RECAP : April 23 - April 29

--- Monday - 04/23/12 ---


OFF -- Super busy day. Could have gone out at about 10pm, but decided to call it a day.  
What better way to start off the first week of a taper than by having a day off!




--- Tuesday - 04/24/12 ---


Horsetooth Mountain Park - 65 minutes


Workout went like this:


Horsetooth liquor store > Main TH > Falls > Spring Creek > Herrington > up Rock Trail to South Ridge junction > down South Ridge > Main TH > down the hill to truck.


Felt great today. Strong.  Weather was warm and overcast. Dark storm clouds moved in and provided great shade throughout the run.




--- Wednesday - 04/25/12 ---


Foothills Trail (short loop) + 1/2 lap @ Pineridge - 47 minutes


Easy running today starting from Maxwell TH.




--- Thursday - 04/26/12 ---


Foothills Trail (short loop) + 2 laps @ Pineridge - 1 hour 36 minutes


Same as yesterday, only I  tacked on 2 full laps at Pineridge after running the short loop on the Foothills Trail. Started from Maxwell TH.





--- Friday - 04/27/12 ---


Pineridge - 32 minutes


Easy jog pace around Pineridge starting from Maxwell TH. Windy day! 25 mph winds...ugh!
Just wanted to get out for a few easy miles in prep for tomorrows semi-long tempo run up at Horsetooth Mountain Park.





--- Saturday - 04/28/12 ---


Horsetooth Mountain Park - 2 hours 26 minutes


Today was a very interesting day of running.  My original plan was to get to the trailhead by 6:45am and take off running.  However, I woke up early to the sound of what I thought was our house getting blown over by a tornado. Well, it wasn't actually THAT bad, but trees were blowing all around in what appeared to be a relentless wind.  I checked my phone and the temperature was 38 degrees with sustained winds of 25mph with gusts over 50mph!


Now, I am somewhat stubborn when it comes to canceling or post-poning a workout due to inclimate weather. And so I drove all the way out to the Horsetooth liquor store  and arrived at 6:30am. I then proceeded to sit in my truck for the next 15 minutes talking myself into and out of running at least 10 times. (like the scene in Ferris Buellers day off). I even walked around my truck a couple of times to get a better feel for the wind chill in my shorts and t-shirt.
As my parked truck swayed in the gusty winds every few seconds, I finally decided to go home and take a stab at running later in the afternoon --- hopefully in warmer and less windy conditions.


Drove home, cleaned the house a bit, woke up Eli, ate breakfast and played with Eli until it was time for her nap......then headed out the door for my run....again.

By this time it was 1pm, temps were in the lower 60's and wind was 5-10 mph.  Perfect.

Workout Went Like This:

Horsetooth liquor store > Main TH > Falls > Spring Creek > up Herrington > down Towers > Stout to Sawmill > Sawmill to Valley > Valley to Mill Creek junction > up Mill Creek to Towers > down Spring Creek > Falls > main TH > Horsetooth liquor store.

I wanted to use this run as somewhat of a semi-long tempo run in place of a super long jog....errr run.
The 10 minute warm-up jog to the trailhead was nothing more than a jog. Then I proceeded to pick up the pace and slide into a comfortable, yet up tempo effort.  (all splits below are from the trailhead, not including the warmup jog up to the trailhead --- and include stopping for 2-5 seconds for each photo taken throughout the run).

Ran down to the falls and hit the Herrington / Spring Creek junction in 22 minutes flat. Then after running up Herrington, down Towers, onto Stout, Down Sawmill, into the valley trail, I hit the Mill Creek link/ Valley trail junction in 61 minutes even. Ran the 3.5 mile climb up Saw Mill and tagged the bench on Towers in 1:37 (36 minute split up Mill Creek).  Ran down Spring Creek and got to the 2 hour mark about 1/4 mile after the falls junction. Continued the up tempo pace on the Falls Trail and got back to the trail head in 2:06 in change.
Then easy cooldown jog back to my truck down the hill.


Overall a solid run. I could have bombed the descent on Towers and Spring Creek, but decided to pull back the reigns a tad on those sections.  The run up Saw Mill was good, I felt strong...and looking back could have probably pushed it harder on some sections of the climb.
The rest of the run was good. A solid tempo run -- not race effort, but it felt nice to get the wheels spinning.

Trails were packed, especially on the Falls trail.

