RECAP : Jan 23 - Jan 29

--- Monday - 01/23/12 ---

3 x Centennial 1/2 mile Hill Repeats (3:27, 3:25, 3:29) + 35 easy min @ Pineridge

the start of the 1/2 mile Centennial hill repeats

As most Mondays and Thursday go (Hill climb or hill repeat days), I ventured out to take on Centennial hill, for a few repeats. For the first time in a few days it was not windy! And this felt great for a change.

The location where I start these repeats is great because its just a short 1/4 mile uphill jog from a parking lot at Pineridge. Easy access.

I felt pretty good today overall. Nothing major to report on.

After I finished my 3rd repeat I jogged back down into Pineridge for an easy 35 minute run.
An easy run on the dirt always feels good after a hard uphill push on asphalt.




--- Tuesday - 01/24/12 ---

Track Workout - 3 x 1,000m (3:07, 3:08, 3:08) + 32 minutes easy on Foothills trail

2 lap jog warmup and some striders.

Since I had to miss my track workout after work last Tuesday because the CSU track team. I decided to move up my workout to lunch time.

The weather was surprisingly warm, like 60. and it felt great!
There was, however, a solid 15-20 mph head wind on the backstretch. Which meant I would have a headwind 3 times for each of these 1,000m repeats.

My main goal today was to keep each repeat at or close to 5:00 min pace. I wasnt quite sure how that would play out, with the wind and all.
I felt good. I actually felt like I was running slower than a 5 min pace, but as I kept checking my watch...I was right on target.


After work I headed over to Maxwell TH, for an easy 32 minute jog. Basically ran up the hill behind the stadium to Centennial and back down.



--- Wednesday - 01/25/12 ---

Foothills Trail - Easy 35 minutes

After a couple of days pushing out a hard effort both uphill and on the track, an easy day on the trail was needed. I basically ran the same as yesterday afternoon plus a small loop up top, before heading back down.

There was a wicked head wind at the start, like 25 mph. Uggh. But I was just jogging, and so no need to really push myself on an easy recovery day.




--- Thursday - 01/26/12 ---

3 x Centennial 1/2 mile Hill Repeats (Monster Hill) -- 3:20, 3:24, 3:23 + 25min easy on Foothills Trail

Monster hill from a distance

same hill, a little closer.

Jogging back down monster hill with hill from Mondays hill workout in background.

Its hard to tell from these pictures, but this is one heck of a hill to run up for hill repeats. A lung buster!

You can see a car in the first photo, and how small it looks in comparison to the overall size of the hill. This hill is actually mile 1.5-2 in the Horsetooth Half Marathon course.


Anyway, after a solid 3:20 first 1/2 mile repeat I was feeling good. I wanted to keep these at about 7 min pace (3:30). And I did, all sub 6:50 pace.
After the third repeat, I ran back down the Foothills trail, ran behind the stadium, to Maxwell TH, and back to my truck at Pineridge for a little trail action.



--- Friday - 01/27/12 ---

Foothills Trail - 56:40

Todays weather was nice, a little chilly, but great running weather. Earlier in the day it snowed a little. More like flurries for an hour before dissipating. Either way, the trails around here were perfect!

Workout went like this:

Maxwell TH > Foothills trail North to North dam (turn around) > Foothills trail South > Shoreline trail > back onto Foothills trail > down the hill and back to Maxwell TH

running North on Foothills trail

I felt pretty good today. I wasnt pushing the pace at all, but an easy even keel pace up and over these rolling hills were fun.

View of the north dam looking North

Shoreline Trail running South

Total Time : 56:40



--- Saturday - 01/28/12 ---

Pineridge - 39:30

Fell asleep last night after 1am, then woke up at 3:30am for a random feeding/teething? alarm from Eliana. Then fell asleep and woke up at 7am to the sweet sound of Eliana saying "Dadda, Dadda...", from her crib across the hall. A sound I love to hear first thing in the morning! ....Ahhh, life is good!


I was planning on running a longer run first thing in the morning...but I was..........tired. Super tired.
So I didnt run in the morning. Then I thought that I could run during Eliana's first nap, however as the morning wore on, the sound of a 90 minute nap sounded too good to pass up. ;-)

After my nap, I felt much better and had more energy. And at 4pm, just before the darkness of the evening began to creep up on the day, I got out for a short run out at Pineridge.

