RECAP : July 16 - July 22

--- Monday - 07/16/12 ---


OFF


optional day of rest...decided to rest.




--- Tuesday - 07/17/12 ---


Pineridge - 33:13


easy running. felt good. Ready to take on my hill repeat workout tomorrow.




--- Wednesday - 07/18/12 ---


10 x Hill Repeats - Horsetooth Mtn


Workout went like this:


Parked down by the Horsetooth liquor store.  Easy run up the hill to the TH.  I then proceeded to run 10 repeats of the first half mile (roughly 0.55 miles), starting from the main trailhead up to the bench via South Ridge. An easy jog back down as a recovery. The hill gains about 250ft of vertical (according to mapmyrun) over the half mile distance.


Splits:
1- 4:47
2- 4:42
3- 4:45
4- 4:49
5- 4:45
6- 4:44
7- 4:45
8- 4:48
9- 4:43
10- 4:46


I hauled up 2 water bottles to the top on the first repeat and stashed them behind a small bush.  Felt good during the run.  The hardest part wasnt the hill, it was the 98 degrees outside temperature that was the rough part.. With zero shade, it made it that much harder.  Both ice cold water bottles filled with gatorade became luke warm by the halfway point of the workout and the remaining few ounces of liquid I had left after the workout was down right hot... ugh!


The goal for this workout wasnt to run as fast as I could for each one, rather it was to run a hard effort for a total time of 90-120 minutes of continuous hill repeats without dropping significantly off pace as the workout progressed.


felt solid most of the way.  That sun was brutal out there!




--- Thursday - 07/19/12 ---


Horsetooth Mtn Park - 1hr 11 mins


Workout went like this:


Horsetooth liquor store > main TH > South Ridge > Rock Trail > Westridge > Towers > Herrington > Soderberg > South Ridge > main Th > back down hill to truck


warm up to main TH : 8:45
cool down from main TH to truck: 7:25

Total Time : 1 hr 27 mins

Felt good after yesterdays hill repeats.  Took the run easy. Easy effort on the ups and downs.


--- Friday - 07/20/12 ---


Pineridge - 32:33


Easy running through Pineridge starting from Maxwell TH.


--- Saturday - 07/21/12 ---


Lumpy Ridge Trail head > Lawn Lake > Gem Lake > back to Lumpy Ridge TH -- 3 hours 36 minutes (about 22 miles)

This was my first time running the Lumpy Ridge trail.  One of the neat things about this trail is that it is a trail access route into RMNP -- free of charge!

Less than 1 hour from home, up in Estes Park, is the location of Lumpy Ridge Trail.
I pulled into the mostly empty parking lot at 6:40AM.  One of the first things I realized after I was gathering my GU and water bottle, was that I forgot my camera! (AKA...my phone!)  I must have put it down at our front door as I was leaving the house this morning, so I could tie my shoes.  I gave it a solid 5 minute search in my truck, hoping it just slide under a seat cushion or onto the floor somewhere ....but nope, nothing.

The run over to lawn lake was nice:  a meadow,  nice uphill climbs and fun descents.  I wish I had my camera, as the views were beautiful. I stopped at lawn lake (which tops out at about 11,000 ft) for a few minutes to take in the views before heading back.  On my return trip I took a short detour over to Gem Lake.  This detour was filled with dozens of rock steps all the way up to Gem.  The lake was actually smaller...and wasnt quite the "Gem"  appearance I had in my mind.  It was more of an....."algae green/brown" in color.  Back down the rock steps and cruised back into the Lumpy Ridge trailhead. (about 1.7 miles from Gem lake).
Running through the forest was nice and peaceful.  I didnt see another soul for about a 2 hour span during the run.  Isolated and loved every minute of it.  I did feel a little sluggish on some of the climbs, but felt great on the way back down.  There was a part of me that wished I had a running buddy with me, just in case I twisted an ankle, ran up on a bear....etc.
Once I got to Gem lake the trail was packed.  It was of course later in the morning and Gem Lake is a popular tourist hike for most.  By the time I got back to the trail head, the mostly empty park (which only had 2 cars in it when I arrived), was now packed and people were driving around in circles looking for an open spot.  My advice -- Arrive early!  and get a parking spot!
All in all it felt great to get away from some of my everyday running routes and try something new for a change.  I will definitely be back on this trail at some point in the future.

Total Time : 3hrs 36 mins
Vertical Gain : ~4,700


Some pics via google search of lawn lake and gem lake for reference:

lawn lake via google search

gem lake via google search

Next time I wont forget my camera!



--- Sunday - 07/22/12 --- 

OFF


Had family in town that I had not seen in about 8-9 years.  My cousin Neal and my Aunt Mary Ellen flew in from Dallas and Florida to visit my Grandma for the weekend.  They were planning to leave early Monday morning and so after church we had them and my parents and Grandma over for the rest of the day.  We all went out to dinner together and came back to our house for coffee and dessert.
It was nice to catch up and have them meet Elli and Andrea for the first time.  It was great to see family that I havent seen in a long time -- I wish their visit to Colorado lasted longer, but I really enjoyed the time they spent visiting us.  It was very nice of them to come out this far to spend some time with Grandma as well.
Overall --  a great day with the family!

