RECAP : Feb 20 - Feb 27

--- Monday - 02/20/12 ---

Treadmill Climb - 45 minutes - 2,650'

Workout went like this:

5 minute warm up
35 minutes @ 9:30 pace @ 10% grade
10 minutes @ 8:57 pace @ 10% grade
5 minute cool down

2,650'


....Temps outside were actually pretty nice for mid February weather, but it was the wind that drove me into the Rec for a treadmill climb instead of hill repeats outside. I felt really good on this climb. Felt strong from the get-go. I think I might try and up the pace and/or go longer on my next treadmill climb. The only downside to this run was that I felt like I was running uphill in a sauna. The only treadmill available was directly in front of the window, which overlooks the IM fields and Horsetooth Rock in the far distance, all good stuff. However, the sun was directly shining on me from my waist down , and with no wind or fans to cool off...I was a drippy sweaty mess!
Did some core work afterwards.




--- Tuesday - 02/21/12 ---

Track Workout - 3 x 800m (2:26, 2:25, 2:26) - 1 lap recovery

2 lap warm up and 2 lap cool down.

Somewhat rushed to get this in during my lunch break, otherwise would have ran an additional 2 more repeats. But ohh well, 3 is better than none I suppose. Pace felt easy and comfortable. Felt more like a tempo run than a speed run, which is always a good thing. And actually was just starting to feel good and get in a groove after my 3rd and final repeat. Slight wind on the backstretch that I thought would be worst than it actually was. Temps in the low 40's.
I plan to slowly up the number of repeats for each track workout in the upcoming weeks until the summer months get here.




--- Wednesday - 02/22/12 ---

Night running - 48 minutes

An easy run after hours. started at 9pm. Super windy night...30 mph gusts.
Wednesday is generally an easy day of running and this day was no different. Felt great, just easy neighborhood jogging as a recovery, or "off" day.




--- Thursday 02/23/12 ---

Neighborhood night running - 1hr 9mins

Mondays and Thursdays are my hill repeat or hill climb day, via Centennial, Towers or treadmill climb, but since the wind was still blowing 30+mph all day (more so in the foothills), I wasnt really in the mood to take on the hill AND a 30mph head wind....just brutal. And since the temps were actually nice, mid 50's, the thought of running on the treadmill just wasnt doing it either. And so I planned to switch todays hill workout with tomorrows easy afternoon run.

I decided to wait until the evening hours to head out, since most of the trails in the area are either closed for muddy conditions...or should be closed! And so another night of pavement pounding in the dark was fine with me.

Workout went like this: (loosely speaking)

Our House > campus, via Meadowlark ,Center ave, Research > ran across campus to Shields st > one loop around campus > back onto Research and Center Ave > crossed Horsetooth and back home.

felt great. Ran on as much grass along the roads and campus as I could.
Starting to like this running at night stuff.




--- Friday - 02/24/12 ---

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 1hr 5mins

Well....the plan was to run up Towers Road today. Temps were great, almost 60! But the trails...not so great.

Muddy Slop up Towers

I managed to trudge my way up Towers to the intersection of Stout, where I was definitely seeking an alternative route. As this muddy, foot swallowing goo...was getting tired pretty quick. I decided to take a left onto Stout where I was greeted with a white crunchy snow pack trail.

The trails are mix of snow/ice, mud, or dry depending on how much sun is getting to that section of trail. So the variety of footing on todays run was fun.
After hopping on Stout I ran down to the falls and then to the main TH and ran the final mile down to my truck at the liquor store.

showing Stout trail ahead wrapping around mountain side

looking down on Horsetooth Res

Yah!...finally dry dirt!

Bambi and some friends on the trail

Overall a great run, with great views....

more slop ....

slow going in these parts

this fresh paw print was almost the size of my hand....lets hope its from a German Shepard!...I didnt hang around to find out.

Total Time : 65 minutes




--- Saturday - 02/25/12 ---

Neighborhood running - 1hr 25 mins

After yesterdays mud trudge I decided to stick to the dry and traction packed roads for the rest of the weekend. As I actually enjoy forward motion when I run.
Route consisted of random back roads and side neighborhoods. Nothing fancy, just a nice run in town.




