"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift"
-Pre

Monday, March 26, 2012

RECAP : Mar 19 - Mar 25

--- Monday - 03/19/12 ---


Foothills Trail (short loop) + jog home from Maxwell TH - 65 minutes


Today we carpooled to work and after we picked up Eli from daycare Andrea dropped me off at the maxwell TH for a short scamper up the hill and then ran back home from Maxwell..


Workout went like this:


Starting from Maxwell TH I ran up the hill on the Foothills trail (short loop), then ran back down the same way (28:25).  From Maxwell TH I proceeded to run home.  I would have taken Pineridge, but the trails there are closed due to power line installation. Anyway, I then ran down Overland to Spring Canyon Park, hopped onto Horsetooth rd and ran East, pass Taft, and pass Shields....then home (37 minutes)


Total Time : 65 minutes





--- Tuesday - 03/20/12 ---


Foothills Trail (40 minutes out / 40 minutes back) - total time 1 hour 16 minutes


Workout went like this:


Starting from the Maxwell TH I ran "40 minutes out and 40 minutes back" on the Foothills Trail.  40 minutes out from Maxwell got me about half way back up the hill just past the dead end at Laporte st, on the East side of Centennial road.  I then turned around, ran down and then back up, crossed over centennial, ran along the shore and then dropped down behind the stadium and back to Maxwell.  Return trip was 4 minutes faster, in 36 minutes.


Another beautiful day. Temps all week in the 60's and 70's!  Nice!


Foothills Trail looking North


rocky terrain

Looking West into Lory

trip hazards!




--- Wednesday - 03/21/12 ---


Foothills Trail (medium loop) - 38:27


Ran medium loop out on Foothills Trail starting at Maxwell TH.
Third day in a row running Foothills trail mostly because Pineridge has been closed and havent had the time to make it out to Horsetooth Mtn this week....yet.  Hopefully tomorrow I will have time to get out there.




--- Thursday - 03/22/12 ---

Horsetooth Rock Summit - 1hour 20 minutes (which includes hanging out up top for about 10 minutes)


Workout went like this :

Starting from the Horsetooth Liquor store > Main TH > South Ridge > Rock Trail > Horsetooth Rock summit > Rock Trail > South Ridge > Main TH > back to truck

Calves were pretty tight on the way up, other than that I felt great.  Hung out on top for about 10 minutes and got in some great views. Stretched out my calves for a few minutes while on top and felt fine on the way down.
Looking East from the summit

Looking West. Longs Peak in the back drop.

overlooking Foco.


Felt great to get in a good climb out at Horsetooth today.  Another warm day, mid 60's.   Trails are all clear and free of ice and snow...as well as mud!



--- Friday - 03/23/12 ---


Foothills Trail (medium loop) - 38:17


Felt great to get in a shirtless run under the 70 degree Colorado sun...in March!
Legs felt strong, easy effort all the way.




--- Saturday - 03/24/12 ---


Foothills Trail (long loop) - 53:22


Really easy day. Easy pace all the way.
Made a quality trip to Lamars after the run, and spent the rest of the morning with Andrea, Eli and Andreas Sister and Eli's little cousin, Naomi.  Fun day with the family.


--- Sunday - 03/25/12 ---


Pineridge out and back - 44:55


Starting from Spring Canyon park I ran an out and back route throughout Pineridge. Felt good, pushed the pace in a Fartlek style tempo run.


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Another solid week of running in the books. The weather is warming up which is really nice for a change. I even got in a few days of shirt-less running!  Trails are dry and the extra hour of day light is an added bonus..  I really enjoy this time of year.

I didnt get a chance to get to the track last week, which is ironic since my office sits about 100 yds from the homestretch. But I will get out there this week for a quality leg turnover workout .

I also would like to get in another long run sometime this upcoming week. Something similar in fashion to last weeks mid-week workout.   Race day is about 6-7 weeks away and I want to get in several more long runs before race day gets here. Other than that, I feel like my training is coming along great.



Sunday, March 18, 2012

RECAP : Mar 12 - Mar 18

--- Monday - 03/12/12 ---


Pineridge - 39:50


Starting from Spring Creek Canyon park, I ran one clockwise loop around Pineridge.  Easy pace. felt good.
Temps in the mid 60's....perfect!
Planning a long run in Horsetooth and Lory within the next couple of days, so an easy effort today and tomorrow.