-------------------------------------------------------------


A nice week of running.  Felt strong on my mid-week hill repeat workout and had a great run on Lumpy Ridge trail over the weekend.

• Had a great time with my family on Sunday.
• Leaning towards registering for the Run Rabbit Run 100 this September. I still need to find a few people to help crew me, if I decide to sign up.
• Next weeks mid-week run will most likely be 800's at the track -- upwards of 20 or more repeats, with only 100m recovery! --- gonna be fun!
• Not sure if I can fit it into my schedule but I might try to get down to Manitou next week and take a stab at running up the incline and running on Pikes Peak via Barr trail for a few hours. For those that dont know the Manitou Incline averages almost a 40% grade—gaining 2,011 feet  in elevation over a length of approximately 1 mile-with the maximum grade being 68%!  An uphill grunt!

RECAP : July 9 - July 15

--- Monday - 07/09/12 ---


OFF


Off day. Part of my new training schedule....week 1


--- Tuesday - 07/10/12 ---


Pineridge - 34:13


Easy jog around Pineridge starting from Maxwell TH. Getting the legs ready for tomorrows mid-week track session.




--- Wednesday - 07/11/12 ---


Track Workout - 30 x 400m with 100m recovery 


Hot - 92 degrees at the start of the workout.

Workout went like this:


1 mile warmup
30 x 400m repeats -- wanting to keep them all between 75-80sec, or no slower than a 5:20 avg pace.
1 mile cooldown

400m Split Summary (sec) -- all with 100m recovery :

-80
-80
-79
-78
-78
-79
-76
-78
-78
-79
-79
-80
-78
-79
-79
-80
-80
-78
-80
-79
-79
-80
-79
-80
-80
-80
-81
-81
-79

...DONE!

I originally had penned in a  50 x 400m session, but 30 was all I had in me today. This had been my first real track workout in over 2 months! So maybe 50 was a little over ambitious.  I do plan to get 50 at some point...maybe next time.

It was super hot out and I had 2 water bottles waiting for me every 200m so I can suck down some liquid goodness during my short 100m recovery, every few repeats.  Still, the heat radiating from the track was brutal.  Probably could have got a few more in if the temps were slightly cooler.

I had never ran this many 400m repeats in one workout before...and with such a short recovery in between each one -- I wasnt really sure how I would feel.  I mean, it was my first track workout in awhile, super hot out, and short recovery.  The plan was to keep the pace at about a 5:20 mile avg (or roughly slightly faster than my most recent 5k pace).

The first handful went by as usual, then once I hit the 15th - 16th repeat....I still felt good, but it felt strange to still be cranking along.  Then 20.....then 25.  It was all a blur after number 25.  I got into a pretty nice consistent groove through the first 25.  Then the last few I was still keeping pace but I could tell my effort to maintain that pace was significantly increasing -- as my quads were beginning to cramp up a bit and had me really trying to dig deep the last couple of repeats.  Once I hit number 30, I was done.  And just in time because about 20 members from the local ROTC started their workout and clogged up the first 3 lanes during my cooldown.

Steve dropped by right after I finished and we ran a mile cooldown on the track, barefoot.

Glad this one is in the books!


--- Thursday - 07/12/12 ---


OFF


--- Friday - 07/13/12 ---

Pineridge - 33:24


Legs were a little tight today. Still feeling the insano track workout from Wednesday.  Easy pace to work out the kinks.

--- Saturday - 07/14/12 ---


Long Run - 2hr 1 min ---- 2 1/2 laps around Pineridge + Foothills Trail (long loop)


Hot -- 90 degrees


Workout went like this:


Starting from the dog park at the end of Horsetooth I ran one lap around Pineridge then ran through Maxwell TH and ran up the hill, to Shoreline (long loop), then back down to Maxwell TH and ran back into Pineridge for 1 1/2 laps and finished back at my truck parked at the dog park.


Carried two handhelds a GU and a few shot bloks that I wanted to test out.


Not sure what was going on this morning.  I kept tripping on stuff and was super thirsty during the first 30 minutes of the run.  20 minutes in and all I wanted to do was down one of my water bottles in 3 large gulps and eat all my shot bloks and GU!
 20 minutes in and I drank half my bottle, as I can only assume I was dehydrated this morning, and chewed on a few shot bloks to give me the calories and hopefully, a burst of energy, to awaken my stupor-like run up to this point.  I guess it worked because I was fine for the rest of the run.  I stopped tripping on things and didnt feel as thirsty or tired the rest of the way.

I would have liked to run for another hour or so, but I was out of fluids and temps were in the mid 90's by the time I finished.....and so I called it a morning.



--- Sunday - 07/15/12 ---


Long Run - 1hr 52 mins


Was sorta crunched for time, so I didnt have the time to get up into the hills like I would have liked. Squeezed this in before church in the morning.


Workout went like this:


Starting from my house I ran onto the Mason st corridor (North) to Spring Creek Trail (West) to the Spring Canyon park, and then ran 1 1/2 laps around Pineridge.  From Spring Canyon Park I ran East- on Horsetooth--past Taft--past Shields...and then home.