--- Sunday - 02/26/12 ---

Night running - 1hr 34 mins

Same as yesterday, only in the dark and in about 20 degree temps. Ran random back streets and neighborhoods, tried to stick to running the grassy sections along the sidewalks as much as possible.
I think I am starting to like this night running stuff. Its different...more peaceful and more fun! A great time of reflection.



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Ran the roads more this past than an other week in a really long time. Thats due to a combination of muddy trail (or closed) conditions and busy days with no time to get in anything quality until the night hours roll around.

Legs are feeling really strong and although I havent ran a long run (3hr+) yet, I have been getting that urge to just run for hours on end in the mountains (hopefully). I might work a half day one of the days this week, or take the day off completely and use the day to get in a solid long run without having to rush the second half of a workout because I have to get somewhere. Just an easy long run, with nothing to do afterwards but take a soothing nap :-)

Next week is my birthday...happy 33. Yah!

RECAP : Feb 13 - Feb 19

--- Monday - 02/12/12 ---

3 x Centennial Hill Repeats ( 3:20, 3:25, 3:22 ) + 50 minutes

Parked my truck at Pineridge west lot and ran up to the "Y". Then proceeded to run 3 up and down grunters on Centennial hill. Legs felt good...lungs were burning.
Some of the trails in town are closed due to muddy conditions, and the ones that are open are a mix of slop and a snow packed ankle twisting crunch. so after my last repeat instead of hopping on the trails I ran an additional 50 minutes on Centennial road. Out and Back.




--- Tuesday - 02/13/12 ---

Track Workout

3 x 1 mile (5:17, 5:19, 5:16) - 2 lap recovery + 30 minutes in PM

1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down.

Felt great running this pace. Nothing blazing, just wanted to keep them under 5:20. Hard effort without red-lining.

Ran an additional 30 minutes around the neighborhood after dark. Nice and easy.




--- Wednesday - 02/14/12 ---

Pineridge - 38 minutes

Starting from Maxwell TH, I ran one loop around Pineridege. Trail conditions were sketch, with hard icy crunch in most spots and random patches of muddy slop in others. Easy pace..slow going.
Good easy recovery day.




--- Thursday - 02/15/12 ---

3 x Centennial Hill (monster hill) repeats (3:22, 3:26, 3:20) + 20 minutes

Ran up to monster hill on Centennial from Pineridge west lot and ran 3 hard lung burning hill repeats. Similar to Mondays workout only on a different hill. Legs have been feeling strong on these hill climbs which is encouraging.
Ran an easy 20 minutes as a cool down afterwards.




--- Friday - 02/16/12 ---

Spoke with my Mom before work and informed me that my Dad had another "mild" stroke earlier in the week and was at a rehab hospital in Loveland. After speaking with my Dad during lunch break I planned on meeting him at his rehab hospital after he ate dinner.
So right after work I squeaked in a short 30 minute trot around town. Then grabbed some dinner and spent an hour or two with my Dad.
Andrea, Eli and myself had planned on going down to Denver to visit bro in law for his birthday on Saturday, but after talking with my Mom in the morning I decided to stay here and visit my Dad, while the girls spent the night in Denver.
After visiting my Dad I got home only to realize that I had accidentally locked myself out of the house. After my run earlier I forgot to put my key back onto my key ring. Well Dang it!!
Locked out - temps in the low 20's - and just not feeling like dealing with this right now.
After making a few calls to friends in case I needed a place to crash for the night I decided to make one more attempt in breaking into my own home as a last ditch effort before calling it a night. And without going into it....I managed to get into our home with minimal damage :-)

After a long day at work, spending time with my Dad, and getting locked out of the house it was now 10:30pm and as much as I wanted to crash....I needed a short run to unwind and relax before I hit the sack. So I headed out for an easy 36 minute scamper around town at 10:40pm...in the cold.

total time on the day : 66 minutes




--- Saturday - 02/17/12 ---

20 minutes.

