Monday - coronado shake out (2 miles 0:18). easy shake out run prior to swimming. a nice break from climbing and good opportunity to shake out my legs a little bit.
swim (500m 0:30). easy swim from tidelands park in coronado. good to be in the water
Tuesday - torrey pines hills (6.8 miles 1:17). some hill repeats with victor, brandon, mindy, stacia and deborah. roughly a 1 mile climb up torrey pines followed by core work and burpees. descend and re-ascend torrey pines, repeat core work and burpees before getting off onto some trails descending almost to the beach and climbing back up with some good hard efforts before the final descent down to the beach. a fun little descent winding through hard pack dirt overlooking the pacific. and a nice little final push along the beach back to the cars.
Wednesday - day off to eat and be merry
Thursday - penasquitos out and back (8.5 miles 1:14). took a little effort to drag myself out for this one. fun little run with victoria. felt like a pretty good effort on the way out and slightly easier on the return. had some little warnings of tightness in my right achilles and numbess in the same foot. reminding me it's time to get back into the stretches and achilles rehab. the trip back felt a little easier and was slightly slower, but all in all a good effort and fun outing.
liberty station tempo effort (10.75 miles 1:32). definitely feeling this mornings run on my legs for this one. fortunately there was a reprieve at the turn around, some core work and stairs. a fun little group effort. they tend to push pretty well on the out portion, then sit back a bit on the return. i was more interested in getting back and eating, so pressed the effort as much as anyone was interested in following on the return, still stopping at the water stops. the final mile was a solid push finally able to drop tyler within the last 1/2 to 1/4 mile. he hung on pretty strong for much of the way back. it took all i had left in me, both strength and desire to suffer. a nice little cap on the weeks hard efforts. time to rest up a bit and hope i have some good mileage left in my legs for the weekend.
Friday - shake out run (4.59 miles 0:43). very difficult to drag myself out of bed for this one. a fun little jaunt with mike kelley. legs very heavy after yesterdays effort. this pace as plenty fast and plenty long. good company and feeling better at the finish than when we started. all in all a great way to say good by to san diego.
Saturday - bv trails out and back (11.3 miles 2:20). this week seems to have fully caught up to me. legs are absolutely worthless today, and to add a little salt, the stomach turned on me too. since i was accompanying Jamie and her friend, i decided to press a bit further than i would have on my own. i ultimately opted to cut it short and turned around before they were ready. a painful reminder that there are good days and bad days, and the balance can only be off briefly before it is righted. still great to be out with good people enjoying dirt and sunshine.
Sunday - Day off - still feeling a little off and tired, i'm going to take another day and rest a bit.
Retrospective: a solid week with 2 hard efforts (tuesday and thursday). 2 fun days to remind me of the discomfort i am able to subject myself to, and a fun little attempt at finding some of the speed which is buried underneath the desire to endure that discomfort. a couple of good days on monday and friday with the best of company. saturday served as a solid reminder that one cannot continue to reach into the well and pull out solid performances: there will be days needed to recover and allow the benefits of hard efforts to be reaped.
Summary:
Total Time: 7:16
Running Time: 7:16
Distance: 44 miles
TSS: 518
Climbing: 2,771'
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Summer days
contemplating the next steps, and Nolan's 14 comes to mind as a potentially good way to see a good portion of my local wilderness out in leadville. it's time to start working through the logistics and improving my climbing which equates to 2 primary means:
1. skinny up (embrace hunger)
2. climb a lot (embrace discomfort)
we shall see how my dedication goes for this.
1. skinny up (embrace hunger)
2. climb a lot (embrace discomfort)
we shall see how my dedication goes for this.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
20140323 - week in review
Monday - day off
Tuesday - speed work (3.2 miles 0:23). i was feeling a bit motivated and had a little time between meetings, so opted to squeeze in a quick run at a pretty solid effort. it was fun to be out and run hard, though it reminds me of how my focus has shifted from fast to enduring.
Wednesday - base run (3.3 miles 0:46). an attempt to find some dirt and new trails. i did wind up on the colorado trail for a bit, though it was covered in several feet of snow, which i had the misfortune of punching through in several spots. these trails will be fun once it thaws out a bit more.
Thursday - mt elbert ascent - south trailhead (11 miles 3:43). i was planning on a mellow jaunt part way up elbert, but Mike had other plans. you can get the full read here. in summary: we started around 3:30, i was in shorts, gloves (very prepared), and long sleeves. we made pretty good time to between 12,000' and 13,000', then things started to get really cold, i was fortunate to find a discarded jacket on the ascent and happy to wear it the remainder of the outing. after a bit of slipping and shivering, i reached the summit, we enjoyed a brief view and headed back down, carefully navigating the frozen snowfields we were quite happy to drop back down into the trees and enjoy the shelter from the cold. there was some pretty incredible views and we got to enjoy the peaks in full glorious glow as the sun dropped below the horizon.