--- Sunday - 01/29/12 ---

Easy 30 minutes around the neighborhood @ 8pm.

Another late night last night. Fell asleep somewhere between 1:45am and 2am and woke up by 8am. Ugh. Watched a movie and didnt realize how late it was until I checked the clock at 1am.

Anywho- another tired day. And much like yesterday, I wanted to get out for a 2 hour + run this morning, but didnt have it in the tank. And like yesterday, I opted to take a 2 hour nap (in place of my 2 hour run) during Eliana's nap.

Around 4pm the 3 of us went on a nice walk on the Poudre river trail. Temps today were in the low 60's...simply perfect. And the walk along the river was nice and relaxing.
After dinner and just before Eliana went to bed, around 8pm, I finally got out for an easy 30 minute trot around town. Mostly throughout neighborhoods and side roads. Nothing fancy.


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My hill workouts and track workout went great last week. I felt good on all of them and despite the volume of these workouts being somewhat minimal (which is fine for these winter months), the actual time results and how I felt while running each of them for this time of year is exactly where I want to be.
The weekend didnt go exactly as planned. Lack of sleep and just an overall urge to nap during the day surpassed any effort I wanted to put into a solid long run in the mountains. Although a few easy weekend runs will probably do me good, as long as it doesnt become a habit.

I still havent purchased a new pair of running shoes yet. But its on my list this week!
Also, at some point in the somewhat near future I plan on running a long solo run. I'll probably take a day off work during the week and head out for a 6 hour + run in the local mountain trails. Not sure when I will do this. A lot will depend on my work schedule and the winter weather. But I feel like it is necessary for me to get in a long quality run at some point this winter before I attempt any sorta Ultra come race day this spring or summer.
I wish I could add a run like this to my training every week, but realistically speaking its just not logistically possible.

Here's hoping for more warm days ahead!

RECAP : Jan 16 - 22

--- Monday - 01/16/12 ---

3 x Centennial Hill Repeats (Monster Mountain)- 3:31, 3:33, 3:32 + easy 20 minutes

For today's hill repeats I decided to run up, ever so intimidatingly named, Monster Mountain! Which starts at just over 1 mile into the Horsetooth Half Marathon course. A brutal, yet humbling, way to start a half marathon in my opinion.
This hill has an average grade of 9.2%

Horsetooth Half Marathon course profile

Centennial Road is a great option for running hills as an alternative workout to trails or treadmill climbs, and as you can see from the profile on this stretch of road there are several options of hills to choose for repeats.

Legs felt good today. After the 3rd repeat I was sucking wind pretty good and had a solid burn going in the lungs. I was trying to keep these at or under 7 min pace, and although I was slightly slower than that, I was close enough.

After the 3rd repeat, instead of jogging back down, I continued running on Centennial. Ran to the back side of the "A" and then dropped down on the foothills trail. Ran down the hill, past the stadium, through Maxwell TH and up the short hill to my truck. easy 20 minutes.

Once again, come late spring/early summer the volume of these hill repeat workouts will substantially increase once the racing season (more focused training) begins.



--- Tuesday - 01/17/12 ---

Well todays workout was supposed to be 2-fold. An easy 30 minutes of "straights and curves" on the track during lunch break, followed by 3-5 x 1,000m repeats at the track after work.
I was able to get in the easy 30 minutes of striders, which was intended to loosen up and get in some easy up-tempo leg turnover to prep for the harder track stuff later in the day.

However, after changing and heading out the office after work sporting my tights and track gear I realized, by the herd of green and gold runners already on the track...that school was back in session from winter break and that the CSU track team was wasting no time in getting in a speed session of their own. The track team has dibs on the track, for obvious reasons, over the public. So I had no choice but to postpone the 1,000m repeat session I had planned until next Tuesday.

At least I was able to get in that 30 minutes during lunch, so not all was lost.

Now that the track team is back in full swing, it looks like I might have to be more creative on getting in my Tuesday track workout. I'll probably have to find time before work, or during lunch break.