Another hot day -- 93 degrees.   Was getting toasty by the time I got to Pineridge.  I didnt carry water or GU this time.  I chugged down a mouthful of water at a water fountain when I ran through Rolland Moore Park and then again as I was leaving Spring Canyon Park.


PM - easy 31 minutes at 9pm. -- Wanted to get in at least 2 hours of running today, so I threw in an easy half hour of running through town at night.

Total Time - 2hrs 23 mins




-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the first week of my new training program. And for the most part it went well.  I would have liked to get 4 hours of running on Saturday and Sunday as my B2B long days, and wanted to get in 50 x 400m repeats....but settled for just over 2 hours for my long days and 30 repeats at the track.

Ideally this is how the workouts go:

Monday - Off or optional day of running
Tuesday - Off or optional day of running
Wednesday - Track Workout / Hill Repeats (alternating weeks) -- 90min - 2hrs of hard effort running.
Thursday - Off or optional day of running
Friday- Off or optional day of running
Saturday - Long run (4hrs+ or 25 miles+)
Sunday - Long run (4hrs+ or 25 miles+)

There are several reasons why I created this workout schedule for myself: (in no particular order)

• Life is busy!  Working 8-4 Mon-Fri, daycare before and after work, Andreas commitment to her workouts at 6am (6 days a week), and not having time to run during lunch break on busy days at work.... it is sometimes hard impossible to fit in a run. This inconsistency with running here...or there...or fit it a short run before this, and another short run after that....does not work for me.  I need a few quality workouts a week, and I need them to be consistent.
• Track Workout / Hill Repeats -These mid-week runs should last 90 minutes to 2 hrs --- of hard effort running (not including warm up/cooldown...etc). This workout will alternate between speed one week and hill repeats the next.  The goal of these workouts is to increase my stamina and work on even split pacing over a 2hr span of hard running. The track workout will have a short 100m recovery no matter what distance the repeats are.  This will ensure I focus on pace, as all repeats on the track and hill, should be run within a few seconds of each other.  So pace/effort might seem easy during the first half of the workout, but after 90 - 120 minutes holding this pace on a short recovery...it should force my legs into a state of fatigue.  Which ultimately will increase my running stamina/strength.
• B2B Long Runs - For every distance runner, the weekly long run should be a staple to your training. And a B2B (back to back) long run will greatly improve overall endurance.  These runs are intended to cover ground in however long it takes, depending on the terrain, and not to be run with the intent of trying to hold a certain up-tempo pace..or red-lining it at any point.  A conversation pace at a comfortable effort without placing too much emphasis on your current or overall pace -- should be the goal. Getting in some quality time on your feet. I ultimately hope to get in at least 25 miles or 4 hours of running (whichever comes first) during these workouts. At least thats the goal. Long runs on trails with a decent amount of vertical is preferred over flat road running. But if time is an issue with getting up to Horsetooth/RMNP ..etc  Then road running, or pineridge/foothills trail it is!
• OFF or Optional days - I have planned four days a week of optional..or flex days of running.  These are the days that are okay to take off if the day is hectic and allows zero time to get in run, without feeling guilty or frustrated for missing a day of running. These days can also be used as recovery days, or as days to get in additional weekly mileage if so desired, or days of easy running to relieve tight or sore muscles -- if time allows. In theory, this plan allows for up to 4 days off a week.  Which will allow the two long days and speed/hill days to be run on a fresh pair of legs and should hopefully lead to a harder effort on those 3 days of the week. It will also help in the prevention of injury and over-training. Im not a spring chicken anymore....and so a day off here and there to keep the legs fresh is required from time to time.  

Anyway - I hope it will create more balance in my life between work, family and running.  I will give it some time and see how it goes. I might have to make a few adjustments here and there to work out the kinks or to train for a specific upcoming race. But as long as I am able to be consistent with the BIG 3: speed/hill repeats, and two weekly long runs --- I should be fine.

Leaning towards registering for the Run Rabbit Run 100 in late September.  However the part of my brain that thinks that is crazy --- keeps talking me out of it.  hmm...

I kept up with the Hardrock 100 over the weekend and hats off to Hal, Joe and Dakota for finishing on the podium.  That race course looks beautiful...crazy tough --- but absolutely breathtaking views of the San Juans.  Thats another one on my bucket list and I will find some photos of the course and add them to this post soon just to show off the beauty of that area of Colorado.
 Takes nails to finish that race!  Brutal!

RECAP : July 2 - July 8

--- Monday - 07/02/12 ---


Pineridge - 32:47


Easy lap around pineridge starting from Maxwell TH.




--- Tuesday - 07/03/12 ---


Easy 2 miles in the PM around the neighborhood - 14:11


Was going to take the day off as a rest day before the 5k tomorrow morning, but ended up getting out for a couple of laps around Troutman park -- running on the grass. easy jog.



--- Wednesday - 07/04/12 ---


Liberty 5k - 17:01 -- 3rd place


Race Report


--- Thursday - 07/05/12 ---


Foothills Trail (short loop) + 1 lap of Pineridge - 1:04


Felt good. Legs a little stiff from the uptempo speed during yesterdays race effort.