Friday - more explorations (6.5 miles 1:10). a fun little exploratory jaunt out of granite with Jamie. we tried a couple dirt roads that went nowhere we were thrilled about so opted to parallel the 24 south along some fun single track overlooking the river. a fun little outing to help loosen the legs after yesterdays ascent.
Saturday - buena vista social jaunt (21.1 miles 4:32). a fun little outing with the vertical runner breckenridge group. a lovely day in the sun on dirt with good people. there were several options to push things a bit, and the usual opportunities to enjoy the views and bask in the sun while things regrouped. some really fun single track, and a couple dirt road stretches to connect them. all in all lots of fun.
Sunday - el capitan ascent (10 miles 2:05). fun little jaunt up el capitan. I didn't expect much after yesterdays run, and iniitially my body seemed to agree, i almost called it early within the first 1/2 mile, but opted to just have fun with it, and hike as required. about 15 minutes into the climbing, things tarted to turn around. granted, i wasn't climbing great, but could keep a steady effort and jog up most of the climbing. I stopped several times to enjoy the views and remember coming here to get away from things and enjoy nature. The return trip to the car was a fun little jaunt.
Retrospective - an easy start to the week with 2 pretty good efforts and a fun shake out run towards the end. it's good to be back in the mountains, especially able to find some sun and warm weather, and out running with good people again. though i quite enjoy my solo runs and time in nature, it's nice to enjoy good company on occasion.
Summary:
Total Time: 12:40
Running Time: 12:40
Distance: 55.4 miles
TSS: 615
Climbing: 12,692'
Tuesday - speed work (3.2 miles 0:23). i was feeling a bit motivated and had a little time between meetings, so opted to squeeze in a quick run at a pretty solid effort. it was fun to be out and run hard, though it reminds me of how my focus has shifted from fast to enduring.
Wednesday - base run (3.3 miles 0:46). an attempt to find some dirt and new trails. i did wind up on the colorado trail for a bit, though it was covered in several feet of snow, which i had the misfortune of punching through in several spots. these trails will be fun once it thaws out a bit more.
Thursday - mt elbert ascent - south trailhead (11 miles 3:43). i was planning on a mellow jaunt part way up elbert, but Mike had other plans. you can get the full read here. in summary: we started around 3:30, i was in shorts, gloves (very prepared), and long sleeves. we made pretty good time to between 12,000' and 13,000', then things started to get really cold, i was fortunate to find a discarded jacket on the ascent and happy to wear it the remainder of the outing. after a bit of slipping and shivering, i reached the summit, we enjoyed a brief view and headed back down, carefully navigating the frozen snowfields we were quite happy to drop back down into the trees and enjoy the shelter from the cold. there was some pretty incredible views and we got to enjoy the peaks in full glorious glow as the sun dropped below the horizon.
Friday - more explorations (6.5 miles 1:10). a fun little exploratory jaunt out of granite with Jamie. we tried a couple dirt roads that went nowhere we were thrilled about so opted to parallel the 24 south along some fun single track overlooking the river. a fun little outing to help loosen the legs after yesterdays ascent.
Saturday - buena vista social jaunt (21.1 miles 4:32). a fun little outing with the vertical runner breckenridge group. a lovely day in the sun on dirt with good people. there were several options to push things a bit, and the usual opportunities to enjoy the views and bask in the sun while things regrouped. some really fun single track, and a couple dirt road stretches to connect them. all in all lots of fun.
Sunday - el capitan ascent (10 miles 2:05). fun little jaunt up el capitan. I didn't expect much after yesterdays run, and iniitially my body seemed to agree, i almost called it early within the first 1/2 mile, but opted to just have fun with it, and hike as required. about 15 minutes into the climbing, things tarted to turn around. granted, i wasn't climbing great, but could keep a steady effort and jog up most of the climbing. I stopped several times to enjoy the views and remember coming here to get away from things and enjoy nature. The return trip to the car was a fun little jaunt.
Retrospective - an easy start to the week with 2 pretty good efforts and a fun shake out run towards the end. it's good to be back in the mountains, especially able to find some sun and warm weather, and out running with good people again. though i quite enjoy my solo runs and time in nature, it's nice to enjoy good company on occasion.