I had wanted to get up early but slept through my alarm. Woke up at 10:15am and missed my chance to get in a long 2-3 hour run for the day. I had made plans to meet my Dad for lunch today. So I was only able to squeeze in a short 20 minute jog around the neighborhood before heading down to spend a couple of quality hours with my Dad. After time with my Dad I headed straight down to Denver for my Bro in laws birthday. Got home late.




--- Sunday - 02/18/12 ---

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 1hr 53 mins

After a couple of days of sketch running....it felt good to get in a nice trail run today up in the mountains. Temps were in the mid 30's, overcast. The trail conditions were a mix of packed crunchy snow, slippery mudd, and patches of dry dirt. Mostly packed, ankle twisting, icy snow.

Workout went like this:

Horsetooth liquor store > Main TH > Falls > Spring Creek > Towers > Westridge > Wathan > Spring Creek > Soderberg > South Ridge > Main Th > Liquor store

I didnt bring any food or water with today and so I was pretty thirsty when I got back to my truck. The first hour I sorta felt "off", maybe too many things on my mind with my Dad and all...not sure. But after the first hour I found a nice groove and felt great the rest of the way.

Would have ran longer if I had time, food and liquids....but a nice solid run nonetheless.

Got a nice courtesy honk and wave from Nick as he drove by as I was just about back to my truck.

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Off the topic of running but I have some things to say:

Obviously the health of my Dad is something that has overshadowed this past week. He is okay, depending on what your definition of okay is. Heart disease and strokes are something that run in the family and actually is one of the main factors in why I run in the first place.
Besides my competitive nature and the fact that I simply love to run and compete and push myself beyond what I think I am capable of, it is the lifestyle choice in running, that I choose to help prevent such diseases from invading my body. Its why I studied Sports Medicine, its why I do what I do.

My personal decision to get my arse off the couch and do something productive on a daily basis to strengthen my heart and body .....without lame excuses, is something I choose to do. We all have a choice..make yours count!

This is my Dad's 6th "mild" stroke. Which is something that I will never understand. A stroke is a stroke, there is no middle ground. There is no such thing as a "mild" stroke, just like there is no such thing as a "mild" gun shot wound. Just call it how it is.

For the better part of my adult life (since high school), I have been told how "crazy" I am or that I am a "health nut"..or whatever, for running everyday in the wind, rain, cold, hot, snow, mudd.....Basically, if I have air in my lungs and functional legs, I am running.

However I find it as I am growing older that it is these same people who sat around calling me crazy for my dedication and sacrifice of being physically fit through running, that are having all these physical ailments: high cholesterol, dangerous no carb diet side affects, popping pills, back issues, eye trouble, weight gain.....basically falling apart one limb at a time. And it will only get worse with time if nothing is done to correct it.

This topic is something that sits deep within my heart and I take it serious.

So who is really the crazy one? The remedy is simple folks, and I have said it for years....get up, get out, and get moving! Once again, its your choice....make it count. Your body is a temple, treat it like one.


...Okay back to running and more lighter things.

Last weeks mile repeats felt great and the sub 5:20 goal felt spot on. I do plan to increase the volume of my track workouts in the upcoming weeks, which will last through the summer and fall months.
Still pretty stoked about the Quad Rock 50 in mid-May. I sure hope we get some snow melt on the trails soon, as this crunchy snow trudge and mudd is getting old really quick.

Here is hoping for warmer weather and a full and speedy recovery for Dad!

RECAP : Feb 6 - Feb 12

--- Monday - 02/06/12 ---

Treadmill Climb - 2,630'

Today was a busy day. Had zero time for a run during the day and had to wait until after dinner and after Eliana went down to sleep before I could get out the door and head to the Rec for a solid treadmill climb. The trails are sketch with a mix of 1-2 feet of snow drifts and hard packed, "crunch" type footing...not the best for hard uphill pushes. My last several Monday and Thursday "hill" days have been hill repeats, and so I was actually looking forward to this treadmill climb for a change.
Got to the Rec at 8:30pm.

On a side note, my new MT 101's came this afternoon and I find it ironic that my first workout in my new minimal trail shoes...will be on a treadmill. sad.