Next Tuesday I will hopefully be able to get in this workout. 3-5 x 1,000m @ 5:00 min pace.



--- Wednesday - 01/18/12 ---

Todays workout wasnt exactly planned from the get-go. After getting ready in the morning I headed out the door with Eliana on the way to day care, before heading to work. Andrea has decided to ride her bike to and from work on certain days of the week to get in some extra calorie burning exercise throughout the week. And on this day she rode her bike to work. As I was pulling into daycare I got call from Andrea explaining that her bike tire fell off! (she was ok...just not a fun way to start out the day) And that she was about 3/4 mile from my work, and that she would walk her bike to my work and meet me there.
So I dropped off Eliana, headed to work, and pulled up right as Andrea was locking up her bike on the rack outside my office. Since she needed a way to work, she took the truck.
Which meant that I had no mode of transportation the rest of the day to head to the trails.

So, my workout this afternoon was sorta planned on a whim.
kinda went like this:

Starting at my office (East end of campus), I hopped on Prospect and ran West to Banyan. (past shields, past taft, past overland). took about 25 minutes flat to reach the trail. From Banyan I ran up the hill and headed towards Maxwell TH. Ran into Pineridge, where I took the East most trail. Ran up to the ridge and dropped down to Spring Canyon Park. Ran through the park, hopped onto Horsetooth (east) past taft, past Shields....back home.

Start of the trail at Banyan

Heading South towards Maxwell TH

easy Pineridge action

Running the East most trail in Pineridge

Running the ridge. View looking South

71 minutes.

I basically ran with my phone in one hand and our house key in the other. I wasnt planning on needing my pack in the morning, and so I left it home.

Overall, it was actually a pretty nice run. Sometimes changing things up, whether planned or not...is a good thing.
Temps were warmer than I thought and I slightly over dressed. There was a wicked wind coming through town during lunch time, but it apparently eased off and I was left running....with a full on sweat going wearing long tights!

Glad Andrea is ok. Now we just gotta fix that bike of hers and get it back fully functional again.



--- Thursday - 01/19/12 ---

Generally speaking, Thursdays and Mondays are my hill repeat/climb days. However today I was swamped at work and had no time to squeeze in either. So I decided to swap todays workout with tomorrows. Which means a short run today and a solid up hill grunt tomorrow.

Workout went like this:

Starting out at the Maxwell TH, I ran up the hill crossing Centennial. Ran a short loop up there and headed back down the same way I ran up. Since I never really got around to the track workout this week, I decided to make this short run slightly up tempo the whole way.
I hit the sign at the top of the hill in 11 min flat. (I usually get here in about 12 - 12:30 minutes or so).

looking North on the Foothills trail

Northwest view of Horsetooth res

Felt great on the way down as well. It felt pretty good to run some uptempo stuff on the trails. I will definitely be running more uptempo stuff starting later this spring, but for now....this one felt good.

Total Time : 28:29



--- Friday - 01/20/12 ---

Towers Road. 1hr 45 minutes

I probably should have just gone to the Rec today for a solid hill climb, but instead I chose to head out to Towers and run up the hill in what appeared to be a hurricane outside!
Well not really a hurricane, but it was WINDY! Winds on this day were sustained at 31 mph with gusts up to 60 mph!! Not to mention, parts of the trail were a mix of either a muddy slop fest or a slippery ice rink.

Workout went like this:

Starting at the Horsetooth liquor store (I know... I havent yet purchased a parks permit yet so I have to jog the mile or so to the TH). Ran the easy rolling section of Inlet Bay to Soderberg TH. I then proceeded to run the 3 miles (1,700' vert) up Towers road into a solid 31 mph head wind....just brutal.

I was hoping that some of the trees and mountain side would shelter me from the winds, but Towers road is pretty open and doesnt allow for much protection from knarly winds.
There were still a handful of icy sections that brought me to a hike, at best....tippy toe walk, more like. And then once I hit the "ridge" up top for the second half of the climb, the most exposed section, the winds forced me to turn my back into the wind as I could barely lift up my head as dirt and debris was flying around everywhere. But when mother nature dishes out her best, you just gotta lower your shoulders and forge ahead!
Since the weather conditions were not quite optimal for any sort of time trial or hard push, I had ample time to snap some photos on the way up.

the start...easy rollers.....for now!

