Monday, April 28, 2014

20140427 - week in review

Monday - coronado shake out run (2.4 miles 0:21).  legs feel very heavy today, and calves are really tight.  cut the run short, as it's no fun to run like this.

Tuesday - PQ trail wanderings (4.2 miles 1:01).  again, legs incredibly heavy, calves super tight, and general lethargy abound.  all in all an incredible day out appreciating the trails.  the run was a bit frustrating, but i have been pressing pretty hard the previous 3 weeks, and new i was flirting with this.  keeping my head up and we'll see how tomorrow goes

Wednesday - PQ explorations (2.6 miles 0:36).  another incredible day of enjoying the views on the trails.  legs even worse than yesterday, calves super tight, and still experiencing general lethargy.  i guess the hole has successfully been dug.  now to keep the runs easy until i am out of the hole.

Thursday - backside of cowles abbreviated (2.5 miles 0:30).  slightly better than yesterday, a bit faster overall with some climbing.  legs feeling better, but calves are still really tight.  general lethargy is fading.  looks like things are moving in the right direction.

Friday - squaw pass wanderings (1.3 miles 0:14).  welcome back to elevation.  legs very lethargic, trails muddy and breathing a bit labored, so it's a short one.  just enough to get out and get the blood flowing.  i'll save the efforts for when there is quality in my legs.

Saturday - french gulch out and back (6 miles 0:52).  everything feels much better today, the legs are still a little heavy, but far better than any of the weeks previous outings.

french gulch, prospector way and sideroad (6 miles 1:15).  VRB group run and la sportiva demo day.  a fun little outing.  with all the snow that has melted, it was impossible to avoid, so we tried to get on some trails, which are a bit punchy in most spots, looks like they will need to go back in the oven for another 2 - 3 weeks and cook a bit more.  felt good climbing and took the descent easy.

mineral belt trail to 7th (3.8 miles 0:35).  another outing to embrace the melting snow and more options to run on solid surface.  Mike and i followed the mineral belt up to 7th street (there was about 1/2 mile of snow covering).  a little sluggish on the 3rd run of the day, so i'm off to get some food and lots of sleep.  looking forward to more trails tomorrow.

Sunday - LT100 halfpipe wanderings (3.6 miles 0:35).  easy jog on some of the dirt roads off of halpipe.  legs are coming back around.  had some decent sections on the day.  perhaps some harder efforts tomorrow or tuesday to spur some race readiness.

Retrospective:   entirely too much food throughout the week (i gained 10 lbs in 4 days), that combined with 3 big weeks = a really good week to enjoy views and short slow days on the trails.  i'm pleased to have things turning around the last few days of the week, and am looking to continue that trend the coming week in preparation for collegiate peaks 50.

Summary:
Total Time:          6:01
Running Time:     6:01
Distance:              32.5 miles
TSS:                      334
Climbing:              3,142'

Saturday, April 26, 2014

20140420 - week in review

Monday - evergreen + harrison loop (3.2 miles 0:27).  a very easy jaunt to shake out my legs. I was pleasantly suprised with how good my legs felt, and considered stretching things out a bit more, but opted to keep it short and true to it's intent of getting blood flowing and being outside each day.

Tuesday - 5th st out and back (6.7 miles 1:00).  steady slog on the climb up (~ 900' over 3 miles) all runnable, though at times very slowly.  then a tempo effort on the return trip.  definitely pushing my lungs a bit on the return.  legs felt pretty good on the return.  a little chilly at some points, but glad to be out.

Wednesday - 390 towards winfield (9 miles 1:20).  good mellow run out with Mike over a slow steady incline with a short diversion onto the colorado trail.  legs are feeling a bit heavy, though on the return the slight grade down allowed for a bit faster pace.  pressed the pace a little bit on the return, except on the climbs, my legs are feeling a bit worn on climbing.

Thursday - BV explorations (7.95 miles 1:20).  fun little trail outing with Jamie, some of the collegiate peaks course, some general wandering, great weather and a very enjoyable run.  legs are feeling good.

French Gulch out and back (8 miles 1:07).  VRB thursday fun run with Ryan, Sam, and Molly.  Fun little climb up to Sallie Barber trail head (north - as there is also a south trailhead).  Legs definitely feeling a bit of this mornings run.  A very fun descent back to VRB.  solid run with good people.

Friday - Golden explorations (6.2 miles 1:01).  a nice little shake out run, my legs are definitely feeling a bit of this weeks efforts, and will likely be ready for the pending decrease in mileage.  it's just a matter of how long i can push this back.