Falls Trail

Technical section on Spring Creek Trail

 Spring Creek Trail - much smoother.

Valley Trail looking North

One of the dozen or more technical sections up Mill Creek.

Mill Creek 

Time: trailhead to trailhead - 2:06
Total Time : 2:26






--- Sunday - 04/29/12 ---


OFF -- After yesterdays solid semi-long tempo run effot up at Horsetooth I decided to take the day off.  I usually would have ran today, but I really want to be more purposeful and intent on focusing on my taper the final 2-3 weeks leading up to the race. Taking the easy days, EASY....or OFF completely.  3 words of the week: easy, easy, easy (repeat).


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With my first 50 mile mountain Ultra less than 2 weeks away, the run on Saturday was just the confidence boost I needed.  I felt great the whole way.
One thing I need to focus on in these next 2 weeks is my taper. No more long, hard, grunt-tastic workouts before race day. Instead, I will focus more on shorter runs mixed with either fartlek type running, or just easy jogging -- with a day off here and there.
The goal is to feel completely rested and healthy come race morning. All the hard work has been put in during these last several months, anything more now might actually do more harm than good.  Time to take it easy, enjoy some shorter quality runs and get mentally ready for 5am May 12.

Last week was a perfect week of running for my first week of my taper. A long quality tempo run, a few short easy days and a couple of days OFF.
This upcoming week will be an extension of last weeks training, minus the long tempo run.......Giddyup!

RECAP : April 16 - April 22

--- Monday - 04/16/12


Horsetooth Rock Summit - 1hr 20 minutes


Workout went like this:

Horsetooth liquor store > Main TH > South Ridge > Audra Culver > Rock Trail > Summit > Rock Trail > Wathan > Spring Creek > Falls > Main TH > back down to truck @ Horsetooth liquor store

I had some time today for a run up at Horsetooth Mtn Park and with a semi-overcast covering...I headed out the door the moment I had the chance.
I still have yet to purchase a parks pass this year and so I still have to run the extra mile from the Horsetooth liquor store, to the main trailhead -- an all uphill 8-9 minute jog.

Felt pretty good today and made it to the Audra Culver turn-off in 17 minutes flat from the TH. Semi-Casual effort.

Legs felt good rock hopping the descent down Wathan.

Rock Summit -- Longs Peak in background

Looking North West into valley

Overlooking Fort Collins

South East view from summit

--- Tuesday - 04/17/12 ---


Foothills Trail (medium loop) + short loop in Pineridge -- 54 minutes


Felt really solid today. Legs felt strong -- effortless.




--- Wednesday - 04/18/12 ---


Two laps of Pineridge - 1hr 2 minutes


Starting from Maxwell TH I ran 2 counterclockwise loops around Pineridge.




--- Thursday - 04/19/12 ---


Foothills Trail (long loop) + Pineridge -- 1hr 25 minutes


Starting from Maxwell TH, I ran one long loop on the Foothills trail and then tacked on one lap of Pineridge at the end.
Felt really good today again.




--- Friday - 04/20/12 ---


Pineridge - 32:20


Easy pace. One lap around Pineridge starting from Maxwell TH.




--- Saturday - 04/21/12 ---


4 x Towers Road Hill Repeats - 25 miles, 6,800'

Elevation Profile of Towers Road 

When it comes to local hill climbs, Towers Road is probably the best option around. At just over 3 miles from trailhead to summit and about 1,700 vertical feet, it provides some of the greatest lung busting, uphill trail running in the area.

Towers Road by the numbers:

Start: 5459'

Finish: 7146'

Vertical feet per half mile:

0 - .5 = 90'

Swan Johnson Trail + part of Towers = 90'

.5 - 1 = 340'

1 - 1.5 = 300'

First full mile on Towers = 640'

1.5 - 2 = 280'

2 - 2.5 = 130'

Second full mile on Towers 410'

2.5 - 3 = 350'

3 - 3.5 = 195'

Third Full mile on Towers 545'

Total vertical gain ~1,685 - 1,700ft

For todays workout I ran up and and down Towers Road 4 times. A solid 25 miles, and about 6,800 vertical feet. This was probably one of the most mentally exhausting workouts I have done. After each repeat, the thought of turning around and running 3 miles back up this beast was mind numbing. 

