2012 Quad Rock 25M

Not sure what else I can say that already hasn't been said about the inaugural Quad Rock up in Fort Collins.  Simply a fantastic event on a tough course put on by Nick Clark and Pete Stevenson and a race everyone should consider in 2013. 

I had stated it in my last post that this race was going to be treated as a training run.  The only question was would this be an easy paced long run or one that could be ran at a higher level of exertion.  For the week leading to the race, I had already ran 4 days at just under 43 miles with roughly 2,500 feet of climbing.

Friday night was spent at the in-laws in Loveland some 30 minutes away from the start.  The spare bedroom was occupied by WA.  WA is a hell of a guy and hanging out with him before the race made race weekend that much more enjoyable. 

5am is an early start.  More so when the temps are around 40.  Thankfully the rain stayed away and the cold foggy/cloudy day was pretty damn comfortable for a day on the trails.

The course starts in the valley on some narrow single track.  Conditions were soft and far from muddy and those first few dark miles clicked by quickly.  The slow pace (9 minute/mile) was comfortable and just ensured a conservative start.  Before long we were on climb one up towards the Towers Aid Station (7.2).

On the climb up Towers Road I would just test out various paces to get a gauge on what my body could handle.  Thankfully for me my body was ready to handle a lot.  However in the back of my mind I wanted to save my energy for climbs 2 and 3 of the day.  The first descent of the day revealed that my downhill legs would be blah.  At least early on.  Just couldn't find a flow.

Horsetooth Aid Station (10.4) came and went and was the start of the second climb of my day.  I would say Climb 1 one was at a steady pace.  Climb 2 was much more aggressive.  I was really happy with how all went on this climb.  Before long I was back at Towers Aid Station (14.2).

On the descent into Arthurs Aid Station (17.6), I made my one and only mistake.  Forgetting to get anything into my system.  Up to this point (2 plus hours in), I had consumed some 50 ounces of water, 400+ calories and 2 salt caps.  The next 30 minutes I took in nothing and I felt it as I started the last climb of the day.  There was no fatigue or cramping, just a low fuel tank. 

It was frustrating to have to consume some calories 5 minutes into my last climb.  I say about half way up the climb things started to click again.  I was running most of the last climb but far from the pace I wanted.  I took in some more calories near the top and things were finally back to normal.  With over 4 miles left, I was feeling good and just ready to hammer down.  Those downhill legs that weren't working earlier found their flow and I was cruising low 6's when allowed too.

The only disruptions I had on my last descent was the constant pulling over during the last 2 miles to let the 50 milers by.  It was common courtesy and I had zero issues with giving them the right of way. 

Finish time was 4 hours 17 minutes and 14 seconds.  Good for 13 overall.  More importantly to me, I crossed the finish line feeling great and not exhausted from the effort.  Though a bit of me deep down inside did cry when I was told the beer hadn't arrived.  So much for my 9:18am morning beer. 

I hung around the finish line for another hour plus watching all the 50 milers come and go.  Observing what each was doing.  And this leads to a new pet peeve of mine. 

During those early congo line slow paced miles, there was that one dude who HAD to get ahead of you at any cost.  At one point, the guy was behind me.  Huffing and puffing 3 miles into the race.  Saw him leap frog a few more folks in front of me.  All out of control and damn near take someone out.  Second we hit the first climb, he's walking.  Saw him at the turn around.  5 hours 20 minutes after the start.  He was there for 20 plus minutes sitting doing who knows what.   

All that latter stuff is fine with me.  Do what you need to do to finish the race in whatever time you want.  But don't be that asshole early in the race and not having a clue on pace.  I got a feeling I'll be seeing a bunch of those a-holes on my way to Mayqueen in a few months. 

 6 more weeks till San Juan Solstice!!!!!!!!

April 2012 Summary

Runs - 27
Workouts - 0
Injured - 0
Running Days - 24
Average Miles Per Running Day - 8.8
Vert - 17,000 Feet

The Bad:

Work - Half the month was spent working extremely long hours.  Hours that could have been spent not so much running but rather with the family.  Work/Life Balance was nonexistent.  Thankfully that stretch is done.

The Good: 

Running - What can I say other then how absolutely excited I am to get back in the groove of things.  The month started extremely slow and conservative.  38 miles for week 1 of April.  The month ended extremely strong.  65 miles for week 4 of April. 

I'll admit though my fears of this month being tough was spot on.  Being conservative with my build up of miles was tough.  Accepting that my left calf was still healing even a month after treatment was tough.  Having dead legs after only 3 weeks of a training cycle (2nd week of Apr) was tough to deal with. 

It was also rewarding.  Building that tempo run back to 12 miles before the sun rises.  Those 18 miles and 4,000 feet of vert at White Ranch in just over 3 hours.  Entering the month of May feeling fantastic.  All rewarding.

Workouts - A big doughnut next to my workouts for the month.  First time that's happened since last August and something I'm totally fine with.  My days off were a must.  A must mentally and physically from the work grind and the running. 

However not accounted for were all those sit ups and push ups I did at the house.  All those hip exercises I worked on to help ensure my left calf doesn't go in the shitter again.  All those stretches and time spent on the roller.  It's the little things I'm hoping keep me strong thru the key stretch of summer training heading into August.

Look What Daddy Did -

Boulder Distance Classic - My wife wanted to run the 5K up in Boulder a week ago with a friend.  No way in hell I do anything other then support her for the race.  It was decided that I would run while pushing our little one in the B.O.B. 

What followed was my slowest 5K time ever.  30 minutes 2 seconds.  Those 30 minutes and 2 seconds were filled with laughter and yelling of excitement from the little one.  Never did I imagine she'd have that much fun.  Never did I imagine that a simple non competitive race would leave such a joyful memory.

Looking Forward:

The goal going forward is still pretty simple.  Continue to up the miles and effort all while listening to my calf.  The muscle is healing well but still requires heaps of stretching and ice.  My best guess is the muscle won't be fully healed for another month or so.  Which is fine with me as long as it progressively gets better. 

Quad Rock 25M is on the 12 of this month.  Earlier in the year, I had pegged this race as something I'd like to race, not just run.  With what has transpired over the past few months, I'm planning on entering the race with heavy legs and treating it as a long run.  My weekly mile build up has been running strong for 5 weeks now and I would love to see this continue thru May and into June.  I have no desire to rest or taper till a week or two before San Juan Solstice.