Saturday - Coronado tempo(ish) (13.2 miles 1:38).  started out very comfortable and just held steady on the effort, a very flat and solid day.  my legs were starting to tire a little the last 1 - 2 miles, and i had to maintain a little focus to keep the pace.  a great start to the coming week.

Sunday - Mission trails - climbing (11.4 miles 2:18).  fun little jaunt with Victor and Mindy.  it took about 4 miles, and close to 1000' of climbing for my calves to finally release.  very tight and slow for the first 4 miles with a good bit of walking.  the last 7ish miles were good, with some solid, though slow climbs and a bit warm, good company, good trails, and good times.

Retrospective:  another solid week, slightly less mileage than i was hoping for; it's more important to listen to my legs and body than to rack up miles.  i'm aiming for quality, and enjoyment more than numbers, so i'll take the weeks numbers.  I know there is a slowing coming (I'm working to bury myself pretty good), i'm just trying to balance the efforts to push it back as much as i can.

Summary:
Total Time:       10:14
Running Time:  10:14
Distance:           65.75
TSS:                    747
Climbing:          8,855'

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

20140413 - week in review

Monday -  MTV 6 (6.2 miles 0:53) - an easy jaunt to stretch the legs and loosen things up after yesterdays outing.  nothing spectacular.  running on the roads is beginning to feel like work.

Tuesday - bv excursion (5.3 miles 0:52) - some fun little tracks out in bv with Mike.  A beautiful day, sunny and 50s.  legs a little sluggish on the climbs, but that may just be the company i am keeping.  it seems most runs with Mike make me feel a bit slow and lethargic.  i'm not sure if it's in my head, or i just happen to have off days.  either way, it's always fun to run in the dirt with great weather.

Wednesday - weston pass off shoot (1.74 0:37).  a short jaunt turned into a hike through knee deep snow up and around back to the cars.

Thursday - MTV 5.3 (5.3 miles 0:45) - quick outing on the roads, trying to keep things local and pretty mellow to let my legs come around for a good traverse.

Friday - Sandy hollow wanderings (2.27 miles 0:21).  a quick little shakeout after the drive.

Saturday - abbreviated zion traverse (35.8 miles 12:28).  incredible weather, sunny and 60s - 70s all day.  started out feeling pretty good, then around 15 miles it turned into a hike with occasional spurts of slow jogging.  spent a lot of time enjoying the incredible scenery, good company, and just being outside in warm weather.  photos:  http://photo-op.smugmug.com/Nature/20140412-zion-traverse-ish/38516527_Q9s2Vw

Sunday - Colorado National Monument liberty cap trail (4.0 miles 0:36).  or at least part of the trail.  things were a bit muddy, and the last 1.5 - 2 miles were in a snow thunderstorm.  all these years i've spent wondering if they exist, and i finally got to experience one.  very worth while, though a little more clothing would have made it more enjoyable.  well worth the stop and shake out run.

Retrospective: another good week, though not as big as i was hoping for.  saturday turned out a bit differently than expected, but such is life.  the only thing i can do is put myself out there adjust to the circumstances, and let the cards fall where they may.  a good week with a fun little excursion in zion with Victor, and my first ever snow thunderstorm.  i've been searching for that for some time.  perhaps i'll start finding other things i've been searching for now:)

Summary:
Total Time:        20:33
Running Time:   20:33
Distance:            60.72 miles
TSS:                   528
Climbing:           7,486'

Sunday, April 6, 2014

20140405 - week in review

Monday - 5th street mineral belt improv (10 miles 1:37).  fun little welcome back run after saturday's debacle and sunday spent licking my wounds:)  i met up with mike and we opted to climb up 5th st and follow that out for a bit, hopping on the mineral belt trail and following it for a bit.  i felt a little sluggish on the climb, but far better than on saturday.  once we got on the mineral belt, things were feeling better, and i was moving all right.  somewhere around cmc we lost track of the mineral belt and wound up passing through the college then heading down mcwethy and onto the finish for the 100.  felt pretty good all in all.  another good day enjoying a brief window of sunshine and blue skies.

Tuesday - 5.4 mile loop (5.4 miles 0:48).  another solid run, the weather was a bit chilly, so it took a little motivation to get out the door.  once i was out, it wasn't too bad, and i pieced together another solid run.  i started out just cruising comfortably.  when i started up the 2.5ish mile climb up mountain view i was feeling pretty good.  I made a conscious decision to just stay comfortable and not push the climb.  i felt good the entire climb making for a good finish and another positive day.