--- Tuesday - 03/13/13 ---


Foothills Trail @ Maxwell TH (medium loop) - 39:44 + easy Falls hike in the afternoon


Another easy day on the trails. As well as another 60+ degree day!
Legs felt great--easy effort all the way.

In the afternoon, to celebrate our 8 year anniversary together, myself, Andrea and Eli hiked Horsetooth Falls trail.








--- Wednesday - 03/14/12 ---


One lap of the Quad Rock 50 course - 25 miles - 3 hours 50 minutes (real time about 4hrs flat) -- 5,700'


Workout went like this:

Main Horsetooth TH > South Ridge > Rock Trail > Westridge > Towers > Mill Creek > Arthurs Rock Trail > Howard Trail > Timber Trail > East Valley Trail > Sawmill Trail > Stout Trail > Towers > Spring Creek > Falls > Main TH

With less than 8 weeks to go before the Quad Rock 50 trail race, I wanted to run one lap, or 25 miles, of the full 50 mile course.  Mainly to survey the course and to get a rough estimate of the pace/effort needed to post a somewhat respectable time come race day. I started the run at the main Horsetooth parking lot and ran one clockwise loop of the course.

Temps today were a stunning 72 degrees with clear skies over head.

The majority of trails as of this post are clear. However there are three trails: Westridge, Mill Creek and Timber Trails, that still have a decent amount of awkward "come to a complete stop and tippy-toe across the ice" sections on the upper part of the trail.  This was kinda of annoying as I wanted to really open it up on the downs, particularly on Mill Creek and Timber.  On these downhill sections today I found myself going back and forth between letting'er rip....and walking.  Hopefully a few more days or weeks and the ice will be all but gone.

Rock Trail

Westridge

Mill Creek

Mill Creek

Mill Creek

Arthurs Rock in Background

Looking down on Ft Collins from Howard Trail

Back side of Arthurs Rock 
The total time on the day was 3hrs 50min, but in real time was closer to 4 hours even.  As I stopped the watch for a few seconds for every photo taken.

It felt great to get back to my truck, as I was completely out of fluids by the end of the run. The only downside to a run like this is that I have to wear a lightweight pack to carry GU, my phone and snacks.  The second half of the run, my upper trapezious  muscles were getting tight.  Thankfully both of these issues wont really be an issue at all come race day. As there will be ample opportunities throughout the Quad Rock race to get some fluids and calories at the multiple aid stations along the way. Which means, no pack strapped on my back!

A solid run, under the beautiful Colorado sun in the books.




--- Thursday - 03/15/12 ---


Pineridge - 33:28


An easy run throughout Pineridge starting from Maxwell TH.  Planning on taking the rest of the week easy, after yesterdays 25 miler.
Surprisingly my legs felt fine today, I thought I would have some soreness or "heavy" legs this afternoon, but my legs felt great.  Good stuff. Nice and easy.




--- Friday - 03/16/12 ---


Pineridge - 32:50


Another easy romp through Pineridge starting from Maxwell TH.  Same as yesterday...easy, and felt good.
Temps this week have been perfect, upper 60's - low 70's and its only mid-March!




--- Saturday - 03/17/12 ---


Pineridge - 40:00 flat


Starting from the  Spring Canyon Park I ran one clockwise loop around Pineridge.  3rd day in a row at Pineridge.  I generally do not like running on the same trail for 2+ days in a row, as I prefer switching it up every other day or so. But after Wednesdays long run...an easy trot along the flat and rolling hills at Pineridge feels nice.
Originally I was going to get in another 2 hour + run up at Lory today with my friends Phil and Kris, but they had to cancel there trip up to Foco from Parker.  They are also running the Quad Rock 50 in May, and were planning on getting in a solid training run in today. But something came up and they had to cancel.  (hope your feeling better Phil).
This was fine with me, as I was good with just another easy run today.



--- Sunday - 03/18/12 ---


Easy neighborhood jogging @ night - 50 minutes


I suppose I could have ran yesterdays planned 2 hour +  run up at Lory today.  I had the time...just not the energy.  After church we got home, ate lunch and put Eli down for a nap. It was at this point when I was about to head out for a run, but instead crashed on the couch and slept for about 2.5 hours!  Ughh...I really love to sleep, and for some reason I was tired....flat out exhausted.
Woke up feeling rested but still missed out on getting in my 2nd long run of the week.


Later in the evening, after dinner and after Eli went down to sleep for the night, I got out for an easy 50 minute scamper around town at about 9 pm.




