dating back to the mid 90's, Only races from the time that I created this blog(Sept 2011), and after, will I be writing up race reports. Logistics, accuracy, and quite frankly, sanity, are all important to me. Not to mention I can hardly remember what I ate for breakfast this morning, let alone how I was feeling midway through a race 10+ years ago. :-)
Tuesdays workout (9/6)
The temperature the past few days have been great. Several weeks of nothing but upper 90's, was brutal. But this past week has been a sure indicator that fall running weather is right around the corner. Temps for today were in the upper 60's, overcast, with a slight drizzle. I cant remember the last time I ran on a cool, drizzly afternoon. Nonetheless, this is a recipe for a prime run on the trails.
As noted in a previous post, I have yet to purchase a parks pass this year, as I am fine with jogging an extra mile or so to the trailhead (main or Soderberg) if it saves me some cash. Although I think I will cave, and buy the pass before the winter (and several feet of snow) arrive into town this winter.
I started my run at the Horsetooth liquor/convienence store and jogged the 1.3 miles (roughly) to the Soderberg trailhead. This traverse over to Soderberg is an easy flat/gently rolling and smooth "trail" or gravel/dirt bikepath. After arriving at Soderberg I decided to head out for a somewhat short loop, with a some vertical climbs here and there. From Soderberg I took the following trails: Nomad - Sawmill - Stout - Towers - and then back towards the trailhead and the extra 1.3 miles to my truck.
The first few miles of this loop is an easy gently rolling, smooth trail. After getting onto Sawmill the trail grade picks up and is filled with several short but steep climbs, followed by short steep descents, with some patches of smoother stuff inter-mixed. There are also several rocky sections (ankle twisters, if your not paying attention)
Once on Towers, its all downhill back to Soderberg.
Ankle today felt good. A little tight at times but overall it felt fine. Just need to get in some good stretching later today. It felt good to get in some more vertical stuff as well. The downhills, I am still slowly working my ankle back into the footwork required to cruise through (on and over) the more technical sketchy rocky sections of the trail. As the downhills are easily my favorite part of trail running, having to hold back and take it easy is still somewhat of a bummer, as I naturally tend to open it up and let it rip!
But the smart thing to do is ease back into it and take it one downhill step at a time.
Total Time : 1hr 8 minutes
As noted in a previous post, I have yet to purchase a parks pass this year, as I am fine with jogging an extra mile or so to the trailhead (main or Soderberg) if it saves me some cash. Although I think I will cave, and buy the pass before the winter (and several feet of snow) arrive into town this winter.
I started my run at the Horsetooth liquor/convienence store and jogged the 1.3 miles (roughly) to the Soderberg trailhead. This traverse over to Soderberg is an easy flat/gently rolling and smooth "trail" or gravel/dirt bikepath. After arriving at Soderberg I decided to head out for a somewhat short loop, with a some vertical climbs here and there. From Soderberg I took the following trails: Nomad - Sawmill - Stout - Towers - and then back towards the trailhead and the extra 1.3 miles to my truck.
The first few miles of this loop is an easy gently rolling, smooth trail. After getting onto Sawmill the trail grade picks up and is filled with several short but steep climbs, followed by short steep descents, with some patches of smoother stuff inter-mixed. There are also several rocky sections (ankle twisters, if your not paying attention)
Once on Towers, its all downhill back to Soderberg.
Ankle today felt good. A little tight at times but overall it felt fine. Just need to get in some good stretching later today. It felt good to get in some more vertical stuff as well. The downhills, I am still slowly working my ankle back into the footwork required to cruise through (on and over) the more technical sketchy rocky sections of the trail. As the downhills are easily my favorite part of trail running, having to hold back and take it easy is still somewhat of a bummer, as I naturally tend to open it up and let it rip!
But the smart thing to do is ease back into it and take it one downhill step at a time.
Total Time : 1hr 8 minutes
Monday, September 5, 2011
Colorado Run + Pineridge (9/5)
Every labor day the local Runners Roost puts on a 5k and 10k race that takes place on the CSU campus. I have run this race several times as I enjoy the local competition, camaraderie and the course that zig-zags its way throughout campus.
Today, however I was there to support and cheer on my friend Steve Saleeby, who was running the 5k.