--- Friday - 07/06/12 ---


Foothills Trail (long loop) - 46:37


Hot - but felt good.


--- Saturday - 07/07/12 ---


Valley Trails - 1:11


Workout went like this :


Horsetooth Liquor store > Inlet Bay > Soderberg TH > Swan Johnson > Shoreline > Nomad > West valley > Arthurs Rock TH > back the same way...


Was planning on making the extra trek up Arthurs Rock once I got to the trailhead, but legs felt slow and heavy today.  And so I turned around at the trailhead, making for an easy run along the up and down rolling hills throughout the valley.




--- Sunday - 07/08/12 ---


OFF - rest day




----------------------------------------------------------------------


A super easy week of training.

• Ran an "ok" 5k time at the Liberty 5k. Keep reminding myself that I posted that time with zippo speed work in the last few months -- and so I guess that makes me feel slightly better about my overall fitness.
• Legs felt a little stiff in the days after the race.  First race/ track workout in awhile usually does that to you.
• I am starting my new training plan this upcoming week.  I will go into more details about it in my next post, but as of right now I am looking forward to it!
• Still havent found a race for July or August yet. I might register for a one or two 5k's (just to see what sorta time I can post with some speed training under my belt) -- but nothing in terms of trail races.  I am bummed out about this, but it might be a good thing as I am still on the fence about registering for the 100 miler at the end of September up in Steamboat.  Maybe I can just use the rest of the summer to focus my training on that...and cut back on the racing. 

I came across this video a few months back, its a good laugh from a trail-running perspective. ENJOY!

Liberty 5k

07/04/12 -- Liberty 5k Race Report


Results : 3rd place overall - 17:01




Its been a LONG time since I have ran a road race.  Just over a year to be exact. That, combined with the fact that I have not had a speed workout, tempo-run, or interval training --- in MONTHS, had me wondering what I could run a flat road 5k in.  The majority of my workouts have been easy trail runs, or slogging up the occasional mountain-side.....I havent ran a sub 6 minute mile in a long time --- let alone 3 back to back!   My background is 5k road and cross-country running...but not in recent months (or the past year or so) --- so I was ready to see what I can run with little to no speed work in preparation.

Myself, Andrea and Elli got to the race, near downtown Loveland --  about 40 minutes before the start time.  Andrea found some of our friends and hung out with them until the start. I headed over to the registration table to pick up our race packets.  Then made a run to to the port-o-potty and back to the car to pin on my bib number, suck down a GU and get ready to Rock N Roll.
The race had a 8am start time, however, it was delayed about 20 minutes -- as a bunch of last minute runners and walkers headed to the registration table.  After standing at the start line for 20 minutes....the race was ready to start.

TOEING THE LINE:


The race cannon went off and all 800+ runners/walkers were on their way!

MILE 1 - 5:15


Within the first couple of minutes of running the lead pack was about 5-6 strong.  once the initial lead pack got into a groove, by the time we got to the first mile marker, the top 4 runners were running stride to stride.  We hit the mile in 5:15 -- I felt comfortable despite not running this fast in a really long time.  Relatively speaking, its not a fast 5k split by any means, but without having done any speed workout in the last few months, the 5:15 put a nice zing in my legs.

MILE 2 - 5:30


Soon after the 1 mile marker I was running side by side with the lead runner.  I could tell by the lack of breathing and footsteps coming from behind me that we were starting put out a small lead on the remaining runners.  From the 1 mile mark to the 1.5 mile mark I tried a few times to drop the hammer and make an attempt at pulling away...forcing the runners around me to up the pace and go with me --- unfortunately my legs wanted nothing to do with increasing the pace.  I wasnt hurting or cramping -- I just couldnt find that next gear that it takes to pull away in a short 5k.  As a matter of fact...I was slowing down.  I got to the 2 mile marker exactly 5 seconds behind the lead runner.  I could tell by my split that I had slowed by about 15 seconds this mile, and was somewhat relieved that the lead runner had also slowed down a bit.  1 mile to go -- 5 seconds back....on legs that really wish they had some tempo training in the weeks leading up to race day.

MILE 3 - 5:45


Between mile 2 and 3 I began to slow down to what felt like a pedestrian stroll in the park.  And was shocked that with 1/2 mile to go I was still in 2nd place.  The final 3/4 mile of the race the lead runner pulled away from me.  Actually  I am not sure if he picked up the pace, or I just slowed down.  Either way, my legs were set on cruise control and I was trying to hang onto 2nd place.  My legs felt good -- but I was running out of gas.  I could tell by this point in the race, that the lack of tempo and speed work was really making my legs want nothing to do with this up-tempo race effort.
With 200m to go I took a look over my shoulder as we made a sharp right turn and I could see 5 runners behind me all within 10-15 seconds of each other.  Not something I was wanting to see, as my legs felt great in the striding rhythm they were in --- and the lack of any sprint effort that I could give had me worried.
With about 100m to go a runner flew by me, overtaking the 2nd place position -- I was now in 3rd, and with less than 100m to go I could hear heavy breathing from the runners giving chase.
I crossed the line in 3rd place -- 2 seconds behind 2nd place...and 27 seconds behind 1st place.