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Wednesdays run was the highlight of the week for me.  Running the full race course in one workout was really a great way to see where I need to make improvements as well as how I might need to tweak my training in the upcoming weeks before Quad Rock. It was also great to get a feel for what a particular pace feels like on this course.  5,500+ vert ft over 25 miles, then turn back around and run it again....man this thing is going to be tough!  A physical and mental challenge for sure.

The rest of the week was super easy recovery jogging in Pineridge.
Didnt get a chance to get in another long run for the week, but I suppose one quality 4 hour long run was enough.

This week I plan to get back to the track for a speed session. Its been a few weeks since I have ran anything fast and I would like to get back to my weekly track workouts again.
I also havent done any treadmill climbs in several weeks mostly because the weather outside has been beautiful and warm. And the trails have been drying up nicely.

Looking forward to some quality trail running up at Horsetooth and Lory this week!

Monday, March 12, 2012

RECAP : Mar 5 - Mar 11

--- Monday - 03/05/12 ---


Pineridge + Foothills Trail (short loop) - 63 minutes


On most days, Mondays are hill repeat / climb days, but the weather today was perfect. Low to mid 60's.  And the thought of slogging up a 3 mile hill, running up and down..and up and down...and up and down,  for hill repeats, or running a treadmill climb just didnt sound very appealing on this day.

However, a nice trail run under the warming Colorado sun did!



Workout went like this:

Starting from Maxwell TH. Ran one out and back loop of Pineridge. Then ran through Maxwell TH and hopped on the Foothills Trail.  Then ran back down the hill and back to truck at Maxwell TH.

 Dry trails and warm temps mean busy trails with mountain bikers, runners and hikers!  Most important item in that last sentence--- DRY trails!




--- Tuesday - 03/06/12 ---


Foothills Trail (long loop) + short loop at Pineridge - 65 minutes


Two days in a row of warm weather.  Todays temp was 68 degrees!  The only downside was the sustained 25 mph wind with 40mph+ gusts the entire time---uggh!
Nothing like the feeling of getting pelted in the face over and over with dirt and debris which was flying around everywhere on the trails this afternoon.



Workout went like this:

Starting from the Maxwell TH, I ran up the hill behind the stadium on the Foothills Trail (long loop).  Got back to the Maxwell TH at 48 minutes.  I then tacked on an additional 17 minutes around Pineridge.


I felt great on the run, no issues...legs feel strong, no aches...no pains......simply a great afternoon on the dirt.
As soon as I finished up I jumped into my truck and sat there for a solid 2 minutes...shell shocked!

I could still feel the wind on my face, and could still hear the wind whistling in my ears, and even though I didnt have to anymore, I sat there in a semi-permanent squint--as if dirt was still blowing in my face.




--- Wednesday - 03/07/12 ---


Foothills Trail (short loop) 35 minutes + easy 25 minutes in the PM


Workout  went like this:

Starting from Maxwell TH, ran up the hill behind the stadium and ran the short loop and back down the same way.
In the evening (9pm) I went out for an easy 25 minutes to get my 1 hour of running total for the day.


The weather was perfect today, slighty cooler than yesterday at about 45 degrees and overcast.  Felt great today.

Looking West with Horsetooth Rock in background
                                         


Looking North from Foothills Trail
                                           


Total Time : 1 hour




--- Thursday - 03/08/12 ---


Pineridge Full Loop x 2 -- 62 minutes


Workout went like this:

Starting from the Maxwell TH, I ran 2 full counter clockwise laps around pineridge.


Another beautiful day in Colorado. Weather was about 60 degrees and I felt great.  Nice and easy pace.




--- Friday - 03/09/12 ---


Horsetooth Mountain Park - 2 hours 3 minutes


Workout went like this:

Horsetooth Liquor store > main TH > falls > Spring Creek > Towers / Mill Creek intersection > Mill Creek > Loggers > Carey Springs > Towers > Herrington > Spring Creek > Falls > main TH > back to truck @ Horsetooth Liquor store.


This was easily my favorite workout this week.  Another warm day in Colorado.  The trails are drying up and becoming much easier to negate. Although there is still some slop here and there:



But overall, the trails are in good conditions, with snow in parts of the upper trails and mud in parts of the lower trails.  My guess is that the mud and  most of the snow/ice will be dried up by the end of next week, as temps are supposed to be in the mid 60's for several days this week.