Summary:
Total Time: 12:40
Running Time: 12:40
Distance: 55.4 miles
TSS: 615
Climbing: 12,692'
Thursday, March 20, 2014
20140320 - welcome equinox
a nice little jaunt up mt elbert with mike this afternoon to embrace the vernal equinox and get in a little vertical time in. started out feeling pretty good, and very underprepared as far as gear goes. i had no intention of reaching the summit today. when i picked mike up he had a pack and light puffy, gloves hat, jacket.
once again, i'm under prepared, long sleeves, shorts, and gloves, no water, no hat, no jacket, no camera. though i am getting better, there is a nice little pile next to my front door. in that pile you will find a hat, warm gloves, a jacket, a camera, and handheld. perhaps next time these items will make it into the car with me.
regardless, we started out the trails were pretty well packed in. though once you stepped off, and i managed to do that once, i was buried to mid thigh in some icy slush. very much not what i wanted, alas, i pull out and we carried on our way. we ran into a guy and girl on their way down, they informed us it's pretty well packed, with a couple steep slick spots, and windy and cold up top.
noted, we pressed on. in about 25 minutes we covered the 2 miles up the jeep road (completely covered in snow and impassable in an auto), stopped checked the signs and confirmed our route, and off we went. we ran into the other 2 from the party of hikers and they concurred it was cold and windy up top. sweet, at least i'm prepared. we continued on our way clambering up some of the slick steep sections without too much issue. before too long, we popped out above tree line (just a little shy of 12,000', only 2,400' left of vertical).
the wind definitely picked up and made things a little chilly. though i was still moving ok, and feeling pretty good. I came over a knoll and were looking up at a pretty good stretch of hard pack at a decent incline, mike was already a good 100' of vertical up and moving along. i knew this would be interesting on the way down. mike shouted back asking how i'm doing. i'm ok at this point, though my hands are starting to get a bit chilled.
after another 20 minutes of climbing, mike looks back and points, shouting back, a jacket. it appears as the gods smile upon me, or perhaps they are just laughing, and feel pity. when i get to the jacket, i pick it up and proceed to attempt to put it on. only to discover my fingers are non functional. sweet, another 1,000' to 1,500' of vert and my hands are almost as useless as clubs. i managed to wriggle my hands through the sleeves and am in the jacket. gloves back on, and i'm able to keep my right hand in the sleeve to help try to warm it up.
mike has already disappeared over the next false summit, i'm making my way up the snow pack thinking this will be interesting coming back down, it's pretty frozen, and steep, the good news is as long as you stay right on the descent, it's a pretty smooth transition (after a lot of vertical descent).
After about 2 hours, i come up and achieve the summit. mike is enjoying the views. my hands are clubs at this point. mike offers his hat, which i am unable to put on, so he helps and gets it on my dome, sort of. he then offers me his gloves (fortunately he has a pair of liners that he will continue to wear). again, i'm unable to get my hands in the gloves, so with a little help, i manage to get the gloves 1/2 way on, and we start heading down.
the initial descent isn't too bad, the snow is soft enough that we sink in a enough to arrest our descent, and are able to sort of run down for a bit. it's incredible how much warmer it is on the way down, and even more so once the wind stops.
we continue down, staying pretty well together. arriving at the hard pack, things get painfully slow, and a little precarious. the snow is too hard to punch through, and steep enough that sliding is happening. the key is not to slide too much, and definitely not to get out of control. to the left is a good bit of exposure that would likely result in a really bad ending to the day. we make it down to the exposed rock without incident.
once on the rocks, we begin trotting again, making decent time (roughly twice as fast on the descent as on the ascent). we wander off path slightly, and correct back to the right, make our way through some punchy snowfields and are back on the packed trails.
we continue jogging down, and before long we are back in the trees, it feels 20 degrees warmer in the trees, and is a welcome change. i give mike his gloves back, and rotate between wearing the had and carrying the hat. there are a couple of steep click sections, 1 of which i slide down alternating between squatting and sliding on my feet, and sliding on my arse.
we quickly arrive at the trailhead, and stop to enjoy the peaks all around us and incredible views. looking back towards elbert, commenting how we were just there, and it's nice to be here, warm and relatively wind free. the sun is getting very low (technically, it's already set behind elbert, but will not officially set for another 40 minutes or so).
we carry on, running a bit faster down the jeep road, about 20 minutes until we are back at the car. there are a couple clearings with good views of the surrounding peaks. we are fortunate enough to catch an incredible display of alpen glow (or at least what i'm calling alpen glow:) the sky all around the peaks to the south, east, and north is a pale blend of pink and purple. an incredible way to close out the run.
shortly after this, we are back at the car, both nice and warm, and happy about the afternoon's successful summit. 1st 14'er of the year, good company, good times, and a good lesson.
