RECAP: July 1 - July 7

Monday - 07/01/13

Pineridge - 37:52

From Spring Canyon Park.



Tuesday - 07/02/13

Foothills Trail (medium loop) - 37:40



Wednesday - 07/03/13

easy 50 minutes at night. Started at 9:30pm
nice and cool compared to the day temps of 100+ degrees lately.



Thursday - 07/04/13

Ran home from work - long out of the way route - 1 hr 18 mins
Workout went like this:

Work > West on Spring Creek trail > to Pineridge > through Pineridge > East on Horsetooth > Past Taft, Past Shields > Home

Ridiculously HOT.  102 degrees!  ugh!   and practically zero shade.  Cooled off at Spring Canyon Park by soaking myself pretty good at the outdoor water park!  felt fantastic!



Friday - 07/05/13

Horsetooth Summit - 47:14 (25:53 to summit)

Another hot one -- 98 degrees.

Workout went like this:
Main TH > Rock trail up > summit > Rock trail down > Main TH.

Was hoping for a little more shade coverage up rock trail, as opposed to the open and exposed alternate South Ridge trail. Easy coming down.

Saturday - 07/06/13

Easy 45 minutes at night around town.  

still in the 70's at night but much cooler then the upper 90's during the day.

Easy effort. Started around 9:45pm.

Sunday - 07/07/13

Horsetooth Mtn Park - 1 hr 35 minutes.

Workout went like this:

South Ridge > Rock Trail > Westridge > down Towers > R on Herrington > up Wathan > Rock Summit > down Rock trail > South Ridge > Main TH

felt good. Another 90 degree + day. Easy effort.

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• Officially registered for the Run Rabbit Run 50 this September. After the Barr Trail race I plan to switch up my training and spend the next 2 months in full throttle Ultra training mode. I hope to run well there.

• Purchased some new kicks this week-- NB MT 110. This will be my 4th pair of the NB Minimus series.

"Keep Up" engraved into the lugs!

RECAP : June 17 - June 23

Monday - 06/17/13

Horsetooth Rock Summit and back - 44:53 (round trip PR), 25:55 to summit.

Workout went like this:

Main TH > South Ridge > Audra Culver > Summit > down rock trail > South Ridge

Felt good.  Still feel like I can chop off some time on that downhill split - perhaps by 1- 2 minutes if I commit to a hard downhill effort.  If I can get my climb to hit a sub 25 minute mark I might be able to make the round trip time in about 42 - 43 minute range.

PM - Ran home from work - 24:11

Tuesday - 06/18/13

Pineridge - 37:40

From Spring Canyon Park. Felt solid.

Wednesday - 06/19/13

Twin Sisters Summit - 43:54

Took the day off work and headed up to Estes for a fun run up Twin Sisters.  Was originally planning to run up Flattop in RMNP, but reports had 3 feet of snow punching for about 2 miles of the trail. I wanted to keep the uphill running constant without having to stop and hike a bunch. So I decided on Twin Sisters - 100% clear of snow, gets up to just over 11,400 ft, and is a fairly short drive from the Fort.

about a few hundred yds from the trailhead

trailhead

Starts off in a dense forest like rocky trail

view of Longs Peak - about 1 mile in

some technical rocky sections

Almost to Timberline -- more rocks!

do you see "the trail" --- about 1/2 mile to go

looking up 

Summit view - 11,400 ft

summit with Longs in the background

Me Chilling

Ran the climb up at a moderately hard tempo effort.  First mile or so I could feel the 9,000 ft starting elevation -- my first time this year above 8,000 ft. But got into a groove and felt great the rest of the way to the summit.  My downhill time was actually 1 minute slower than the uphill, as I stopped a handful of times on the way down to take the above pictures.  I wanted to focus on a solid uphill grind without stopping. Total elevation gain was around 2,400' ft from trailhead to summit.

Temps were in the 60's at the summit --- beautiful.

Thursday - 06/20/13

Foothills Trail (medium loop) - 38:25

From Maxwell TH.

Friday - 06/21/13

OFF - busy day at work and after work.