It is an interesting point of view as a runner to be sidelined watching your fellow race competitors get in their last minute strides, gulp down some water and toe the line. In one aspect I am wishing I was out there with them, ready to race. And at the same time I was enjoying the peaceful and relaxing morning not having to worrying about: did I get enough sleep? are my shoes tied to tight? should I go out at this pace or should I go out at that pace? did I drink enough water? have I trained hard enough leading up to this race, what should I wear, its cold now but might warm up? should I have just stayed in bed and skip out?? yadda..yadda...yadda
So yeah, I enjoyed the time to hang around and chit-chat with some folks while everyone was off racing. I found it amazing at just how fast a 5k race takes when your NOT racing it! It felt like the gun went off, lots of hooting and hollering, then a brief conversation or two, and then I hear the announcer.."Lead runners making their way into the oval any second". Wow, time flies when your standing still. Which made me further appreciate the longer Ultra distance that I am sorta getting into as of late. For a 5k, weeks are spent training for a race that is over by the time you make your way to the porta potty and back. I guess the long, all day (and night) sorta racing appeals to me a little more right now. I just flat out enjoy running and hate it when I have to stop. After a 5k race, I feel like I still need to get in a workout. I guess its the simplicity and the mindset of an Ultra that is gravitating myself towards that niche of running.
However, that being said, there are a few shorter (5k-10 mile) races I might do later this fall.
After Steve finished the race I invited him to do an easy trail run with me over at Pineridge later in the day.
After running the last few days more than I have run in one month, I decided to err on the easy side of training for today and ran an easy, singletrack, trail starting from the dog park at the end of Horsetooth. One loop of Pineridge works out to be a smidge under 5 miles. Nothing hard, nice and easy conversation pace. Ankle feeling great, lungs felt good...overall a great week back on the trails.
Total Time: 40:mid
Today, however I was there to support and cheer on my friend Steve Saleeby, who was running the 5k.
It is an interesting point of view as a runner to be sidelined watching your fellow race competitors get in their last minute strides, gulp down some water and toe the line. In one aspect I am wishing I was out there with them, ready to race. And at the same time I was enjoying the peaceful and relaxing morning not having to worrying about: did I get enough sleep? are my shoes tied to tight? should I go out at this pace or should I go out at that pace? did I drink enough water? have I trained hard enough leading up to this race, what should I wear, its cold now but might warm up? should I have just stayed in bed and skip out?? yadda..yadda...yadda
So yeah, I enjoyed the time to hang around and chit-chat with some folks while everyone was off racing. I found it amazing at just how fast a 5k race takes when your NOT racing it! It felt like the gun went off, lots of hooting and hollering, then a brief conversation or two, and then I hear the announcer.."Lead runners making their way into the oval any second". Wow, time flies when your standing still. Which made me further appreciate the longer Ultra distance that I am sorta getting into as of late. For a 5k, weeks are spent training for a race that is over by the time you make your way to the porta potty and back. I guess the long, all day (and night) sorta racing appeals to me a little more right now. I just flat out enjoy running and hate it when I have to stop. After a 5k race, I feel like I still need to get in a workout. I guess its the simplicity and the mindset of an Ultra that is gravitating myself towards that niche of running.
However, that being said, there are a few shorter (5k-10 mile) races I might do later this fall.
After Steve finished the race I invited him to do an easy trail run with me over at Pineridge later in the day.
After running the last few days more than I have run in one month, I decided to err on the easy side of training for today and ran an easy, singletrack, trail starting from the dog park at the end of Horsetooth. One loop of Pineridge works out to be a smidge under 5 miles. Nothing hard, nice and easy conversation pace. Ankle feeling great, lungs felt good...overall a great week back on the trails.
Total Time: 40:mid
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Horsetooth Summit (9/4)
One of the greatest things about living here in Northern Colorado, as an endurance athlete, is the seemingly never ending supply of trail systems just minutes from the front door. Horsetooth Mountain park is just one example. Over 50 miles of singletrack dirt trails surround this one area of Fort Collins. It is a great place to get in a great trail run, winter or summer.
This morning was no different. A cool and crisp 62 degrees at the start of my run. I have yet to purchase a season pass to park at the main trailhead (something I am heavily considering), and so I park about one mile away at the Horsetooth liquor/convenience store. It takes about 9 minutes of jogging the uphill mile climb to reach the trailhead. The parking lot was packed which meant a ton of hikers and mountain bikers prowling the trails ahead.
I decided to take the South ridge trail (multi purpose) most of the way to the summit of Horsetooth rock, in hopes of avoiding the crowded more popular trails.
The trail is fairly wide as it is used as a service road for the forest service.
It is mostly composed of ruts and jagged loose rocks here and there, with occasional smooth sections. Nothing too technical. My ankle was feeling pretty good this whole run, however I did notice that the 4 weeks of time on the couch nursing a bum ankle definitely impacted my endurance, specifically my uphill climbing endurance. My breathing felt way too labored for the relatively easy pace I was poking along up the trail. I am sure a few more times out on these hill climbs and my lungs should adapt to the consistent uphill grind once again.
It has been awhile since I have tagged the summit of the rock, as I always choose to cruise on by. But today I felt like it would be a great day to reach the summit.
I forgot that the last 1/4 mile is mostly bouldering and light jogging here and there.
The summit is a tad over 7,200 ft.
