Run to Work Day

With work a lot less hectic lately, today was a perfect day to run to work and back home. Stats are:

Home to Work - 1 Hour 43 Minutes, 13.1 Miles, 7:55 Pace
Work to Home - 1 Hour 44 Minutes, 13.7 Miles, 7:37 Pace
Total Commute - 3 Hours 27 Minutes, 26.8 Miles, 7:46 Pace

Morning started out really early. 5:00am specifically. Started out very slow, very easy and very tired. Honestly couldn't recall the first hour of the run. Thankfully a quick stop to visit the can at a DTC gas station woke me up and got me moving a lot quicker the last few miles in. The morning session went by so easily and left me looking forward to the return trip.



Now the toughest part of today's runs aren't the runs itself but the down time between runs. During my 9 hour work day, I struggled with being sleepy and muscles getting tight. Lots of liquid, a smart diet and random walks around the office helped as the work day came to an end at 4pm.

Lucky for me, showers and winds were held in check and blue skies greeted me as I started my journey back home. While not delicious singletrack, I'll take a detour thru the Cherry Creek State Park over pavement any day.



Once within the heart of the DTC, I hit damn near every light while crossing an intersection. A good 7 to 8 minutes ticked by on my watch as I stood and waited patiently for a green light go. After crossing I-25, it was non-stop running all the way home. These shoes, while awful looking, held up great all day. So damn comfortable.



Not sure how beneficial this run is for the upcoming Dirty Thirty. Regardless I was on my feet running for a good amount of time. More important, my fuel and hydration intake were on point. At the end of my run, I had more energy then at any other time of the day. The last handful of miles were easily my fastest of the day. All good signs as the summer months come knocking.

Collegiate Peaks 25 - A mental kick in the...

Before I get into any details surrounding the race, I've got to hand to all those who help make this race happen. From my perspective, the event ran flawlessly and the volunteers out there were awesome.

What this race lacks in single track, huge climbs and alpine terrain easily makes up for with stunning views of a snow capped Mt Princeton and a constant up and down course. I've run more difficult courses, but this course has variety of terrain that is thrown at you for most of the day. Just a fun course to run on and I had blast out there.

Within 15 minutes of arriving to the start line, I got the pleasure of catching up with WA and from there I bumped into, was introduced to or chatted with so many fine people. That list includes, Todd G, Brian F, Darcy A, Leila D, GZ, JT, MH, and numerous others whose names I have unfortunately forgotten but made the day that much more enjoyable.

As for the race, well let's just say mentally I wasn't all that into it.

I love keeping my life simple. However you mix 4 weeks of in-laws living with us, 12 to 16 hour work shifts for weeks at a time and it's impact on family time and training and well....I'm pretty much left mentally deflated come race day.

Departed Denver Friday afternoon with my mom tagging along for the road trip. While she's visited me a few times over the years, she's never been to the mountains and I thought this would be a nice distraction for her as she's spent the past week locked up in the house baby sitting. Arrived to Buena in time to pick up race pack and check into the Thunder Lodge. Not the nicest place in town but with a kitchenette and a respectable nightly fee, it really couldn't be beat.

Saturday morning I was awake early and ran to the start line from the lodge. It was only a mile plus away and wasn't about to make my mom walk that distance. Even at 5:30am, the temps in the Arkansas Valley were comfortable. My pace was a shuffle at 9:30 minute pace and right off the bat I could tell two things: 1) My body felt great and 2) I had no interest in racing. So I quickly got my mind set that today would be a nice slow long run in which I enjoyed every facet of race day without actually racing.

The first few miles of the race were chilly but them sun rays wasted no time warming you up once they broke thru. The first 15 miles of the race just cruised by. Conversation with many and the accompanying views were simply fantastic. The pace very comfortable. Hydration and fueling were extremely solid.

Then the #3 aid station at Mile 15 came along. I was chugging my water bottle and didn't bother to stop for a refill. I remember running thru not really caring even though I knew the last big climb of the day was in front of me.

I got to the base of the last climb with no water and at that point I simply didn't have the drive to push myself like I normally do during races. I walked, maybe half?, of the hill for no real reason. I ran portions of the climb but then I would stop just for the hell of it. I had the energy to run but just didn't care too. Remember getting to Aid #4 around mile 19, grabbing a handful of chips and a few gulps of water and ran off. My bottle still empty.