on the drive back, i thank mike for the hat and gloves, he was happy to have had them, and been able to share them. we both note i was pretty haggard looking at the summit, and without the fortune of the jacket found en route and mike's thought to bring the extra hat, and willingness to share the gloves, i would have been turning around much earlier (at least that's what i tell myself, the good news is we didn't need to find out).
another valuable lesson, i've grown a bit brash and overconfident, after my first winter here. i must be more cognizant and remember mother nature is not concerned with my well being. she will do as she does regardless of what i choose. at no point should i expect her to change anything on account of my ill preparation. i will try to be more respectful and remember to carry a bit of gear with me on any ascents.
after all, a puffy jacket, gloves and a hat (maybe i should bring tights too given my penchant for running in shorts) won't take up much space, and could make things much more palatable, or perhaps endurable is more accurate:)
regardless, a great day in the mountains, and my second ascent of elbert. this year is off to a good start.
once again, i'm under prepared, long sleeves, shorts, and gloves, no water, no hat, no jacket, no camera. though i am getting better, there is a nice little pile next to my front door. in that pile you will find a hat, warm gloves, a jacket, a camera, and handheld. perhaps next time these items will make it into the car with me.
regardless, we started out the trails were pretty well packed in. though once you stepped off, and i managed to do that once, i was buried to mid thigh in some icy slush. very much not what i wanted, alas, i pull out and we carried on our way. we ran into a guy and girl on their way down, they informed us it's pretty well packed, with a couple steep slick spots, and windy and cold up top.
noted, we pressed on. in about 25 minutes we covered the 2 miles up the jeep road (completely covered in snow and impassable in an auto), stopped checked the signs and confirmed our route, and off we went. we ran into the other 2 from the party of hikers and they concurred it was cold and windy up top. sweet, at least i'm prepared. we continued on our way clambering up some of the slick steep sections without too much issue. before too long, we popped out above tree line (just a little shy of 12,000', only 2,400' left of vertical).
the wind definitely picked up and made things a little chilly. though i was still moving ok, and feeling pretty good. I came over a knoll and were looking up at a pretty good stretch of hard pack at a decent incline, mike was already a good 100' of vertical up and moving along. i knew this would be interesting on the way down. mike shouted back asking how i'm doing. i'm ok at this point, though my hands are starting to get a bit chilled.
after another 20 minutes of climbing, mike looks back and points, shouting back, a jacket. it appears as the gods smile upon me, or perhaps they are just laughing, and feel pity. when i get to the jacket, i pick it up and proceed to attempt to put it on. only to discover my fingers are non functional. sweet, another 1,000' to 1,500' of vert and my hands are almost as useless as clubs. i managed to wriggle my hands through the sleeves and am in the jacket. gloves back on, and i'm able to keep my right hand in the sleeve to help try to warm it up.
mike has already disappeared over the next false summit, i'm making my way up the snow pack thinking this will be interesting coming back down, it's pretty frozen, and steep, the good news is as long as you stay right on the descent, it's a pretty smooth transition (after a lot of vertical descent).
After about 2 hours, i come up and achieve the summit. mike is enjoying the views. my hands are clubs at this point. mike offers his hat, which i am unable to put on, so he helps and gets it on my dome, sort of. he then offers me his gloves (fortunately he has a pair of liners that he will continue to wear). again, i'm unable to get my hands in the gloves, so with a little help, i manage to get the gloves 1/2 way on, and we start heading down.
the initial descent isn't too bad, the snow is soft enough that we sink in a enough to arrest our descent, and are able to sort of run down for a bit. it's incredible how much warmer it is on the way down, and even more so once the wind stops.
we continue down, staying pretty well together. arriving at the hard pack, things get painfully slow, and a little precarious. the snow is too hard to punch through, and steep enough that sliding is happening. the key is not to slide too much, and definitely not to get out of control. to the left is a good bit of exposure that would likely result in a really bad ending to the day. we make it down to the exposed rock without incident.
once on the rocks, we begin trotting again, making decent time (roughly twice as fast on the descent as on the ascent). we wander off path slightly, and correct back to the right, make our way through some punchy snowfields and are back on the packed trails.
we continue jogging down, and before long we are back in the trees, it feels 20 degrees warmer in the trees, and is a welcome change. i give mike his gloves back, and rotate between wearing the had and carrying the hat. there are a couple of steep click sections, 1 of which i slide down alternating between squatting and sliding on my feet, and sliding on my arse.