The first two repeats I started at the Soderberg trailhead. The first one because this is where I parked and began running and the second one because I had to make a pit stop at the trailhead porto-potty.  The 3rd and 4th repeats I ran down Towers to the intersection of Towers Road and Swan Johnson trail ( a short connector between the TH and Towers road -- about a 4 minute jog) and turned around and ran back up Towers from that intersection, and so that explains the difference in my split times below. (*)

Obviously there is no water along the way so I hauled in about a gallon of water to the Swan Johnson/Towers intersection and filled up my hand held bottle after each repeat. Because I was running 4 repeats I tried to keep the pace fairly even throughout. I didnt want to PR the first climb up and then bonk on the final 3 climbs.

Workout went like this:

Up # 1 - 33:12 --- Down # 1 - 22:35

Up # 2 - 32:50 --- Down # 2 - 22:15

*Up # 3 - 29:33 --- Down # 3 - 18:25 *

*Up # 4 - 30:50 --- Down # 4 - 19:05 *

The summary of each repeat are as follows:

#1 -- Still half asleep and trying to pace myself accordingly

#2 -- Starting to find my groove. Legs "waking" up and starting to feel good

#3 -- Mentally the hardest repeat. Had to force myself to turn around and make another 3 mile climb.

#4 -- mental and physical fatigue setting in. Felt a burst of energy knowing this was the final climb and descent of the day.

Drank the entire gallon of water I hauled in as well as a bottle of Gatorade I had waiting for me back in my truck. A character building run for sure!

One of these days I need to make a serious effort in running a PR up Towers.


--- Sunday - 04/21/12 ---


Pineridge - 41:00


Easy recovery day.
Ran 1 lap of Pineridge starting from the Dog park at the end of Horsetooth Rd.  A beautiful day. Trails were packed.




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Saturdays  4-pack up Towers was epic, and could possibly be the most mind numbing workout I have ever done. About 25 miles of up and down carnage with roughly 6,800 vertical feet -- Solid.
Quality -- yes, worth it -- yes.
With only a few weeks before Quad Rock 50, I have only 1 or 2 hard workout sessions planned. The rest of my workouts will be just that --- rest. Rest as in easy days, allowing any little aches and pains here and there to heal and go away. Essentially begin my taper. The last thing I want to do is show up on race day with heavy legs or wishing I had taken more easy runs in the final few weeks leading up to race day.  If its one thing I have learned from my 20+ years of running (dating back to 7th grade cross-country), is that rest is just as important as the workout itself. It is during this time that the human body repairs itself from the break down of muscle tissue from your previous hard workouts -- allowing you to feel healthy and stronger for your next hard run or upcoming race.  To ignore this fact will eventually only lead to poor race performances and possibly injury.

Looking forward to my final 1-2 hard workouts in the next week or 2.  However, I think I am looking forward to the easy recovery days surrounding those hard runs even more!

RECAP : April 9 - April 15

--- Monday - 04/09/12 ---


OFF


My B2B (back to back) 25 miles on Friday and another 25 miles on Saturday felt really good last week.  I took today off just as a precautionary rest day. I actually felt fine on Sunday and today but I figure one extra day off to let the old bones rest, even though I felt fine, was probably a good idea.



--- Tuesday - 04/10/12 ---


Foothills Trail (medium loop)  + Pineridge - 1hr 10 minutes


First day running since my B2B runs over the weekend. Felt good. Easy effort.

--- Wednesday - 04/11/12 ---


Foothills Trail (long loop) + Pineridge + easy 25 minutes in the PM 


Starting from Maxwell TH I ran one long loop on Foothills trail then tacked on one loop of Pineridge -- 1hr 20 mins. Then in the evening I ran an easy 25 minutes throughout the neighborhood.


Temps were in the 40's -- damp and foggy.  A nice change for a day!

Horsetooth Rock in fog.

I really enjoy running in damp, wet weather. Some of my favorite workouts that I can remember took place either in the rain or damp foggy conditions. Growing up on the East Coast meant several months a year during the fall months of this kind of running weather...not so much here in Colorado. 300 + days of sunshine! So when days like this come around, I really enjoy it.




Total Time : 1 hr 45 minutes




--- Thursday - 04/12/12 ---


Two laps around Pineridge + Foothills Trail (short loop) - 1hr 35 minutes


Felt good. Easy effort.