Saturday - 06/22/13

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 70 minutes

Workout went like this:

Main TH > Falls > L up Spring Creek > L on Towers > Westridge > Rock trail > South Ridge > main TH

Spring Creek

Spring Creek

South Ridge looking East

Sunday - 06/23/13

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 75 minutes

Workout went like this:

Main TH > Falls > R on Spring Creek > R on Stout > L on Sawmill > L on Loggers > R up Herrington > R on Towers > L down Herrington > L on Spring Creek > R up Wathan > L on Rock trail > down South Ridge > Main TH

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• Felt great to get above Timberline on Wednesday!

• Been feeling really strong lately on all of my runs, almost everyday of the week....and have lost 7 pounds since Quad Rock 50 last month - not on purpose- just getting into better, more efficient racing weight.

• Next trail race is Barr Trail Mountain Race mid July.

• Thinking about running the Loveland Liberty 5k on July 4th as well. 

RECAP : June 10 - June 16

Monday - 06/10/13

Horsetooth Summit and back - 48:12

PM : Ran home from work - 24:26



Tuesday - 06/11/13

Pineridge - 38:06
From Spring Canyon Park



Wednesday - 06/12/13

Pineridge - 37:27
From Spring Canyon Park -- felt great today.



Thursday - 06/13/13

Ran home from work - 24:41
busy day, no time for an earlier run.



Friday - 06/14/13

Horsetooth Summit and back - 46:08 (26:17 to summit)

PM : Ran  home from work - 23:31



Saturday - 06/15/13

OFF - busy family day.  Zero time.



Sunday - 06/16/13

Horsetooth Rock summit repeats X 2

Summit #1 - 26:40 (46:20 round trip)

Summit #2 - 26:12 (45:27 round trip)

Workout went like this: (same for both repeats)
Main TH > South Ridge > Rock trail > Summit > back down same way.

from Summit - looking East

from Summit - looking North

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• Decided to not run the Fathers Day 5k.  Didnt get time to run on Saturday and figured I would only have enough time for an early morning run on Sunday.  Had to get in more than 3 miles and zero vertical for the weekend.  Used my time on Sunday morning for a couple of Rock Summit repeats instead. --- ~ 10 miles / 3,000' ft....roughly.

• Planning a mid-week run above Timberline sometime next week -- looking forward to that!... It has been too long!

RECAP: June 3 - 9

Monday - 06/03/13

Ran home from work via spring creek trail and side roads (long route) - 41:44



Tuesday - 06/04/13

Pineridge - 38:12

from Spring Canyon Park



Wednesday - 06/05/13

Pineridge - 38:29

from Spring Canyon Park



Thursday - 06/06/13

Ran from doorstep to Pineridge saddle and back - 41:16

Started late @ 9:30pm. 



Friday - 06/07/13

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 58:07

Ran a PR up to the summit without trying to do so - 25:41 to the summit of North rock.

Workout went like this:
Main TH > South Ridge > Rock Trail > Summit > down Wathan > R on Spring Creek > R on Soderberg > South Ridge > Main TH

Felt great today -- been feeling great all week actually.  Ran a PR to the summit without even realizing I was clipping off a steady uphill tempo effort until I was within 1/4 mile or from the summit. Glanced down at my watch and was like, "I have a shot at sub 26 minutes!"

view from up top

Saturday - 06/08/13

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 47:26

Moderate tempo effort up and down.

Workout went like this:

Main TH > South Ridge > Rock Trail > Summit > back down same way.

overlooking foco

Sunday - 06/09/13

Pineridge - 38:14

Hot -- like 95 degrees. But felt solid.

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• Felt good to hit the sub 26 mark on the Rock summit (25:41) without even really trying to.  Perhaps I will intentionally give the climb a purposeful hard grunt sometime soon and see how much time I can clip off.

• I havent yet, but planning to register for the RRR50 this September in the upcoming weeks.

• I hope to get above timberline in the next 2 weeks or so for run up in the high country -- its been too long!

• Up next --- Fathers Day 5k!   Should be interesting to see if I can get the wheels moving, having only ran one speed workout in the last 5 months or so!