we quickly arrive at the trailhead, and stop to enjoy the peaks all around us and incredible views. looking back towards elbert, commenting how we were just there, and it's nice to be here, warm and relatively wind free. the sun is getting very low (technically, it's already set behind elbert, but will not officially set for another 40 minutes or so).
we carry on, running a bit faster down the jeep road, about 20 minutes until we are back at the car. there are a couple clearings with good views of the surrounding peaks. we are fortunate enough to catch an incredible display of alpen glow (or at least what i'm calling alpen glow:) the sky all around the peaks to the south, east, and north is a pale blend of pink and purple. an incredible way to close out the run.
shortly after this, we are back at the car, both nice and warm, and happy about the afternoon's successful summit. 1st 14'er of the year, good company, good times, and a good lesson.
on the drive back, i thank mike for the hat and gloves, he was happy to have had them, and been able to share them. we both note i was pretty haggard looking at the summit, and without the fortune of the jacket found en route and mike's thought to bring the extra hat, and willingness to share the gloves, i would have been turning around much earlier (at least that's what i tell myself, the good news is we didn't need to find out).
another valuable lesson, i've grown a bit brash and overconfident, after my first winter here. i must be more cognizant and remember mother nature is not concerned with my well being. she will do as she does regardless of what i choose. at no point should i expect her to change anything on account of my ill preparation. i will try to be more respectful and remember to carry a bit of gear with me on any ascents.
after all, a puffy jacket, gloves and a hat (maybe i should bring tights too given my penchant for running in shorts) won't take up much space, and could make things much more palatable, or perhaps endurable is more accurate:)
regardless, a great day in the mountains, and my second ascent of elbert. this year is off to a good start.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
20140316 - week in review
Monday: day off
Tuesday: mountain view 5 loop (5.3 miles 0:50). felt pretty good for my first day back at altitude, a little sluggish on the climbing, but i'm going to attribute that to the long day on saturday.
Wednesday: mineral belt out and back (5 miles 0:47). just a quick jaunt, still taking it easy as my legs are not back yet, and my achilles is a little twingy here and there.
Thursday: CMC trails (3.2 miles 0:37). a slow climb up and some slippery and punchy snow. it's good to be out in some warmer weather and enjoying some of the old familiar trails. i'm getting very antsy for spring and the trails to be clear again. My legs were feeling pretty good, so i decided to press the last 1/2 mile and stretch the legs a little.
Friday: 7th st. out and back (6.6 miles 0:59). still not climbing 100%, but feeling pretty solid considering everything. It's always fun stretching the legs on the return down 7th street. a good week back up in the mountains.
Saturday: salida marathon spectating (11.2 miles 3:24). Had several friends running the 1/2 and the full, and a couple others spectating. It took us a little while to figure out where the course actually went, but we finally did. we got to see the 1/2 runners several times, and the full participants on a couple sections before we were sufficiently chilled and ready to be back in warm clothes, waiting at the finish line. Jamie had a stellar performance (all those days on the treadmill and braving the cold paid dividends). she beat last years time by more than 1 minute per mile, huge improvement kudos.
Sunday: 7th st out and back (8.4 miles 1:19). legs pretty flat today, climbing was poor, but it felt good to get outside and enjoy another warm day (30+), the snow is definitely melting, though i suspect there is still a long way to go before i can fully enjoy dirt on the local trails.
Retrospective: It's good to be back home and get back to running with some of my favorite running buddies, and watch others improve upon past performance. It's nice to finally have some warmer weather and dirt not too far way. looks like spring is making an early push. i'm rooting for an early spring and lots of time in the mountains to come.
more photos can be found on smugmug
Summary:
Total Time: 7:56
Running Time: 7:56
Distance: 39.8 miles
TSS: 415
Climbing: 5,108'
Monday, March 10, 2014
20140309 - week in review
Monday: day off
Tuesday: Penasquito's canyon run (6.3 miles 0:49) a quick little jaunt to get some trail time on. pretty mellow pace on the way out and a good little press on the way back. legs felt good, and it was a good start to the day
Sunset Cliffs run (6.6 miles 1:05). I joined Victor for a one of our usual runs. started out feeling pretty slow and mellow and loosened up a bit for the 2nd half. The entire run was pretty mellow with several stops to enjoy the views. a fun little run with good company.
Wednesday: Chula Vista to Coronado bike (17 miles 1:04). I joined Mike Kelley for one of his evening commutes. a very windy ride. a good reminder how much the wind can change the effort. a pretty similar effort to last weeks ride and 10 minutes slower. again good company.