--- Friday - 04/13/12 ---


Foothills Trail (medium loop) - 38:15

An easy run today, in preparation for my 20+ miler tomorrow morning in Lory/Horsetooth.



--- Saturday - 04/14/12 ---


Lory/Horsetooth run - 22 miles - 3hrs 20 minutes


Workout went like this:


Horsetooth liquor store > Inlet Bay > Soderberg TH > Valley trails > Soldier Canyon TH > Timber > Howard > Arthurs Rock > Arthurs Rock TH > Mill Creek > Towers > down Towers back to Soderberg > Inlet Bay > Horsetooth liquor store


I met Steve this morning at the Soderberg TH, as he was going to run with me some of the way throughout my run this morning.  I planned to run easy the first 6.5 miles, or roughly from where I started to the Soldier Canyon TH. Then I planned to run the section of Timber > Howard > Arthurs Rock > and Mill Creek ....at an honest effort pace. Then an easy jog back down Towers and jog the rest of the way back to my truck at an easy cool down pace.
Ran with Steve all the way to the Soldier Canyon TH where he decided to call it a day and turn around and head back the same way. I then picked up the pace and ran the next 11or so miles at a solid effort, averaging  a 9:20 pace throughout the climb up Timber, the rocky descent on Howard and Arthurs Rock trail, and the climb up Mill Creek.
Got to Towers and slowed back down to an easy jog the rest of the way.
It felt good to open it up on the down and rolling sections, while giving the climbs a good hard push. Surely this section of the race course, along with a few others, will be one of the toughest parts of the race--- the 25 mile turn around point up Timber.
Legs felt really responsive today.
Only a few more weeks left until race day, which means only a few more hard long runs left before the taper begins.


On a side note : Andrea got into a small accident with our car today while I was home with Eli. She was on her way to pick up a girlfriend and go on a short hike together when it happened. Nothing major, she is okay--just shaken up a bit.  So we might be down to our truck this upcoming week for carpooling to and from work, and daycare, while the car is in the shop. So very thankfuul Andrea is safe and okay.
Maybe its a sign that it is time we should upgrade to that family SUV  we have been talking about for the last year or two.


--- Sunday - 04/15/12 ---

OFF


Church in the morning and then spent the day with my in-laws and family down near Denver for the day. Was supposed to go to the Butterfly Pavilion but that got cancelled and spent the day at my in-laws home. Ate dinner down there and got home late. A fun time hanging out with 2 of my brother in laws.


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A fairly easy week of training with one good long run over the weekend.  The up-tempo section of that workout felt great and was a very encouraging sign.  Since there are only a few weeks left until the race I have only a handful of hard/long workouts planned before I begin my taper.
Something else I have been thinking about lately is that I dont have any races lined up for the summer yet.  (outside of the Barr trail race ) Depending on whats still available and entry fee costs I think I will take a good hard look in the next few weeks and try to figure out a race (or two) for the summer months.

RECAP : April 2 - April 8

--- Monday - 04/02/12 ---


Foothills Trail ( Medium Loop )  - 38:15


Easy paced run . Felt good.

--- Tuesday - 04/03/12 ---

Foothills Trail ( Short Loop ) - 29:10

Temps today were in the upper 30's with a solid breeze blowing across town. Two days ago temps were in the 80's and today in the 30's...thats Colorado weather for you!  Forgot to pack any warm stuff, so was glad to get back to the truck and warm up -- shorts and T-shirt all the way--- Brrr!

Another easy effort. 

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

Foothills Trail (Medium Loop) + 1 lap of Pineridge - 1:02:44 (PR)

Because yesterday was more on the windy/chilly side, I decided to skip my track workout and go easy. So today, with warmer temps, I decided to run a moderate effort tempo out on Foothills trail (34:55) and Pineridge (27:49). The last few days have been easy running, so it felt good to run slightly up-tempo for a change.  Not that I have ever run this ~8 mile loop hard, but I did notice that I ran my best time today for any sorta tempo/fartlek type workout on this course. Tomorrow will be easy with my B2B (back to back) long runs coming up on Friday and Saturday.

--- Thursday - 04/05/12 ---


Pineridge - 35:20


One easy effort lap of Pineridge starting from Maxwell TH. A full 7 minutes+ slower than yesterdays tempo split.  Was considering taking today off since I have two 25 mile runs planned this weekend, but decided on a super easy run instead.