Falls Trail

Spring Creek

Snow on Mill Creek

Looking East towards Fort Collins

Mill Creek

Mill Creek

Loggers Trail


Loggers Trail

Spring Creek

Horsetooth Rock from Herrington



Just another beautiful day running in the mountains.

This morning Andrea headed to Grand Junction to visit her friend. And so the rest of the weekend (Friday afternoon) until Sunday night it is just going be me and Eliana.  A daddy-daughter weekend!

Not sure how much running I will be able to get in (if any), so I am glad I had the time to get this run in today and maybe just rest and take it easy over the weekend.




--- Saturday - 03/10/12 ---


OFF - Daddy-Daughter weekend


The temperature today was about 70 degrees, not a cloud in sight and a gentle breeze blowing across town.  Simply perfect.  I had a full day planned with Eliana today. Something that included getting out in this warm weather.

So on todays agenda : Hang out at Barnes and Noble in the morning (Daddys favorite place to hang out and relax indoors), then a walk in the park, and playing on the swings in the afternoon!  ahhh.....now thats the life!

Eliana reading up on some very important material.

Look at the random pile of wood chips Daddy!


Where is Eliana??

Peek-A-Boo.....I see you!

Eliana likes to climb into her toy chest.




......Although I didn't run today, I (or shall I say WE) got in a 3 mile walk in the park this afternoon.  But even more importantly we had a fun Daddy-Daughter day reading books, playing outside and playing with some toys.  It was a blast.




--- Sunday - 03/11/12 ---


Easy night run in the neighborhood - 30 minutes


Today was much of the same as yesterday.  A beautiful day outside. We went on a nice hour long walk together, went to the park, took a bath, played with toys....etc

Andrea got back from Grand Junction around 8pm, and I managed to get in an easy 30 minute scamper around town at about 9pm.



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Fridays run was great. The temperature was perfect and the ice/snow on the trails appear to be melting away.  The weekend was filled with fun and good times with Eliana.

I plan to make up for this off/easy weekend by getting in a couple of solid long runs this week.
Tuesday, I am taking off work and I plan to get in a long run ranging in the 4-5 hour range and then next Saturday morning another long run in the 2-3 range. Both runs will be up at Horsetooth/Lory, and will consist mostly of the Quad Rock 50 course. Only 8 more weeks to go until race day!


 The weather should be in the mid 60's all week long making it a great week to hit the trails!





Monday, March 5, 2012

RECAP : Feb 27 - Mar 4

--- Monday - 02/27/12 ---

AM : 4 x 1/2 mile Centennial Hill Repeats (3:18, 3:20, 3:26, 3:24) + 25 minutes easy

PM: Foothills Trail - easy 38 minutes




Went out a little hard in the first couple of grunts up the hill and was sucking wind on the last two. Overall though, felt great. Ran an easy 25 minutes at the end of the workout on centennial road and foothills trail back to my truck parked at Pineridge lot as a cooldown.

After work I ran an additional 38 minutes on the Foothills trail (medium loop) starting at the Maxwell TH. This run was basically an easy paced run just to get in a few extra miles on my knobs.




--- Tuesday - 02/28/12 ---

Foothills Trail - 32 minutes


Woke up this morning and my left knee was super tight. Not sure why. I think I might have slept on it bent and twisted all night long. I basically had a slight limp most of the day despite several attempts at stretching it out. As the work day went on it felt better, and so I decided on an easy day to try and loosen it up a bit.

Ran an easy 32 minutes on the Foothills Trail (short loop) starting from the Maxwell TH.
Knee felt better after running and some light stretching.

About once a month this happens to me. I wake up in the morning and one of my knees are super tight when extended and it causes me to limp around all day. Then after an easy run, or on its own, it goes away by that night. I think I sometimes sleep weird and I do something while I am asleep that aggravates it.







--- Wednesday - 02/29/12 ---

Horsetooth Mountain Park + Lory - 2 hours 17 minutes






Workout went like this:

Blue Sky Trailhead > Inlet Bay trail > Soderberg TH > Shoreline Trail > South Valley Trail > East Valley Trail > Soldier Canyon TH > then back the same way...

Basically an out and back run on the valley trails...in the slop! A mud trudge to be more exact. The entire return trip I was running into a solid 20mph head wind, combined with the slop....brutal.







I wanted to run this route for two reasons:

1- Soldier Canyon picnic area is the start/finish for the Quad Rock 50 and I wanted to check out what the parking situation would be like come race day. I believe I counted 55 spots in the lot. Much more parking than I thought would be there.