RECAP : May 27 - June 2

Monday - 05/27/13 (Memorial Day!)

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 1 hr 53 mins

Workout went like this:
Main TH > Rock Trail > Westridge > Towers > Spring Creek > up Wathan > Rock Summit > down Rock Trail > Main TH

First time back up on some hills in almost 2 weeks!  Met up with Steve and I was able to drive our one and only working vehicle up there to get in an early run on this Memorial day.  The girls stayed home and made breakfast which allowed me to use our car to get out there for a nice change of scenery.
Dave, my bro in law tagged along and hiked to the summit while Steve and I ran. Dave is new to the Fort, and showing him the local trails for hiking has been fun.



Tuesday - 05/28/13

AM : 22:32

to work via the mason street trail.

PM : 55:12

ran home via Spring Creek trail (long route) to Spring Canyon Park.



Wednesday - 05/29/13

AM : 23:05

to work via the mason street trail.


PM : 21:22

ran home via mason street trail.



Thursday : 05/30/13

AM : 23:17

to work via the mason street trail.

LUNCH : easy track workout -- 6 X 400m w/ 100m recovery

(72, 69, 68, 70, 70, 69) - 1 mile warmup, 1/2 mile cool down


PM : 24:09

ran home via mason street trail.



Friday : 05/31/13

AM : 24:22

to work via the mason street trail.



Saturday : 06/01/13

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 1 hr 25 mins

Originally planned to Race Pilot Hill 25k today, but bailed at 5am...last minute.

Had some time in the afternoon during the kiddos nap time to head out to Horsetooth.

Workout went like this:
Main TH > Falls > R on Spring Creek > L on Stout > L on Herrington > L on Spring Creek > R up Wathan > Rock Summit > down Rock Trail > Herrington > R on Spring Creek > Falls > main TH

Spring Creek over looking Falls trail

The Res from Stout

Summit view

summit

Herrington trail

Sunday : 06/02/13

Pineridge : 38:14

Starting from Spring Canyon Park



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• Well its looking like my truck is permanently out of order.  Time to trade in both our cars and get a somewhat newer minivan/SUV ride, but probably not until sometime in July.  Getting out to the trails has been tough at times, but I sure do enjoy it even it its only for an hour or 2 here and there.

•  Opted out of Pilot Hill 25 last minute. Combination of lackluster training and vehicle logistics aided my decision. I suppose I could have carpooled, but I would have needed a ride to the carpool spot! 

• I also threw in an easy track workout this week. First one in over 4 months!  I figured I needed to get my legs moving a bit, since the lack of trail running has dissipated any and all amounts of vertical I am usually getting in each week, I thought that a speed workout might be good to makeup for the little 5 feet of vertical I have been getting to and from work.  Felt good to get the legs moving a bit.

RECAP: May 20 - May 26

Monday - 04/20/13

Ran home from work : 43:17

via the spring creek trail and side roads



Tuesday - 04/21/13

AM : 23:50

To work via the Mason Street trail


PM : 42:44

Ran home via spring creek trail and side roads.



Wednesday : 04/22/13

AM : 22:55

To work via the Mason Street trail


PM : 46:12

Ran home via spring creek trail and side roads.



Thursday - 04/23/13

AM : 23:07

To work via the Mason Street trail


PM : 41:31

Ran home via spring creek trail and side roads.



Friday : 04/24/13

AM : 22:45

To work via the Mason Street trail


PM : Pineridge from Spring Canyon Park - 40:22



Saturday: 04/25/13

Pineridge (2 laps) - 1 hr 9 minutes

Started from Spring Canyon Park



Sunday : 04/26/13

OFF - Tons of stuff around the house to work on --- no time.



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• Ridiculously boring week of running.  Truck is out of commission and having only 1 vehicle has been tough to get out to the trails.  Running is my mode of transportation to and from work for the most part....until we get a 2nd vehicle. --- which might not be until July or August.  Ugh!

• Trips to the high country to get in some solid high altitude runs are going to have to wait for a bit.  Unless I can figure out some creative ways to solve this dilemma.