I proceeded to walk small bits of the downhill and bigger portions of the flat. Got to Aid #5 and jogged right thru it. Still no water refill.

Couldn't tell you a damn thing about the last few miles other then all dozen or so 50 mile folks looking fantastic on the return trip. A few years ago, I bumped into one 50 miler before finishing. At the bridge just before the finish and that was AK.

Finish line came and went at something like 4 hours 4 minutes and the effects of not drinking water over the past hour plus had hit me hard and put me in a nice state of dehydration. Rest of the body felt fine. Figured that would be the case with all that walking and comfortable paced running.

(The finish/turn-around area that was so confusing to folks)

I have to say it's very hard for me to be disappointed about the time and effort posted on Saturday. Life has simply been hectic and I've done my best in balancing all things important to me over the past month. I could have easily said the hell with this race and stayed home but to me that would have been the true disappointment.

April 2011 Summary

Sometimes life just gets in the way of running and the latter part of this month was a perfect example of that.

Runs - 25
Workouts - 0
Injured - 0

The Bad: The wife going back to work, the mother-in-law moving in to help out with the little one and myself working back to back 75 plus hour work weeks. When you're working as much as I was over the past few weeks, there ain't much time left to run, sleep well and spend time with family.

Early this month I got the thumbs up to start working out again. At that time, I had been away from pushing weights for 2 months. Well you can make that 3 months now. Some folks get better at running by running more. I become a better runner when I run more and lift weights. Something about the balance between the two just works well for me.

The Good: I did have the first 10 days of the month working for me. Averaging something like 9.7 miles a day during that stretch. I also got in every scheduled long run leading up to Collegiate Peaks. So I got that working for me.

Looking Forward: One of the positives to take out of the brutal stretch at the end of April is that I can consider this span as an extreme taper with the CP25 just around the corner. In all honesty, I can't say I'm overly confident as I enter the race. I've always read "trust your training" and my training for the past few months has been strong and consistent. However I live by the line "what have you done for me lately?" And as far as I'm concerned, I have done squat over the past few weeks to justify a strong showing down in Buena Vista.

I did purchase Relentless Forward Progress last week. Went back and forth regarding the puchase, but for $10 via Amazon, it was easy to justify. Pretty much done with the book. Easy read, interesting topics but not really sharing stuff I didn't already know. But I'll say it's nice to have a reference manual like this in a small book that I can keep stashed with my other running mags next to the can in the bathroom.

Did stumble across this new race in Moab. Sounds very interesting but the timing of it is pretty bad for me as it's weeks after Steamboat. Single loop routes for the 50M and 100M is pretty cool and being out in Moab in early October usually offers up some fantastic weather. Rarely too hot or too cold. Will seriously consider the 50M if I'm able to string together a strong summer training pattern.

Last Week Was A Good Week

I never post anything regarding my weekly training as I feel I rarely do anything noteworthy. However the past week (April 10th thru the 16th) gave me a few reasons to be happy as we roll into the beautiful days of spring here in Colorado.

Wednesday the 13th marked my 4th visit and 4th x-ray over the past two months at the Hand Surgery Associates within Porter Medical Plaza. Visit number 2 ended with possibilities of a pin or two being inserted into my fractured left radial bone. Visit number 4 went much better. Dr. Sachar was extremely happy with the latest evaluation. The fracture was now healed and outside of some lingering swelling that'll be around for another month plus, I was good to go. No more visits needed, no more x-rays needed. It's been two months since my fracture occurred and I'm so happy to close the book on this story.

Training for the week also went just as well. Right now, having no weekly game plan is the best plan I can have. Outside of my long run on Saturday, I try to be as flexible as possible. If I can run, then great. If I can't, then there's a damn good reason why I can't get after it. This past week offered up 7 straight days of running. The stats are:

Miles - 67+
Time - 9 Hours 45 Minutes
Vert - 5,200 Feet

All this highlighted by Saturdays long run on Mt. Falcon. 23 miles in 3 hours 58 minutes. One of my favorite views below showing off peaks such as Bergen, Squaw and of course Evans.