Looking back down into the valley, Nomad trail.

And the uphill grunting begins

this next hill is much more intimidating in person

....thats more like it!

Looking East over Ft. Collins and Horsetooth Res

A South view looking down into the valley of Horsetooth Mtn

just another quad busting hill on the way up

The final push to the top is up this hill

with about 1/4 mile to go...the dirt is now ice

more icy section on the way up

the last ice climb before the top

view from up top, looking Northwest

On the way back down. About 1.5 miles into the uphill climb from Soderberg TH

On top of the wind and mud and ice, my right IT band was super tight today. (not sure why...but it was annoying). The wind, which felt like semi's driving by me on the interstate, was blowing me around pretty good up top. And the sound of the wind across the mountain top resembled that of a helicopter. The last mile of the climb I thought a helicopter was gonna pop up from over the trees and land on the trail. Seriously...I did. :-)

The last 1/4 mile or so was nothing but an ice rink. I basically power hiked this entire section, both on the way up and the way down.

Well you know what they say, what goes up must come down. And running down Towers, with a 31 mph tail wind...is well, comical to say the least!
Its funny how one minute natures elements are your worst enemy, and then the next they are literally carrying you down the mountain. funny stuff.
Anyway, ran down at a pace somewhere between that of a full on sprint and ...skydiving. :-)

Got back to my truck and was glad to get out of the wind. This was one hard push up the mountain today. Still cant believe how strong that wind was...just brutal.

Total Time : 1hr 45 minutes


--- Saturday - 01-21-12 ---

After yesterdays uphill climb into a wall of wind, I was feeling pretty worked over today.

After a nap in the morning, Andreas folks and family members came up for a few hours to visit us for a bit. We went out to lunch and afterwards came back to our place and hung out for awhile.

After everyone left I decided to head out from our house for an easy 30 minute cement scamper around the neighborhood at an easy pace, in the dark. My right IT band was even more tight today than it was yesterday, and for the better part of the day it hurt to fully extend my knee and was hobbling around all day.

There was some good friction within the lateral side of my knee, as it was warm to the touch. It sorta felt like the outside of my knee had a fever...burning up! Gives a new meaning to the phrase..."feel the burn!"

Anyway, got back from an easy 30 minute jog and stretched. IT band still tight..and wind still blowing like crazy in town. 20mph to be exact.



--- Sunday - 01-22-12 ---

Another windy day in the Fort. Not as windy as the other day...but still frustratingly annoying. About 20 mph with gusts reaching almost 30mph.

Despite the wind,I headed out for an easy run on Foothills Trail.

Workout went like this:

Starting at Maxwell TH I ran up the hill behind the stadium crossed over Centennial Road and dropped down the backside of Centennial and ran along the shoreline of Horsetooth Res. At the first small parking lot that intersects the trail, I turned off the shoreline trail and headed back south along the West most trail that runs along Centennial. Up and down a few rollers and then crossed back over Centennial and headed back down the hill towards Maxwell TH.

Total Time : 49:20

Horsetooth Res. View looking Northwest

Shoreline trail looking North

Horsetooth Res looking West.

Running the ridge. View looking South

Had a nice tail wind on the way back. Felt a little lag in the legs...just tired I think.


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There were several days last week in which the wind was holding steady at 20mph+ all day long. And on Friday it was hovering around 30mph with gusts at about 60!
I heard that in other parts of Colorado the wind was recorded at 85mph with gusts over 100! Sorry, but that's ridiculous.

Wednesdays workout was basically made up on the fly, and I had to switch Thursdays and Fridays runs because of time commitments. The weekend runs were super easy, however I felt a little slower than normal. Perhaps I am just tired, and need to get in more sleep at night.

Unfortunately I didnt get in the track workout on Tuesday, but if the wind isnt blowing trees down this upcoming Tuesday, then hopefully I will get in the 3-5 x 1,000m.

Fridays run was epic. And thats all I want to say about that. ;-)

on a side note, it looks like I will be pursuing a new pair of running shoes this week.