• This sorta puts a slight halt on my plans for registering for any  long races during the summer months, since my training is going to be hampered by any minimal amount of vertical and miles I can hopefully get in it here and there.

RECAP: May 13 - May 19

Monday - 05/13/13

Pineridge - 45:27



Tuesday - 05/14/13

Pineridge - 42:20



Wednesday - 05/15/13

Pineridge - 34:33



Thursday - 05/16/13

Foothills trail (medium loop) + Pineridge - 68 mins



Friday - 05/17/13

2 laps around Pineridge starting from Spring Canyon Park - 65 mins



Saturday - 05/18/13

OFF

One of the craziest, worst days I have had in a loooooong time!

First this happens...

Radiator hose blows up on my way back from my second trip to the landfill --- Got towed home

Then this happens...

Since my truck was out of commission and we needed to get other things done around the house to get ready for my bro and sister in law and their 2 kiddos to move in with us tomorrow morning, I decided to do some yard work -- until I realized that one of the ball joint valves was spraying water everywhere --- yard work postponed.

And then this happened...

Came back from dinner (driving our one and only functioning vehicle) around 7pm to realize that our dog was nowhere to be found..missing without wearing her tags!   Larimer county humane society was closed by this time. So I put aside the long list of things still needed to get done around the house (move furniture, clean....etc) and drove around for about 2 hours searching everywhere I could within a 1- 1.5 mile radius from our home --- nothing.

Decided to go for a walk at midnight with a flashlight in hand hoping that she would be at the local park somewhere hiding under a bush and maybe the still of the night would allow my voice to travel further so she could hear me.  Walked for about 45 minutes --- nothing

Needless to say I got almost no sleep that night. Thankfully the temps were pretty moderate -- 40's at night, nothing brutally cold.

Stopped into the humane society first thing in the morning hoping she was there --- nothing. Filled out some forms and gave them her picture.  I decided to print up 50 flyers and hang them up around surrounding neighborhoods. Then at about 2 pm we got a call that someone found a dog that looks like her --- short story, it was her!  She was found about 2 miles away, after she had already crossed Horsetooth Road and also crossed over Shields!

Sunday - 05/19/13

OFF - no sleep last night thinking about Gypsy being out all night. Spent an hour hanging up flyers and spent the rest of the day moving my bro and sister in law into our house and then spent another hour pulling down the missing dog flyers once we found her.  So glad she was found safe.

Headache gone, stress dropping --- finally had a few minutes in the PM to get some shut eye and nap on couch for a bit........never thought I would say this, but is it Monday yet??  lol.

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• Its a funny thing how priorities and plans change when things in life pop up out of nowhere!

• Truck will be out of commission until at least next weekend. So mostly will be running to and from work all of next week as my runs for the day --- nothing exciting or fancy but it will get me from point A to point B...and back!

Quad Rock 50

Quad Rock 50 -- 05/11/13 -- Race Report

The Starting line

For whatever reasons I had to drop at mile 25.  I felt slow and sluggish from the start even though I was hitting close to most of my splits through the first 15 or so miles.  I never was able to get into a groove and was never able to find the energy to RACE.  The first few hours felt like nothing more than just another training run --- only with very little zip in the legs.  Uphills felt rough and downhills my legs were not responding to the effort of picking up the pace very much.

elevation profile

I really am not sure what happened, why I felt tired and slow. I do know that I couldn't fall asleep the night before despite going to bed at 9pm --- I saw the clock hit 10pm, then 11pm, then midnight!...ugh!  Just tossing and turning.  Alarm went off at 3:15 am and I staggered out of bed in a foggy daze.

Sipped on some EFS drink, chowed down a bagel and carpooled over with Kris.

Some notable splits:

Arthurs Aid station - 14:37

Towers Aid station - 1:05

Horsetooth Aid station - 1:33

Towers Aid station - 2:21

Arthurs Aid Station - 2:51

Finish / turn around mile 25 - 4:22 (ish) 

My legs had nothing to give, no cramping or anything, I just felt tired, like my eyes were burning and squinting and I just wanted to hop off the trail for a snooze.  Ugh!