Looking back on it, I am a little disappointed that I didnt even really try to make it a race with 3/4 mile to go -- its like a little voice in my head told me to ease up and hold onto 2nd. I generally give it everything I have every step along the way until I cross the line.  But for some reason, I was content (at the time) where I was in the race and didnt give that "dig down deep" drive or push to catch 1st place.  (lazy)
 Either way I look at it, I am satisfied with how I ran without any speed training.  I think a sub 16:30 5k (roughly 16:10 sea level effort) is very possible with some speed and tempo training on a weekly basis.

I was recruited a few days earlier to lead, or rabbit, the kids fun run.  So after hanging out for a bit after the 5k -- I got ready to lead the kids to the finish ---- only to get whooped!  :)  fun times!

Overall - A fun day with friends supporting a fantastic cause:  Life for the innocent.

Next time I hope to be more prepared with some speed for the finish!

crossing the line -- wheew!

Getting schooled by the kids in the fun run!

Andrea and Elli finishing up strong!

RECAP : June 25 - July 1

--- Monday - 06/25/12 ---


Coyote Ridge - 56:27


Hot!--- 103 degrees hot! -- ice cold hand held water bottle was luke warm by the time I got to Rim Rock.

Temp in my car after the run

Hottest run of the year by far. And with zero shade cover --- just brutal.

Thank God for air conditioning!

--- Tuesday - 06/26/12 ---

Treadmill Climb - 4,000' -- 1 hr 22 minutes total

Workout went like this:

5 minute warmup

1hr 12 minutes @ 9:30 pace @ 10% grade (4,000')

5 minute cooldown

Was a sloppy sweaty mess after this run.  Temps outside were once again above 100, so a solid treadmill climb in the air conditioning sounds much more appealing.

* most vertical gain in a treadmill climb to date

--- Wednesday - 06/27/12 ---

Easy 45 minutes in the PM

Ran throughout the neighborhood in the PM.  Started around 9pm.  easy effort.

--- Thursday - 06/28/12 ---

OFF

Super busy day at work left no time for a lunch run and Andrea had a church commitment in the evening and so zero chance for a run today.

--- Friday - 06/29/12 ---

Pineridge - 39:16

One lap around Pineridge starting from the dogpark.  Stressful day at work and so I took out some frustration on the trail.  felt solid.

--- Saturday - 06/30/12 ---

Horsetooth Rock Summit - 1 hr 5mins

Workout went like this:

Horsetooth Liquor store > Main TH > South Ridge > Rock Trail > Summit > back down to truck the same way up.

This was the first run back in Horsetooth Mtn park since the High Park fire started last month.  They re-opened the park a few days ago and I have been wanting to run up to the summit and take in the views of the fire damage on the West and Northwest side of the park.

Dark storm clouds were rolling in as I was getting ready to start the run and so I left my camera (phone) back in my truck in case it started to rain hard.

It was a surreal view from up top.  You can see where the fire burned and the places where nothing was touched.

Felt good to get in some decent vertical for a change.

--- Sunday - 07/01/12 ---

Track Workout - 10 x 400m (all 72-74 sec -- with 100m recovery)

1 mile warm up

1/2 mile cooldown

For some reason I was thinking that the 4th of July was next Saturday, maybe its because most races fall on a Saturday.  But it wasnt until today that I realized that the Liberty 5k was this upcoming Wednesday!

Which meant I needed to get in at least ONE speed session before the race!

Temps today at the track were a solid 96 degrees...ughh!

I was planning on doing some sort of interval/tempo run on Monday and Wed of this week -- thinking that the race was Saturday. oohh well...

Its been TOO long since I have I done anything fast or even slightly up tempo in the last 8-10 weeks.  Almost all of my runs have been easy trail runs or slogging up the occasional mountain-side --  with the occasional surge here and there or bombing the descents --- but nothing I would call up-tempo or speed sessions by any means.

So today felt good to get the wheels moving a bit. I havent ran a 5k -- or even a road race -- in over a year, and so I have no idea how I will perform on Wednesday. 

However the race goes I am sure it will be a fun time. Andrea will be pushing Elli in the stroller and we will have a dozen or more friends from church there as well.  Since the proceeds from the race go to Life for the Innocent.  A ministry at our church that helps free children from the sex trade in India.

--------------------------------------------------------------

• I am a few days late in getting this post out -- its been a busy week!
• It felt good to get that run in up at Horsetooth Mountain park -- its been about a month since I last ran there before the fires.
• 4,000 vertical on a treadmill is pretty mind numbing -- but felt great  to get it in!
• I dont know how I forgot about the 5k race day -- but am glad I got in at least one track session prior to the race.
• Just found out the Barr Trail Mountain Race next weekend has been cancelled due to the Waldo Canyon Fire. So now I have zero race plans for the rest of the summer --- gotta find something soon!
• Currently working on a new workout plan for the rest of the summer and year that will be more user friendly in terms of allowing time for work, family and other time commitments. Its been super busy lately and I need to come up with something that actually fits into my day. I'll see how it goes.
• I often wonder how runners -- or Ultra-runners -- have the time to log 100+ miles a week having to work 8 hours a day 5 days a week, have day-care commitments before and after work, have family obligations to their spouse and children,  spend time with family and friends on the weekends, and take care of yard and household projects during the week.....and still get 8 hours of sleep a night! ----- if someone has the answer please fill me in!  :-)
• The Liberty 5k RACE REPORT !