MT 101's showing detached stitching

As you can see in the above photos, the stitching on the inside of my right shoe is literally busting at the seams. Thats ok though, as I easily have over 1,000 miles on these bad boys!

Next week I will post photos of whatever shoes I decide to buy.....decisions, decisions.

RECAP : Jan 9 - 15

---Monday - 01/09/12---

3 x Centennial 1/2 mile Hill Repeats (3:20, 3:24, 3:25) + 27:46 easy running.

The weather today was nice, low 60's. So I opted out of heading to the Rec for a treadmill climb, and instead headed over to Centennial Road for a few hard hill repeats.

Workout went like this:

Parked my truck at the west parking lot at Pineridge. Jogged the uphill 1/4 mile to the "T" in the road. Stretched for a short bit at the stop sign, then started the hill repeats. each 1/2 mile repeat gains about 250 ft of vertical.

Clipped out the first lung busting 1/2 mile climb in 3:20 flat. The weather was nice and warm. First time in awhile that I kept my hat and gloves in the truck. Broke into a nice sweat after the first repeat.
2nd and 3rd repeats slightly slower, but still faster than last Mondays repeats. Sub 7 min pace is a good clip on these hills.


After work I decided that I wanted to get in a short few more miles. So I headed over to Maxwell TH and ran up the hill behind the stadium, crossed over the road and ran to the top of the short hill on the west side of the road. Hit the turnaround point in 14:40. Then proceeded to head back down the same way. Felt good on the down. Legs felt like they were really "under" me and was able to negate any technical downhill spots without much change in effort or pace. Basically ran the down on an easy "cruise control" effort.

finished the short afternoon run in 27:46

Legs have been feeling strong since I got sick last week.



---Tuesday - 01/10/12---

Track Workout - 10 x 400 (70,69,70,69,71,69,69,70,69,68)- 200m recovery

Just before I got off work my friend Steve stopped by my office (about 100 yards from the homestretch), and mentioned that he was about to start a workout at the track in a bit. Soon after, I headed to the track myself for a 10 x 400m speed session.
I planned to keep the pace for all of them around 70 seconds (4:40 mile pace). Legs felt pretty good overall. Even though the last couple times don't show it, my legs started to feel slightly heavy. Probably feeling the hard 1/2 mile hill climbs from yesterday.

Warmed up with an easy mile jog and cooled down with a 2 lap jog (almost in the dark).

For the first week in January, I am pleased with these times. Late spring/early summer these repeats will be down in the 60-65 sec range. But for now, mid winter, I am right where I want to be in regards to my leg turnover and overall speed.



---Wednesday - 01/11/12---

Foothills Trail - 31:30

An easy day on the trails. More like a needed recovery day from the back to back hard workouts on Monday and Tuesday.

Maxwell Trailhead

Foothills trail system

Starting at the Maxwell TH, I ran up the hill behind the stadium, crossed the road at Centennial and ran to the top of the hill on the West side of Centennial. Then turned around and ran back the same way. My calves were pretty tight this morning and was hoping that the easy trail jogging would loosen then up a bit for my hill climb workout tomorrow. temps were a balmy 19 degrees, with a slight head wind on way back.
A good easy trail run on a mid January day in Colorado.

smooth trail ahead

more smooth trail

view looking Northwest over Horsetooth Res

WARNING: trip hazards!

...more tripping hazards on the way down

---Thursday - 01/12/12---

Treadmill Climb - 40 minutes - 2,235'

Calves were still pretty tight this morning. The track workout the other day really knotted them up for some reason. And so I wasn't sure how this treadmill climb session would go.
Thankfully, a few minutes into the uphill grunt my calves loosened up and they felt great.
It was a balmy 19 degrees outside so I opted for the warmth of the Rec for another treadmill climb, instead of hitting the trails or Centennial.

Workout went like this:

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

Another solid 2,200 + vertical day on the treadmill.
Glad my calves loosen up...would have been rough if they didnt.