Highlight of the run came after the initial climb and knocking out those 2 one mile long out/back spur trails near the shelter. I bumped into an old friend Julie and her two Aussie dogs. I've known Julie for 5 years now and we spent the next hour plus running together and catching up. Running can be so easy when done among friends.

I knocked out Mt. Falcon v1 in a very comfortable 2 1/2 hours. v1 is all physical. Heading up the east face a second time is all mental. First climb came in around 33/34 minutes. Climb two around 37 minutes. I proceeded on to the western lot of the park and returned pretty much the same way I came up with a slight change thru the upper valley. Felt good the whole day and for a second wondered if I was capable of knocking out a Mt. Falcon v2. And if so how long would it take. Regardless that would be a brutal second loop.

On the way home I stopped off at Morgan Liquors near home. To my delight I saw this in a can which further proved spring is finally here.



Ska's Mexican Logger which was likely canned within the past few weeks. Now I'm an IPA fan till the day I die, but the Mexi Log is damn tasty. Especially after 23 miles on them Mt. Falcon trails.

Hardrock Lottery likes SW Colorado

A long over due post that I'm excited to share.

Back on Feb 5th, the lottery for entry into Hardrock was held. While it sounds like many of those living along the front range were denied entry, a few living around the SW corner of the state had a much better outcome. Without getting specific, I'm noticing a few first timers from that area get in this year.

One of those first timers is Scott who I helped out in Leadville last year. I couldn't be more excited for him and look forward to helping him in any way possible come July 8th.

I've stated this before and still feel strongly about it. I do not have an overwhelming desire to run a 100 mile race right now. A race of this distance requries a huge commitment and due to family and work obligations, that type of commitment is something I just don't have right at this moment. Don't get me wrong though, this distance is something I'll likely attempt more then a few times in my life, and mainly because of my desire to run Hardrock.

Now the goal of running 100 miles will hopefully occur in 2012 and assuming all goes well, my earliest entry into Hardrock would be 2013. So it's in my best interest to get started sooner then later while the body and mind are healthy.

I first heard of Hardrock and Imogene Pass Run about 9 years ago during a trip to Ouray. Just chatting with some older gent who was finishing a run in town. I didn't know trail running and/or races existed. Hell, I honestly didn't know squat about running. What I did know is I loved the San Juans the second I laid eyes on them.

Since that day in Ouray, I've run Imogene 5 times. I've raced the San Juan Solstice and the Kendall Mountain Run. I've ran just less then half the course of Hardrock over numerous runs and countless other miles around the San Juans. The San Juans are were my love for the mountains begain and running every race held in the area has always been my goal.

Just a few pics of what Hardrock is all about. Enjoy.

(Nothing Hardrock related but just how one rolls in SW Colorado)

March 2011 Summary

Runs - 26
Work Outs - 0
Injured - 0

The Bad:

Tired. I now have a new definition of what tired means. I thought I knew what I was getting into with raising a new born with regards to a lack of sleep but never did I think it would hit me this hard. For the record, our little one couldn't be any more of an angel. She eats great, sleeps great and is a chill baby. It's just the lack of consistent sleep that just wears you down over a 6 week period. Two to three hours here and there and before you know it's time to get up and go to work. Coffee has become a close friend of mine over the past month.

Cherry Creek State Park. I've made it a weekly goal to run at least once a week during my lunch break. Cherry Creek St. Park is in our backyard and I've come to dislike this place so much over the past month. The wind is always blowing hard and mix in the dusty aspect of the park and I feel like I'm driving thru an Indian Reservation in Oklahoma. I am holding out hope that spring brings on some nice color and a little wildlife to the area. And dusty prairie dogs don't count.

The Good:

Consistent Miles. As tough as it was at times, I've stayed damn consistent all month without my running getting in the way of family or work. I had a long trail run every weekend (capped at 3 hours regardless of how I was feeling) followed by a 10 to 14 miler the next day on the streets around the hood. During the middle of the week I mixed in some good speed work, tempo and plenty of conservatively paced miles. What I'm most proud of is I felt like I could have gone longer on a majority of my runs. A great sign for me as I feel extremely confident in my base and feel that I can step it up once summer comes around.

Being a dad. As of month end, it's been 6 wonderful weeks of seeing the little one grow in front of my own eyes. Loving every second!