RECAP : June 18 - June 24

--- Monday - 06/18/12 ---


Pineridge - 31:10


A scorching hot day -- 99 degrees. (just brutal)  Ran easy at first, but picked up the pace towards the end as I was more than ready to hit the air condition in my truck and down some water. Was planning on running 2 laps, but with zero shade in these temps -- 1 lap was just right!
- Maxwell lot was still closed, so parked at the West lot.




--- Tuesday - 06/19/12 ---


Neighborhood run in the PM - 27 minutes


Easy paced run around the neighborhood. Busy day at work and another scorcher -- 96 degrees.  Decided to wait until the sun went down for a balmy 83 degree easy evening run.
Started at about 9:30pm
- Running up in RMNP (Rocky Mountain National Park) in the morning so a super easy trot through some back streets tonight felt good.




--- Wednesday - 06/20/12 ---


(RMNP) - Flattop Mountain > Hallett Peak > Emerald Lake - 2hrs 45 minutes


The last few days have been just brutally hot in town, not to mention I have been yearning for some high altitude running action the last several weeks... and so when I got a message from Phil K asking me if I would be interested in a run up in RMNP mid-week -- It was a no brainer!  YES!


Myself, Phil K, Steve S, and Mathew F -- all carpooled together. Myself, Steve and Mathew met up with Phil at the K-mart parking lot in Loveland and from there we drove up together in one car.


Got to the Bear Lake trailhead at about 6:45am, with clear blue skies overhead, cool temps, and a mostly empty parking lot --- Perfect!


The last time I ran up Flattop Mountain was August 1 of last year. I remember it well because I was trying to set a kamikaze downhill land speed record down the technical jagged rocky trail -- when I somehow landed wrong and tore up my right ankle pretty bad! A severe sprain that blew up like a balloon within minutes.  Ughh!  I can still think back and remember how that felt. --- I became a couch potato the entire month of August last year.  Not fun.

Thankfully I was with Steve and with his help, I hopped up and over rocks on one leg for the final 2 mile descent back to our car.  Took about 45 (painful) minutes to cover the final 2 miles. Ouch!

....So this time out I was more than happy to get in a solid run without trying to break the downhill sound barrier.

The climb up to Flattop was nice. Only had to jump over 3 downed trees on the trail and had zero snow pack the entire way up. We passed only a couple of people on the way up -- it felt like we had the mountain to ourselves. Ever since Quad Rock 50 last month my uphill climbing has been off.  And today was no different.  My legs really had no kick on the way up. So I settled into a pedestrian like groove and took my time to the summit.  Made it to the summit of Flattop in a slow 1:05:50 .  I have gone sub 1 hour to the summit in previous runs -- but today I was content with just getting in a solid run without paying too much attention to the clock.

As usual, temps were chilly and wind was brutal.  So we quickly made our way over to the summit of Hallett peak -- a sketchy rock-hopping traverse that takes about 10 minutes or so.

from L to R - Phil, Mathew and Steve

Phil, Mathew and Myself

It was super cold at the summit and wind was blowing pretty good. I didnt pack any gloves and so my hands and other parts were frozen solid.  I had 2 hand held H2O bottles that I had to tuck under my armpits until we reached warmer temps down below -- all dexterity and grip in my fingers were gone....not too mention freezing cold!

After hanging out for a bit and snacking we made our way back down. I almost always let er' rip on the way down, as the downhill generally awakens my legs and I can get rolling pretty good. But I decided to pull back the reigns and take in the views on the way back down.  Was not wanting to have a repeat of last years Flattop descent.  Steve made it down first, then myself...then Phil and then Mathew.

After quickly filling up our bottles at the car, I decided to drop off everything for the short 2.0 'ish miles over to Emerald Lake.  Left the pack, camera, water bottles and took off my shirt as well.  Temps down here were in the mid 50's...and by now the parking lot was packed.  And so was the more popular trail leading up to Emerald Lake.  I think I must have said "on your left" about 100 times in only a few short miles. I dont know why people dont pay attention on the trail --but they dont. (apparently staring at your shoes while hiking is more interesting than lifting your head and looking up at the trail ahead.)

Emerald Lake is beautiful and it was nice to hang out there for a few minutes and take in the views before making our way back down.  I dont know what it was, but my legs started to feel much better on the climb up to Emerald Lake and they felt even more "fresh" then when we first started our run up Flattop. I felt good --  I opened it up and weaved and bobbed around the hundred or so hikers going up to Emerald Lake.  This trail has a bunch of step-ups but the trail itself is nice and smooth and it felt great to get the legs moving.  Finished back at the Bear Lake trailhead --- then Mathew came rolling down about 30 seconds back and a minute or so later both Phil and Steve.