2- I wanted to get an estimate on how long it took me to jog from the start of the race to the first uphill climb of the day at Sawmill. So on the way back I clocked myself at 35 minutes on the dot to the Sawmill intersection...not that the time means anything considering I had to briefly stop 3 times to wipe off mud, rocks, grass...and other items from my underfoot along the way. But at least its an estimate time.







Overall felt pretty good. Didnt bother to bring any food and my 21oz of hand held water was all but gone with about 30 minutes left of running. Downed a banana and some gatorade as soon as I got back to my truck.
The mud was a bummer, but thats just the way it goes. Warmer weather is predicted for next week and should hopefully dry up most of the valley slop.




--- Thursday - 03/01/12 ---


Pineridge - 35 minutes

An easy jog through Pineridge. Pineridge has been closed for a few weeks due to the muddy trail conditions but has recently opened up. I enjoy running here on my easy days.
Pretty chilly, lower 20's. Felt good after yesterdays 2+ hour mud run.




--- Friday - 03/02/12 --- my birthday!

Horsetooth Mtn Park - 2 hours 15 minutes


Well today I turned 33. A solid number I suppose. And to celebrate my special day I decided to take the day off work and get in a nice run up at Horsetooth. Actually, I had planned on working a half day, but Eliana woke up with a slight fever and decided to just make it a family morning and hang out eat breakfast together as a family. After Eliana went down for her nap I headed up to Horsetooth Mtn park for a snow/ice trudge trail run (somewhat opposite of my mud run on Wednesday).

Workout went like this:

Horsetooth Liquor store (where I park these days) > Main TH > South Ridge > Rock Trail > Westridge > Towers > Mill Creek > Loggers > Carey Springs > down Towers > Herrington > Spring Creek > Soderberg > South Ridge > Main TH > ...Horsetooth liquor store


As most of the lower elevation (valley) trails are muddy, the upper trails are mostly ice mixed with a snow pack layer of crunch. Making it ideal to have traction (which I didnt), I preferred the "crawling on hands and knees" approach to the slick icy downs and climbs. Nothing that will set a course record but it will prevent you from performing the downhill mountain ice surf. (AKA...hands raised above head, knees slightly bent, and sliding out of control down a trail) Looks like a newbie learning how to surf.





Not sure what caused this, maybe it was the sustained 80mph winds we had in town last week, but a section of Westridge was complete carnage:





Overall, another great day on the trails. Managed to get in over 2 hours of running...and didnt see another person the entire run.

There is something about this solitude of running that is special to me. To rest in quiet, without the distractions of life, without noise polluting my ears....just the wind, my footsteps and my breathing. We are so heavily bombarded with tv, cell phones, street traffic...etc that sometimes we (or at least I) forget what its like to just hear silence. Its a breathe of fresh air! For me, it is my daily quiet time.




Ran with two handhled H2O bottles filled with some grape flavored Gatorade goodness and a light camel bak with some snacks.

A solid run and a great way to spend the afternoon on my birthday!
Got home and took a short nap as Andrea planned a surprise evening for me. Which was dinner at Star of India with 5 of our best friends. Then we all came back to our place and watched "Courageous", a great movie...with a pretty emotional story line.

A long run, a nap, time with friends and a movie....Wow, what a great day! :-)




--- Saturday - 03/03/12 ---

Pineridge + Foothills Trail - 59:10

Workout went like this :

Starting from Spring Canyon Park I ran an easy 30 minutes out, 30 minutes back route. Ran through Pineridge to Maxwell Th and then up the hill behind the stadium. Turned around at the little sign at top of the hill, in a lick over 30 minutes. Then ran back the same way.

Temps were perfect today for a run. low 60's! and dry trails! It felt great to have traction on dry dirt for a change.
Legs felt great and pace was easy.




--- Sunday - 03/04/12 ---

Easy neighborhood night jog - 20 minutes


Temps during the day were even better than yesterday. We decided to make the day a family day and went on a walk together...all 4 of us, Myself, Andrea, Eliana and Gypsy (our dog).

Today was basically an OFF day, but jogging a few miles in the evening (9pm) felt good.



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Overall a fantastic week of running!

The couple of 2+ hour trail runs felt really good. Temps are warming up (at least for now), trails are starting to dry out and I believe spring fever has settled in. :-)

I gotta thank my awesome wife for planning my 33rd birthday and for making it a special evening!
It was my perfect day!

....looking forward to the upper 60's this week! its gonna be great!

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