---Friday - 01/13/12---

Pineridge - 30:35

An easy recovery/rest day at Pineridge. Calves feel fine today. Guess I just needed a good climb to work out the kinks.
Starting at the Maxwell TH I ran one counterclockwise loop around Pineridge trails. Pineridge has been closed for a few weeks due to muddy conditions, but has recently opened back up. The trails were dry (although beat up from the bikers who ride in the slop, then after it dries over it wrecks havoc on the trail conditions...not cool). Anyway, an easy jog on easy trails. It was cold, 20 degrees, and had a decent 10mph head wind on the way back...frosty!

Planning a nice run at Horsetooth Mountain tomorrow morning with Steve. So an easy day today felt good.



---Saturday - 01/14/12---

Horsetooth Mountain park w/Steve - 1hr 49 min

Trailhead

Horsetooth Mtn park trail system

Woke up early, had a small sandwich, downed a glass of milk, then I was out the door...in the dark...cold early morning. Picked up Steve at his house and then drove over to the Horsetooth Mountain liquor store for the start of our run. Temps started out in the mid 20's.

Workout went like this:

Parking lot > Inlet Bay > Soderberg TH > Nomad Trail > Mill Creek > Towers > Soderberg TH > Inlet Bay > back to truck

The first part of the run, as the sun was rising, was bone chilling. Especially running through the valley where temps tend to be a tad cooler. As we trotted along Nomad trail, enjoying a nice conversation about Steve's upcoming marathon plans/goals for his race next month, I could see the sun rising on the West hillside. Since my face was frozen solid, this was a welcomed view.
As soon as we hopped on Mill Creek trail, the trail took us up...and up..and up some more!

This is a great 3.5 mile uphill trail, as it provides ample vertical gain over smooth trail (for the most part). The lower half of the the trail on this day was not only mostly dry, but was covered in a soft plushy billow of pine needles....ahhh, a runners dream! Cruising along on up and down rollers that are connected by several uphill long climbs felt really good.

Mill Creek looking down into the valley

The second half of the run, not so much. And can be described in one word : Sketch.
As we continued on our way, running uphill, the smooth billow turned into a sketchy slip and slide ice rink. Actually I am not sure if the last half of this climb I became a better runner, or a better figure skater!

the start of snow pack/ice covered trail

The climbs were steep and the ice was slippery, which meant lots of slipping and power hiking in parts. I was definitely looking forward to the dry dirt that covered Towers.
A few more ice climbs and switchbacks...and we were there. Emerging out of Mill Creek we now joined on Towers Road for a little switch in pace, from grueling uphill grunting to a downhill scream!

The uphill/Downhill vertical profile of Towers.

Towers road was clear, but there were a few ice patches which, even at a snail pace walk, was a slip hazard. Around the 3rd or 4th ice section I lost complete traction and wiped out. Landed on my left elbow and forearm...and slide about 3 feet on my left knee until I came to a stop. Nothing major, just a few scratches on my left leg and probably a sore left arm tomorrow...but nothing broken, so all is good.

Finished running down Towers, got back onto Inlet Bay for a slightly up tempo run back to the truck.

Overall, for a mid January run in Colorado, conditions were actually better than I thought they would be. Its great to have trail systems like this one just a short car ride away.
And for runs like this one, its always nice to have some company to keep conversation while running up and down the mountain hills.



---Sunday - 01/15/12---

Easy run in town - 29:50

Today was more of an OFF/easy day. I could have taken the day off as a rest day. But I really want to keep to my schedule of running everyday, even if its a slow and short run...just a simple recovery jog to help remove any lactic acid buildup in the muscles.



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A pretty consistent week of running. A quality mid-January track workout with a solid treadmill climb and a hill repeat day, in addition to a longer trail run on Saturday with Steve that included a decent amount of vertical and downhill running, mixed in with a few easy days.

One thing that stands out is that I haven't raced in months. The Sombrero race in September was my last race and I ran that with one bumb ankle coming off an ankle sprain in August that transformed me into a sedentary couch potato for 4 weeks. I actually haven't ran a race since July....the Barr Trail Race, which runs about 6 miles up Pikes Peak and 6 miles back down.

So yeah, I am itching to race! Doesn't matter what...a road 5k, a half marathon, a trail run, an Ultra.....I am healthy and really miss competing and the camaraderie of racing this upcoming spring and summer months!

In the meantime, I am glad to get out everyday and enjoy the beautiful trails that Colorado in mid January has to offer!