Wednesday - county road wanderings (9 miles 1:20).  after a little hemming and hawing i was able to drag myself out the door and did a bit of wandering in search of some dirt, or packed snow to avoid the pavement.  i was able to find a good little stretch of both dirt and snow, and wound up with a decent day of steady effort and a decent pace.  most importantly i was enjoying being out and exploring some areas i haven't been in a while.  3 good runs in 3 days, let the ride continue.

Thursday - base work (7 miles 1:00).  another chilly day with cloud cover and another good day of running. another day of a solid pace.  4 days, no hard pressing, and all of them with a good pace, and my legs are feeling good.  perhaps this consistency thing is the way to go?  i started a little begrudgingly due to the chill in the air, and my general lethargy, once out the door, i was feeling pretty good, and opted to stretch my usual 5.5 mile loop out a bit.  i'm glad i did, and though i was not looking forward to the 2.5ish (actually closer to 3.5 with the extended loop) mile climb up towards the end, i felt good the entire time, and managed another great day out wandering around the streets.

Friday -  7th st out and back (6.2 miles 0:52).  after a several days of feeling pretty good on the runs (though the mornings have been tough to get going), the scale seems to be tipping slightly.  today's route is a climb until i opt out of the climb and turn around to enjoy the descent.  today the climbing was all right for the first 1 - 2 miles, then it started to become incredibly laborious and slow.  i continued to climb to see if things would turn around.  the didn't, it just kept getting slower, so i turned, and opted to press the descent enjoying the work i put in and smiling lungs burning and legs doing all they could to keep pressing.  no blistering times even on the descent, but a good little effort that should help improve turnover and remind me it's ok, and can be fun, to push the effort.

Saturday - vrb group run (11 miles 2:16).  after a bit of a reprieve from consistently joining the VRB  saturday runs, i dragged myself out of bed this morning, and made my way to breckenridge for some good company and fun miles.  it was a bit of a slog up to sallie barber mine, everybody seemed to have a bit of a niggle, or something that was a bit off, i attribute this to a much too long winter and absence from the trails:)  once at the mine, it's a fun descent back down into town, i enjoyed a good little push for a mile and a half on the descent down to the south parking lot.  we regrouped and pretty much cruised the final 4 miles back into town together.  a good day, great people, and a huge reminder that it doesn't have to be fast or hurt to be fun.  it's all about perspective

tempo jaunt (2.6 miles 0:20).  my legs were a bit antsy after todays outing, so i opted to get in a quick little loop from my house at a bit of an effort to shake out my legs and enjoy the sunset.

Sunday - sage cafe out and back (20.2 miles 3:18).  went out conservatively, enjoying the trails and picking my way through several short snowy sections.  after about 3 miles the fun single dropped onto dirt roads, still good, but not as much fun as the wiggly single track.  I turned around at 1:34, hoping to stay within 1 minute per mile of my pace for the return trip (it's trending uphill on the way back).  I was still feeling pretty good, and continued to feel good through 17 miles.  i am sure i was a bit light on nutrition, as through 17 miles i only had 4 - 5 small nips (about 1oz  and 90 calories) from the honey molasses concoction i am trying for nutrition.  at 17 miles, i took about 1oz as i felt things slowing significantly.  shortly after this, my foot punched through a snowy section and sent me sailing headlong into the snow.  i laid there for a brief moment and laughed, just over 2 miles left and i'm laying here happy to be off me feet.  in another entertaining twist, the sky decided to open up at this point as well, fortunately(?) it was cold enough that it was snow, and a strong head wind, as well as the brunt of the climbing to be had on the run.  i hiked a bit of the longest climb, took another 1oz of my nutrition and decided to try and press the final 2 miles.  it sort of worked, though i felt like i was running hard, the pace wasn't too impressive, but with the snow falling and wind blowing, i was more than ready to be back at the truck.  as the terrain turned to rollers instead of steady climbing, i was able to move pretty well, and was enjoying the wiggling single track.  nutrition:  ~200 calories and 20oz of water

Retrospective:  all in all a great week, some good mileage and my average pace is picking up, though i've been dragging a little from day to day, and slow to get out of bed, once i get out and am running, these things are falling away.  i find myself consumed in the moment, looking neither forward nor backward, but being fully present in now.  a welcome centering and balancing, as the week started off pretty rough and i have been struggling a little bit finding the positives.  sunday's run was the icing on the cake, i was just out enjoying myself taking in the nature experience, despite the clumps of snow and significant fatigue i experienced in the final 3 - 4 miles, i enjoyed being out there and being in the present.

Summary:
Total Time:        11:32
Running Time:   11:32
Distance:           71.7
TSS:                   786
Climbing:           6,330'

Sunday, March 30, 2014

20140330 - week in review

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'

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.

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'