Summit tagged in 43 uphill grinding minutes from where I parked.
The run back down was good and my ankle felt fine maneuvering around the ruts and rocks along the trail as I motored back down the mountain. I still dont trust it in certain circumstances. And in places where I would generally fly over (rocks, roots..etc) without giving it too much thought, I now find myself checking the footing on every step that my right foot takes(landing, pushoff, angle...etc), which is not only annoying but is an instant way to slow down the pace of a run. Something I hope to get over in the up coming weeks.
Total Time: 1hr 15min
On a side note: I think Eliana, who just turned 9 months old last week, is going through another teething phase. As I was up with her at 11:30pm, 1am, 2am, 4:30am. And Andrea also got up with her at 5:30 am. So yeah, poor little girl...tired Mommy and Daddy.
This morning was no different. A cool and crisp 62 degrees at the start of my run. I have yet to purchase a season pass to park at the main trailhead (something I am heavily considering), and so I park about one mile away at the Horsetooth liquor/convenience store. It takes about 9 minutes of jogging the uphill mile climb to reach the trailhead. The parking lot was packed which meant a ton of hikers and mountain bikers prowling the trails ahead.
I decided to take the South ridge trail (multi purpose) most of the way to the summit of Horsetooth rock, in hopes of avoiding the crowded more popular trails.
The trail is fairly wide as it is used as a service road for the forest service.
It is mostly composed of ruts and jagged loose rocks here and there, with occasional smooth sections. Nothing too technical. My ankle was feeling pretty good this whole run, however I did notice that the 4 weeks of time on the couch nursing a bum ankle definitely impacted my endurance, specifically my uphill climbing endurance. My breathing felt way too labored for the relatively easy pace I was poking along up the trail. I am sure a few more times out on these hill climbs and my lungs should adapt to the consistent uphill grind once again.
It has been awhile since I have tagged the summit of the rock, as I always choose to cruise on by. But today I felt like it would be a great day to reach the summit.
I forgot that the last 1/4 mile is mostly bouldering and light jogging here and there.
The summit is a tad over 7,200 ft.
Summit tagged in 43 uphill grinding minutes from where I parked.
The run back down was good and my ankle felt fine maneuvering around the ruts and rocks along the trail as I motored back down the mountain. I still dont trust it in certain circumstances. And in places where I would generally fly over (rocks, roots..etc) without giving it too much thought, I now find myself checking the footing on every step that my right foot takes(landing, pushoff, angle...etc), which is not only annoying but is an instant way to slow down the pace of a run. Something I hope to get over in the up coming weeks.
Total Time: 1hr 15min
On a side note: I think Eliana, who just turned 9 months old last week, is going through another teething phase. As I was up with her at 11:30pm, 1am, 2am, 4:30am. And Andrea also got up with her at 5:30 am. So yeah, poor little girl...tired Mommy and Daddy.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
The starting line (9/3)
I started my run this morning at the trailhead near the dog park by the Pineridge trails. As the temperatures have been above 90 degrees for 20 consecutive days, it was refreshing to wake up to a cool 56 degree morning. I took the trail up to the ridge, about a half mile in, and then proceeded to head south before turning north, running north along the west most trail, towards the foothills trail. after the short climb up to the foothills trail, I ran a short loop and proceeded to head back the way I came.
For the most part I kept the pace easy with a little surging here and there on the easy rolling stuff, testing out the footing/balance/strength/proprioception of my ankle. Not 100%, but surely better than the jog-hobble I had 2 weeks ago.
Total Time: 1hr 28 min
About 5 weeks ago I sprained my right ankle while running down Flattop Mtn in RMNP. I spent the first 3 weeks inactive. Icing, rehabing and nursing my ankle for most days. My first attempt at running again came 2 weeks ago, however after jog-hobbling for only 5 minutes, it was apparent I was not ready to hit the trail, as every step created a sharp knife like pain under my foot. Not good.. The run today was much better and it was the first in 5 weeks of anything over 30 minutes of continuous trail running.
It felt great to run mostly pain free once again.
For the most part I kept the pace easy with a little surging here and there on the easy rolling stuff, testing out the footing/balance/strength/proprioception of my ankle. Not 100%, but surely better than the jog-hobble I had 2 weeks ago.
Total Time: 1hr 28 min
About 5 weeks ago I sprained my right ankle while running down Flattop Mtn in RMNP. I spent the first 3 weeks inactive. Icing, rehabing and nursing my ankle for most days. My first attempt at running again came 2 weeks ago, however after jog-hobbling for only 5 minutes, it was apparent I was not ready to hit the trail, as every step created a sharp knife like pain under my foot. Not good.. The run today was much better and it was the first in 5 weeks of anything over 30 minutes of continuous trail running.
It felt great to run mostly pain free once again.
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