Workout went like this:

5 minute warm up
40 minutes @ 10% grade @ 8:57 pace
5 minutes @ 10% grade @ 8:30 pace
2 minutes @ 10% grade @ 8:00 pace
5 minute cool down

2,630'


New 101 kicks felt good. Not as slipper like flexible as my 101's with 1,000+ miles on them....but still a nice lightweight and cushy ride. Felt good to push the pace near the end.




--- Tuesday - 02/07/12 ---

Track Workout - 4 x 800m (2:26 - 2:27 - 2:27 - 2:26) w/ 400m recovery

Chilly afternoon. Temps were in the mid to upper 20's at time of workout, with a slight 5-10mph breeze.

1 mile "warm" up, then 1 mile cool down + 2 laps of straights and curves.

I sure wish it was about 40 degrees warmer on this day! Is it summer yet??




--- Wednesday - 02/08/12 ---

Foothills Trail & Pineridge - 67 minutes

Since the last couple of days of running has either been indoor or on the track, I decided to venture back out on the trails for a crunchy, slippery trudge fest on the Foothills Trail and a small loop in Pineridge.

Workout went like this:

Starting at Maxwell TH I ran up the hill behind the stadium, turned North at the "Y" junction and ran on the East trail that parallels Centennial road for about 3/4 mile. Then crossed over Centennial and ran the "Ridge" South, eventually crossing back over Centennial road and back down the hill behind the stadium. Ran through Maxwell TH and tacked on a 1/2 loop of Pineridge before heading back to Maxwell TH and to my truck.

Total Time : 67 minutes

Some parts of the trail are packed down and other, lesser run parts, are more of a sketchy crunch. And then are parts of the East "trail" that parallel Centennial road that are at least 20-30 feet off the actual dirt trail that sits under the snow. And so who knows what rocks, holes, prairie dog lairs ...etc, are under your feet in these parts. I guess it makes the run somewhat more interesting. Although a tad bit more sketch.




--- Thursday - 02/09/12 ---

1/2 mile Centennial Hill Repeats x 4 - (3:21 - 3:20 - 3:25 - 3:20) + 20 minutes @ Pineridge

These hill repeats are always a hard grunt when run hard. With 250ft of vertical over a smooth 1/2 mile of road. And the fact that the temps were in the upper 20's with a decent breeze from the North made my lungs burn real good! After the first one I was ready to call it a day. But then I just told myself, "one more"...then, "one more". And before I knew it I had finished all 4 lung burning, frozen face... repeats. Wheeww! How many more months until summer?? uggh.

After the hill repeats I ran an easy 20 minutes through part of Pineridge as a cool down.
Then hopped into my truck and cranked up the heat! :-)




--- Friday - 02/10/12 ---

Centennial Road & Foothills trail - 32 minutes.

A chilly afternoon, maybe 20 degrees with light flurries.

Starting at the Maxwell TH I ran the first 2 miles of the Horsetooth Half Marathon course, then dropped down behind the stadium and finished up at my truck in a smidge over 32 minutes.

Despite the weather, I felt pretty good. I hit the HHM 2 mile split in a sniff under 16 minutes (15:50), which was good considering I was just out jogging for the most part.

This was a pretty short run, and felt like I hadnt even broken a sweat by the time it was finished. Its nice to finish feeling this way sometimes.




--- Saturday - 02/11/12 ---

Easy neighborhood running - 29 minutes.

Today was mostly a family day as we celebrated Valentines Day by spending the day together and going out to dinner and dessert...all 3 of us. But I managed to squeak in another short cement scamper around town.



--- Sunday - 02/12/12 ---

OFF- ;-(

Today was a super busy day. After church in the morning we spent the rest of the day and afternoon visiting family and friends near Denver and simply had no time to run. Got home just after 9pm...temps hovering at about 15 degrees, and all I wanted to do was put my feet up and relax. The thought of squeezing in a run after we got home did cross my mind several times. After all, it was my New Years resolution to run everyday of the year. And after a couple of lackluster outings the past few days an hour run in the dark and cold was tempting...but in the end I chose to kick my feet up and hit the sack.
I might try to make up this workout later in the week if I have time...so technically I will still get it in, maybe....we'll see.