Looking Forward:

April will be an interesting month. A few weeks at work will be straight hell as we wrap up our Budget for the next fiscal year. The wife gets back to work starting the last few weeks of the month. The in-laws move in for that time frame to help out with baby. Yeah things will be interesting come April. Just hoping I can maintain some decent running as the Collegiate Peaks 25 Miler is just around the corner.

My random thoughts on shoes:



For most of my running life, I've relied on two shoes to carry me around the streets and trails. The Mizuno Percision's and Elixer's. I've posted on this way long ago so won't rehash my love for either shoe.

Feeling that I needed something more specialized as my miles increased in the high country, I started running in La Sportiva Crosslites last year. I really do like the shoe but wanted to mix it up a bit so I've purchased a pair of the Saucony Peregrine's. The lightweight, minimal drop and lower to the ground heights really grabbed my attention. Have yet to run in these so can't comment on them.

What always grabs my attention with trail running shoes is their tread. The tread on most trail shoes just seems excessive to me and both shoes I mentioned are no exception. I run in the 101's a fair amount and the lack of tread on that shoe has never been an issue to me. Heck, the Elixer's have even less tread and they never seem to hinder me. Maybe it's just me but a glove like fit is so much more important to me then heavy duty traction nobs. Or is it knobs?

The T7's were a shoe I decided to try after Mizuno made some slight changes to the Percisions that I didn't care for. The T6's, now T7's, are really fun shoes to run in and outside of weight offer up the same heel and forefoot height compared to the Percisions. I honestly don't notice much difference between the T7s and Percisions.

The big difference I do notice is I beat these shoes up quickly. Must be my fat frame (6'3" 185lbs) or the rugged terrain I run on (Wash Park dirt path). Either way the life span of these shoes ain't long and I have a feeling this is the last times I invest in these shoes. I likely would have gone for something different had the T7's not offered up a new fun look. In a few months I'm sure I'll go back to my trusted Mizuno's or if I really enjoy the ride of the Peregrine's, I'll take the Kinvara for a few laps around the park.

Oh and if you were wondering, I do pretty much all my shopping at the runningwarehouse. Zero issues with them over 2 plus years of shopping.

Mt Sanitas Quadruple Times the Fun

Most of my runs over the past 3 plus weeks have been tiring. Not tiring in the sense that my legs were tired from a running workload. Rather tiring in the sense that I could use a few more hours of sleep each day. Seriously, yawning during a few of my runs has far exceeded the number of snot rockets I fire out. Parenthood and its impact on running at it's best.

Last weekend I got a window to sneak out for a long run on the trails. Mt Falcon V1 to be precise. While I loved being out there, there were sections of the trails that were so icy that even NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman would have been pleased.

A few days ago I read JPs post on the dry trails that existed on Mt. Sanitas. The thought of dry conditions made me giddy and I penciled in this hill for some running fun this morning.

Like normal, I was awake early but ready to go back to sleep. After ensuring the wife and daughter were good, I was off and at the trail head by 8am. The goal was simple. To just run as much as possible at an easy pace and work on hydration and fuel. Honestly could have cared less about times.

(Laps 1 & 3 to the left. Laps 2 & 4 to the right.)

It has been almost a year since I ran these trails and just minutes into the run I'm quickly reminded on how much of a beating I was about to take. The first two laps were uneventful. Slow and easy and completed rather painlessly. From here I ran to my car and reloaded up on a new water bottle and a few more gels.

The 3rd climb up the south ridge actually went well. Running more portions then I had on my initial climb and topping out around 23 minutes. It was the downhill in which I actually felt it. Quads were slowly getting fatigued and I held back on a 7:30 pace down the valley just to save something for lap 4.

I was not looking forward to lap 4 but got into it right away. Running the whole valley up and finally breaking into a power hike as the switch backs begin. Before long I was tapping the stripper pole at the summit for the forth time and heading back down the relentless steeps of the south ridge. Lap 4 actually went a lot smoother then I thought it would. Lap 5? I would have tried had there been more time but it would have taken me forever.

A cool down mile of running and I was D-O-N-E. Yeah I'm going to feel this one tomorrow.

Mileage: 13+ miles
Vert: Shade over 5K of quad mashing feet
Time: 3hrs 3 mins. First two laps about 8 minutes faster then the last two laps.