Stood in Bear Lake -- mid thigh deep....ice cold water!  Nothing feels better after a solid run in mountains!

A  good day of running --- got in about 4,000' of vertical.


--- Thursday - 06/21/12 ---


Foothills Trail (long Loop) - 53:03


Felt good.  Easy effort.


--- Friday - 06/22/12 ---


Pineridge (2 laps) - 59:44


Felt good.  Hot -- 95 degrees.
Started from the West lot in Pineridge.


--- Saturday - 06/23/12 ---


Round Mountain (sort of..) - 1 hr 10min


Picked up Steve at his house and we drove down to the Round Mountain trailhead together.  Got there right at 6:30am.
Since Towers road is still closed due to the High Park Fire, this trail offers some good vertical gain as an alternative run.  About 3,000' gain over roughly 4.5-5 miles -- a solid uphill grind.


One thing I enjoy about this trail is that in between all the switchbacks that are going up, you are given a few patches of flat and even downhill running...on the way up!  A nice way to get in some short recovery.


We started the clock right at the gate near the trailhead. About .2 miles into the run the trail splits. Go left and takes you to the summit...go right and there is a 1 mile nature trail.

I felt good for the first 2 miles or so on the way up -- then my legs wanted nothing to do with anymore uphill running.
 Not sure if I havent fully recovered from the 50 miler (which was over a month ago), which I think I would be since I have eased off of the hard and long training since then. 


 Not recovered -- burned out -- over race weight -- slacking -- or just plain tired.....whatever it is, my legs just have nothing to give on any climb of decent grade over a few miles in distance.  one word - frustrating!

With the Barr Trail race just a couple of weeks out, which goes up Pikes Peak for about 6 miles and gains about 3,800' ft (and then back down again) -- I sure hope my legs get it together before then, otherwise that climb is gonna be rough.


Anyway, back to Round Mountain....Steve and I were running together when right about 40 minutes in, and roughly just over 3.5 miles -- we heard something in the forest that made us stop dead in our tracks.  The sound of branches and twigs snapping about 50 ft to our left.  We stood there for a few seconds trying to catch a visual -- silently, holding my breathe -- staring into the woods looking for some sort of movement.  A few seconds later we heard a large and deep sounding grunt -- coming from a very large and brown animal!  Steve saw a large animal with brown fur move in the thick trees...I saw nothing.  But we both heard that deep grunt and heard many branches snapping along the way.
I quickly looked ahead at the trail and it looked like the trail would be turning left up ahead, directing us right into the spot of what we have come to conclude was a bear!
Armed with only a half filled hand-held water bottle in one hand and a GU packet in my pocket -- I didnt want take my chances fighting the bear by slapping the bear around with my GU packet repeatedly....and so we ever so slowly turned around and  booked it back down the mountain and ran hard for about 5 minutes up and over rocks and roots, as if we were running hurdles --- high tailing it outta there!

We got down to the "summit and nature trail" sign where we decided to get in a little more running since our run up to the summit was cut short.
Starting from the sign, we ran back up the trail hard...for 1:30.  Then back down.  Steve did a few repeats.  My legs were dead and I was done after one repeat.  I stretched and waited for Steve before making our way back to my truck together.

After the run, I drove across the street and we soaked our legs in the Big Thompson river for about 20 minutes or so --- felt great, as the sun was already warming things up to about 90 degrees...ugh!


--- Sunday - 06/24/12 ---


OFF


A well needed day off.  After church in the morning the temps got up to 102...and so we made it an indoor day..the ENTIRE day --- chilling in the air conditioning!
I think I might have stepped outside for about 10 seconds after dinner.


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This past week has been a scorcher!  Several days over 100 degrees and looks like the high temps will be 98 degrees or hotter ALL next week as well.

It felt really good to get away mid-week for a run up at RMNP with some friends....a well needed day off  from work.  Wish everyday could be like that.

I have no idea what is going on with my legs when it comes to uphill running lately, but it is frustrating. Hopefully I can get it figured out soon -- preferably before the Barr Trail Race .

The encounter with the bear was pretty intense.  I now understand the whole "fight or flight" principle.  And I now know  that when given the opportunity my body prefers flight over fight!  Actually, it would be more like "stand there and pee my pants", or "flight" ---   running just sounds more strategic to me.
Surprisingly with all the time I spend on the trail out here, I have never ran up on a bear.  Scat, paw prints --- yes, but the animal itself -- nope.

Here is hoping I have a chance encounter with a flock of doves and a swarm of yellow butterflies on my next run to make up for the Round Mountain run!

RECAP : June 11 - June 17

--- Monday - 06/11/12 ---


Lunch - Foothills Trail (short loop) - 32:10


PM - Foothills Trail (medium loop) - 38:25


Total : 1:10:35


With thousands of acres burning in the North Park fire, just a few miles West of town, I wanted to get in some of the views of just how bad Lory State Park was burning.  And so I ran the Foothills trail, stopping for a few minutes both times up over Centennial and took some pictures from across the res into Lory State Park. You can see the difference in damage in just a few short hours.

Pictures taken around 12 noon. From Foothills Trail looking Northwest.