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The weekend running just wasnt there this week. Which is something I plan to change. I really need to start getting in my weekend long runs now. No excuses!

The track workout and the treadmill climb were great workouts and my leg turnover and leg strength are starting to feel real good. This is a good sign, as I generally wait until the spring/early summer months before attempting any speed or hard hill pushes (basically when the temps are consistently over 60 degrees)...so hopefully getting these winter workouts in now will payoff down the road. At least thats the plan.

My new MT 101's came last week and are replacing my older MT101's with over 1,000 miles on them. Surprisingly these shoes have held up very well with all those miles. The only major structural issue is that part of the seam near my right foot big toe was literally busting out the seams. And of course the regular wear and tear.

Check out the comparison pics :

MT 101's fresh out the box!

New on left...old on right

New on left...old on right

old right shoe displaying built in water escape hatch

old shoe. Yeah, not the best for sharp rock protection.

New shoes feel good. I think I need to break them in a bit before they are as slipper like as my older ones, but the soft cushy ride is nice for a change. Getting these new 101's has been severely overdue for quite some time.

And on a racing note, I finally registered for the Quad Rock 50 mile trail race, in May! 11,500+ vertical ft.

It is my official first stab at a mountain Ultra. Which I am super excited about.
The race is local, I train on these trails regularly, and I am fairly confident that I wont take a wrong turn somewhere and get lost. All good things for someones first mountain Ultra.

Anywho - Now that I am officially on the entrants list, I will begin to have more race focused training that will reflect what I will experience come race day. Which basically means...long runs and trail specific training routes in HMP and Lory.

...3 months away! This is gonna be fun!

RECAP : Jan 30 - Feb 5

--- Monday - 01/30/12 ---

5 x 1/4 mile Hill Repeats (2:21, 2:20, 2:22, 2:19, 2:21) + 25 minutes easy @ Pineridge

For todays hill repeat work I wasnt quite in the mood to hit the roads, and I didnt have the time to head out to Towers, and the weather was nice so the thought of running a hill climb on the treadmill was out of the question. So, after doing some thinking of where I can get in some fairly short hill repeats, on trail, that are fairly close to town, one hill that I had forgotten about came to mind.
There is a trail that climbs up the West side of Pineridge and is located just off the dirt parking area. It offers somewhat technical (loose rocks and uneven footing....nothing major) and is about 0.28 miles long and gains about 250ft of vertical.
Sketchy footing combined with a decent amount of vertical makes for quite the hill repeat. When run hard this little forgotten about trail can really be a lung buster!

I didnt know this little extension trail had a name but it does.

Starting at the "Starting Pole", as I like to call it. I took off for 5 up and down repeats. Effort was hard, but not all out. Got tripped up a few times on the loose rocks while pushing up the hill.

the starting pole.

...here we go

sketchy footing on the trail

more rocks and uneven footing

up we go..

almost there

in case you cant tell the trail has ended

looking down on Pineridge.

After my 5th grunting repeat, I jogged an easy 25 minute loop down on the Pineridge trails.
Felt good to get in a nice jog on rollers after pushing hard uphill. Great way to loosen up and cool down.

--- Tuesday - 01/31/12 ---

Track Workout - 6 x 400m - (71, 66, 68, 66, 66, 67) - 200m recovery

The first repeat is usually just a "feeler"to kinda get a feeling for pace. The rest of them were right on target. Weather was nice and not too windy. I'll take it!
6 repeats still isnt very much in terms of overall volume of a workout, but for mid winter right now, its not an issue. Come this summer, my weekly track workout volume will increase significantly.
Legs are feeling good.



--- Wednesday - 02/01/12 ---

Pine Ridge - 40:20

After a couple of hard running days, I am glad to make this mid-week workout nice and easy. Nothing impressive, just a nice 1.5 loop jog in Pineridge.



--- Thursday - 02/02/12 ---

Pine Ridge - 39:15

Mondays and Thursdays, generally speaking, are my hill climb/repeat days. However I decided to move my hill workout until tomorrow and make Fridays run (an easy workout), todays workout.
I should have checked the weather first...more on that in a bit!