--- Friday - 04/06/12 ---


Part 1 of 2 - B2B Long Run Weekend 
25 miles - 3 hours 55 minutes


Workout went like this:


Blue Sky TH > South on Blue Sky > Devils Backbone TH > Back North on Blue Sky > Blue Sky TH > up the road to Horsetooth TH > falls > Stout > Towers > Soderberg TH > Inlet Bay > Blue Sky TH

Blue Sky Valley looking North

Blue Sky Valley looking West

Sketchy footing

more rock hopping

Devils Backbone

A beautiful morning for a beautiful run!  This is my first real attempt at any sort of long back-to-back runs, so I took the pace relatively easy today. It has been a really long time since I have been down to the Devils Backbone area and so it felt nice to run on these trails for a change.



--- Saturday - 04/07/12 ---


Part 2 of 2 - B2B Long Run Weekend
25 miles - 3 hours 41 minutes


Workout went like this:


Starting from my house > Horsetooth Road West > Taft Hill South > Harmony (38E) West > Took 38E to Horsetooth Mtn park main TH > South Ridge > Westridge > Towers > Spring Creek > Falls > Main TH > 38E East to Taft Hill > North on Taft Hill > East on Horsetooth Road > Past Shields......and finally home!




Usually after any sort of long run effort the following day (or two!) is an easy recovery day. However, after yesterdays 25 miler, I had another 25 miles planned for this mornings run.  The reason for this B2B long run insanity is so that I can try to simulate what it is going to feel like on race day, running on possibly heavy and tired legs during the latter stages of the race. I had no idea how my legs would respond to this workout. I woke up this morning feeling good, my left IT band felt sorta tight, but other than that my legs felt pretty good.

I was planning on meeting Steve up at the Horsetooth TH for some trail action and with a couple of miles to go Steve drove by me and before I knew it I was up at the TH and definitely looking forward to some company for an hour or so of chatter during the run.  After we finished the 7.5 mile 'ish run together, Steve hopped into his car -- offered me a last chance ditch effort drive back into town -- and then drove away.  9 more miles of running and my B2B long run weekend would be complete!  The run back was actually pleasant, and the up and down rolling hills on the road allowed for ample recovery time.
Overall, I actually felt better today than I did yesterday. I think having some company mid-run to break it up a bit certainly helped. I tried to go as minimal as I could today, and so I didnt pack along my camera -- so no pics.

After I got home and showered--myself, Andrea and Eli walked over to Panera for lunch.
Later in the day we were over our friends (James and Julies) house and while we were there Eli took her first real steps all by herself!  A super awesome run, followed by even a more super awesome afternoon watching my daughter walk into my arms for the first time.  :-)



--- Sunday - 04/08/12 --- EASTER


OFF


After a successful B2B long run weekend I decided to take the day off and spend some time in the kitchen baking a honey-cinnamon ham for some family and friends who we had over for Easter dinner.
A beautiful Easter day!




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Wow -- What a week! --  Easter,  B2B long runs and Eli taking her first steps!

With just over 4 weeks to go before the Quad Rock 50 race I really wanted to get in this B2B long run workout, which turned out to be not so bad afterall. I suppose my legs feel a little heavy, but nothing I havent felt before.
Running with Steve for part of my run on Saturday definitely helped.  And the ride back into town was tempting --- but I had to turn it down.
And Eli taking her first steps on her own was simply awesome.

RECAP : Mar 26 - April 1

--- Monday - 03/26/12 ---

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 1 hour 16 minutes


Workout went like this:

Horsetooth liquor store > Main TH > South Ridge > Rock Trail > Wathen > Spring Creek > Falls > Main TH > back down hill to truck.

Spring Creek

Spring Creek

An easy paced run all the way.


--- Tuesday - 03/27/12 ---

Track workout (3 x 800m)  2:31, 2:33, 2:32 + easy 40 minutes @ Pineridge in PM

Had some time to get to the track during lunch break and wanted to get in a few 800's.  I havent been to the track in several weeks, and thought it would be a wise to get back "on track" on more of a consistent basis, as I did throughout the winter months.
Temps were great, mid 60's. However my allergies had me clogged up pretty good today. Felt like I was running with a clothes pin clamped around my nose..ohh well.  One cool thing is while I was starting my warmup, Adriana Nelson Pirtea approached me and asked if I would like to run with (or pace) her for some of her 800's. I think she was running in neighborhood of about 10 x 800m total.  Slightly more than I could squeeze into my lunch break, but said "sure".  Her husband, Jeremy, was there recording her splits throughout the workout.
Anyway, I had to cut it short--only 3 repeats, and then head back to work....clogged up allergy filled nose and all.