Thursday: Liberty station run (8.6 miles 1:14). a fun little jaunt with several of the group going to the grand canyon. a pretty good effort on the way out and some obstacles (climbing fences to work around the construction closures and poor navigation), then a fun little core session. the return trip started out pretty mellow. After a photo stop, the typical outcome of victor and i on the same run started to unfold. we have a tendency of pressing the effort until one of us starts to break and falls off the pace, then we settle down and finish out with a comfortably hard effort.
Friday: day off
Saturday: grand canyon explorations (link to my post on the adventure) (31+ miles 9:32). all in all a spectacular day with good people. the abbreviated journey is every bit as spectacular as the full rim to rim to rim venture, but a bit more forgiving. Some incredible views, and several long pauses to enjoy the views, soak in nature, and discover a little more about what really drives me. these days it's not about being fast (though it hasn't been about being fast for several years), these days it's about the incredible experiences, appreciating nature, and watching other people grow to appreciate some of the same things, in their own way.
Sunday: day off
Retrospective: a very fun week focused on enjoying the outdoors and sharing with good friends. i hope to continue along this track.
Summary:
Total Time: 13:22
Running Time: 12:18
Distance: 68.7
TSS: 1,267
Climbing: ~12,000'
Tuesday: Penasquito's canyon run (6.3 miles 0:49) a quick little jaunt to get some trail time on. pretty mellow pace on the way out and a good little press on the way back. legs felt good, and it was a good start to the day
Sunset Cliffs run (6.6 miles 1:05). I joined Victor for a one of our usual runs. started out feeling pretty slow and mellow and loosened up a bit for the 2nd half. The entire run was pretty mellow with several stops to enjoy the views. a fun little run with good company.
Wednesday: Chula Vista to Coronado bike (17 miles 1:04). I joined Mike Kelley for one of his evening commutes. a very windy ride. a good reminder how much the wind can change the effort. a pretty similar effort to last weeks ride and 10 minutes slower. again good company.
Thursday: Liberty station run (8.6 miles 1:14). a fun little jaunt with several of the group going to the grand canyon. a pretty good effort on the way out and some obstacles (climbing fences to work around the construction closures and poor navigation), then a fun little core session. the return trip started out pretty mellow. After a photo stop, the typical outcome of victor and i on the same run started to unfold. we have a tendency of pressing the effort until one of us starts to break and falls off the pace, then we settle down and finish out with a comfortably hard effort.
Friday: day off
Saturday: grand canyon explorations (link to my post on the adventure) (31+ miles 9:32). all in all a spectacular day with good people. the abbreviated journey is every bit as spectacular as the full rim to rim to rim venture, but a bit more forgiving. Some incredible views, and several long pauses to enjoy the views, soak in nature, and discover a little more about what really drives me. these days it's not about being fast (though it hasn't been about being fast for several years), these days it's about the incredible experiences, appreciating nature, and watching other people grow to appreciate some of the same things, in their own way.
Sunday: day off
Retrospective: a very fun week focused on enjoying the outdoors and sharing with good friends. i hope to continue along this track.
Summary:
Total Time: 13:22
Running Time: 12:18
Distance: 68.7
TSS: 1,267
Climbing: ~12,000'
20140308 - Grand Canyon Explorations
I joined a group of some very good friends and some new friends to explore some of the trails around the grand canyon. we met up for pre-run dinner and logistics friday evening in tusayan. After a bit of discussion the details were more or less sorted out. we would meet at kaibab trail head, take the shuttle to bright angel trail head go down to ribbon falls and return up kaibab.
A little after 8, we started the journey. the descent down bright angel was incredibly fun, incredible views and a very runnable grade, nothing technical, all dirt, and temps in the 40s to start. My legs were anxious to let it go a bit on the descent. i rolled with it for a bit before i started to have some stomach discomfort. At which time i dialed things back a bit, and paused periodically to take some photos of the group and views along the way.
between the stops to regroup, take photos and enjoy the views, we were moving along at a leisurely pace, everyone stayed pretty well together down to Indian gardens, at which point some of us opted to stretch our legs and press on to the river crossing before regrouping.
By this point it was starting to heat up a bit and time to shed some clothing and take in some calories. we spent a good bit of time here before moving on to ribbon falls. Mindy, Tyler, and i started the gradual climb to the falls a bit ahead of the rest of the group. after 5 minutes or so, my calves tightened up pretty good, causing some tingling in both feet, and relegating things to a pretty mellow pace for the 6ish miles to the falls.
Victor caught up to us about 2 miles before the falls, and proceeded to pass and cruise ahead to the falls turn off. By now, my pack had rubbed my back pretty good in a few spots, causing a bit of discomfort. i opted to put my shirt back on and try to mitigate the rubbing going forward.