Basically ran the same loop as yesterday. Legs felt good and overall another easy day out on the trails.



--- Friday - 02/03/12 ---

Well, I was planning on running my hill workout today instead of yesterday. However, after waking up early to almost a foot of snow on the ground, that plan was out the window.
My next thought was to head to the Rec for a treadmill climb...ahh the easy way out! This sounded like a good idea since I actually haven't ran a treadmill climb in several weeks. I have instead been running hill repeats on trail or on Centennial.
But then I realized that most people would also be choosing the easier of the two options, and then the thought of heading out in the snow actually sounded like a fun run! (not too mention a grunt of a workout)

So I headed out to Maxwell TH to take on 3-4 foot drifts of snow along the Foothills trail.

No sux-trax...err yax-trax, no poles, no snowshoes....just my everyday trail shoes, with a side of grunt! After all, workouts are supposed to be just that, a form of exercise that works you over and builds character. I guess if I wanted to make my workouts easy I could just rent a snowmobile and call it a day. But I would rather just run up and over and through whatever the trail (or weather) has to offer on that day.

Anyway, I love running in the elements: snow, rain, mud, hot, cold...etc etc....kinda makes me feel like a kid again.


Workout went like this :

Ran up the hill behind the stadium, crossed over Centennial, ran down to the shore, and then turned around and ran back the same way. Temps were a balmy 20'ish degrees with a solid head wind on the way out. I could only muster looking up for a few seconds at a time, as the horizontally blowing snow felt like pellets hitting me in my eyes. fun times.

Pulled up to see this view. Not the most pleasant of things to see

random snow drifts

Deep drifts -- Gotta love it!

Total Time : 50:20

The hardest part wasnt actually running in the snow. It was the rocks and uneven footing under the snow that made for a tricky time trying to stay upright. No face plants on the day, so all went well!



--- Saturday - 02/04/12 ---

Pine Ridge - 55:25

Officially, my slowest time for one lap around pineridge. Although in knee deep and higher snow...doesnt quite make optimal PR conditions!

Another fun run venturing out in the snow. Todays run felt like a winter wonderland. Dozens of kids sledding, 20+ people cross country skiing, 10+ people snowshoeing...and myself running.

Workout went like this:
Starting at the Horsetooth dog park I ran up to the ridge and then ran one counterclockwise loop around Pineridge.

Running in the snow is a great cardio workout. The effort it takes to hold any sorta pace in snow this deep really works your legs and lungs pretty good. I am pretty sure my calves are going to be fairly tight in the upcoming days, as my calves were doing most of the grunt work. And because I was doing "high knees" for about an hour, my hip flexors also got a nice workout.

As I know these trails pretty well, I am fairly certain that there were sections of the "trail" that werent even close to being the actual trail itself. Basically, I followed the ski tracks and snowshoe tracks of the people who came before me, which was in some areas WAY off course.




--- Sunday - 02/05/12 ---

Easy neighborhood run - 37 minutes

Decided to take a break from the snow drifted trails and decided to go for an easy run throughout local streets in the neighborhood. Felt good to run on the flats for a change, without any kind of resistance or having to high knee the entire run.

After the run, headed home to watch the Super Bowl.

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What a week of running!

Warm weather track workout and mid-thigh snow drift trail runs in the same week!

The snow, followed by mud most likely, will be around for some time, which will make track sessions and trail runs pretty interesting in the upcoming winter weeks.
I might head to the Rec at least once next week to get in a solid long hill climb for a change, over hill repeats.

I was happy with my 400m workout earlier in the week. Felt great running mid to high 60's without feeling like I was sprinting or on the verge of red-lining it. I am hoping I can keep up this kind of leg turn over the rest of the winter, and then increase the volume come spring/summer. Should be great!

My new shoes should be here on Monday. I went with the same shoes I have been wearing for over a year now. New Balance MT 101's. I will post a few pictures of how a fresh, out of the box, pair of running shoes compare to that of the same pair with 1,000 + miles them!

until next week....wishing for summer weather!...ahhhh :-)