Summary :
1 mile warmup
3 x 800m repeats w/2 minute recovery
1 mile cool down

After work I headed out for an easy 40 minute short run at Pineridge. I did my own mix of a loop run starting from Maxwell TH. Easy jog pace.



--- Wednesday - 03/28/12 ---

3 x loops around Pineridge - 1 hour 29 minutes


Workout went like this :

Starting from Maxwell TH I ran 3 counter-clockwise loops around Pineridge.


Easy pace for the most part with several Fartlek type surges here and there on some of the up and down rollers along the West trail.



--- Thursday - 03/29/12 ---

Foothills Trail  (medium loop) - 38:27

Easy day, felt good.  Weather all week has been spectacular. Mid 70's!  Nice!



--- Friday - 03/30/12 ---

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 2 hours 5 minutes



Workout went like this:


Horsetooth liquor store > Main TH > South Ridge > Rock Trail > Westridge > Towers > L on Stout > Down Sawmill > turned around just as Sawmill opened up to valley > back up Sawmill > L on Stout > crossed over Towers > Continued on Stout > Falls > Main TH > back down to truck

Todays run was more of a "what trail do I feel like taking now", as opposed to anything pre-planned.  Felt okay, legs kinda heavy.

Falls Trail

--- Saturday - 03/31/12 ---

OFF

Technically speaking---I did not run.  But I use the term "off" very lightly.  As I spent a solid 5 hours outside with my father in law and brother in law under the dehydrating, sunny 85 degree day, pulling up and discarding 4 large Juniper bushes from our yard, raking both the front and back yard, removing all of the bark chips on our property and finally cleaning it all up. 2 full truck loads, a trip to the dump, and 5 hours out in the sun  --- time to put my feet up and take a nap!
 Much love and thanks for family to come up from the Denver area and help out for the day. Much appreciated! Thank you!



--- Sunday - 04/01/12 ---

Horsetooth Mountain Park - 1 hour 43 minutes


Workout went like this:

Horsetooth liquor store > Main TH > Falls > Spring Creek > Wathen > Westridge > Towers > Spring Creek > Falls > Main TH > back down to truck

Temps today were in the mid 80's!  Wow!  Super warm day for only the first day in April. Trails today were as expected --- Packed!  Even on less popular trails like Wathen, I ran by at least a dozen or so hikers. I generally enjoy the less populated trails over the constant yelling "on your left", hiker and weekend warrior filled trails.  But today I did not mind as much. Probably because the spring season is young and it has yet to bother me.  Come mid July and I am sure I will be feeling differently.  Although one thing I always seem to enjoy when running along packed trails are the constant words of "encouragement"  by folks out there going for a walk or hike. Words like "Wow, you are crazy", "Nice work", "Good job", "Keep it up", "Way to kick arse" and even the occasional hand clap!....are all good to hear. Although my favorite one today was when a couple walking along Wathen trail moved off to the side to let me by and then the girl elbowed her boyfriend and said, "why arent you out here running like that?"..hehe.  Gotta love it.

View from Towers

Spring Creek canyon

Rollers on Spring Creek

Anyway, another hot shirt-less run today. I tried to choose trails that would have the most shade coverage over head. A nice breeze, despite the warm temps, felt really good throughout the run. Filled up both of my empty hand held H2O bottles near the end of my run at the TH and guzzled down 20oz of cold liquid goodness in about 10 seconds. Ahh...refreshing!

Felt great today.


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A  nice week of running under the warming Colorado sky. Temps have been really nice this week, with a few days in the 80's!
Looking forward to another day at the track this week as well as one or two long runs. Either this week or next I plan to do a  B2B (Back to Back) long run days to help simulate running on tired and fatigued legs. Something I will encounter come race day.  Not sure how far or how long I plan to go. Most likely will take place in Horsetooth/Lory (maybe some of Blue Sky).
One of these weeks I plan to buy a parks pass so that I dont have to run the extra mile to and from the trailhead to get into Horsetooth Mtn park.

Another solid week of running in the books.