Disappointed, but it is what it is -- time to move on and look forward to getting back at it next year!

On a side note - The course was well marked and getting lost on the trail for out of towners would most likely not be an issue at all.  Nick and Pete and all the volunteers did a great job getting the 2nd annual Quad Rock 25/50 off and running without a hitch.  Aid stations were fully stocked with EFS gel, snacks, tortilla rolls, soda, water...etc  Everything you will need to stay hydrated on the course.  The finish had everything you could possibly want or need to eat and consume calories, including tubs of EFS Ultragen recovery drink (I am becoming more a fan of this stuff).

Time to rest and reflect and move on to other races this summer.

RECAP: May 6 - May 12

Monday - 05/06/13

Pineridge - 33:40



Tuesday - 05/07/13

OFF - Rest



Wednesday - 05/08/13

Horsetooth Mtn Park - easy 18 mins

Ran up to the Soderberg / Rock trail intersection and back down.



Thursday - 05/09/13

Easy 25 mins around the neighborhood



Friday - 05/10/13

OFF - Rest



Saturday - 05/11/13

Quad Rock 50 Race
(DNF) - mile 25



Sunday - 05/12/13

OFF


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Felt slow and sluggish from the get-go in the race on Saturday. Just not my day..it is what it is.... more details in the Race report.

RECAP: April 29 - May 5

Monday - 04/29/13

Horsetooth Rock Summit - 54:08

Rock trail up > South Ridge down

Tuesday - 04/30/13

Pineridge - 32:12

Wednesday - 05/01/13

OFF -- Rest day

Thursday - 05/02/13

Horsetooth Rock Summit - 51:03

South Ridge up > Rock Trail down

* forgot camera , so no pics.  

Friday - 05/03/13

Horsetooth Rock Summit - 50:44

Rock Trail up > Rock Trail down

Saturday - 05/04/13

Horsetooth Rock summit + short loop - 1hr 18 min

Workout went like this:

Main TH > up rock trail > Summit > down rock trail to lower south ridge intersection > up south ridge to upper rock trail intersection > down rock trail > Main TH

Sunday - 05/05/13

easy 30 minutes around town in evening.

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• Easy week. Felt good to get in a few runs up in Horsetooth as well as a couple of easy rest days.

• Quad Rock 50 is next weekend -- race preview coming soon!

• Officially registered for the Barr Trail Mountain race this July...always a fun time on Pikes!

• Upcoming training week will comprise mainly of easy jogs here and there and a day or two off before the race on saturday morning. -- taper mode!

RECAP: April 22 - April 29

Monday - 04/22/13

Pineridge - 32:17




Tuesday - 04/23/13

Horsetooth Rock Summit - 58:49

Slow going for the most part in the snow...but makes the views from up top worth the uphill grind.

Wednesday - 04/24/13

Foothills Trail (long loop) - 46:12

Thursday - 04/25/13

Horsetooth Rock Summit - 52:28

Friday - 04/26/13

Pineridge - 33:10

easy effort around Pineridge from Maxwell TH

Saturday - 04/27/13

Horsetooth Mtn - 2hrs 12 mins

Workout went like this:

Main TH > falls > up Spring Creek > Towers > Westridge > Rock Summit >  Down Rock Trail > main TH > falls > Spring Creek > up Wathan > down Rock Trail > main TH

Sunday - 04/28/13

OFF

Got a call early in the morning that my sister in law was going into labor (baby #2), so we spent most of the day and evening down in a Denver hospital.  Andrea with her sister, and me hanging with Eliana....along with other family members.

Got home late, around 10 pm with Eliana. 

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• Less than 2 weeks to go before Quad Rock 50.  I am planning on taking the next week pretty easy in regards of training. I might even take a day or two off.

• Colorado weather has been CRAZY lately! ---  Blizzard, 70 degrees, ice, 60 degrees, blizzard, 80 degrees, blizzard, 65 degrees.......we need the moisture, but would rather have a week of drizzle or rain than going back and forth from 75 and sunny to 25 and 2 ft of snow.