Pictures taken at about 5 pm (roughly same location)

Hundreds of on-lookers watch the blaze

Watching not only the trails that we play in everyday get destroyed, but the homes and lives of people we care about get destroyed as well make me feel helpless. I pretty much had a heavy feeling in my gut the last 2 days as this fire has reached out of control status.  Wanting to help...wanting to do SOMETHING to help the fire from spreading. Instead I just snapped photos from a safe distance like everyone else. Its hard to just sit there and watch it all burn.  4 co-workers and a few friends have been evacuated.  sad.

--- Tuesday - 06/12/12 ---

OFF

Woke up feeling pretty awful today.  Partially because of the constant inhalation of smoke in town 24/7, and partially because I think I caught a bug. (muscle aches, fever, cold sweat, sore throat...etc)

Took the day off.

--- Wednesday - -6/13/12 ---

OFF

Same as yesterday. Smoke in town was awful today. There was less than 1 mile visibility during the first few hours in the morning.  Woke up, sick as a dog --- thinking someone was have a BBQ in our living room..ugh...(cough, cough)

--- Thursday - 06/14/12 ---

Pineridge - 35 minutes

Still not 100%, but I am able to run at least....feeling slightly stronger (no more muscle aches, fever...etc) than I have been feeling the last few days.  Still have a sore throat after downing a bag of cough drops.  But decided I was well enough for an easy trot on some easy trail.

I originally was planning on another trip up to the Foothills Trail, but it is closed off due to the fire.  And so I ran an easy loop throughout Pineridge.

--- Friday - 06/15/12 ---

Pinewood Reservoir  - 52:20

Friday through Sunday we went camping at Pinewood Res (roughly 6.5 miles West of Carter lake on CR18E, in Loveland).   This would be Elli's first camping trip, and having it somewhat close to home was on the agenda.   Andrea, Eliana, Vicki (Andreas Mom), Tonia (Andres sister), Naomi (Tonia's 13 month old little girl) and Malia (Andrea's 5yr old niece)  shared the camper. While myself and Gypsy (our dog) shared a tent, along with my brother in laws (Dave and Nate), and my father in law, Dan ---- each had a tent.

A fun weekend of local camping with family is always a good time --- stressful at times, but overall...fun!

Anyway, after setting up camp, and before the sun went down I wanted to explore the trails around the res.  I had hoped to find the trail that leads up Blue Mountain:

But ran on the road leading to the intersection and it was all private land/road.  So I decided to hop on the easy rolling Besant Point trail and run to the Shoshone Trailhead, on the North side of the dam.  An easy out and back effort.

--- Saturday - 06/16/12 ---

Shoshone trail (x 2) and Besant Point Trail - 53:16

Starting from camp I ran to the Shoshone Trail and ran 2 laps around that 2 mile section of trail, then hopped on the Besant Point Trail and ran counterclockwise around the res...back to camp.

Its always fun to explore new places to run.  The Shoshone trail itself was nothing more than rolling hills, a few short sections (20-30 ft) of climbing.  A few rock outcroppings and some shade in parts.  The Besant Trail was as smooth and flat as there is for trails in the area with zero shade cover.  Similar to the East trail that runs along Pineridge. Nevertheless, it felt real good to get in a couple of easy runs after not feeling so good the last couple of days.  It felt even better when I took a nice cold soak in the res after the run!  ahh!

Air quality was much better down here than in the Fort.  Clear skies at night and beautiful views of of rolling hills during the day --- makes me want to live in a place like this year round (despite the blazing fire just to the north)

--- Sunday - 06/17/12 ---  (Fathers Day!)

OFF

Packed up, said our goodbyes, and left camp at about 11am.  Got home and crashed!  Well, gave Elli a well needed bath, hosed off and shampooed Gypsy in the yard, put Eli down for a nap, showered, ate lunch ---- THEN crashed!

Eliana took a 4hour nap! Yikes!...Andrea slept for a couple of hours and then so did I.

Apparently having a 19 month and a 13 month old shacking up together with 4 other people in a small camper --- was not the best of ideas!   As the kiddos kept up the girls most of the night...crying.  Not sure why, but Elli was having a rough night on night 2.  Poor little girl.

Anywho - Both Momma and Daddy and baby needed some quality rest.   And so I skipped out on running for the day.

Ate dinner with the Saleeby's at their house after we all woke up.

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-This entire week has been overshadowed by the fire just West of town.  Directly or indirectly it affects everyone. 

A good site I found for checking on the current location of the wildfire is:

http://www.geomac.gov/index.shtml

It allows you to zoom in pretty good and has some good options, like thermal scan.  Pretty neat stuff

-Didnt feel so good in the middle of the week, which was fine since the air quality was down right terrible anyway.  

-Felt good to get away for a few days for some camping and exploring new trails.

-The Fathers Day 5k race on Sunday was cancelled due to poor air quality in town -- I initially was going to drive back into town that morning for the race and then back to the camp.

-Planning a run on Wednesday with Phil K, either to the summit of Longs or a trip up Flattop/Hallett peak.  Either way -- should be a great time escaping into the much needed fresher air than what is around town.