We sat back and relaxed for a bit as the rest of the group trickled in before heading over to the falls. The falls are pretty incredible, some very vivid greens to contrast the browns and reds of the canyon. we spent close to 1 hour down here relaxing in the falls, eating, and just enjoying the warmth and beauty before heading back towards phantom ranch and our last stop before climbing out of the canyon.
Dave, Stacia, Deborah, and Tyler started back a little ahead of the rest of us. When Victor, Tom, Mindy, and i started towards phantom ranch, we were moving pretty good. it wasn't long before my stomach was grumbling again, and i had to take a bathroom break. That helped immensely, and i was promptly back on track chasing Victor, Tom, and Mindy. It took a couple miles before i caught any glimpses of them. Once i did, i started to press a little more, and passed, Dave, Mindy, and Tom feeling pretty good. I could see Victor ahead holding steady, and eventually pulling away. about 1 mile out of phantom ranch, as i was getting pretty uncomfortable and starting to slow, i caught sight of Deborah, and that little spark that's been building inside me burned a little brighter. i continued pressing the upper edge of discomfort and closing the gap.
with about 1/4 mile to go, i caught Deborah and cruised into phantom ranch with her. Victor was waiting outside, while Tyler and Stacia were inside. i proceed to take off my pack and lay down to relax for a bit while the rest of the group trickled in. Tom and Mindy came in together, followed closely by Dave, Mario, Alfredo and Steve, Andrew, and Whitney. We hung out at phantom ranch for a bit, again eating, drinking, and being merry in general.
Several of the group were pretty anxious to get after the climb out and headed out early, the rest of us were pretty content to hike out of the canyon and enjoy the views. The climb out took a good bit of time and energy. We stopped periodically to enjoy the views and rest briefly. Near the beginning of the climb, we were greeted by a big horn sheep coming down the trail.
several of us were pretty humbled by the climb out and would have been happy for it to have been over much sooner. As usual, groups formed on the climb and everyone had some support to help them through the difficult spots. And of course Victor perpetually reminding "we don't have race numbers, don't lose sight of the purpose, look at the views".
the abbreviated trek is significantly easier than the full rim to rim to rim, though every bit as spectacular. once again a great day with a great group of people. Lesson learned, shirts are good to avoid chafing from the pack:
Garmin Data
full collection of photos on photo-op.smugmug.com
A little after 8, we started the journey. the descent down bright angel was incredibly fun, incredible views and a very runnable grade, nothing technical, all dirt, and temps in the 40s to start. My legs were anxious to let it go a bit on the descent. i rolled with it for a bit before i started to have some stomach discomfort. At which time i dialed things back a bit, and paused periodically to take some photos of the group and views along the way.
between the stops to regroup, take photos and enjoy the views, we were moving along at a leisurely pace, everyone stayed pretty well together down to Indian gardens, at which point some of us opted to stretch our legs and press on to the river crossing before regrouping.
By this point it was starting to heat up a bit and time to shed some clothing and take in some calories. we spent a good bit of time here before moving on to ribbon falls. Mindy, Tyler, and i started the gradual climb to the falls a bit ahead of the rest of the group. after 5 minutes or so, my calves tightened up pretty good, causing some tingling in both feet, and relegating things to a pretty mellow pace for the 6ish miles to the falls.
Victor caught up to us about 2 miles before the falls, and proceeded to pass and cruise ahead to the falls turn off. By now, my pack had rubbed my back pretty good in a few spots, causing a bit of discomfort. i opted to put my shirt back on and try to mitigate the rubbing going forward.
We sat back and relaxed for a bit as the rest of the group trickled in before heading over to the falls. The falls are pretty incredible, some very vivid greens to contrast the browns and reds of the canyon. we spent close to 1 hour down here relaxing in the falls, eating, and just enjoying the warmth and beauty before heading back towards phantom ranch and our last stop before climbing out of the canyon.
Dave, Stacia, Deborah, and Tyler started back a little ahead of the rest of us. When Victor, Tom, Mindy, and i started towards phantom ranch, we were moving pretty good. it wasn't long before my stomach was grumbling again, and i had to take a bathroom break. That helped immensely, and i was promptly back on track chasing Victor, Tom, and Mindy. It took a couple miles before i caught any glimpses of them. Once i did, i started to press a little more, and passed, Dave, Mindy, and Tom feeling pretty good. I could see Victor ahead holding steady, and eventually pulling away. about 1 mile out of phantom ranch, as i was getting pretty uncomfortable and starting to slow, i caught sight of Deborah, and that little spark that's been building inside me burned a little brighter. i continued pressing the upper edge of discomfort and closing the gap.
with about 1/4 mile to go, i caught Deborah and cruised into phantom ranch with her. Victor was waiting outside, while Tyler and Stacia were inside. i proceed to take off my pack and lay down to relax for a bit while the rest of the group trickled in. Tom and Mindy came in together, followed closely by Dave, Mario, Alfredo and Steve, Andrew, and Whitney. We hung out at phantom ranch for a bit, again eating, drinking, and being merry in general.
 |
| someday i may figure out milk doesn't do well on long runs |
Several of the group were pretty anxious to get after the climb out and headed out early, the rest of us were pretty content to hike out of the canyon and enjoy the views. The climb out took a good bit of time and energy. We stopped periodically to enjoy the views and rest briefly. Near the beginning of the climb, we were greeted by a big horn sheep coming down the trail.
several of us were pretty humbled by the climb out and would have been happy for it to have been over much sooner. As usual, groups formed on the climb and everyone had some support to help them through the difficult spots. And of course Victor perpetually reminding "we don't have race numbers, don't lose sight of the purpose, look at the views".
the abbreviated trek is significantly easier than the full rim to rim to rim, though every bit as spectacular. once again a great day with a great group of people. Lesson learned, shirts are good to avoid chafing from the pack:
Garmin Data
full collection of photos on photo-op.smugmug.com
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
20140302 - week in review
Monday: Black mtn camino del sur loop (8 miles 0:57). I intended to do an easy run and enjoy the warm air and quiet. After the first 1/2 mile i accepted that i wanted to push this run. I pressed the effort somewhat conservatively at first, aware of my tendency to fall apart on the backside of such efforts. I felt good climbing. though i feel a little faster on the flat and downhill turnover, i still feel like there is a good bit of room for improvement, and am looking forward to pressing these efforts and realizing some of these gains a the weather back home begins to warm up. Until then, i will continue to savor these efforts and new found energy while visiting warmer areas. this was my best effort measured to date on this loop by right around 2 minutes.
Tuesday: mission trials 5k (3.1 miles 0:27). A relatively easy recovery run with Randy. my legs were slightly heavy and lethargic. I was happy to cruise at a relatively slow easy pace.
Wednesday: black mtn carmel mtn loop (6 miles 0:54). my legs were still slightly lethargic, mainly manifesting as slower turnover instead of fatigue. I felt as though i could run a fair amount, just not very quickly.
mission trails out and back (5.3 miles 1:12). Easy run with Kariem. my legs still have some hints of fatigue, though feel much better than this morning.
Thursday: nothing
Friday: Black mtn starling loop (10.1 miles 1:23). Fun outing with Sarbajeet. There was a steady rain throughout. It was extremely fun running in the rain with shorts and a t-shirt pre-sunrise and not being cold. overall a very consistent and good pace. fast enough to benefit from and slow enough to enjoy.
Saturday: nothing
Sunday: nothing
Retrospective: a pretty flat week with some faster efforts, mostly running on the road, which is good for speed, bad for enjoyment. though all in all i'm enjoying being out running, and particularly fond of the temperatures and lack of snow on the ground. i'm very excited to get back into the high country and enjoy some of the trails, just have to wait for the snow to melt.
Summary
Total Time: 4:50
Running Time: 4:50
Distance: 33
TSS: 398
Climbing: 2,649'
Tuesday: mission trials 5k (3.1 miles 0:27). A relatively easy recovery run with Randy. my legs were slightly heavy and lethargic. I was happy to cruise at a relatively slow easy pace.
Wednesday: black mtn carmel mtn loop (6 miles 0:54). my legs were still slightly lethargic, mainly manifesting as slower turnover instead of fatigue. I felt as though i could run a fair amount, just not very quickly.
mission trails out and back (5.3 miles 1:12). Easy run with Kariem. my legs still have some hints of fatigue, though feel much better than this morning.
Thursday: nothing
Friday: Black mtn starling loop (10.1 miles 1:23). Fun outing with Sarbajeet. There was a steady rain throughout. It was extremely fun running in the rain with shorts and a t-shirt pre-sunrise and not being cold. overall a very consistent and good pace. fast enough to benefit from and slow enough to enjoy.
Saturday: nothing
Sunday: nothing
Retrospective: a pretty flat week with some faster efforts, mostly running on the road, which is good for speed, bad for enjoyment. though all in all i'm enjoying being out running, and particularly fond of the temperatures and lack of snow on the ground. i'm very excited to get back into the high country and enjoy some of the trails, just have to wait for the snow to melt.
Summary
Total Time: 4:50
Running Time: 4:50
Distance: 33
TSS: 398
Climbing: 2,649'
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